Wonder is the beginning of Faith, Hope and Love
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the temple,
“Have you never read in your scriptures,
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,
This was the Lord’s doing
And it is amazing in our eyes” Matt 21: 42
Some of the most successful people in the world were once a failure, or for that matter were failures in several attempts, only to succeed after so many failed attempts. These were people mocked, felt rejected, yet in their perseverance to achieve they did not give up and ultimately achieved in life. Winners are the not the ones who fail, but are the ones who quit. Of course, we need to ask how to we define failure and success and on whose terms. It is always the powerful who define the norm for such things, and makes the vulnerable look like a failure.
Thomas Edison was told by his teachers, “He was too stupid to learn anything.” Eventually, Edison has 1000 patents on his name including phonograph and electric lamp. The stone that the builders reject becomes the cornerstone.
Albert Einstein didn’t start speak until he was four, reading until he was seven, and thought to have been mentally challenged person. But eventually he went to win a Nobel prize and the whole approach to physics was changed because of his scientific discoveries. The stone that the builders reject becomes the cornerstone.
Vincent Van Gogh, sold just one painting, “The Red Vineyard” during his life time, and the sale came not long before his death. For Vincent others got to enjoy the financial spoils of his life time of toils. The stone that the builders reject becomes the cornerstone.
1. What is the surprise? The situation of the surprise:
Why do the builders reject a stone in their business of construction? Stones which are not of proper shape, stones that are hallow, stones that are not similar to the other ones are rejected, and are either thrown into a scrap. Only those good stones, the builders who is powerful justify to use them. However, Jesus picks these rejected stones, those that are thrown away as scrap, and surprises everyone by choosing these rejected stones to be the cornerstone on which he builds his Kingdom of God.
2. Who does the surprise? The source of the surprise:
This was purely the Lord’s doing. Jesus affirms and re-emphasises that it is the Lord that does these surprises. For the God of Jesus, the God of the scriptures is a God of surprises, who reverses the order, where the last becomes first, the least becomes the best, and the lost becomes found. The source of surprise is God, who contrasts to the paradigms of the temple or the society. God works on the terms of ‘unpredictability.’
3. To whom is this surprise? The sight of the surprise:
Jesus said, such a surprise is amazing in the sight of the public sphere. Surprise or wonder is the beginning of the kingdom of God, where there is God’s act surprises, for God is a God of unpredictability. What are the things that are amazing in our lives? Familiarity, habit, predictability are opposites of wonder, and wonder is the beginning of wisdom, faith, hope, love and also to the very understanding of church.
Graham Tomlin in his book Why being yourself is a bad idea? Writes about “Why wonder is the beginning of wisdom?” which is an interesting read.
Relevance:
1. Have we ever read our scripture with the lens of surprise? When was that occasion that the Scripture has surprised us?
2. The God of the scriptures is a God of surprises – where the rejected becomes not only chosen but also cornerstone.
3. As a church how are we offering this ministry of wonder? Reimagining is a clue towards that, where we can strive with the help of God in offering new ways of doing mission and church.
4. Who are the rejected in our society today? People who are felt to be rejected in the name of colour, race, gender, class, caste, sexuality etc. are called to be made not only welcome, but also to recognise that God in Jesus transforms them as cornerstone for the society. As a church are, we joining with Jesus in that mission of finding the new cornerstones.
5. In the context of COVID many people feel rejected based on their ability, vulnerability disability, age, - the gospel is that God has not left anyone out because of our vulnerability – God in Jesus is reversing and surprising the society.
@rajpatta
04.10.2020
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