The Eccentric God

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, (Luke 4: 25 – 28)

Jesus was very offensive to many of the people following Him.

I was listening to the time a Pharisee invited Him for lunch and instead of praising Him started saying very bad things about their religion. Can you imagine hearing something like this from a guest you have made a personal invitation for lunch?

And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? (Luke 11: 37 – 40)

If that is not rudeness, then we ought to come up with a new dictionary.

But that is how God operates.

I want us to look at a few other eccentricities in the scriptures to appreciate what I am saying.

Ever wondered why God took the loser to heaven and the visibly successful to hell? Or what does the story of the rich man and Lazarus teach?

As I write I remember in our hood there is such a one who has defied age. He should be in the region of the late seventies but never shows it since I have seen him that way since my childhood.

But he is a sloth. He does nothing, not even bathing.

Yet he is always present when someone has a party or visitors.

But he never demands anything after getting something to eat. And you can have a normal conversation with him and so he appears normal, and very polite.

Many neighbours would speak very roughly to him when he would appear, openly wondering why a visibly strong and healthy man did not work yet the family he comes from is as normal as any other. Some would even deny him food, some even asking him to go work their farms to earn the food he was demanding.

To imagine this loafer getting to heaven and people who have built churches and done so much good in society appears like an abomination.

Incidentally, in most, probably all the places I have spent substantial time there has been at least one such loafer whose life defied logic.

We realise also that Lazarus was called a beggar, meaning that he lived off other people’s sweat.

Yet isn’t that the thrust of the parable?

God is not like us. No wonder we call Him holy.

But that is not the only eccentricity we see with God. The Bible is so full of that nature unique to God.

Allow me to stop here to allow us to reflect.

I will build on other situations that baffle us yet are normal with God.

I will not even ask any application questions for the same purpose. I want us to reflect and ask God to open our eyes to the Lazarus by our gates.