The basic story of the Lord of the Rings is this: A too-powerful magic ring must be taken to Mordor to be unmade in the volcanic fires of Mount Doom.
Representatives of various groups have been assembled to accomplish this task. These are leaders, warriors, the bold and the brave. They are all stunned to learn that the ring will be carried by Hobbits.
Those hairy-footed little creatures are from a pleasant backwater of Middle Earth called The Shire. They live unsophisticated low-key lives, taking joy from eating and drinking and other homely activities. They are small, humble, ordinary people.
And yet, author Tolkien has the Wizard Gandalf choose Hobbits to bear the corrupting "Ring of Power" to its unmaking. Even when it’s not being asked aloud, a question hangs in the air for much of the journey: Why are Hobbits entrusted with such a crucial task?
It reminds me of the reaction of the crowd at Pentecost to those chosen by Jesus as the bearers of his Good News: "Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?'" Now, I know the Bible is not a movie script, but I think the Bible translators have really undersold the crowd's reaction. Shouldn't there be an exclamation point in there somewhere?
Um, Galileans?! Really?!
That pretty much sums up the general response of ... well, just about everyone who encountered this band of Jesus-followers. Everyone considered them unsophisticated and ill-suited to the tasks they had been given. Nathanael was not the first (nor likely the last!) to ask: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
And yet, these rough people are the ones Jesus chose.
In the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf chose the Hobbits to take the ring to its doom because they could bear it. Every other candidate would likely succumb to the corruption that comes from possessing such great power.
I don't know why Jesus chose Galileans for His inner circle. But maybe it was for a similar reason. As it turned out, none of the seemingly obvious choices were really appropriate.
Sometimes, the very person you need is the one that the powerful and sophisticated would walk right by—without a glance.
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A little bonus content. It’s not in this week’s Lectionary, but it definitely applies:
“Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”
—1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NRSV
PHOTO (and a little about why Hobbits bore the ring):
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Join us at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast this Friday morning. As usual, we'll gather both online via Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. We meet at 8:00 for some good food and great discussion.
No sophistication required. 😎
Blessings,
Steve
**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Read them here:
Acts 2:1-21 or Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:14-17 or Acts 2:1-21
John 14:8-17, (25-27)
Day of Pentecost (June 8, 2025)
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