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J. Douglas Dortch, Jr., Ph.D.
First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL
“Holding All The Wrong Cards ”
Scripture: Proverbs 16:3
February 22, 2009
I confess that I am hardly the best of Baptists…at least not by old-time Baptist standards. I grew up dancing, and as any good Baptist knows, even though David was known to dance before the Ark of the Lord, when the Ark disappeared, so did all the Bible references to dancing. I grew up going to movies, and even the most lapsed Baptist knows that there’s nothing in the Bible that offers anything near a condoning word for the big screen. After all, look what Disney did to Sunday night worship. But perhaps worst of all, I grew up playing cards; though I have to say in my defense that there was never any money on the table. Besides, wasn’t Rook invented by a Baptist? (Actually, it wasn’t; it is just played by 90% of all Baptists.)
For the 10% of you who have never played Rook, it is purely a game of points and pride. Your goal is to bid and work with your partner to make your points while keeping your opponents from making theirs, all in Christian love, of course.
It is the bidding that gives drama to the game. Pride takes hold as each participant stares at his cards, contemplating the permutations and possibilities of how different hands can play out. And in the back of everyone’s mind is the “kitty,” those cards in the middle that go to the highest bidder. Those cards are the “X” factor that can make or break a player’s ability to make his bid.
As many of you fellow backsliding Baptists know, there is nothing more exhilarating than seeing your hand saved by the cards you draw from the kitty. But as you also know, there is nothing more disheartening than to be holding nothing but trash and to be stuck with having to play all the wrong cards, even after you have claimed the kitty.
If you think what I’m talking about flies in the face of Baptist traditions, I must warn you that I think I may be in pretty good company. Jesus didn’t seem to think much of all the traditions that were passed down to him either.
Our text this morning comes from that section of Mark’s gospel where Jesus is having a series of dust-ups with the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. This particular dust-up had to do with how his disciples were eating food with hands that were unclean, a kind of first century version of spiritual “sticky fingers.” The Pharisees were of the opinion that Jesus and his disciples were uncouth at best and immoral at worst because they didn’t pay attention to “the tradition of the elders.”
In particular, they were referring to additional commandments they had imposed on the people that took all the mystery out of what the Bible required. In this context, they were talking about the steps that people were expected to take prior to each course of the meal. Because Leviticus (15:11) required an unclean person not to touch anything or anyone before washing his hands, the Pharisees took this command, which was intended simply to make sure that the unclean condition not be spread to others, and added others to it so that by the time of Jesus, people were expected to wash their hands before each course of the meal not for the purposes of either holiness or hygiene, but simply out of habit, and as everyone knows, if not watched closely, habits can degenerate into mere superstition, or even worse, compulsive behavior.
As far as Jesus was concerned, the Pharisees had milked all the spirit out of the practice. “You make a big deal of externals,” he replied to them, “all this washing of hands and pots and kettles and utensils, but you miss altogether the matter of the heart.” “You have discarded the most important point makers and are holding all the wrong cards.” “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Sometimes I wonder if we’re not guilty of doing the same thing today. How many churches do you know of today that operate on the basis of a strict series of dos and don’ts? Do dress this way. Don’t go those places. Do follow these practices. Don’t listen to this music. While I would be the first to admit that the Bible does call us to be discriminating in our choices in order to make sure they are Christ-honoring (you just can’t do whatever strikes your fancy), the fact is that there are still too many Christians who seem to be motivated by law more than grace. There are too many Christians who have managed to discard all the fun out of their faith, and what they are holding on to is something that just can’t seem to sustain them.
What are you holding on to this morning? Is it sustaining you? Is it something that allows you to get out of bed each morning ready to seize the day? Does it give you a sense of meaning and purpose? Does it carry you through the difficult times in life? Does it move you to joy?
The truth of this text is that there is only one thing in life you need to hold on to, and that is Jesus. When you hold on to Jesus, you can dress like you want to, because your commitment to Jesus will cause you to want to dress to his glory. When you hold on to Jesus, you can go where you want, because your commitment to Jesus will send you to those places where you can best bear witness to his presence. When you hold on to Jesus, you can do what you want and listen to what you want, because your commitment to Jesus will move you to show his Lordship in every part of your life. The reason the disciples weren’t worrying about eating with unwashed hands was because they were finding their joy in Jesus, and the thrill of his fellowship gave them a sense of God’s Presence that left them feeling whole and complete.
What I am advocating this morning is that we just focus our energies and our efforts on following after Jesus so that our work and our play become vehicles for advancing him and his message. Then, it doesn’t matter if our methods are “traditional” or “non-traditional.” All that matters is that we hold up Jesus so that others may be drawn to him and being drawn to him might experience the joy of his salvation.
Would you be willing to commit to doing that this morning? If you would, I promise you that your life would experience such a sense of release that others around you who are bound by law and not grace won’t fully know how to handle you. And yet, at the same time, they will want what you have. More than that, they will crave what you have.
That word “crave” reminds me of a story. During my college days, I was very involved in Baptist Student Union, now called Baptist Campus Ministries. One of the highlights of each spring break was our Choir Tour. About 100 of us students would spend the week singing in various churches, and one of our favorite activities as we’d be traveling from church to church was playing Rook.
As with most card games, the most players you can have is four, which inevitably leaves people on the fringes having to watch. And that is no fun; the people who are watching are usually waiting for someone to drop out so they can take their place.
So, someone came up with a new way to play rook, which they called “Crave.” For you “Rook purists,” what I’m about to tell you will seem heretical. But for those who understand the importance of opening the circle to include as many people as you can, well, sometimes you just have to break with tradition. What else can I say?
In “Crave” all the cards are dealt, even the low cards, which normally aren’t used in a traditional, four-player game. And after everyone looks at his cards, the bidding begins. Each person is bidding on his own hand, with one exception. The person who bids the highest gets to “crave” one card from another person in the circle, and for that hand and that hand alone, the two of them are partners against the other four.
Looking out, I can see that I am in the company of many other lapsed Baptists, because you’re following this explanation pretty well. In fact, some of you are way ahead of me (which means that you are among the most lapsed of Baptists). In other words, if you don’t have the Rook card, which is the card of highest value in the game, you would obviously be craving that one to complete your hand and carry you to victory.
But I will never forget the day I was playing “Crave” and someone in the circle – a godly Baptist who really didn’t have much experience playing cards – craved the “Green 1,” which I was holding. When something like that happens it’s because the person who’s won the bid already has possession of the Rook and is looking for another card to complete their hand. Only in this case they didn’t have the Rook. For whatever reason, they didn’t think they needed the Rook. And needless to say, we got set for that hand like a $25 Timex watch.
In “Crave,” if you don’t secure the Rook, all other cards are pretty much worthless. And in life, if you don’t have Jesus, then everything else you have built your life around will surely crumble, regardless of how pious and precise it may appear on the outside.
If you hold on to Jesus, then everything else in your life will seem full and complete. But if you don’t, then no matter what or how much of it you have, you are simply holding all the wrong cards. Is Jesus there? Then rest secure. Even if the hand life has dealt you is not too good, you will be fine. Jesus will see you through. Is he not there? Then you know what you need to be craving. Too much is at stake, for there is no way in life to come out on top without Jesus.
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