What if…?
What about…?
The guys in a small study group I attend when I’m in town got to talking about what if? What if the crowd had not called for Jesus’ death? What if Pilate had not made a gutless decision?
I’m in other groups where people ask what about people of other cultures than their own. Will God save them?
I started to wonder–do we think too much? What if, when used in the context of stories about Jesus are pretty much just worthless mind games. Doesn’t matter. What happened–happened. Good thing, too.
Then I remembered all the stories in the Bible–both Old and New Testaments–where people from other cultures than the Hebrews contributed to the cause.
It can be all just idle speculation. Unfortunately, idle speculation sometimes leads to a line of thinking that leads to evil acts. You can talk yourself into feelings of hatred or jealousy. Too much thinking can lead to brooding. It can lead to personality disorder.
Jeff Moore, in his My Everyday Power Blog, just posted a video based on a Charlie Chaplin speech, “Let Us Fight to Free the World.” In this powerful, short speech, Chaplin states, “We think too much and feel too little.”
The word “feel” is in the sense of empathy. When we think, we become theoretical. When we feel for others, we move from theory to practice. People are not a theory. People are not a description in the “DSM” (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, contains definitions of mental illnesses).
Thinking is a marvelous gift from God. It has helped humans make better lives. But it has also caused much suffering when diverted from its real purpose–that of improving society.
I started contemplating Jesus. I’m trying to recall any time when he was merely theoretical. Seems to me he was always in the reality of the present. He had both the standard of God and empathy for fellow humans within him.
Sometimes we think too much and feel too little. We need some of that empathy in our discussions.
Faith Venture 
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