Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ~ Why Should I give Christianity another chance?

            The loudest animal on our planet is also our largest toothed predator: Physeter macrocephalus, the sperm whale. People are surprised to hear that sperm whales make the loudest vocalizations, perhaps because we imagine them as serene and calm—the silent beasts of the deep. In his book Deep, explorer and author James Nestor describes an account when biologists were diving with these animals (diving with whales the best way to study their behavior). One whale swam directly at one of the researchers. Startled, the man held up his arm to try and stop the whale. In response, the whale let out a small grunt and swam past the man. This grunt was enough to freeze the man’s arm in place for three hours. The voice of a sperm whale can literally vibrate a human body to death. We now know that sperm whales disorient and may even stun their prey with loud sound bursts called ‘gunshots’. It’s the rarest of all sperm whale vocalizations. But the true reason these whales have such a powerful voice has to do with their natural history. Because individuals are long-ranging, whales need to be able to call to each other from great distances. It is thought by some scientists that a sperm whale’s song is powerful enough to reach an individual on the other side of the planet.

            James Nestor isn’t the only ‘James’ to have written on the power of a voice. Another James, the brother of Christ, wrote about the power of the tongue in the church. He did not mince his words, stating if someone don’t bridle his tongue, his religion is worthless (James 1:26). James describes the uncontrolled tongue as a fire that spreads far and wide to create all sorts of damage. Our speech is a small thing, but it has great impact, not only to hurt but to misdirect. James likens this concept to a bit in the mouth of a horse or the rudder of a ship—a small thing that can turn the whole animal into a different direction. In the same way, the authoritative speech of a leader is powerful, and it has the capacity to affect the trajectory of a great mass of people.

            In my years as a minister, I’ve had the chance to speak with countless people who are skeptical about ever setting foot in a church again. In each case, the reported reason was harm suffered at decisions or words by people in the church rather than the institution itself. It is my belief that the church is an institution given by God, and because of that it is good. It is never God’s intention for people to come to His house only to be insulted, reviled, or mistreated. 

Imagine that you move to an impoverished area with the intent of bringing aid and support to the community. You send your children to the local school with instructions to be kind to the other kids; you tell your children to invite those they meet to accompany them back to your house for dinner. You reminded them that your family’s purpose in coming to this place was to help those in great need. If your kids were bullies to these impoverished children, you’d be disappointed in your kids, angry at them, even personally hurt by their actions, and your desire to help the hungry children would only intensify. This is like the frustration and pain God feels when His children—Christians—push other people away (Hosea 4:6).

Christian history is replete with those who called the church back to its original function. When the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote vehemently against the corruption in the Danish church system, he was heralded as the greatest enemy to the church, but also its greatest hope. In the time of Nazi Germany, activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke out against the church for turning a blind eye to the horrors committed on German soil. He begged the church to stand up and speak on behalf of those whose ashes gathered upon her rafters. He wrote, “Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its plea for the weak.” He was later killed for his Christian-based activism against the Nazi party.

In Ezekiel 34, God speaks directly to the ‘shepherds’, to those in charge of His people. He reprimands them for their harshness towards the ‘sheep’ under their care. He says to them, “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the trayed you have now brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered.” (Ezekiel 34:4-5) He goes on to explain that this is the reason He is against the leaders—they have failed to do what He asked. In a beautiful turn of tone in the passage, God goes on to describe what He will do for these people: “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out...and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries…I will feed them with good pasture…I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured and I will strengthen the weak.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16) We see here a stark contrast between what the leaders failed to do for their followers and what God does for them. Perhaps you have felt lost, strayed, injured, or weakened because of your experiences in a church community. God wants to step in where others have failed and do what they could not do for you.

Just like the sperm whale, the Church was given a loud voice because it was meant to reach the entire globe. The Church was meant to bring a message of hope to the faraway corners of the globe; to be the voice of truth: clear, powerful, and far-reaching. But many have abused that power and have hurt others instead of healing them. Even a small angry grunt from a powerful voice in the church can be enough to leave us paralyzed. In time, as a spirit comes out of its paralysis, it may not want to dive in again! But we must remember what the Church truly is. As someone once put it, the Church is not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners. When we go inside, we can expect to find people there who are broken and sinful. They are there because they need healing. It would be strange to find a hospital full of perfectly healthy people. Jesus Himself said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) The church is a place where broken people come to find healing from God, and I don’t think it’s any wonder that hospitals and hospice houses were both invented by Christian communities. Sadly, the healers are often themselves wounded, and sometimes the very people who think they are serving God end up wounding others. It makes me think of a moment just before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus was in a garden praying, and His friends were with Him. It was very late at night. Suddenly through the trees came a mob of people with torches and weapons. This is the moment where Judas, one of Jesus’ own followers, kissed Him on the cheek to show the mob who to arrest. Peter, another of Jesus’ followers, grabbed a sword and cut off the ear of one of the attackers. Jesus commanded Peter to put the sword away, and He healed the man’s ear right there on the spot. (Luke 22:51) Sometimes people in the church are in the ear-cutting-off business when they should be in the ear-healing business. Maybe you came out of the church feeling sliced and diced and deafened to what was once good. If that’s your story, I want you to read this next sentence very carefully: Jesus places His healing hands where others have wielded swords against us.

I cannot take away the pain that you have experienced in the past from what people in the church have voiced. I have my own scars that I will carry for a lifetime from words people said over me, but a quiet and profound voice has whispered truth to me. Today I want to invite you to consider that gentle voice—the voice above all other voices: the voice of God who made you. What He says about you in His Word is astonishing. Let’s just consider one passage, Psalm 139 (a psalm is like a poem, and they often read like a conversation between a person and God). 

 

People in the church may have said to you: “We don’t understand you.”

But God says: “I have searched you and I know you. I know when you sit down and when you stand up. I know your thoughts and your character. I understand you so well that I know what you mean even before you open your mouth to speak.” (v1-4)

 

People in the church may have said to you: “You aren’t welcome here anymore.”

But God says: “I am with you, in front of you and behind you. I surround you more closely than the clothes you are wearing. Even if you were lost in the deepest sea, I would be there at the bottom of the ocean with you. Nothing can ever separate you from me.” (v5-12)

 

People in the church may have said to you: “You don’t fit in.”

But God says: “I made you on purpose, I fashioned you like a beautiful piece of artwork. When I look at you, I see something beautiful and special. Before your mother knew she was pregnant, I was already watching over you and had a plan for your life.” (v13-16)

 

People in the church may have said to you: “We have forgotten about you.”

But God says: “I think about you all the time. You can’t even count the individual thoughts I have had about you, my child. My thoughts are more than the grains of sand on all the seashores of the earth. I will never forget you.” (v17-18)

 

The reason you should give Jesus another chance is this: He sees your wounds, He sees your scars, and He wants to heal you where others have hurt you with their words. Will you give Him the chance to speak to you today?