A Faith in Crisis?

A Fine Vintage

An Aesop fable called The Fox and the Grapes tells of a hungry fox who tries to grab some grapes on a high vine, but is unable to reach them.

Disappointed, the fox walks away and remarks, "Oh, those grapes weren't even ripe yet.  I don't need any sour grapes."

This is where the expression "sour grapes" comes from.  I think the moral of the story is that humans are prone to rationalize our shortcomings.

Speaking of shortcomings, there is one food I don't eat (the only one): olives.  Maybe you love them: if so, no need to convert me, because every olive I leave on the table is another you can eat.

I don't subscribe to a Mediterranean diet (unless you consider 'Grease' to be a food group).  But you can actually get by your whole life, just fine, avoiding olives (except on that pesky piece of supreme pizza).

Perhaps this distaste subconsciously contributed to my semi-autobiographical poem, Fig Tree, in which the narrator kneels and cries out, "Lord, see my weakness / my heart is an olive pitted / by your hand, its stone / carried forth with the ark / of testimony."

Spiritually, though, I love olives.  Olive trees represent peace, so it was fitting that the Atonement should be performed in a grove of olives, where Christ brought eternal peace, not through conquest, but through submission.

For it was peace, not war, that was promised at Christ's birth.  Long before the thorns and nails ― before the scourging and tearing of His flesh and before the veil was rent in twain ― there was joy shouted from the heavens by angels singing:

   Glory to God
   in the highest,
   and on earth peace,
   good will toward men.

(Luke 2:14)

Christ conquered death not by fighting against it, but by succumbing to it.

So where has the "good will" gone today?  I've witnessed a growing division among members of the Church, and between members and former members, and between those of different faiths.  Families are broken apart, wards are scraping by, and everywhere I look I find heartache and anger, on all sides.

Instead of faith uniting us, it has become a source of division.  I wonder what can be done.  How can we be reconciled?  Is there no balm in Gilead?  Why aren't we using the Lord's power to heal each other's wounds?  Why, instead of kneeling with the Lord in Gethsemane, are we standing with our swords drawn (John 18:10)?

I'm no medic, but I know something is fundamentally wrong with our view of "reconciliation."  We tend to think it's a matter of the other person coming to their senses and changing.  "Why can't Billy repent?  If he'd just come back to Church we could be friends again."

Christianity has become a cacophony of bruises and swollen black eyes, of severed ears needing reattaching.

Wanted: Peacemakers

Maybe we need fewer pastors and prophets and more peacemakers ― fewer would-be Moseses and Aarons swinging their staffs and rods around like Medieval knights in a Monty Python skit, and more Zipporahs yielding knives of wisdom, carved from olive wood (Exodus 4:24-26).

Jesus said:

   Blessed are the peacemakers:
   for they shall be called
   the children of God.

(Matt. 5:9)

Children of God?  Then why are so many of us wearing corporal badges and adult-sized duty-belts?  Why have so many gone into religious "law" enforcement ― policing correct doctrine and behavior ― rather than pursuing a degree in gospel nursing, caring for the lame little lambs who are limping along the straight and narrow?

Christ was a physician, not a Pharisee; He warned against wolves who would treat the flock like target practice; Christ succored those who had been wounded by wolves' teeth and musket fire: He wiped away the tears and offered water from the well to those we call undeserving; He sat with sinners and smiled upon the broken, even those we shun, supposing they suffer from spiritual leprosy.  But Christ?  He raised them into His embrace, festering-sores-and-all, declaring them to be "whole" (Luke 17:17-19) and "clean" (Mark 1:40-42) whilst the priests saw only uncleanness.

The Church encourages wolfish behavior when it endeavors to protect its borders rather than enlarging them (D&C 82:14) ― when it encourages us to be "defenders of the faith" instead of defenders of the Lord's lambs; when it protects its reputation above protecting flesh-and-blood-and-wool.  That is the faith; that is the body of Christ ― not a pile of Handbooks and procedures and bank accounts.

Objections

"Enough of that namby-pamby talk, Tim," some might say.  "We need to fight for what's right; the Church must uphold good morals in our schools and nation, even if we have to get our hands dirty doing what needs to be done."

