Keeping Up Appearances
I love British sitcoms. One that I find particularly amusing is Keeping Up Appearances. The main character, Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Boo-kay by her and no one else) lives in a world where appearance is everything. While she does her best to present herself as a class or two above her mediocre station in life, she is always put back in her place, although she never lets on that she is aware of that.
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience. I mean the other's conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else's conscience? - 1 Corinthians 10:27-29
In today's reading from the First Letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul seems to be telling the believers to be a lot like Hyacinth.
He is telling them they are free to eat whatever is presented to them, ignoring Jewish Law, since they are not all followers of Judaism. But when it comes to food offered as a sacrifice to other gods, they had better stick to protocol, more for the sake of others than for themselves.
Wow!
His thinking is actually quite sound, even though it would have been highly controversial. He goes on to tell us what he means when he says we can eat freely.
If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:30-31
If we start out thanking God for our food and drink, and we truly believe what we say, it is to His glory that we eat.
Well that makes sense, and I can see how others might misinterpret what we are doing. If I am at a Wall Street event and we are asked to toast the God of Money, though, should I take a sip?
This is exactly the dilemma Paul is addressing.
We can probably get away with it if we offer thanks to God and praise Him, but how would it look to others if we toasted a false god?
I used to think appearances didn't matter, but I can see how people might get the wrong idea if they observe me doing something out of character or out of principle. I could be viewed as a hypocrite and that would be bad, especially if the ones coming to that conclusion are looking for a reason to believe.
So, I have to think about this one. Sometimes t isn't easy to just do the "right" thing. I could be acting in a way that is considered insulting to someone's tradition or cultural norms.
I guess this another one of those situations where we have to look at each case and make a judgment call. But I will follow Paul's advice and offer it up to God first, before I do anything.
More to come...
Image credit: http://uk-comedy.net/