Choosing Your Battles
“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”1 Corinthians 1:22-23
When we experience some discord or find ourselves on the receiving end of some injustice and we are thinking about saying something back or retaliating, someone may offer some words of wisdom saying, “choose your battles wisely.” Those are indeed wise words, but there are some battles that come without our choosing it and some battles that we must choose to fight.
As time for Passover neared, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. When He arrived at the Temple, He found moneychangers and people selling various livestock filling the temple area. This did not sit well with the Lord. The Temple ought to be a place of prayer and worship, but it has become a den of thieves, a place marketplace. But we also need to understand something. They moneychangers and salespeople were there for a reason. Sacrifice was a big part of the Jewish worship, and the animals offered need to meet certain criteria, and so these salespeople were simply offering a service to help worshippers. But could it really be that simple? If so, why was Jesus so mad? It was greed and loss of priorities that set Jesus off.
The moneychangers and salespeople were charging people excessively, putting heavy burdens on people who wanted to worship from the bottom of their hearts. People using God to benefit themselves. How disgraceful? How disgusting? How real. We see this later when indulgences were sold, offering pardoning of sins and even lessened time in purgatory for a favorable amount of money. And we also hear of the Church cheating people of their money, selling of positions, etc. This happens today still in other forms, whether it be clergy taking advantage of the people whom they serve or Church organizations using monies for inappropriate uses. So, Jesus was angry at this. This was a battle that Jesus chose to fight, a battle that could not go unchallenged.
People have lost sight of why the Temple was there. It was first and foremost for the worship of God, not a place to make a profit. Instead of following the spirit of the law, they focused simply on the letter of the law or not following the law at all. Jesus wanted to remind the people of this — to love God with all their hearts, minds, souls, and beings. To do what is right, to reject lies, and to stand up for the truth. In other words, to choose the battles that must be fought. St. Paul tells us that the Jews demanded signs and the Greeks sought wisdom, but Christians proclaim Christ crucified. Signs and wisdom apart from God mean nothing. The Jews kept asking Jesus to show a sign that He has authority to say this or do that. The Greeks had no notion of an all-powerful and monotheistic God, but focused on seeking wisdom. Those were battles that were worth fighting for them. For Jesus, the battles that were worth fighting were battles that transcended the natural realm. The battle for salvation, for eternal life.
Brothers and sisters, what are the battles we are willing to fight? Do we speak for the voiceless? Do we protect the vulnerable? Do we stand up for the Truth? Do we say no to the devil? When we hear the advice, “choose your battles wisely,” may we not base our decisions on the probability of winning, but rather on whether or not they conform with what is right, good, and true. May we, like the Lord, have the courage and strength to drive out the evil in our communities and restore the holiness that ought to dwell.
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