Thinking Outside the Box

The Fourth Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

You’ve probably heard the expression: Thinking outside the box. It refers to the ability to look at a situation or problem from a fresh perspective, without preconceived prejudices or limitations. Business and science try to encourage this kind of lateral thinking to come up with new solutions or opportunities through brainstorming and “what if” sessions. Many of the products and technologies that we take for granted today came about originally by people thinking outside the box.

Maybe you never thought about it this way, but our faith life—our life with God in the Spirit—also takes thinking outside the box. A vibrant faith life is not a matter of knowing the laws of the Church and following them to the letter any more than a vibrant marriage is just knowing the essential obligations of matrimony and obeying them! In both cases, our passion comes from a loving relationship—in one case with the Lord, in the other with our spouse. And, of course, part of the excitement of a relationship comes from keeping things fresh rather than falling into a rut—and that frequently takes thinking outside the box.

Our mass readings today give us some wonderful insights into how this kind of thinking should work according to God.

I love the story of David’s anointing in First Samuel. So many conventions and stereotypes are shattered in this little passage! In fact, you can just picture the great prophet Samuel having his mind stretched by God as the story unfolds.

When Samuel arrived at Jesse’s house in Bethlehem, he thought that the Lord was going to have him anoint Eliab as king. Eliab was the oldest son, so according to convention, he would have many rights and privileges under Jewish law. Remember Jacob and Esau fighting over their birthright? The first-born son would receive special blessings, would inherit more, would have the right to marry first, and so on. Samuel, of course, knew all this, so he expected that Eliab would be the first son in line for the throne of Israel. And then when he saw him and saw that he was tall and strong and kingly looking, Samuel just knew that this was the one!

But then the kicker! God told Samuel that Eliab was not the Lord’s chosen one. His position and status and physical appearance were of no consequence. And it was the same for all the other brothers right down the line. Instead, the baby of the family—young David—was finally brought in, and God told Samuel that he was the one that he had chosen. One bible translation says he “was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.” It’s not too often that you find a description like that in the Scriptures! He must have been supermodel good-looking—and this, too, startled Samuel. Michelangelo thought so, too; have you seen his statue of David? You can see what might have caught Bathsheba’s eye, and Jonathan’s as well.

Usually we think of good looks—physical beauty—as a great and desirable gift from God… as well we should! God wants us to appreciate the beauty he made, whether it’s in a stunning sunset or in another human being. But sometimes beauty can be a detriment. Think of the “dumb blonde” jokes we’ve all heard. Think of a political candidate who’s so good-looking that people don’t take him seriously. Think of the person who’s treated more as an object or a trophy or eye-candy rather than for their more important traits. Yes, sometimes we have to remind ourselves to think outside the box.

As much as I like the story of David, that’s how much I dislike the gospel story today about the blind man whom Jesus heals. My fists clench up and I feel my blood heating up as I hear how those Pharisees totally ignore the miracle that Jesus worked, while instead focusing on the fact that this healing somehow violated the Sabbath law and was therefore evil. As I hear how this fellow is interrogated—and then his parents—I just get more and more angry.

And of course, that’s the point. Jesus wants us to get upset at this stupid story. He wants us to recognize that giving a blessing to someone in the form of a good deed is most certainly not a violation of the law of Sabbath rest, but a celebration of God’s love and goodness! It’s not something to be avoided, but something to be embraced and even sought out!

If you don’t agree, then just think about this: Jesus could have so easily avoided this entire scene if he simply healed the blind man on a Monday or a Tuesday! The fact that he chose the Sabbath tells you something.

As Christians, we have a rather important lesson about thinking outside the box to learn from this gospel story. You see, sometimes we play the role of the blind man, and sometimes we play the role of the Pharisees… and both roles can potentially trip us up.

When we’re the blind man, we can be condemned for something beyond our control or understanding. The assumption was that the blind man was blind because either he or his parents had committed some terrible sin deserving of God’s punishment. Wow. Is that why something bad happened to me? Is that why someone dear to me got sick and died? Is that why I’m gay, or why my wife left me, or why I drink too much? And if God should step in and heal me—either by taking away a difficult burden or by giving me the grace of self-acceptance—do I have to somehow justify this before others?

Alternatively, if we play the role of the Pharisee, are we being so narrow and rigid in how we interpret the word of God that instead of loving people and drawing them into the Body of Christ, we are actually booting them out? To hate and reject others—and then to call it “love”—is not only the height of hypocrisy, it is also evil. It’s the same as the Pharisees telling Jesus that he drives out demons by the power of the devil.

Yes, we are called to serve and love our Lord by thinking outside the box. There is so much food for thought in our lesson today. I pray that our good and gracious God will continue to open our eyes and hearts to his message of love.