Liberty and Jonathan

In Romans 14, Paul speaks to us about living with each other in liberty. The restrictions Christians voluntarily place upon themselves is something that people on the outside looking in frequently don't understand. Why deny yourself? Why make life so much more difficult? Why be different? Paul knew that there were and would always be struggles between those with greater liberties, and lesser liberties. As a pharisee of pharisees, it is easy to guess at some of the challenges that faced Paul in his own ministry to the gentiles.


Still, Paul makes it clear: in Christ, the old concerns about "unclean" do not need to be an issue. Our litmus test is not Levitical Law, but Christ. Philippians 4 is a good summation of our self-imposed standard:


"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."


This is deceptively simple. It fools many into the belief that Christianity involves no judgement, no standards by which we evaluate right and wrong; in an effort to make up for overly judgemental Christians of former generations, my generation tends to embrace acceptance on all levels, as if those labels meant nothing at all. As with Christ's message, while the gospel frees us from the Levitical code, it does not make our task easier. To honor God, you must obey in your heart, not merely your deeds. The weight of the law is revealed to be greater than any man could ever bear, save one. Paul's words in Romans, in this light, tell us that while all things, in Christ, are good, not all things are good for us.

It is our responsibility to test those things we would take in, to see if they are pleasing to the Lord. It is our task to pro-actively seek God's will, rather than passively allow others to tell us what the Lord wants for us in our lives.

Which brings me to Jonathan. In my Bible/History class, we're deep into I Samuel. The story or David has always been one of my favorites. David is a flawed man, but maintains a heart that turns to the Lord earnestly and consistently. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is the rightful heir to the throne that David has been promised. In a drama of Homeric proportions, these two men become closest friends, and Jonathan betrays his father (and his own interests) to warn David when Saul would take his life.

The dilemma of Regicide has been something I have been thinking about a lot recently. I am also reading the Iliad in my Literature class, and Agamemnon's behavior begs the question: when is it acceptable to kill the king? Agamemnon pushes Achilles out of the Achean ranks, thereby bringing down ruin upon his own people, until Achilles is roused to action by the death of Patroclus. Why doesn't Achilles end Agamemnon? Or Diomede, Ajax, or any of the myriad of others that seem to be better warriors than the Lord of Men Agamemnon? Its something about the sacred office of the kingship, established by the gods...its something about the polis...ultimately, I am not sure where the line is. Hector shows us that, at least for him, there is no line; he will uphold the king even to the ruin of his entire world. We see in Aeschylus's Orestia Agamemnon's final downfall, and the ruin that it brings...the poet showing us the dilemma of trying to judge the sins of the king. What man can make this decision?

I realize my thoughts are scattered...hold on now, I'm bringing them all together...

Jonathan sides with the annointed one of the Lord, David, over his father, the king. He is active, making a choice to do what be actively believed was right, even at a cost to him and his family. If there is a lesson to pull from all of my scattered thoughts, I think this is it: in our lives, we are allowed to enjoy liberties that challenge all conventional wisdom from religious scholars throughout the ages. Its the freedom of life in Christ. But with that freedom comes a responsibility that we neglect far to often as we embrace that freedom. It demands that we participate in our actions consciously, that we evaluate and measure our steps appropriately, in accordance to what we believe the Lord has allowed for us. The only way to know what the Lord has allowed us to do is to seek His will, earnestly. It may bring us to decisions that upset the norm, that shake the foundations of the establishment...and there may be a price to be paid.

Still, I think when all is said and done, Jonathan shows us clearly that the active responsibility of liberty provides us with opportunities to show love in ways that seem entirely unlikely.