What to Say and What to Speak

What to Say and What to Speak.  During the movie, War Horse (2011, directed by Steven Spielberg), a scene unfolded that made us guffaw, almost snort, in the hushed movie theater. No one else in the theater laughed, although many turned to sneer at us for disturbing their movie-going experience. Under the signal of a homemade white flag, a British soldier and a German soldier met in No-Man’s-Land between the frontline positions of their respective units to untangle a horse caught in barbed wire. Because of the unresolved hostility and heavy artillery on all sides of their position, the two soldiers exchanged greetings nervously while standing in the mud, discussing how to best release the horse from his misery. In a gesture of civility, the British soldier says, “You speak English good.” After a moment to consider his response, the German soldier replies, “I speak English well.”

It was a very dry bit of humor in an otherwise dramatic scene that pivoted upon the standard rules of English grammar. Though speaking a second language, the German grasped more of English grammar than the Brit understood who was speaking his native tongue. Perhaps we laughed too forcefully, but the irony fit the situation. Like the British soldier in the movie, no one else in our American theater seemed to get the joke either. Good is an adjective; adjectives modify nouns. Well, is an adverb; adverbs modify verbs. Thus, the adverb, well, modifies the verb, speak.

Grammar saves lives. For instance, the grammar of “Let’s eat, Grandpa” versus “Let’s eat Grandpa” makes a huge difference! Grandpa either shares a meal or Grandpa is the meal. Thankfully, the Scriptures do not require us to become grammar nerds. However, even in rules of grammar the glory of Christ shines. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Prov. 25:11). It is not merely knowing the correct word that wins the battle, but “a word fitly spoken” that carries the day. We may be precise or imprecise in our word choice, but we might also become right or wrong in our use of those precise words. We can be so dogmatically right that we become morally wrong when we use our words unfitly.

Regarding Jesus, he not only spoke the proper words (the content of his teaching), he also used his words properly (the methodology in his teaching). He summarized his own teaching ministry in both respects: content and methodology. “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). What to say, means the content of his words, his doctrine. What to speak, means the way he used his words, his delivery.

God’s word and God’s fitness of speech merge together in Jesus: content and methodology. Jesus is the Master Teacher, the divine Revelator, which was a foretold quality of Messiah (Deut. 18:15; Isa. 30:20; 54:13). He didn’t footnote his authoritative explanation of the kingdom of God by quoting the rabbis or philosophers. “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29). He who is good “has done all things well” (Mark 7:37).

Honor

Honor.  This weekend American citizens will collectively honor the fallen military personnel who have died in service to our country. It is a solemn occasion, important and culturally practiced long before it was made into a federal holiday in 1968. It has become the predominate practice on modern Memorial Day, more than adorning gravestones with flags, to offer discounts at car dealerships, open neighborhood swimming pools, and compact a year’s worth of John Philip Sousa into one three-day weekend. But what is honor biblically?

Biblically speaking, honor is a major theme, appearing in various forms almost 200 times across the Old and New Testaments. Honor first occurs as a command in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” This is significant in many ways: it is the Fifth Commandment, it equates the worth of both mothers and fathers in the family without confusing their roles in the family, it is worded positively (i.e., all the other Ten Commandments, except the Fourth Commandment about keeping the Sabbath, are worded negatively, “You shall not…”), it is the only commandment that loosely connects to a principle for a direct result (e.g., extended life in the Promised Land), and it is bound to the Lord’s gift to his creation, the institution of the family.

Thus, honor is technically ascribed to the Lord via the parents. In fact, the word honor in this instance is the same word, glorify (Hebrew, cabod: to be heavy, weighty, important). Theologically, God shares his essential glory with no one and nothing else (Isa. 42:8; 48:11), but God receives residual glory when children honor their parents because he invented the family structure. In this way, children can honor their parents even if their parents are terrible parents. Honor looks past the person in the role to the God who designed the whole system.

The same principle continues wherever honor occurs in the Bible—we ascribe importance ultimately to God for the institutions that he has designed and implemented. The list of people who deserve honor in the Bible, therefore, are honorable only by derivation because God stamped his honor upon the structure in which they serve: parents, government and military leaders, organizational authorities, employers, church leaders, senior citizens, widows, etc. Honor is not swearing blind allegiance to power but giving due respect to God for ordering the universe. Paul summed up well the entire sentiment of honor, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10). Honor is ultimately about God.

Second only to the Lord Jesus who gave the ultimate mic-drop instruction on honor, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him,” the Apostle Peter gave honor its most comprehensive verse. “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17). Everyone! Even the emperor? Peter’s reference is insane Nero who would very soon take Paul’s head and crucify Peter upside-down. Yes, even Nero! Not because Nero was powerful, or good, or effective, or even civilized, but because he was God’s servant within the government system which God designed for his own glory.

