Stephen
Terry, Director
The
Royal Love Song
Commentary
for the May 11, 2019 Sabbath School Lesson
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor
from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22, NIV
Some who are strongly committed to an alternative sexual
agenda may find this week’s lesson quarterly somewhat disagreeable with its
facile taking of the final verses of Romans, chapter 2,[i] out of context in order to
express antipathy to homosexuality. The Bible’s chapters and verses are
artificial constructs that do not appear in the originals. Therefore the
literary context does not necessarily end with the current chapter. In this
case in particular the isolated proof text leaves out Paul’s words in the first
verse of the next chapter, “…at whatever point you judge another, you are
condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” This
sheds an interesting light on Jesus’ statement about judging in the Sermon on
the Mount. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”[ii] We often take that to
mean that if we judge someone for a particular sin then we will be in danger of
being judged for that same sin. Therefore those who are not doing that sin can
safely judge and those who are should not judge. However, the sense Paul gives
to it might indicate that either judging someone for a particular sin makes us
guilty also for that same sin, or it could mean that bringing someone else’s
sin up for judgment brings our own up as well. This latter understanding would
fit well with the story of the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John.[iii] Jesus pointed out that
only those without sin should be judging. Paul spends the first seven chapters
of Romans dealing with this issue and repeatedly points out that we are all
under condemnation for sin, and the only hope for any of us is Jesus Christ. He
alone, and not our judgment of one another, can release us from the condemnation
that is universal, condemnation that leads only to death.[iv] Apparently, the verses in
Romans, chapter 1, that our lesson cites are then not so much a condemnation of
homosexuality primarily, but contextually a condemnation of all sin and
therefore of each and every one of us.
Little wonder remains then that those who are pursuing
these alternative sexual agendas chafe at the misuse of such texts to
specifically target them and their activities. When we couple things like this
with other texts commonly misapplied such as those that refer to treatment of
homosexual and other sexual deviations as capital crimes, the specific
targeting of judgment becomes even more pronounced.[v] It overlooks that not
keeping the Sabbath[vi]
and even being a lazy, drunken son[vii] were also capital
crimes. In spite of that some would target sexual sins specifically and yet say
nary a word about these other capital offenses. Can we then find any moral
justification for such selectivity unless it is perhaps to find a screen to
hide our own sins behind? But this is ineffective for sins; even those we try
to hide by such misdirection will eventually betray us.[viii] Our end then will be
even worse for adding the sin of trying to condemn another to escape our own
discovery.
Does this then provide an excuse for sexual sin? That
cannot be shown biblically. In spite of all the misuse of texts as hammers to
judge them, there also is no ringing endorsement of homosexuality or other
alternative sexual behaviors to be found in the Bible. This could be even seen
as remarkable considering some of the immediate historical context. The Bible,
in its condemnations in the Pentateuch, is evidence that the practice was known
at least as far back as the second millennium, BCE. Numerous examples can be
found throughout history, including the famous as well as the common. Perhaps a
well-known example is Alexander the Great. The Greek culture that spawned him
is well known for pederasty as a means of mentoring young men, and he was
allegedly in such a relationship with his close friend, Hephaestion. While some
question that, accounts by others closer chronologically to the period are less
inclined to see it as unusual.[ix] Given such a powerful,
historical presence, it is surprising that after the Pentateuch, there is
little mention of the practice, and Jesus does not mention it at all. Even
though Herod has often been associated with bi-sexuality, neither Jesus nor
John the Baptist ever brought that up, as demonstrated when John was
imprisoned, even though he was not reluctant to bring up Herod’s adultery. What
should we make of this silence? Does it mean endorsement? Does it mean
condemnation? Perhaps it means neither. The Gospels say nothing about cats.
Does that mean cats are evil or good? Most likely it means that cats were not
relevant to the account of Jesus’ incarnation.
Perhaps in the same way, popular alternate sexual
proclivities were not relevant either. But they were relevant to other issues, the
primary one being procreation. God even made it extremely enjoyable to
facilitate that purpose. But according to our natures, when we find something
enjoyable, we tend to want more of it and to experience it in as many variations
as possible. Baskin and Robbins with their 31 flavors of ice cream understand
this well. But just because we find joy in the pursuit of something does not
mean we should make that the only principle that guides us. If we do that with
ice cream, we will soon be morbidly obese and perhaps even diabetic. If we
pursue sexual gratification in the same manner, likewise, we can face some
undesirable consequences. Not only do various sexually transmitted diseases
become a threat, we also may face the brokenness that comes from intimacy without
commitment. Sadly, in a society where some feel little empathy for garbage bags
or boxes with puppies or kittens left to die from exposure by the roadside,
some feel little more than that toward those intimate partners who are
expecting a lifetime commitment to a relationship and kick them to the roadside
as well. This is something that the Bible does speak very pointedly about.
The Bible sees marriage as something brought about by
God. That theme is present at Creation.[x] It is also present in the
seventh and tenth commandments of the Decalogue.[xi] Most importantly it is
pointed out by Jesus.[xii] Marriage can be seen as
a lifetime relationship of loving commitment between couples. Perhaps that is
why Jesus referred to himself as a bridegroom. He was expressing by metaphor the
lifetime commitment that he would have toward us, and since that life is to be
eternal, the commitment will be also. While sex may be a fundamental reason why
we are drawn into such relationships, most married couples can probably attest
to marriage being so much more than simply legalized sex. Sex is, of course,
important, and many articles have been written based on research that reveals
that something very profound happens on a physical level between a man and a
woman that bonds them to one another. Even those who do not have a piece of
paper to demonstrate that they are married can feel this sexual bond uniting
them. But in addition to that union, the sharing of experiences, lifting one
another up when one is strong and the other weak, presenting a united front to
adversity, all contribute to the strengthening of that bond between marital
partners. Then may come an even stronger attachment when children are born. While
it is too often not the case, God’s will is for each child to be born as a
result of the love between two parents and to grow up nurtured by that loving
bond.
When we make sex simply about a physical act between two people, we lose so much of what human relationships should be about. This is perhaps where the Sexual Revolution has gone astray. Some have wanted to make it about power and control, and the church is no minor league player when it comes to power and control. At times, the church seems to demand far more of people than even God requires. Too often, this is expressed in condemnation when the institution has little else it feels it can do. But rather than condemnation, I suggest we do something different. I suggest we model the beauty of the marriage relationship in a manner that would make it desirable. Instead, we have too often followed a fallen model for marriage. That may be why divorce percentages in the church differ little from those outside. If we can find in Christ’s undying love for us a model for our own marriages instead of looking for reasons to terminate those marriages, we might find others will see value in that. But in order to do this, we need to see marriage as a positive opportunity for growth and a chance to become more than we are alone and not as a trap limiting our freedom to be what we want to be. In order to get to that place, though, we must come to understand that God only wants what is best to help us become everything we can be, and that marriage is a part of that plan. When it comes to marriage, we can trust the bridegroom.