So what's the answer?  We're going to imbibe the spirit of mobocracy and call it building the Kingdom?  We're going to keep snapping our fingers like the Sharks and the Jets until the other side is all dead?

   First cast out the beam
   from thine own eye.

(Matt. 7:4)

Why is everyone so upset?  What's really going on?  Because there's a lot of finger-pointing and vitriol and name-calling.  The thing that is surprising, though, is how angry the disciples of Christ are.  I think I know why (luckily I have Nephi on speed-dial):

   For behold, at that day
   shall he [the devil]
   rage in the hearts
   of the children of men.

(2 Nephi 28:20)

I've seen it, even at Church.  I have seen members become angry at those who have sinned, and at sin in general, while Christ is over here in the corner beckoning to us:

   Let not your heart be troubled:
   ye believe in God.

(John 14:1)

Notice the reason we have peace; Jesus says it is because we "believe in God."

So why is our belief in God so often expressed as anger towards those we think are sinning, when Christ's own reaction to sin was not anger, but compassion?

"Tim, you just don't get it.  We've got to stand up against Satan's lies; God expects us to fight for righteousness in a dark world."

   But I say unto you,
   That ye resist not evil.

(Matt. 5:39)

"Stop quoting the scriptures out of context, Tim.  Start looking at what our children are being taught in schools; they're being taught to accept sin.  Good is being called evil and evil good.  Do you want us to lose the culture war?  BYU needs more than muskets; it needs machine guns!"

Who said we're at war?  We're told in Church that the War in Heaven continues here on earth.  But why?  I thought Jesus overcame death and hell.  So what are all these soldiers doing?

Will the war ever end?  Long after Satan has been banished with his hordes and vanquished to the Place That Shall Not Be Named, then what?  What are we going to do with all these soldiers?

It has been said, "Mass movements can rise and spread without a God, but never without belief in a devil."  You know, don't you, that the wolves stay in business by riling up the herd, getting us to be angry with the "other" guys who (we're told) are ruining things?

Be watchful of those who cast sinners as the adversary, the villains, the boogeymen ― for that is not the Spirit of Jesus, but of Satan.  Those that preach prejudice are like Amalickiah who incited the Lamanites against the Nephites, getting men atop towers to spew hatred toward the Nephites to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites to war (Alma 48:1-2).

Ah, now we have someone to contend with!  We get such a dopamine rush from it.  Thank God for a devil, is that our motto?

I wish I could mediate between these opposing camps ― between the Israelites and the Philistines (for I consider myself both) ― and remind everyone of Christ's First Rule, which was to love our neighbors and our enemies.  Truce.

   I say unto you,
   Love your enemies,
   bless them that curse you,
   do good to them that hate you,
   and pray for them
   which despitefully use you,
   and persecute you;
   That ye may be
   the children of your Father
   which is in heaven.

(Matt. 5:44-45)

"No Tim, no.  Not until all of our public restrooms are safe.  Until then, stop this business about mother hens and nursing children and the dove-talk.  Instead of healing in His wings, give us missiles for wingtips.  Let us bring the might of God's military-industrial-complex to bear on them sons-of-Ba'al.  Let us follow not a Lamb, but a Ram whose horns shall grind the rebellious to powder.  Where has that Old Testament God gone?  Bring Him back.  He knew how to handle the Canaanites once and for all.  Let heaven rain down fire upon the ungodly.  Give us some old-fashioned brimstone upon the hills of Idumea; let us watch Sodom's sands burn until the desert turns to glass."

Wow.  See?  The wolves are hungry.  Do you sense the power and energy of contention?  Is it any wonder the Church is in a world of hurt?

"Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel"

The wolves are sharpening their teeth in the name of righteousness; that's what scares me.  No one is more dangerous than he who believes he is on God's errand while setting flame to Satan's dynamite.

The wolves have donned the sheep's wool, cloaking themselves in zealousness for God, to defend the Church against feminists and intellectuals and homosexuals, for starters.

I would think the greatest dangers to the Church came not from drag queens and democrats, but wolves.

