Blog
Dear Trailhead family,
I enjoy baseball. I always have.
I have no clue how this affection for America’s pastime came to be. All I know is that I cannot remember ever considering playing any sport other than baseball.
Note: this was the late 80’s and early 90’s and sports such as soccer and lacrosse had not gained popularity in my small Iowan hometown. A further note: lacrosse never will.
Back to baseball; to fully appreciate baseball, one must appreciate the history of baseball. And in the history of baseball, 1925 was an important moment. Because on May 12, 1925, Lawrence Peter Berra was born.
Lawrence, or Yogi as he was nicknamed (because he would sit in a “yogi” like position waiting for his turn to bat) became one of the best baseball players of his generation and won 10 World Series titles as a player. Beyond his talent on the diamond, Yogi Berra also had a fantastic wit and his seemingly off-the-cuff sayings have become legendary.
One such saying recently struck me as profound.
He said, "We're lost, but we're making good time."
Doesn't that resonate just a little? The thrill of feeling the wind in our hair as we race along can drown out the nagging realization that we are going in the wrong direction.
I’m constantly amazed at society's pace of life, our culture’s pursuit of more, the avalanche of new technology, and the plethora of new and amazing products that guarantee to revolutionize our lives.
But as easy as it is to find fault in our fast-paced, consumeristic culture, Berra’s words also remind me of Jesus’ words to the religious people of His day. And of greater concern, we believe Jesus’ words were also for the religious people of our day.
Namely you and me.
In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus goes off on the best the religious institution of his day had to offer.
These pious, devout followers of religious dogma were “making good time,” but Jesus pointed out how lost they were. They were confidently charging hard and fast, completely clueless as to the destination.
These religious elite had mastered following the letter of the law of God and yet they entirely missed the heart of God.
Jesus makes this clear midway through his incredibly insulting rebuke to the religious leaders when He said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:23-24)
They followed the letter of the law and yet missed the law.
How is that possible?
It's possible when we lose the story. The story is that we were made in the image of God and yet we chose to take on the image of the serpent. Everything is a response to that. The law is a response to that. Therefore, the law was never the point. The law was given because we needed a framework to guide us back towards our original design. And for us today, when we tithe or fast or read scripture (to list just a few examples), we must remember these practices are not the point. But they do provide a framework to move us towards our true identity, our original calling and purpose, and away from our false, serpent-like tendencies.
The religious of Jesus’ time missed justice, mercy, and faithfulness because they were focused on mint, dill, and cumin.
I wonder how we might be doing the same?
Grace and peace be upon you,
Grant