{"id":5420,"date":"2024-04-22T03:42:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T11:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breathingspace\/?p=5420"},"modified":"2024-04-26T09:06:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T17:06:57","slug":"jesus-and-lao-tzu-does-god-take-sides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breathingspace\/2024\/04\/jesus-and-lao-tzu-does-god-take-sides\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus and Lao Tzu: Does God Take Sides?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
While armies rage, news platforms and influencers draw battle lines. But does God take sides? Here\u2019s what Jesus and Lao Tzu say\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/a>
AI image generated by author at playground.com<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Everyone likes to believe that God is on their side. <\/strong>In any conflict, faithful people in both camps claim that theirs is the side of right and righteousness. But Jesus and Lao Tzu agree\u2014God (Chinese philosophy\u2019s Tao, or \u201cThe Way\u201d) does not take sides. In verse five of the Tao Te Ching<\/a><\/span>, Lao Tzu writes:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tao Te Ching, Verse 4, Stephen Mitchell Translation<\/h1>\n****
**
****\u00a0<\/p>\n
"
The Tao doesn\u2019t take sides;<\/em>****
\nit gives birth to both good and evil.<\/em>
\nThe Master doesn\u2019t take sides;<\/em>
\nshe welcomes both saints and sinners.<\/em><\/p>\n
**
The Tao is like a bellows:<\/em>
\nit is empty yet infinitely capable.<\/em>
\nThe more you use it, the more it produces;<\/em>
\nthe more you talk of it, the less you understand.<\/em><\/p>\n
**
Hold on to the center.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
**
****\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good Guys Vs. Bad Guys<\/h2>\n
To the human eye, it seems the universe is unfair in its justice. <\/strong>That\u2019s because we don\u2019t like to believe God treats everyone with impartiality. We prefer the idea that we are God\u2019s favorites and that Heaven treats the \u201cgood guys\u201d better than the \u201cbad guys.\u201d Yet, God has no favorites. Divine Love welcomes both saints and sinners. Having no favorites, Heaven wants believers and sages to reflect divine impartiality. In Matthew 5:44-46<\/a><\/span>, Jesus says:<\/p>\n
"
But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
God Shows No Partiality<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s radical to say that God does not play favorites, but this is what the Bible claims.<\/strong> Romans 2:11<\/a> <\/span>says, \u201cGod shows no partiality.\u201d \u00a0Since God blesses the good and the bad equally, Jesus tells his followers to pray for all people just the same\u2014whether they are friend or enemy.<\/p>\n
Lao Tzu writes, \u201cThe Tao doesn\u2019t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong>Though Christianity does not like to admit it, God created both angels and demons. Satan is just as much a creation of God as the holiest of angels. The genocidal dictator is just as much a child of God as Mother Theresa or the Dalai Lama. God does not take sides.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tao Is Patient, Tao is Kind\u2026<\/h2>\n
In 1 Corinthians 13<\/a><\/span>, you could easily substitute the phrase \u201cTao\u201d for \u201clove\u201d and read it correctly.<\/strong> In unconditional love, Tao is indifferent. It is patient and kind to all. Tao is not envious or boastful or proud or rude. It does not seek its own way. Tao is not easily offended. It keeps no record of wrongs. Tao bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. This is why Jesus teaches us to love our enemies.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Way of Christ\u2014Remain Impartial<\/h2>\n
The Way of Christ is to remain impartial.<\/strong> Jesus could see the righteousness of the woman caught in the act of adultery, and the wickedness in the religious leaders who accused her<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> He could see this because his spirit was like a bellows, empty enough to be completely free when open to the Holy Spirit, and forceful enough to breathe the wind of the Holy Spirit. When confronted with a vulnerable \u201csinner\u201d on the one hand and crafty \u201creligious\u201d people on the other, Jesus could speak impartial wisdom that was incomprehensible to his hearers.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,\u201d Jesus said.<\/strong> On the one hand, he recognized the law, but on the other hand, he defended her against the law. Following the Tao, Jesus speaks only the necessary words. He doesn\u2019t say more than he needs to. He simply breathes the truth like a bellows and allows the truth to do its work.<\/p>\n
<\/a>
\u201cPullens Yards Open Studios, December 2015\u201d by timfrost is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Center of a Bellows<\/h2>\n
\u201cHold to the center,\u201d Lao Tzu says.<\/strong> The center is impartial. It neither mistreats the sinner nor exalts the saint. It simply sees and speaks the truth. Aligning our lives with the Way of Love, Jesus\u2019s followers can center themselves on the Tao. Christ is the living Way. If we become like Christ, we will make ourselves open enough to breathe in and breathe out like a bellows<\/a><\/span>. When we allow enough breathing space in our lives, we can breathe in the spirit and breathe out truth.<\/p>\n
Jesus spoke of the power of this wind, blown by the bellows of the Tao.<\/strong> \u201cThe wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit<\/a>.<\/span>\u201d By holding to that center part, that open and vacuous part of the bellows, we too can blow with the Spirit.<\/p>\n
A bellows can only blow when its center is open.<\/strong> Fill it with sawdust and it no longer works like a bellows. Fill your mind with too much partiality and too many judgments, and your spirit can no longer function the way it was intended. Like Jesus, if you allow a non-judgmental breathing space in the center of your soul, you can \u201cfan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire\u2014the special endowment] which is in you.<\/a><\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something to Practice\u2026<\/em><\/h2>\n***************
**
Life presents plenty of opportunities for you to show partiality. Taking sides is part of human nature\u2014but it isn\u2019t the nature of Christ. The next time someone asks you to take sides in a conflict, step aside and breathe. Take at least three long slow breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine yourself as a bellows, drawing in air and blowing it out. Find your center in that empty space inside. Allow yourself to identify completely with that vacuity within. Then, step back into the situation. Holding to your center, practice making decisions that show no partiality.<\/em><\/p>\n
**
***************\u00a0<\/p>\n
For related reading, check out my other articles:<\/h3>\n\nGood Guys Vs. Bad Buys: Christians And Self-Defense<\/a><\/span><\/li>\nHow Are Jesus & Lao Tzu Like Peanut Butter Cups?<\/a><\/span><\/li>\nJesus & Lao Tzu\u2019s Judgement-Free Zone<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*****************
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*****************While armies rage, news platforms and influencers draw battle lines. But does God take sides? Here\u2019s what Jesus and Lao Tzu say\u2026 Everyone likes to believe that God is on their side. In any conflict, faithful people in both camps claim that theirs is the side of right and righteousness. But Jesus and Lao Tzu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4628,"featured_media":5432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3731],"tags":[3785,3782,3788,3683,2346,286],"class_list":["post-5420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-taoism","tag-does-god-take-sides","tag-fan-into-flame-the-gift-that-is-within-you","tag-god-is-impartial","tag-jesus-and-lao-tzu","tag-tao-te-ching","tag-taoism-and-christianity"],"yoast_head":"\nJesus and Lao Tzu: Does God Take Sides?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While armies rage, news platforms and influencers draw battle lines. But does God take sides? 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