More on responsibility

On my way to work this morning, I listened to a rather harrowing interview with George and Debbie Kinsella, parents of Ben Kinsella – the 16-year-old who was brutally stabbed to death, without any provocation, and whose murderers have been sentenced to nineteen years in prison.

Understandably, their answer to the knife-crime that has blighted so much of our society was to increase the punishment – and I, for one, would find it difficult to persuade a non-Christian that that was not the best approach. Indeed, as an interim measure, it may well be the most effective solution to the problem, although those who commit such crimes are not always in a condition that would allow them to rationally consider the potential consequences!

However, I believe that the real answer lies elsewhere. In school I, and others, have noticed a rapid deterioration in the attitude of an increasing number of the children we endeavour to teach. There are children being extracted from class to attend special ‘anger management’ sessions. Some continue to act in an aggressive ‘in-your-face’ manner. Respect is shown only by ‘softies’ and ‘wimps’; and they readily state that they will do whatever they want, even in school.

Of course, in our post-Christian society, this is only to be expected. The old Book of Proverbs (wise sayings), from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament part of the Christian Bible) states, in a modern translation, advises parents: “Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” (22:6). This, I would maintain, is where the root of the problem lies. For too long, parents have abrogated the responsibility for their children’s upbringing to strangers. However, it is even worse! Writing to the fellowship of believers in the early Roman church, Paul says: “Give everyone what you owe him: … if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.” (13:7). Respect, however, that used to come so naturally to the vast majority, and that only had to be earned if it had been lost, is a totally foreign concept to many of today’s children. Of course, show perceived disrespect to them, and it’s a different story! That, as far as I can make out, was the problem for Ben Kinsella – someone (not Ben) had ‘dissed’ (shown disrespect to) one of the murderers, and he was determined, with the help of his fellow-thugs, to exact revenge – even if it was from a young lad who had nothing to do with the situation.

It is my contention that the liberal-minded, ‘do-gooders’ of the past thirty years have a great deal for which to answer. Discipline has been thrown out of the window; arrogance and insolence are part of the everyday attitudes of far too many; personal responsibility, and the consequences of unacceptable behaviour, have been discarded. However, there is always a day of reckoning. As Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (6:7). Those who sow discord, violence, and disruption, have no valid complaint when the harvest-time arrives!

Personal responsibilty.

This morning, at the Communion Service, a very good friend – whose Christian faith, and academic standing, are both unquestionable – was quoted as having said that, until his/her work is done, the Christian is invincible. Apparently, this was said in the context of riding a motor-bike, and my friend is alleged to have claimed that he didn’t worry about how dangerously he rode, because of this claimed invincibility.

I am fully aware that one should be careful with second-hand reports, but the person who quoted my friend is, himself, a good friend whose faith and intelligence are also of the highest order. I have no doubt, therefore, that the statement was originally made ‘tongue-in-cheek’, and that the quotation of it was made in a similar vein. However, I am concerned that some of those who heard it will have taken the statement quite literally, and may get into all sorts of trouble for having done so. We must be careful what we say, especially when we are teaching the Word, or leading a fellowship of believers in worship. (cf. James 3:1)

Of course, it does raise the whole subject of personal responsibility in the context of the grace of God! I was taught – to continue with the road-using analogy – that when I exceeded the speed limit, my guardian angel got out of the car!! That, I would suggest, is a much safer attitude to take. Just because I am a follower of Jesus does not mean that I am guaranteed safety in circumstances in which I have acted unwisely – if not downright dangerously. Was not that one of the ways by which the devil tried to deflect the Lord Jesus from His mission – “Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, `He orders His angels to protect You. And they will hold You with their hands to keep You from striking Your foot on a stone.'" Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, `Do not test the Lord your God.'" ”? (Matt.4:5-7). Is it not akin to the mistake made by the Jewish leadership against whom the prophet Jeremiah spoke: “Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of YHWH, the temple of YHWH, the temple of YHWH.'”? (Jer.7:4).

