May 18: Wagering God

Then he (Gamaliel, a Pharisee) said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-- in that case you may even be found fighting against God!" (Act 5:35-39)

There is an element of this speech which appears just to be pragmatism at work. It reminds me of Pascal’s wager. If you are unfamiliar with his wager it goes something like this. Reason is to be distrusted and will not offer us satisfactory proofs of God. Never-the-less one should wager on the existence of God because you have everything to gain if you are right and nothing to lose if you are wrong. Conversely if you wager that God doesn’t exist you have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

Philosophically I admire the thought process… but this isn’t faith. Faith is not a wager out of some pragmatic weighing of potential risk and reward. Faith is not a reasoned response to a reflective process.

Peter and John wager a lot in the book of Acts – but their wager is not in the risk that God exists… but it is the risk of their lives in the name of God. They risk loss of control over their lives as they give them over to God. They risk the condemnation of their community as they embrace radical counter-cultural faith. They risk suffering death at the hands of authorities who have other opinions on God. They risk being on a journey that is not of human origin!

So for all that I do not like the pragmatic approach of Gamaliel I think it is important to notice what he sees… if something isn’t going away when adversity hits. If a radical theology, thoughts or groups can survive death, dismemberment (literally their members being disassociated from each other), and disillusionment than one has to stop to ask the question that maybe this is “of God”. Even more importantly if I’m working against such things then I’m actually working against the God I claim to worship and serve.

And then we need to stop… literally stop and look at our lives… our activities, thoughts, communities… our church – and ask those same questions. Is what we are doing of human origin… or is it from God? And what about what we aren’t doing? Are we willing to risk what Peter and John are continually risking here… condescension, scorn, alienation, imprisonment, and even death because we cannot not be true to what God is doing in us!?!

History has shown forth the truth of Gamaliel’s statement with regards to Peter and John’s preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus. We must wonder, however, what will history have to show about us… will tomorrow see us scattered and forgotten, or will the work God does through us today shed a bit brighter glimmer of hope for tomorrow? Because if no-one is willing to risk the scorn of the powers-that-be in our culture, society and world in response to God’s stirring… than what resources does that leave God for partnering in a new creation?

What are you doing to pay attention to God’s stirring in your life?
How to weigh whether something in your life is of human origin, or if it “of God”?
Are you willing to risk your life in the name of Jesus?


Wagering God,
You have called us. You have risked sharing the responsibility of the Kingdom with us. You have had faith in us – let us have faith in you, and risk with you. Amen.