This verse is an example of distinctively Jewish thinking by St Paul: a mode of reasoning known in Hebrew as 'qal va-chomer' ('simple and difficult' or 'trivial and important'). Jesus used it again and again. Here are a couple of His: "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field ... how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Luke 12:28). "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13). You could say that several of His parables make the same point in story form: the unjust judge grudgingly hears the widow, so how much more likely is it that God will "... bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?" (Luke 18:7). That's an amusing one. I wish preachers would laugh a bit more at Jesus' words, like His original hearers did. In fact lots of the Bible is funny.
I'm still thinking about what I wrote yesterday, about God's readiness to give everything, but our unwillingness and unreadiness to accept His grace. How clearly this comes across in St Paul's passionate plea we've just read in this chapter: "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). How could we fear otherwise? How could we fear not being provided for by God, if He pays so much attention to a small flower or a sparrow? How could we doubt God's lavish generosity, when even we are like that towards our own children? Do we have lesser expectations of God than of a corrupt judge?
God utterly humbled Himself before His children, He pulled no rank, and He loved us unwaveringly through the worst things our sick hearts made us do to Him. Nothing less than that, it seems, could overcome our doubts and fears and finally "purify our conscience" (Hebrews 9:14), so we and He could henceforward live together in perfect trust, love and peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment