We, human beings, are paradoxical. We like simplicity and freedom, but often need complexity and limitation. Famous golf teacher AJ Bonar said that golf is nothing but a ball, a stick, and hand-eye coordination. Nevertheless, there have been numerous teachers, programs, books, videos, magazines, tools, etc. for teaching golfers myriads of swings, techniques, and tips. In one’s life, much time is spent in complicating simple things and in simplifying complicated things. Perhaps, in many cases, true simplicity and freedom cannot be obtained without complexity and limitations being gone through. This might be called “perceiving a mountain a mountain, then perceiving the mountain not a mountain, and finally perceiving the mountain a mountain again”.
According to Genesis, in the beginning human ancestors had no need to distinguish between good and bad, and life was indeed simple.[1] However, possibly because of curiosity and desire, the ancestors ate fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and as a result, life became very complicated ever since. Some might ask, “Why wouldn’t the omniscient, almighty, and loving God have prevented the human ancestors from eating the fruit?” Similar questions might arise regarding the Book of Job: “Why would God have shown off Job to Satan and been provoked to allow blameless good man Job to be tested (or tortured) by Satan?” One possible explanation: God did not think that His children could only stay at a level of mindless or immature simplicity; rather, He had faith in his children and believed that, after going through complexity, they must be able to achieve wise and mature simplicity. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) In other words, through His ingenious work and arrangement, He wants his children to obtain true simplicity and freedom.
Based on His faith, He allowed Satan to do anything to Job and his family and property except killing him. Some might relate this account to the fact that the Jews have been ruled, tortured, and massacred but are not extinct.
According to the Book of Job, even before Satan’s tests, Job’ life and mind had been quite complicated and lacking in freedom. He had feared God nervously, and had kept worrying himself about the possibility of his children’s inadvertent sins against God. Therefore, every time his children had a feast, he would have them purified and sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, whether any of them sinned or not, just to feel safe. This is like playing a provisional ball whether a previous ball is out of bound or not. When he was going through various sufferings, even though he believed he had done nothing wrong, he insisted on the mundane and simplified theory of reward and recompense for good and evil, without knowing that God had different perspectives and arrangements. Not until after a conversation with God did Job start to enjoy his life with a free and open mind, then he freely and humorously named his daughters dove, cinnamon, and eye shadow (a cosmetic), respectively, and let them inherit his property like his sons, without being bound by conventions. Please refer to The Sufferer’s Wisdom: The Book of Job in Getting Involved with God by Ellen F. Davis for detailed discussion of the above. Through Satan’s acts, dialogues between Job and his wife and friends, and His performance in the grand finale, in all things God works for the good of Job, turning him from a nervous and uneasy good man into a free and happy good man.
According to the Bible, after sinning, enraging God, and undergoing various sufferings, the Jews became a nervous people that over-interpret God’s commandments. As a result, they nervously or superficially abided by God’s law as well as rules that they set themselves, but they were not necessary good in God’s eyes. In the Gospels, Jesus told people to observe the law and rules (Matthew 23:3); nevertheless, he also had said that 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and a similar 'love your neighbor as yourself' are the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40). The law and rules are only means, but not the end. The law and rules and the process of observing them might be complicated, but the commandments and the end are simple. In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul maintained that law can only make us conscious of sin, but observing the law cannot make us good in God’s sight (Romans 3:20). However, Paul also advised us to be relaxed without anxiety and fear, for we did not receive a spirit that makes us a slave again to fear, but we received the Spirit of sonship (Romans 8:15). Again, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” or love others, so that they become his renewed children and good people in his sight and achieve freedom and glory (Romans 8:28-30). With complexity, Paul enumerated various spiritual gifts, but with simplicity, he advised us to “eagerly desire the greater gifts”, in “love” (1 Corinthians 12:31-13).
Speaking of “God, others, and love” is as simple as speaking of “a ball, a stick, and hand-eye coordination”. Still, there seems to be full of complexity and difficulty in practice. Perhaps God expects and believes that, after seeing through various illusions intertwined with good and evil, and going through various complicated tests and exercises, human beings will perceive the mountain a mountain again and will renew from children that are simple but lacking in wisdom like Adam and Eve into children that are simple, free, and full of wisdom like Jesus. On the complicated path, let’s walk at ease with love.
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[1] Genesis 2:16 can be read as that God warned the human ancestors against having knowledge of good and evil--thanks to a long-time good friend for pointing this out. (Note added 12/22/2005)
