An eighty mile journey to build a bridge

Jesus, when he taught, often told stories that provoked and unsettled the status quo.  He draw images and pictures from the world around him, that were familiar to his hearers.  But he would put a little spin on a story that would be surprising, that would evoke emotion, and move people from the acceptance of the status quo, to see something different about God, themselves or the world in which they live.

Our problem, in reading these stories, is twofold.  Firstly, the images and pictures don’t mean much in our world.  We aren’t farmers, or there isn’t a temple, or our weddings are conducted differently.  They don’t connect with us, in the way they would have done in first century Israel.  Secondly, the stories themselves are so familiar to us, that they lose their impact.  We have heard them so often, listened to explanations, or sometimes they have been incorporated into popular culture (eg. the Good Samaritan), and the surprise is gone, and with it the uncomfortable feelings that might just persuade us to act, to do something, to step out of the status quo.

So when Jesus said…

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.  (Mt 5:23-24)

…his original hearers would have understood exactly what he was saying.  And they would have been shocked, surprised, and possibly annoyed.  But we don’t necessarily ‘get it’ because we don’t have a temple, offer animals as sacrifices, nor know the geography of the land in which they lived.

Jesus was speaking in Galilee, some 80 miles from Jerusalem, where the temple was and gifts were offered.  So, says Jesus, if you people of Galilee are in Jerusalem, about to offer some gift as a freewill offering to God in the temple, and you remember someone who is offended with you, you are angry with, and your relationship is distanced or broken down, then you leave your animal with the priest, and go home.  Go back to Galilee (where almost certainly this offended person would reside).  Walk those 80 miles, to go meet with that person, to try to be reconciled with him.  That would be around 3 days travel, just to get back to Galilee.  Then another 3 days back to Jerusalem to offer you gift.  Oh, and another 3 days travel to return home again.

That is to say nothing about the gift.  Gifts in those days weren’t nice presents wrapped in colourful paper, with a bow on.  No, gifts offered at the altar were mostly animals: birds, lambs etc.  What were they supposed to do with this gift?  What happens if they returned a week later to find the gift had gone?  Walked off?  Flown away?  Been used by someone else?

Why didn’t Jesus just say, if you remember you have a broken relationship, well offer your gift and then rush back to build a bridge with your friend or neighbour who is offended?

I think Jesus didn’t say that because it wouldn’t have communicated how important building bridges in relationships is to Jesus.  I think Jesus didn’t say that because it would have left his hearers nodding wisely in agreement, but not doing anything about their wronged brothers.  I think Jesus didn’t say that because it wouldn’t have motivated his hearers to make that incredibly hard journey to reach out to someone to try to resolve differences.

So Jesus invited his hearers to take an incredibly difficult 80 mile journey home, to build a bridge in a broken relationship, and then another 80 miles back again to offer their gift at the altar.  So really this post should be have the title:  A one hundred and sixty mile journey to build a bridge!