For it was to the wolves the Lord said, "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel" (Ezekiel 34:2).  What did the wolf-shepherds do to grieve the Lord?  Ezekiel lays out the charges like a legal indictment; and nowhere in the charges do we find anything about feminists, homosexuals, or intellectuals.

In a single verse Ezekiel described the most pressing issues we're facing today (Ezekiel 34:4):

   1.  The diseased have ye not strengthened

How do we strengthen the diseased?  By telling them to stop being diseased?  "Your cancer is not welcome here; come back when it goes into remission."

How ironic the Church calls itself a hospital and yet admits only healthy individuals. 

   2.  Neither have ye healed that which is sick

Could we please, at a minimum, stop labeling people "sick" who are not ill, and start treating the actual causes for our symptoms?  And then, would it be too much to ask to stop disseminating Snake Oil?  (Yes, for you readers who are keeping score, you can check the bingo-square of "carnal security" under the heading Snake Oil.)

   3.  Neither have ye bound up that which was broken

This reminds me of the Savior's parable of the good Samaritan.  The priest and Levite considered themselves to be holy men of God, holders of His law and priesthood, to thereby excuse themselves, and neglected the very fellow who had fallen into the gutter, who desperately needed their help (Luke 10:29-37).

   4.  Neither have ye brought again that which was driven away

It doesn't say who "drove" them away; but how tragic is the fact that it is often the shepherds themselves, and their loveless teachings?

   5.  Neither have ye sought that which was lost

It doesn't say how the lambs got lost.  So why do we spend so much time assigning blame to the lost, for having gotten themselves lost? 

Shepherd: "When you come to your senses, catch a flight home.  We'll be waiting for you."

Lost sheep: "I don't have money for a flight."

Shepherd: "Then you'll have to walk."

Lost sheep: "There's an ocean between us."

Shepherd: "That's not my problem.  I didn't wander off.  Figure it out."

Lost sheep: "Could you wire me some money for a ticket home?"

Shepherd: "What?  No, no, that gives the wrong impression, it would."

Thus we see the shepherds of Israel standing in the cozy sheepfold with a bullhorn, blasting into the darkness the love of the Stake Presidency: "If you're out there, know, we love you!  Goodnight!"

   6.  But with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

"Force" is such a strong word.  It connotes violence.  And Ezekiel combines it with "cruelty."  That really speaks to how bad things have gotten; this describes the way the Lord views the "leadership" style of the shepherds in Israel (if you wish to go to the source, read Ezekiel 34 and ask God His opinion on the matter).

Peacemakers, but . . .

The Lord promised to deliver us from the wolves playing-at-shepherds  Look at these promises which God is now fulfilling among us; we are witnessing it:

   I will deliver my flock
   from their mouth,
   that they may not be meat
   for them.

   For thus saith the Lord God,
   Behold, I, even I,
   will both search my sheep,
   and seek them out.

   And I will bring them out
   from the people,
   and gather them
   and will bring them
   to their own land.

And remember those emaciated ewes?  Remember those limp lambs?  Recall how the sheep were starved by their shepherds?  Well, the Lord's gonna fix that:

   I will feed my flock.

(Ezek. 34:10-11, 13, 15)

"Tim," someone says.  "Are you confused?  Addled in the brain?  You began by discussing olive branches and peacemaking, but now you're going after the shepherds of Israel.  Seems a bit contradictory.  What happened to all the kumbaya?"

Excellent question.  As with most things, to every rule there is an exception.  Just as there is one food I don't like, there was one category of people that drew the Lord's ire: the religious leaders who "shut up the kingdom of heaven against men" (Matt. 23:13).

Sinners, publicans and prostitutes didn't faze Jesus in the least; but those who tried to sell access to God?  Those who feasted on, and fleeced, the flock?  Jesus called them "the children of hell" (Matt. 23:15) (not my words).

But to you, my brothers, I say, Peace.  Shalom, sisters.  Let us lay down our weapons and cease contending one with another; let us instead take the fight where it belongs ― to spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

What weapons do we have?  How shall we defeat falsehood and priestcraft?  We have but one weapon: the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).