As One Who Had Authority

As One Who Had Authority.  The only hope most of us have for seeming to be authoritative is to keep our mouths shut. Biting our lips could become a full-time job! “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent” (Prov. 17:28). But, to their own demise, the scribes in Jesus’ day did not follow their predecessors’ sage advice.

In all fairness, the scribes might have been able to fool most people most of the time regarding their status as expert teachers. But when Jesus opened his mouth, all their papier-mâché authority dissolved, exposing only their folly. One day with Jesus, or even one parable, and ripples were set into motion that the Pharisees and the Sadducees could not withstand.

Despite what they piously professed, holding favorable public opinion was the god before which the scribes bowed. Still, they could never fully achieve an honorable reputation in society without stacking the deck in their favor. However, upon his first word spoken, Jesus effortlessly attained what they wanted most. “And [the people] were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).

Their jealousy of Jesus was murderously fierce though ultimately futile. Yet Jesus’ reputation, while it enraged the scribes, held no sway over him. He spilled it and moved on to teach others. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out’” (Mark 1:35-38).

One of Messiah’s foretold hallmarks was his authoritative teaching. “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deut. 18:18). “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher” (Isa. 30:20). “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isa. 54:13).

Therefore, it was no accident that the first public action Jesus did after his baptism was to teach authoritatively. “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23). Furthermore, it was no accident that the last public action Jesus did after his resurrection was to commission his newly authorized teachers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). We learn that Jesus is God’s Son by his teaching!

Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise.  If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? This famous question introducing students to the cross-over space between philosophy and physics continues to mystify many.

The philosophical answer is Yes, it makes a sound because it could be heard, because physical perception is not necessary for existence. The physical answer is No, it does not make a sound because vibration only becomes sound, as opposed to noise, at nerve centers in the brain. “If there be no ears to hear, there will be no sound” (Scientific American, Vol. 50, No. 14, April 5, 1884, p. 218).

Either way,  philosophical or physical, the question is moot because of metaphysics: since God is everywhere, knows everything, and is all powerful, then his existence eliminates an imperceptible realm. Even if a vibration is imperceptible to humans as a distinct sound, God perceives it perfectly, wholly.

The better question than “If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” is: “Does God hear me?” Many corollary questions follow closely: Does God know me? Am I just a vibration in a spiritual vacuum when I pray, or cry, or sing, or laugh? Or does God perceive me? Can God perceive me even when I cannot perceive myself? Yes! He hears us beneath our vibrations, “discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

Humanity essentially remains a mystery to humanity, but humans are not a mystery to God. We hear noise when we are unable to separate or organize into sounds the competing vibrations in our environment, but God perceives individual motives. At least five times worshipers are called to “make a joyful noise” to the Lord (Psa. 95:1, 2; 98:4, 6; 100:1)—which is, by far, more a word for sounding a battle-cry than for splitting into four-part harmony (Josh. 6:5, 10, 16, 20). Humans might hear melody, but the Lord hears motives. The joyful part of “make a joyful noise” is the portion that the Lord repeatedly emphasizes.

When the multitude of returned exiles lifted their collected voices at the dedication of the foundation of the Second Temple, God perceived their individual hearts. Their noises may have tangled together but their motivations marched before the Lord in straight lines. “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away” (Ezra 3:11-13).

A Remnant

A Remnant.  We’ve all had that example, that teacher, or that coach who doles out collective punishments. If any of you makes a noise, then all of you will lose your recess. And as sure as the sun rises, we’ve all had that kid in the back of the classroom named Joey or Stu who derives extreme pleasure from ruining recess for the rest of the class. Very well, class, instead of recess, I want you to write out fifty times in cursive on a blank sheet of paper, “I will not make noise in class.” Even the thumping that Joey or Stu will receive after school for their stunt won’t keep them from ruining recess again at the next opportunity. People rarely change.

Collectivistic punishment seems particularly unfair in the Western World where individual freedom is the highest cultural value. But the Scriptures were written within an Eastern (Oriental) culture where collectivistic thought, action, and punishment were normal. What would have been abnormal was the concept of a remnant. Usually, if a fraction of the family, clan, tribe, or ethnic group were forcibly separated from the people, then the perceived crime must have been ghastly (e.g., blasphemy, bringing public dishonor to the family) to cause such a severe punishment (e.g., ostracism, exile). Ironically, the prophets presented the faithful remnant, not the tribe, as God’s blessed ones who will be rewarded.

The vast majority of Israel had become corrupt. Their collective punishment from God was unavoidable. However, a glimmer of hope came with the promise: “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return” (Isa. 10:21-22a). What will be bitter at first, due to collectivistic punishment, will be sweet in the end due to individual belief.

Historically privileged as stewards of God’s word, Israel’s collective punishment was summarized by their habitual unwillingness to listen to God. “For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 30:9-11). Therefore, the Lord stopped communicating to the masses, externally. Instead, God will communicate to the remnant, internally. “And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isa. 30:20-21). People rarely change, but individuals might.