I’m talking about one of the now well-known quirks of the original Star Trek television show (1966-69). Tried & True fans caught it pretty quickly, but It was a while before most of us took note: Crew members who wore red shirts (Security Personnel) almost always died when the starship’s officers took an “Away Team” down to some planet.
During that initial three-year run, 73% of those that died were wearing red shirts. A rare exception to the so-called “Redshirt Rule” was a crewman played by the actor who eventually became known as “the most interesting man in the world” on Dos Equis beer commercials (Of course he didn’t die). By the time viewers were well into the second season, the word was out: if there was a redshirt on the “Away Team,” you could expect them to die before the Starship Enterprise left orbit.
Our expectation was based on what had occurred in past episodes, and what triggered our thought was the similarity of the current situation to one or more in the past.
Reading the Bible can be like that. If you’ve been paying attention as you’ve gone along, you begin to recognize little echos of past action. You read something that Jesus says or does and you think, “That sounds familiar. I think something is about to happen that is similar to what has happened before.”
Surprise. That’s intentional.
Consider the Elisha story in this week’s Lectionary selection from 2 Kings. You might call it, “the feeding of the one hundred.” Elisha was one of Israel’s greatest prophets, God’s chosen person to take up the work of the mighty Elijah. Suffice to say, Elisha was well known to the followers of Jesus.
I can imagine that, shortly after Jesus had His disciples feed the five thousand, one or more of them (and likely some in the crowd, as well), had one of those “light bulb” moments. “Wait a minute! This is similar to when Elisha fed the one hundred!”
But wait, as they say on late night TV, there’s more. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to simply repeat the miracle God performed on behalf of Elisha. Yes, Jesus had a similar conversation with his disciples, but He then proceeded to feed 50 times as many people ... that was amazing, notable, extraordinary! Yes, there were leftovers in both instances, but when Jesus fed the five thousand, what remained was far more than they even started with!
Jesus said and did much that was intended to “ring a bell” among those listening and following. As Israelites, they were supposed to recognize that what Jesus did and said was connecting with the teachings, miracles, and acts of the prophets and others God had employed over the centuries.
The takeaway: the next time you read about Jesus teaching something “new,” or of Him performing some miracle, or doing something shocking (Ike driving the money-changers from the Temple, for example), take a minute to find the link to the previous time (or times) something related appeared in the Bible.
That’s a dependable pattern ... better even than the Star Trek Redshirts.
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PHOTO (and one of many websites where you can purchase a Star Trek Redshirt for your very own ... click and boldly go): https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32653193155.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&productId=32653193155&productSubject=Cosplay-Star-Trek-The-Original-Series-TOS-Cosplay-Scotty-Red-Shirt-Uniform-Costume-Halloween-New
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 12 (17) (July 29, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
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Join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast Friday morning. The location is the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. Look for us in the back (we may be inside; try there first). We start at 8:00, and we spend the hour reading, discussing, laughing, and chowing down ... not necessarily in that order.
Salve Diem!
Steve
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