Pedigree | Wayfarer

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…
Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

I have been so blessed on this earthly journey. I try to remember this always. I marvel at it and am so grateful for it. In my conversations with God I try to continually express my gratitude because I have done nothing to deserve any of it. I have simply tried to follow where God has led, and the Good Shepherd has led this lost sheep to some pretty green pastures. I am so thankful.

As the spiritual renovation of life has progressed I have increasingly come to understand and embrace one of the basic tenets of Jesus’ teaching. God’s ways run opposite of humanity’s ways. What this world values is not what God values, while what God values is given little or no consideration in the value system of this world.

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”
-Jesus

Paul makes the same argument in today’s chapter as it relates to earthly status. He gives a brief version of his CV to the Philippians. In the Hebrew world of his day, Paul was a golden child. He was born into a good tribe, educated at the finest schools, was a member of the most prestigious organizations, and held important and powerful positions. In today’s terms it would be like having law degree and M.B.A. from Harvard and working for a prestigious firm on Wall Street or in Washington D.C. And, Paul writes, it’s all bullshit.

He really writes that. When Paul writes that he considers all this earthly status and prestige “garbage” he uses the Greek word skybalon. It’s a useful Greek word for labeling all sorts of rotten and decaying things. One of the things the word specifically referred to was cow dung. That’s what Paul thinks of all his earthly prestige.

As a disciple of Jesus, I increasingly understand the truth of this. All of my earthbound blessings, achievements, status, and possessions are eternally worthless in God’s economy. Jesus said that the real treasure, the stuff of true eternal worth in God’s Kingdom, is to know Him and in knowing Him to produce and flourish in relationship with others with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself once again taking stock of my own life. Where is my treasure? What is it I truly value? What is of eternal value?

How much of what I value is just bullshit?

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

“These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren’t able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not….” Ezra 2:59-60 (MSG)

Coming from a “good family” means a lot in many circles. As a child, I remember kids on the playground comparing notes about famous people in their family tree. My Great Aunt worked tirelessly to prove that she belonged in the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.). Even in the little Dutch-American community where I live I know that I’ve experienced a certain amount of acceptance moving in that other newcomers do not simply because I have a Dutch surname.

When reading the Old Testament, it’s important to remember that for Israelites in ancient times, the family of origin was huge. Your occupation and your position on the social pecking order was a all determined by family tree. To fully participate in the rites of the temple you had to prove your genetic connection.

When Jesus came and offered salvation to anyone who placed their faith in Him, Jew or non-Jew, it was a radical paradigm shift for the group of Jewish followers in His inner circle. Saul or Tarsus, later known as the Apostle Paul, was a Jew of high standing and persecutor of the early Christians until he was personally confronted by the risen Jesus and immediately became a faithful follower. Paul often bragged about his Jewish pedigree when debating with his fellow Israelites about Jesus, but was the most rabid proponent of loving, reaching out to, and including non-Jewish Gentiles into the Christian faith. Paul was the first to fully embrace the truth that in Jesus there is no social pecking order based on your family tree or religious pedigree. Those who follow Jesus are spiritually the same:

So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Romans 3:9 (MSG)

I can only imagine the shame that “those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer” felt at being the only ones among the 42,000 Israelites to return to Jerusalem who could not prove their pedigree. I have to believe they felt the condemning looks and subtle prejudice from the “blue blood” Israelites with whom they journied.

Today, I’m glad that my relationship with God has nothing to do with my genetic code or family tree. I’m grateful that God does not have a spiritual pecking order of “haves and have nots.” We are all, every one of us, “have nots” until Jesus, in His mercy, graciously forgives us, redeems us, and adopts us into His spiritual family as a joint heir of God’s rich spiritual inheritance.