Put Up or Shut Up

 

Daily Office Readings for 6-30-21

1 Samuel 12:1-6,16-25 (CJB)

Lectio Divina— Emergent Phrase:

Don’t turn to the side; because then you would go after useless things that can neither help nor rescue, they are so futile.

Acts 8:14-25 (Adapted from Mounce Interlinear)

Lectio Divina— Emergent Phrase:

²³ Now, I see you are used up by the bile of bitterness, and are tied in up in knots of deceit.

Luke 23:1-12  (CJB)

Lectio Divina— Emergent Phrase:

¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; previously they had been enemies.

 

Connections:

—Going after useless things; distraction; ‘dukkha’.

—Used up; all worn out by cognitive dissonance, and the constant need to choose between evils.

—Political expediency; ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’

 

Old Pilate was no fool, but still— I don’t think there’s any way to tell who was doing whom a favor, in all that pinball-machine politicking. There was not one single thing that Jesus could have said to Herod that wouldn’t have been useless, beside the point, bitter, or just plain false.

There they were— those two cynical, cunning men— buying what was important to them. The whole tragedy can be summed up by how oblivious they were.

 They got what they wanted, never noticing it was useless, while Jesus kept his teeth together and didn’t say a word.

 

 

 

Old Man Zen says,

“ ‘Put up or shut up’— Sometimes you have to do both.”

Text from Acts:

20 But Kefa said to him, “Your silver go to ruin — and you with it, for thinking the free gift of God can be bought! 21 You have no part at all in this matter; because in the eyes of God, your heart is crooked. 22 So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps you will yet be forgiven for holding such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are extremely bitter and completely under the control of sin!” 24 Shim‘on answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that none of the things you have spoken about will happen to me.” (CJB)

“May your money go to waste along with you, because you think you can buy God’s gift with cash! For you there’s no share in this, because your heart doesn’t attend to God. Change your mind, then, about this malice of yours and beg the Lord that the purpose in your heart may be overlooked. Now, I see you are used up by the bile of bitterness, and are tied in up in knots of deceit. So Simon answered, “You pray on my behalf, so that not one thing you said will happen to me!” (Adapted from Mounce Interlinear)