Here is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Fidelity of Betrayal. It is from a chapter in which I am exploring the idea of miracle within the Judeo-Christian tradition.
This [the Miraculous] is beautifully illustrated in the Hasidic story in which the Rabbi of Gur, during the Second World War, was invited to advise Winston Churchill about how to ensure the downfall of Germany. The story goes that this great Rabbi looked at Churchill and solemnly said, “Prime minister, there are two ways in which this could happen. The natural and the supernatural. The natural solution would involve a million angels with flaming swords descending upon Germany. The supernatural would involve a million Englishmen parachuting down from the skys”. The story famously ends with the line that, being a rationalist, Churchill first opted for the natural solution.
The key to understanding the enigmatic message of this story is to understand that if a million angels with flaming swords descend upon Germany then this would be an event that took place in the natural realm. In other words these angels would act like other objects in the world; they would be seen, heard and experienced. These angles, if they showed up as the Rabbi described, would inhabit space and time like any other object and so, while unlike other objects that we encounter in the world, would still be objects. In contrast the Rabbi speaks of a supernatural response to the Nazis war machine, namely a million British soldiers descending from the sky in parachutes. But what is it about this response that is supernatural in contrast to the image of angels descending from the heavens? Here one could say that the Rabbi is hinting at a deep change in the hearts of the British which would precipitate such a drastic response. This change, for the Rabbi, would be deeply supernatural in the sense that the change itself would not be something that could be captured in a laboratory or measured by reference to some purely utilitarian calculation (otherwise it would be a natural phenomenon), unlike the angels this change would not lend itself to be approached as an object to be reflected upon, it would not be made manifest to the senses like the angels with their flaming swords.
The point is not to exclude the idea that miracles can involve awe-inspiring, breath-taking spectacles, but rather to point out that if the event is purely spectacular, involving no real change in the core of ones being, then it is nothing more than a spectacle. Physical changes are natural insomuch as they take place in the natural realm. Our technology is constantly improving, and is able to heal in ways that would have seemed magical only a hundred or two hundred years ago. Vital as such healing is in today’s world, such a focus can eclipse what a miracle really is about. It is not something natural (although it will manifest itself in the natural world) but supernatural. It does not register as an object which can be recorded and beamed around the world on some religious cable channel, or witnessed at a local Charismatic healing service, a miracle worth its salt takes place in the world but is not of it. A miracle worthy of the name is so radical that while, on in the physical world, nothing may change, in the one who has been touched by it nothing remains the same.
Just written this new parable. Comments welcome. Also of possible interest to you, I am currently compiling all my parables for a book. More details to follow.
It is said that there was once an old and learned Priest who worked in the streets of a city nestled deep in the heart of an Empire ruled over by an elderly King. This Priest was deeply respected by all the people and would constantly be approached by those who needed help in all manner of issues.
The King of this vast Empire had a young son who had always hated the church for what he took to be its hypocrisy and deception. Because of this the young prince would often imprison Church leaders and break up religious gatherings. But these actions also betrayed a deep jealousy that lurked within his heart. For he hated the fact that this Priest received the respect of the people which he believed was rightly due to him.
“Why should the people be so deceived by this old fool”, thought the prince while hearing once more of his work. “He is like so many of his type, a cold hearted liar who would sell the people lies in order to live”.
The prince harboured a burning desire to put a stop to the Priests work, but he did not want to garner the hatred of the people. And so he devised a plan that would expose the Priest to everyone in the Empire once and for all.
“He is a poor man”, thought the prince, “I will offer him a great deal of money in exchange for a confession concerning his hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of his church”
So late one evening, under the cover of darkness, the prince visited with this Priest and, upon entering his home, said, “I have the power to reach every person in this kingdom through the printed press. Would you write a letter to be dispersed throughout the kingdom, in telegrams and Newspapers, informing people that you are nothing but a liar and a hypocrite who should neither be heeded nor followed, for 10,000 rupees?”
The Priest was indeed a poor man who had been born into poverty and known nothing but need all his life. And so he thought carefully for a few minutes before finally responding.
“I will do as you ask, but only under three conditions”
“What are your conditions”, replied the Prince
“Firstly, if I do this you must leave me and my church alone”
“Yes” said the prince
“Secondly, you must release those friends of mine who are innocent of any crime”
“It will be done”, replied the prince, “and your third stipulation?”
“Well” said the Priest after a great deal of thought, “10,000 rupees is a great deal of money and I am but a poor man. You will have to give me six months to raise it”