Everything else in the Armor of God is defensive (the helmet, shield, breastplate, and so forth).  But this one thing ― the sword! ― is given to slay error and to sever the power yielded by those who preach it.

And guess what?  The apostle Paul taught that the sword of the Spirit is, in fact, the word of God.

   And take the sword of the Spirit,
   which is the word of God.

(Eph. 6:17)
​
This is the way.  This is how we topple wickedness in high places, by holding fast to God's word.  For what is the word of God?  What is this sword whose hilt is wrapped in swaddling clothes?

   For the word of the Lord
   is truth, and whatsoever is truth
   is light, and whatsoever is light
   is Spirit, even the Spirit
   of Jesus Christ.

(D&C 84:45)

Let us sustain our Leader-in-Chief, even our Captain, who is Christ; and also all who follow Him and His living word.

The Solution to Wickedness in High Places

The shepherds in Israel are kept in power only because the word of God does not yet abide in us as breath itself, the very breath of life, flowing in and out, unceasingly.

In the vacuum nature abhors, we have grown accustomed to relying upon the precepts and commandments of men.

I would refer you to Clark Burt's treatment of this topic, describing the way we mistranslate the language of truth into the tongue of carnal commandments, in "A New Language" (Given By the Finger of God, March 6, 2022).

In it, Clark contrasts the "Language of Tradition" with the "Language of Truth."

   - Follow the prophet vs. Look to the Lord and live

   - The gospel is about our worthiness vs. The gospel is about our unworthiness

   - Be good vs. I am the light that ye shall hold up

   - A gospel of performance vs. a gospel of repentance

   - I know the Church is true vs. I stand as a witness of God in all times and in all places
​
Clark loves to quote from Isaiah (an acquired taste for some), but I have come to appreciate Isaiah's way-with-words.  In fact, Isaiah 5:7 has become one of my favorite verses of scripture.

Thus we return to where we started: with grapes.  Wild grapes, to be precise.  Isaiah uses word play to make a powerful point (and if you haven't noticed, I really love word play).

   And he looked for judgment,
   but behold oppression;
   for righteousness,
   but behold a cry.

(Isaiah 5:7)

Isaiah is describing the "wild grapes" that have sprung up in the Lord's vineyard.

   My wellbeloved hath a vineyard
   in a very fruitful hill:
   he made a winepress therein
   and he looked that it should
   bring forth grapes, but
   it brought forth wild grapes.

(Isaiah 5:1-2)

Picture it: the Master of the vineyard enters the field, stoops down to taste His grapes, ready to harvest them after the long growing season, expecting them to be sweet and delicious, and has got His winepress ready to make a fine vintage ― (for on the outside, the grapes exhibit a rich color and look juicy and perfect) ― but to the Master's dismay, when He samples the grapes He discovers they are "wild"; they are sour and bitter.  As such, they are unsuitable to bottle into wine.

The wild grapes could not be distinguished from the good grapes until He tasted them, because they looked the same.  Watch how Isaiah reinforces this point about the grapes with wordplay:

   And he looked for judgment
   (MISPAT) לְמִשְׁפָּט֙

   but behold oppression
   (MISPAH) מִשְׂפָּ֔ח

These words in Hebrew sound nearly the same; they are just a bit askew, Mispat vs. Mispah.  They represent the grapes hanging side-by-side on the vine like the wheat and tares; you can hardly tell them apart.

   for righteousness
   (DA-QAH) לִצְדָקָ֖ה

   but behold a cry
   (A-QAH) צְעָקָֽה׃

Do you see the bait-and-switch?  Do you see the way we have dressed ourselves in the near-semblance of godliness, but in fact, are sour grapes?

(Now, I don't speak Hebrew and I am embarrassing myself in front of real scholars, but hey, I'm just a guy with an internet connection and Strong's Concordance; maybe one day I'll build a time machine and pop back to Joseph Smith's Hebrew School for the Elders and check my math).

This is how wickedness in high places thrives: by replacing the Lord's sweet grapes with similar-looking sour ones.

This is why, if there is one hard line in the sand that the True Shepherd draws, it is against wolves in sheep's clothing who would supplant Him by promising the sheep figs, and feeding them thistles.