World Bank President, and former alleged world domination czar for the Bush administration, Paul Wolfowitz, was visiting a mosque in western Turkey yesterday when something embarrassing happened. Before entering the holy place, he was required to remove his shoes. This practice is common throughout the Middle East and Asia, and has been from ancient times (cf. Moses at the burning bush).
Unfortunately no one on his staff had apprised Mr. Wolfowitz of this (surprising, since he always seemed to have accurate intelligence about the Middle East when he worked for the Bush administration). Unfortunately Mr. Wolfowitz, a foreign policy expert and president of the World Bank was unaware of this ancient and widespread custom. Unfortunately Mr. Wolfowitz thinks little of his footwear, or has particularly sharp toe-nails, because when Mr. Wolfowitz removed his shoes he was found to be displaying two, quite naked, big toes. T
he naked toes are on all the chat shows and in all the news papers. And they are disturbing. I’m not saying that seeing toes poke out of Paul Wolfowitz’ socks is as unsettling as seeing Darth Vader without his helmet on – but it is something like that.
Actually I was disturbed by it because I have been guilty of the same. Not being a neo-con foreign policy genius/world traveler like Mr. Wolfowitz, when I went to India with Jerris ten years ago, I was dependant on our veteran missionary to the sub-continent for my accurate intel. Since Jerris failed to tell me about this ancient and wide-spread custom, I packed all my worst socks to take with me. Luckily I made the mistake of wearing holey socks only once (although it was at a preaching appointment) because I took a sewing kit with me, and did some speed darning afterwards. Nowadays I would have known. Nowadays, Jerris sometimes opens his reports with a picture of a pile of sandals at the door of a church, and says “brethren do you know what these represent? These represent ‘souls’” (instead of “soles” – get it?). This is the kind of pun we expect from Jerris – like when he introduced me at that embarrassing, un-darned sock preaching appointment as having brought my “holy” socks (instead of “holey” – get it?).
Since Jerris is a veteran of about forty trips to India he takes things for granted that might be of great importance to a first-time traveler. Such as:*There are no bathrooms in India. There are facilities, but I define a bathroom as something with a seat and a door – an accommodation which even my most backwards relations in West Virginia provide, although it may be some distance from the house, and require the use of last year’s Farmer’s Almanac.
* In many of the places you stay, little green lizards scamper across the walls and ceiling (and sometimes across you) throughout the night. These are harmless, and less irritating than mosquitoes (there are plenty of those too), but of course, one doesn’t know that if one isn’t told, and one discovers (at 3 am) a little green lizard is the cause of that itchy feeling on the back of one’s neck.
*Indian drivers smash as many cars and chew up as much scenery as Sonic the hedgehog. As soon as I got into a car in India I put on my head-phones and took a nap. It has always been my desire to die in my sleep.
The Bible makes the broad and absolute claim that God has granted us, “through the knowledge of Jesus, all things pertaining to life and godliness,” (II Peter 1.3). The Bible is often thought of as difficult and esoteric. It certainly has enough depth to challenge the greatest minds for a lifetime. But that which is essential to our salvation and to godly living is communicated succinctly, clearly, and frequently.
Love your enemies.
Do for others what you would have others do for you.
Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no.
Seek the kingdom of God first. (Matthew 5.44, 7.12, 5.37, and 6.33).
Or,
He that believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16.15).
God tells us what he wants us to do. He won’t say on judgment day: “Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you about your need to be baptized. Guess that was important, huh? My bad, but it’s a deal-breaker, sorry.” We know. Every Gospel and every New Testament writer emphasizes our need to be baptized in order to be saved. Everything pertaining to life and godliness is fully, clearly, frequently communicated. We are informed, and our failure to act based upon that information will not result in an embarrassing faux pas, but in our being eternally lost.
