Iron sharpening iron (I) Unity in diversity

A therapist I know once told me that in the breakup of the marriage both parties know only about 10% of the truth. I don’t know where he gets the percentages from, perhaps it’s 27.2 versus 13.5, but his point is well taken. We are all a mixture of truth and error, and none of us knows the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But it is not just in marriages where we allow those pesky “irreconcilable differences” to separate us. Differences though, are not intended to be a cause for separation, they are, when we deal with them properly, intended to bring a rich harmony into our lives. Our God, being Trinity, is the very essence of harmony, unity in diversity, and there is truth in the saying that variety is the spice of life. Music would be quite boring, if it was all in unison and no harmony, if there was only ever one instrument, and no orchestra!

But how do we get from discord to harmony? The process, and it is a process, is perhaps best described by Proverbs 27:17 which says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” In order to explain what this means let me quote another verse “The first to speak seems to be right, until his neighbour comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). In particular, the truth comes out in the interaction, in the back-and-forth in the debate. When we truly hear the other person’s point of view, we can more accurately discern the truth. And it is likely that both will have some truth, and both will have some error. So then those who participate in such an exchange will “sharpen” each other's understanding.

But just as you can't do iron sharpening iron without some friction, we are unlikely, at least in the initial stages, to move from discord to harmony without interpersonal friction. The marriages I know of, that more than most exemplify the intended relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31,32), have all come through a period of struggle to get to where they are today. And perhaps the fact that they seem to be so few of them, reflects the fact that, at least in the West, commitment seems to have gone out the window. It’s no longer “as long as we both shall live,” but rather “as long as we both shall love!” But we will never have authentic relationships if we are not willing to deal with the differences and discord, and to push through the misunderstandings and the pain to the intended harmony.

Lord Jesus, You tell us that if we are not willing to take up our cross daily and follow You, we cannot be your disciples (Matthew 16:24). And following You entails looking unto You, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before You endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). My understanding in the context of this mornings discussion it that You are wanting us to stick with it through the iron sharpening iron process. It surly works best, when we come humbly together to the foot of the cross, where we can truly see that there is no difference. It is there Lord, that we find mercy and grace to help in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). We need your help Lord, and we ask for it again this morning in Your holy and precious Name Amen