The Liabilities of Legalism

Recently, I've been learning about the 'liabilities of legalism' and it's reminding me of our study of Romans this year. Laws, rules, they're all good and well. But there are times when the way we think about the world and the regulations that frame things hinder productivity. Examples abound in the Bible and in our lives.


But it's the boy's personal food...

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. -John 6:5-13

Just imagine what would've happened if the disciples had objected with this remark: "But that's the boy's own personal food" instead of obeying what Jesus said. "No, no... we'd have to compensate him for the fish and loaves. How many dinari do you have on you, J?" Such legalism would've prevented the whole crowd from enjoying a satisfying meal.

On Thursday morning, I encountered a similar situation. Utterly exhausted after several all-nighters, I slept 4 hours later than usual, until 10am. But I woke up as excited as ever, ready to enjoy a run for the first time in a week. So, I went off, forgetting that 10am in May in Tucson is not a great time for a 10 miler. Over half way through the run, I became extremely exhausted and dehydrated. I stopped at a nice little bagel place, sitting down 4 times from the dizziness before I could manage to stand and ask for a cup of water. They told me it would be $1.40, and I looked on in amazement. I was clearly not doing well here, and as I said, "Not even a cup of water so I can get back to campus?" tears welled up in my eyes... worsened by the fact that I had a dollar, but that was not good enough for them. I was missing 40 cents. Next door at a little Mexican fast food restaurant, I asked for a cup of water and said, "Please. I need a cup of water. I have a dollar." The lovely Mexican lady behind the counter said, "Water?" She handed me a styrofoam cup and didn't touch my money. She encouraged me to get water from the array of fountain sodas, no questions asked.

This whole episode made me think of the role of rules in our lives, especially in terms of giving. Do we ever look into someone's eyes and say coldly, "You're forty cents short" instead of offering "a cup of cold water to someone in need"? God challenges us to love, above all things love one another... love is the law that crosses all sorts of boundaries.


But you can't walk on water...

19When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,[b] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. -John 6:19-20

Another common legality that often hinders our vivacity and our living is from our 'can'ts', the impossibilities we see in our lives. In this instance and also when Peter walked on water, we were amazed at Jesus' ability to do the impossible. As we are reminded, "if we say to the mountain move, it will throw itself into the ocean." But how many times are we afraid when we confront impossibilities?

The last few weeks in Tucson, it was Finals time... high stress and high pressure building up around me, to the point that I really began to question my ability to continue in a Ph.D. program. I began to say, "But, Katie, you can't do a Ph.D... you're not smart enough, you're not original enough, you don't want it enough. You're not competitive enough." And blessings surrounded me in the form of encouraging colleagues like Sonya and Deida. My professors offered helpful suggestions, and the International School of Tucson confirmed their interest in participating in my dissertation research. Every one of these important words guided me towards the water and made me believe that I really can and will walk the waters of a Ph.D., and I don't need to be afraid.


Whether we set rules upon our wedding ceremonies (how it should go), our names (how they should/shouldn't change), lives (how they should be lived)... God teaches us that what is more important than the impossibilities is the possibilities, the people are more important than the product, than the process or even the profit. The liabilities of legalism are great... they can keep us from reaching out to others, and they can also keep us from reaching our own God-given potential.