It's About Human Relationships

I went to the funeral today of a man whom I had not known long, but who was the kind of man you could know well in a short amount of time. That's the way it is with relational people. They relate. You relate. And when there is love and joy and peace, it is good. I also returned a couple of days ago from seeing family whom I had not seen in a long time. That, also, was good. Very good. And I felt badly for all the time that had passed without relationship.

I have been looking at some biblical passages with new eyes lately. I am looking through the eyes of context, reading whole passages and not just a few isolated verses. It makes a difference. It is essential. I want to share with you a couple of insights.

Any of you who are Christian or who have spent any amount of time in church, especially on Communion Sundays, are familiar with the admonition to “judge the body rightly.”  If you can't, we are told, we should not partake, lest we risk sickness or death. (Have you ever seen that happen?)  But let's look at it again. I mean, right now. Turn to 1 Cor. 11:17-33. Yep. The whole thing.

The Apostle Paul starts off talking about division within the church, and how some folks are hogging all the food. They are not looking out for one another, and as a consequence, some go away hungry. He says in verse 22 that if you have homes of your own (stocked with food, is the implication), you should eat there before meeting together, so that those who do not have homes and food may find what they need in the gathering of fellow Christians. Then he reminds them of that first Communion, the Last Supper, where Jesus set the example of serving others first. So, what is this “unworthy” bit in verse 27?  Being selfish! The examination of self in vs. 28 is about whether you actually need this food or not.  So, by the time we get to vs. 29, that is what it is to “judge the body rightly.”  If I do not regard others in the body, and consider their needs, I heap condemnation on myself. Seems like human relationships are important to the Lord, and He wants to meet our needs through others. Or should I say, He wants to meet others' needs through us.

The other passage I want you to look at with me is James 4:2.  “...You do not have because you do not ask.”  Have you always thought of that in terms of prayer? Have you thought that if you just prayed you would have it? And when you didn't have it still, did you go on to the next verse and figure that God didn't answer your prayers because you were being selfish?

Back up a bit. What has been going on since chapter 2? Favoritism, partiality, lack of mercy, curses, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, hypocrisy, quarreling, conflict, murder, envy...  If you're looking at the passage with me, I think you can see how I've come to the conclusion that the very next thought is about not having because you don't ask one another. Rather than being envious of something someone else has, why not ask if they'll share? And, according to verse 3, if you ask and still don't get it, perhaps it's because you were selfish in the asking.  James goes on later in the chapter to address more human relationships, and the theme keeps recurring throughout the rest of the book. So why would he sandwich a verse about prayer in there, when the context seems to be about how to interact in a healthy way with others?

So, I've come to think that perhaps the Bible is a bit simpler than we've thought. Perhaps writers then were as writers now, and their thoughts really do flow together.  And I've come to believe that human relationships are very, very important to God.