Ensign: My Visit To Lord Pococurante, A Noble Venetian

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 25 April 2014

This month I'm rereading Candide, the 1759 story by the French philosopher Voltaire. It's one of those books I keep coming back to because I like it and sometimes it's easy to get confident in humanity's own perfectibility. But I've been reading it chapter by chapter this month in conjunction with chapters of Proverbs (note: Proverbs, one of the non-stories of either testament comprising a book, does not lend itself well to a chapter at a time) and lately I'm missing more than I believe I should.

Fools admire everything in an author of reputation. For my part, I read only to please myself. I like only that which serves my purpose.

I'll grant you that Voltaire is perhaps NOT the best standard for someone who claims Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to aspire to – the eighteenth century philosopher and cultural critic himself was more of a deist (God created the universe but he left it running as it will) – but some things he's said or supposed to have said have really stuck in my head. He may be source number four for anything that you know is a quote but you don't know where or who first said it, preceded by the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, William Shakespeare, and the King James Version of the Bible.

… when I found out that he doubted of everything, I concluded that I knew as much as he, and that I had no need of a guide to learn ignorance.

“I may not approve of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” That's attributed most often to Voltaire, but one or two earlier sources have it too; I really like another one I read last month. “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” I think in that sense you could well say that even God does not rule us, for you and I certainly do criticize our Creator. (YES, Virginia and North Dakota and Florida, even I am not immune to that.)

I should be pleased with the liberty … if passion and party spirit did not corrupt all that is estimable in this precious liberty.



Liberty in its broadest sense to associate with whom one chooses and be whom one chooses to be was not on the mind of the “woman in the city, which was a sinner” (so she's described in Luke 7:37 at Simon the Pharisee's house where Jesus is dining – from “they that sat at meat with him” in verse forty-nine, we can guess it was more than a one-on-one) she just knew Jesus was in town and wanted to meet him and show her thankfulness to him, without being concerned how she'd look doing it.

For the matter of that I say as I please, and I care very little whether others think as I do.

The fictional Lord Pococurante (his name translates from Italian as “caring little”) lessoned Candide – the main character of the story who'd been thrown out of a palace and fought, sailed, and otherwise said and did much that dispelled his teacher's engrained notion of this world being the best of all possible worlds (seriously, READ THE BOOK) – as the woman weeping at Jesus' feet, wiping her tears off Jesus' feet, and kissing Jesus' feet before anointing them with ointment lessons us reading her story that how we physically appear to Him is not the issue. That we're there and that we're paying attention is.

It doesn't say through the rest of the chapter (the full story of that night at Simon's house is Luke 7:36-50) whether the woman at Jesus' feet heard Jesus telling the parable of the creditor (King James-speak for the story in verses 41 through 43, where a man owed five hundred days' wages by one person and fifty days' by another who both couldn't pay and then were forgiven their debts) except as background. But Jesus used her – in an edifying way – to make a point to Simon and his other dinner-guests, that the people who know they need forgiveness most are going to go all out to treat others, and especially treat their Lord and their God, the way they want to be treated themselves!

Showing hospitality to your guests and even those who are strangers has been a very serious custom for much of recorded history. The Bible and other ancient literature – I would argue up to modern industrialization – are replete with examples of those who turn away the poor and indigent either being predicted to or literally suffering the wrath of God (or nonbiblically, gods). Today we're certainly not expected to give kisses of greeting or anoint each other when we visit with oil, and you can I certainly can't forgive sin as Jesus can (and did, see verse 48), but we can have the saving faith that invites God, and in turn His Son, into our lives. And realize that we really did need to be forgiven much.

And love more,

David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encourager to action too! If you find that I'm not or you want me to get lost, just let me know -- thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can come to you in prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even when we don't know what they are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You. I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.