I Don’t Know

I Don’t Know

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

October 21, 2018

One of my favorite stories is about a monastery in Russia.  I may have told you this story before.  But in case you have not heard it, it goes like this:  Every evening at the monastery the monks would sit around a bonfire, and discuss esoteric points of theology or verses in the bible.  And they would always start their discussion with the youngest monk and ended with the oldest.  The youngest monks would start by discussing what they had read and learned and what they thought about the subject at hand.  They would cross reference their thoughts with thoughts of scholars.  And as the discussion progressed up the ages of the monks – the remarks became briefer, quieter, and more tentative.  And finally, by the time they got to the oldest monk and they asked him what he thought about the doctrinal point or the verse of scripture he would stroke his beard and say, “I just don’t know. I just don’t know”

In some ways I feel like this is the gift of age. There seems to be a time in our lives where we realize that we do not need to know all the answers.  In fact, not only do we do not need to know all the answers – we don’t even need to offer an opinion in every matter that came into a conversation.  And that is extremely freeing.  You come to realize that it is okay to say “I don’t know”. It is okay to say “let me think about it”. It is okay to say “I’m not sure.”  It’s okay to ask “I don’t know, what do you think?”  It is totally okay to say “Let me think about it – and if I forget to get back to you – would you just remind me?”

And it is intriguing that we see Jesus doing this same sort of thing.  The disciples are asking Jesus if they can sit in glory – and he says to them – it’s not my call guys.  “To sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”  And then he comes back with what he knows – he knows that to be great, you need to serve.

And in a way – our first lesson is from the Book of Job also gives us this incredible gift of affirmation that we don’t need to know everything or even figure it out. So just some background – the main point of the book is to explore why people suffer.  Actually, in keeping with this earlier theme – it is at its heart a book about how we can never fully understand why people suffer.

Although the book has been added on to many times, the original story is about a very wealthy, good, successful, and faithful man named Job. Job has vast wealth and a huge family.  The book starts out in verse 1 of chapter 1 saying “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”  And bit by bit over the next several chapters he loses everything – everything, everyone, every penny, and even his health.  The low point of the story is when Job has lost everything and is sitting in sackcloth and ashes scratching his itchy open wounds with a potsherd.

And while Job is suffering, his friends visit him and add insult to injury – they accuse Job of bringing the calamity on himself.  “You must have done something wrong to deserve this! What was it?”  “You must have made God mad by cursing him – what did you say?”  Those so-called friends are the origin of the term “Job’s Comforters”– the term used to describe a person or a group of people who aggravate an individual’s distress under the guise of giving comfort and consolation.

And that brings us toward the end of the book – where we are today with the reading from Job. God speaks to Job and basically tells Job, that God is God, and God’s knowledge is so much greater than his – and there is no way for Job to comprehend the length, depth and breadth of the world around him and, closer to the point, he can’t possibly understand why terrible misfortune befalls the innocent.

Sometimes as a pastor I am asked why terrible things happen to people.  Did they deserve it they ask?  Did God send this to try them?  Is God trying to teach me, us, this nation, this world a lesson?

The good news is that we don’t need the answers to everything.  And knowing this, knowing we are not the experts of the universe, or of this town, or of your family, or even yourself, gives you a tremendous freedom to throw yourself on the mercy of God and to rest in God’s unfathomable ways, unfeigned love, and incomprehensible compassion.

During the Sunday Forum last week we shared little sayings or verses that have brought great comfort to us.  And some of us have hung these sayings and verses on bathroom mirrors or refrigerators. And in keeping with this week’s scriptures, let me share a couple with you that we came up with – they are for times that you are just tired out of trying to make things work, exhausted of hamster wheel thinking, pushing, pulling, and worrying:

I made all of this out of nothing.  Trust me, I can take care of you.  –God

Give it to God and go to sleep. –Spiritual Inspiration

And maybe these sentiments are enough just to know them – to see them hanging up in your house somewhere as a daily reminder.  But sometimes it can help to write down your worries in a note book – and title it “Give it to God” – and trust that the God who created the universe has time to hold onto your individual worries so you can get some respite and rest.  And hopefully, upon waking you will feel strong enough, supported enough, to face the day ahead.