The Speeding Bullet
another small, simple book by
Dr. Greg O. Muller
Note to reader: I write one-page, version books; it is My Art and love. This particular book is in the early stage of production (version 1.1825). Which means it is complete, ready for reading, yet will be further revised in the future (for the rest of my life). I invite you to stop by every once in a while to see the new versions.Give me Liberty, or Give me Death! - Patrick Henry, 1775
SMART BOMBS. My brother Steve and I have a strong need for personal freedom, which leads us to a curious hobby. While other people are hunting, fishing, quilting, and practicing the piano, Steve and I build "smart bombs": blunt, carefully targeted arguments that forcefully make room for personal choice.
Jesus detonated one of these when he said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." This small simple phrase had it's intended effect (John 8:7).
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
When the dust settled, the Woman's agency and personal issue was in its proper place: between her and Jesus.
HIGH GLORY STORY: It may seem a little presumptuous and perhaps a little deviant of us, but Steve and I believe Jesus wants us to build smart bombs: carefully crafted beliefs, ideas and techniques that help people like this woman honor the zone of sovereignty to which they are entitled.
Smart bombs are best used when some ill- or well-intentioned person is crowding in, trying to pull a mote out of your (our your loved one's) eye while they have a beam in their own (Matthew 7: 3-5). (That said, Steve and I are not AGAINST mote removal, we are just FOR more careful, loving beam-free extractions.)
THE BULLET. One of our favorite smart bombs is patterned after the one Jesus used, mentioned above. We nicknamed it "The Speeding Bullet." This particular smart bomb was revealed when a friend volunteered himself to remove a mote from Steve's eye.
Steve was downloading a song from the internet when his friend looked over and said, "Hey Steve, how do you justify downloading songs when you know it is illegal." Steve replied, "Do you speed on the highway?" His friend hastily tried to defuse the bomb with, "apples and oranges"..., but the clock ticked zero as Steve sharply noted, "Their both fruit."
And like the Woman's accusers, Steve's friend fell silent and stopped trying to remove the mote out of Steve's eye. The issue of downloading settled right where it belongs: between Steve and his Father in heaven.
The End...for now.
_________
Foray to...
DISCUSS: What did the Woman's accusers have in common with Steve's friend? In each instance was the primary motivating factor of the accusers pure love and genuine concern for the eternal welfare of the accused? (In each case do you think the accusers followed up again and again with the accused to patiently help them see the light and become better people or was their initial attempt to right wrongs just a one-time-only drive-by-shooting of convenience?)