The grace and mercy of Almighty God are beyond my human understanding. But they are not, I would maintain, to be presumed upon! Indeed, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (I Cor.10:12). Of course, I believe that the Lord has a specific plan and purpose for my life. But I also believe that He will accomplish His own great purposes either with me, or without me! My “putting on Christ” (Rom.13:14), is not the attachment of some ‘magic charm’. It is the adopting of a lifestyle that is rooted in Him, and in the written Word of God. It does not allow me to abandon my personal responsibility. Rather, it requires me to live responsibly for Him, that I may be the means of drawing others to Him. Anything else is foolhardiness, and would not, I suspect, receive that “Well done, good and faithful servant; … enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matt.25:21).

The King and the Abbot

In the previous post, I made reference to the old English ballad of king John and the abbot (or bishop, in some versions). It occurs to me that it might not be known to everyone – especially those of a younger generation so, to satisfy the curiosity of any, here it is (in a modernised, and somewhat abbreviated, form).

I’ll tell you a story, a story anon, Of a noble prince, and his name was King John; For he was a prince, and a prince of great might, He held up great wrongs, he put down great right.

I’ll tell you a story, a story so merry, Concerning the Abbot of Canterbury, And of his house-keeping and high renown, Which made him resort to fair London town.

‘How now, father abbot? ’Tis told unto me That thou keepest a far better house than I; And for [thy] house-keeping and high renown, I fear thou hast treason against my crown.’

‘I hope, my liege, that you owe me no grudge For spending of my true-gotten goods:’
‘If thou dost not answer me questions three, Thy head shall be taken from thy body.

‘When I am set so high on my steed, With my crown of gold upon my head, Amongst all my nobility, with joy and much mirth, Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worth.

‘And the next question you must not flout, How long I shall be riding the world about; And the third question thou must not shrink, But tell to me truly what I do think.’

‘O these are hard questions for my shallow wit, For I cannot answer your grace as yet; But if you will give me but three days space, I’ll do my endeavour to answer your grace.’

‘O three days space I will thee give, For that is the longest day thou hast to live. And if thou dost not answer these questions right, Thy head shall be taken from thy body quite.’

And as the shepherd was going to his fold, He spy’d the old abbot come riding along: ‘How now, master abbot? You’re welcome home; What news have you brought from good King John?’

‘Sad news, sad news I have thee to give, For I have but three days space for to live; If I do not answer him questions three, My head will be taken from my body.

‘When he is set so high on his steed, With his crown of gold upon his head, Amongst all his nobility, with joy and much mirth, I must tell him to one penny what he is worth. ‘And the next question I must not flout, How long he shall be riding the world about; And the third question I must not shrink, But tell him truly what he does think.’

‘O master, did you never hear it yet, That a fool may learn a wiseman wit? Lend me but your horse and your apparel, I’ll ride to fair London and answer the quarrel.’

‘Now I am set so high on my steed, With my crown of gold upon my head, Amongst all my nobility, with joy and much mirth, Now tell me to one penny what I am worth.’

‘For thirty pence our Saviour was sold, Amongst the Jews, as you have been told, And nine and twenty’s the worth of thee, For I think thou art one penny worser than he.’

‘And the next question thou mayst not flout; How long I shall be riding the world about.’

‘You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same, Until the next morning he rises again, And then I am sure you will make no doubt But in twenty-four hours you’l ride it about.’

‘And the third question you must not shrink, But tell me truly what I do think.’

‘All that I can do, and ’twill make you merry; For you think I’m the Abbot of Canterbury, But I’m his poor shepherd, as you may see, And am come to beg pardon for he and for me.’

The king he turned him about and did smile, Saying, Thou shalt be the abbot the other while: ‘O no, my grace, there is no such need, For I can neither write nor read.’

‘Then four pounds a week will I give unto thee For this merry jest thou hast told unto me; And tell the old abbot, when thou comest home, Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John.’

By the way, I have a device that lets me know exactly how many people are accessing this blog on a daily/hourly basis, and how many pages they have viewed. However, I have been discovering that a number of folk have actually set up a ‘feed’ that enables posts to be directed to their e-mail inbox, and saves them from logging on to the blog. As yet, I have not been able to discover a device that will let me know how exactly have taken advantage of this facility. I would be grateful if anyone who has set up a feed (even if accidentally!) would let me know, via a comment ( that will not be displayed!). Many thanks.

