Questions from a Talking Donkey
What stories of talking animals can you name?
Dr. Doolittle….Wizard of Oz….Charlotte’s Web…
The Bible has two:
the serpent in the Garden of Eden
and Balaam’s donkey.
Let’s look at that one.
The full story is in the Hebrew Scriptures,
chapter 22 and 23 of the book of Numbers.
It is one of the Bible’s comedy acts.
Balaam wasn’t a bad guy.
He was just doing his job.
He’d been hired by King Balak to curse the Israelites
so that they would be weakened
and Balak could defeat them.
Balaam even checks in with God about it,
but you know how confusing it can be to
try to understand God!
So somehow Balaam heads out,
his pockets full of curses.
Now you know what it is to be color blind.
Well, Balaam was like that,
only it wasn’t color he couldn’t see, but God.
He suffered from God-blindness.
Three times the angel of God blocks the road,
and the poor donkey has to get beaten three times
before Balaam finally gets it,
and only then because God resorts to the original talking
animal routine,
which, you have to admit, would get your attention.
God made it clear that Balaam had teamed up with the
wrong side.
You have to feel a little sorry for Balak though.
He hires Balaam to curse Israel,
and Balaam opens his mouth and out come blessings,
instead.
It’s kind of like Pepsi hiring you to do a commercial
and as the cameras begin to roll,
you open your mouth and start singing the praises of Coke.
Pepsi would not be understanding about that.
Neither was Balak.
And just for a little bonus,
in a later chapter, Balaam throws in the prophecy that
Israel would defeat Balak.
One wonders if he charged extra for that,
or if the king got it for free.
This delightful, playful story packs away a lot of wisdom.
I hear it as questions that the talking donkey asks us.
****
Someone bought a new house and he was asking the neighbor just where the property line was.
The neighbor replied
“Are you talking owning or mowing?”
There are different ways of seeing things.
Balaam and his donkey found that out.
Sometimes that donkey seems to whisper to me
Are you seeing what’s there,
or only what you expect to see?
Sometimes I meet someone from a different ethnic group. Even before we’ve said hello,
my stereotypes kick in.
Then Balaam’s ass (as the donkey is colorfully called
in older translations) whispers to me
Are you seeing what’s there,
or only what you expect to see?
I meet someone whose theology pushes my buttons.
I assume I know what they are thinking,
what side they’ll take on any issue.
Here comes Balaam’s ass
Are you seeing what’s there
or only what you expect to see?
There are lots of ways we fail to see what is there, but instead see what we expect to see, but it happens most often with people; our expectations about what someone thinks because of how they dress; the way we look at our loved ones, assuming how they were yesterday is how they are today; and of course our stereotypes of strangers.
That reminds of the three folks traveling together:
a Hindu, a Jewish rabbi, and a UCC pastor.
They got caught in a huge storm,
and sought shelter at a nearby farmhouse.
The farmer welcomed them, but only had room for two.
One would need to sleep in the barn.
The Hindu volunteered cheerfully, and left.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
It was the Hindu.
“I’m sorry, but there’s a cow in the barn,
and to us cows are sacred
and we must not intrude on their space.”
The rabbi came forward.
“Make yourself comfortable. No problem.
I’ll sleep in the barn.” The rabbi left.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
It was the rabbi.
“I didn’t realize there was a pig in the barn.
I’m sorry, but we consider pigs unclean.
I’m uncomfortable sharing space with a pig.”
The UCC pastor stepped up.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be glad to sleep in the
barn.” The UCC pastor left.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
It was the cow and the pig.
The talking donkey asks us that question:
are we seeing what’s there,
or only what we expect to see?
********
That’s not the only question I hear.
When I am in a situation where cursing is what is expected, or where cursing is what I feel like doing,
Balaam’s ass whispers to me
Do you have the power to bless instead?
Sometimes it happens when everyone is gossiping about someone else, and the conversation is getting juice, and now it is my turn to say something.
Do I have the power to bless instead?
Or maybe I am arguing with someone and I have such a long list of why I’m right and she’s wrong and my heart is full of curses; there’s Balaam’s ass, whispering to me
Do you have the power to bless instead?
Maybe for you it happens when you’ve had it with your
uncle of the religious right and you’re aching to tell him off.
Do you have the power to bless instead?
A few years ago, the national news reported an amazing story. There was a long line at the drive-up coffee stop. One car was at the window placing an order. Things were moving slowly, however, and the driver in the car behind began blaring his horn. The driver at the window ordered an extra cup of coffee, got out of his car and offered it to the impatient driver behind him. Somehow that got a chain reaction going, and everybody was buying a cup of coffee for the next person in line. (How to Thrive in Changing Times. Sandra Ingerman. p.151)
That’s the talking donkey whispering to us,
when it’s easier to curse,
when we have every right to curse,
do we have the power to bless instead?
********
There’s another time when Balaam’s donkey seems to leap out of scripture and whisper to me, and that’s when I’m moving full speed ahead and I meet an obstacle.
Then I hear
Is there an angel on your path?
Sometimes we meet an obstacle because, well,
life is like that.
But sometimes an obstacle is an angel of God,
trying to redirect us.
Or trying to slow us down.
Or trying to make us aware that in doing what we feel like
doing, we are hurting someone else.
Or maybe we’re being forced to see a side of ourselves
that we don’t want to see.
That’s when we hear that donkey:
Is there an angel in our path?
What are the obstacles that get you all steamed up?
That slow you down?
Or turn you in a different direction?
That frustrate your original plan?
Could there be an angel in your path?
Michael Downey lived for several months at l’Arche in France because he was writing a book about that world famous place and Jean Vanier, its founder. L’Arche is a community where disabled and able-bodied folks live together. One night at evening prayer, Michael was asked to read the scripture. His French was poor and halting, and he was embarrassed and self-conscious as he stumbled and fumbled through that unfamiliar language. Like Balaam, he was having trouble moving forward in the competent way he was used to.
But then Michael noticed Alain, who was the most severely impaired person in the community, and who was usually pretty unresponsive. Alain was following Michael’s haltering efforts with the greatest attention. Something deep with Alain identified Michael’s struggle with Alain’s own life-long efforts to be competent at anything. It was Michael’s weakness and vulnerability that enabled Alain to respond. Michael thought of his poor knowledge of French as an obstacle, but really, it was an angel in his path.
(The Solace of Fierce Landscapes. Belden C. Lane. p.34)
****
Balaam’s Ass: that’s a story worth remembering.
Who or what are the donkeys in your life,
just trying to do right by you?
It might be useful to listen to them.
Are you seeing what’s there,
or only what you expect to see?
When you have every right to curse,
could you find the power to bless instead?
When you meet an obstacle that stops you short,
is there maybe an angel in your path?
These are wise questions that I learned from a talking donkey.
© 2011 Janice Jean Springer
|
