Blog 103 – 8.26.15

Many years ago when I was learning to reduce fractions I first heard the term Common Denominator. It means the number that could be divided into both parts of a fraction to reduce it i.e. the fraction 2/4 can be reduced to 1/2 by dividing the common denominator 2 into both parts of the fraction. Common Denominator has come to mean something we all have in common.

I would like to use the term in a more limited sense in this piece to talk about the lowest common denominator. You can tell a lot about a person, a family, a company by the way they treat the weak link, the least of these my brethren, the less advantaged, the not as pretty, the not as smart, the not as outgoing or aggressive, the weak, the meek, the invisible members. Jesus said, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” I heard a story once about a couple of Christian colleges facing off in a football game. After a particularly crushing hit the player making the hit said, “If your brother smites you on the cheek turn to him the other cheek.” The fallen player faced his attacker again at the line and when the ball was snapped pushed his opponent’s helmeted head hard into the turf and left him with the verse, “And the meek shall inherit the earth.” I don’t think that is exactly what Jesus meant, but we act like that more often that not. As if “Might makes right” or “The chosen have a right to all that is choice or best and the rest to what’s left.” This is so far from the clear teaching of Jesus the Christ that it isn’t even funny.

The measure of a man is not how he treats his superiors or even his equals but how he treats his “lessers .” And the crowd said when did we ever see you sick, dying, or in prison and we’re not kind to you and he said in that you did it not to the least of these my brethren ye did it not to me. The measure of how you love God or even yourself is how you treat those “less” than you. Till you realize, see in their eyes, God and yourself, you don’t even know Who you are. As little Evie T. sung so eloquently in the song Mirror, Mirror, “Till you find Him in the mirror you’ve got a long way to go.” To which I would add that everyone you meet is a mirror especially those you think “less” than you. Till you see Him and love Him in the lowest denominator you’ll never know Him nor yourself for who and whose you truly are. Before you say, “David, you are crazy as hell.”(Hell is a pretty crazy idea) stop and ask yourself if you are in your right mind the one that is spoken of in Philippians 2: 5 – 9. Look it up it is a good read.

Your friend and fellow traveler, once a Bible scholar, but now just a teller of tales, and writer of the encouraging word,
David White