The worth of a man!

As I commented a few posts ago, I am not the world’s greatest fan of the so-called “beautiful game” – football (soccer as opposed to rugby or American). However, there are times when it provides some useful illustrations, and some thought-provoking stories.

I heard, this morning, on the radio, that Kaká – the highly successful Brazilian player – has been transferred from the Italian Club AC Milan to the Spain’s Real Madrid for a fee of around £59 million sterling!!

That is a great deal of money in anyone’s terms, and begs the question “What is a man worth?” The old ballad of The king and the abbot, in which an abbot (or, in some versions, bishop!) is required, on pain of death, to answer three questions put to him by the king, offers one medieval solution. One of those questions is “How much am I worth?” The abbot is perplexed by all three questions and asks for three days grace. This is granted, and as the abbot journeys, he meets a shepherd (or his younger brother) who enquires as to the reason for his downcast look. On being thus informed, he offers to take the place of the abbot and returns to the king, to whom he answers that question with the words “Judas sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. You are worth almost as much as Christ. You are worth twenty-nine pieces of silver.”

£59 million; 29 pieces of silver. Quite a difference! So what is a man worth? The shepherd was, at least, on the right lines for, according to the teaching of Christianity, each one of us is worth the very life of the Lord Jesus. It was for each one of us that He allowed His blood to be shed. That not only places all of us at the same level, but also shows that we are of infinite worth to a loving, and caring, God.

But back to Kaká! I understand that this is a young man who knows that his real worth is not measured by the size of a football club transfer fee. This is a young man who is totally open about his personal faith in the Lord Jesus. He is a member of the organisation ‘Athletes of Christ’; he celebrates the scoring of a goal by pointing to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God; his favourite book is the Bible; his favourite music is Gospel; and he is a United Nations ‘Ambassador against hunger’ for the UN World Food Programme.

It is highly unlikely that I will ever play on a football pitch beside Kaká. But, praise God, I will be beside him in glory as together, and with countless others, we glorify the Lamb who was slain. Will you be there with us?

Shakespeare - or Jesus?

Well, the European election results are now known, and they certainly don’t make for happy reading for Gordon Brown and the UK government. However, in all of the furore and the controversy over the elections, other things tend to be pushed to the side.

Yesterday morning, I caught an excerpt from the Radio 4 programme Broadcasting House in which Frank Dobson, MP made the following statements: “He addressed all the great issues that have effected mankind.” and “He has the greatest insights to humankind …”

This morning, The Daily Telegraph newspaper published the results of a survey in which it was discovered that “Jesus Christ is the dead person most Britons would love to meet with Diana, Princess of Wales, second, …”

I found two points of interest in those, seemingly unrelated, items. The first is, of course, that I do not think of the Lord Jesus as a “dead person”! As we celebrate every Sunday – and indeed, as often as we wish – He is the risen Saviour Who has conquered death, and hell, and the grave. The old chorus reminded us:
“He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me, and He talks with me, along life’s narrow way.
He lives! He lives! salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.”

The other point is that, in spite of what a disciple of the Lord Jesus might think, Frank Dobson was not speaking about the Master. He was, in fact, referring to William Shakespeare! Now, it is true that the English Bard did deal with a number of socio-political, and even religious, themes in his many plays and other writings. And a close study of his collected works does suggest that he had some amazing insights into the heart and mind of mankind. But only the Maker knows the product through and through; and only Jesus deals with the greatest of all issues that effects mankind – sin!

Many years ago, I read a commentary on some of the works of Shakespeare that had, in the preface, the reminder that “The book’s the thing; not the commentary thereon.” Is it pushing things too much to suggest changing that to "The Creator's the thing, not that which He has created"?

Shakespeare may well have provided some insights to the fallen nature of mankind - but only the Saviour can do anything about it! May all who read this post be found in the company of those who have responded positively, with repentant hearts, to His great offer of salvation.