The Philosophy of Simpleness

Probably the most common compliment I receive from customers at work is about the cross I wear around my neck. It is a simple wooden cross tied to a black thread, with nothing about it that would stand out. In fact, it came apart once already, and I had to superglue it back together. I always thought the story of how I got this cross would make for a great sermon illustration should that time ever come.

Way back when, while I was still in school at Florida State, I went out to lunch with my friend Hannah Nelson. We went to Pitaria, a Greek-style restaurant and local favorite of the Tallahassee college community to catch up on how each of our lives had been going. After lunch, we headed back toward the parking lot behind the building, and a homeless man was sitting down on the edge of the window outside Gumby's Pizza, which was right next door to Pitaria. He stopped us, and asked us if we could spare some change for him to buy something to eat. I saw that he had a pack of beer sitting on the ground next to him, so I offered, rather, to buy him a meal instead. He gratefully accepted, and we walked back in to Pitaria, where he ordered his meal and I paid. We sat down with him once he found a table, and he seemed pretty perplexed as to why we stayed with him after paying for his meal, and even told us we could leave if we wanted to. Instead, we opted to sit with him as he ate his meal, and asked about where he came from and what he was doing in Tallahassee.

As the story goes, he was a wanderer named John Brown from another part of the country (I can't remember where), and he had been traveling for a long time before landing in Tallahassee. When he finished the meal, he wanted to pay me back in some way, but I told him that it wasn't necessary. He kept insisting, trying to find something that he can pay me back with, emptying out all his pockets. Eventually, he took off the cross that hung around his neck. He said that a pastor had given it to him in another town he passed through, but that he wanted me to have it. At first I was hesitant, but received the cross from him and pulled it down around my own neck.

The thoughts that stemmed from this transaction didn't come until a little while later. At first, I just thought it was nice to have a cross since the thread of my last one had snapped, though the thought of what kind of germs could be infesting its beams did happen to come to mind. But it was those very "icky" things about it that ended up giving it a real value for me. The cross around my neck was now more than just a symbol that I follow Jesus, it was an embodiment of the true Cross, itself. When I put the cross on around my neck, I put on also all of the dirt and grime of John. No doubt, his sweat had soaked into the string as he walked down the Florida streets in the Summer heat, and the dirt of the park benches he slept on, at least in part, had crusted over the its pegs.

Isn't this the message of the Cross? That on the Cross, Jesus took on our dirt and grime and carried it himself. The toil and burdens that brought us to the place where we were in need of his help. He gave us the gift of sacrifice in the ultimate payment of death (much greater than the price of a lunch), and in return, all we had to offer back was our dirt, sweat and tears; the unsightliness that makes others glare and cringe at the sight of us. We emptied out our pockets only to find bent bottle caps and paperclips, and nothing else to pay back for what he has given us.

It does amaze me, though, that the simple wooden cross around my neck would continually garner compliments from passersby. It is not made of gold, it has no jewels, and does not hang on a finely woven chain. And yet, it impresses. It draws attention. I think it is this simpleness that truly reflects the gospel life. For, "all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever."

Usually, when we seek attention for ourselves, we tend to run to those things that would be considered "flashy" but the attention that it draws is fleeting, and only lasts as long as those things we are using to gain it. If we want to attract others using our wealth, they will come only so long as we have our wealth. If we want to attract others with beauty, they will only come so long as we have our beauty. But if, instead, we shed those things and embrace the simpleness of the Cross, people will come for the authenticity found in such simpleness.

The gospel message, itself, is simple. That we cannot attract or pay back to God with the things we have. But, that instead what we must give him are the very things which make us cursed; our sinfulness and disobedience. "For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." And the love of God does not come from our merit, but from our need. He longs to take care of us, and knows that we have nothing to impress him with. Instead, Jesus took upon himself the Cross which bore all of our sin and died for the sake of us. It is this act which brings him honor and and glory and praise from all peoples. It is the shedding of himself, the act of giving up his life for our sake which draws the world to him. It is with this act that he is raised and glorified in the highest degree and is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

What brings people to everlasting life is not the miracles and wonders and signs, but the Cross. The thing that brings glory in resurrection is not money and deeds, but submission to the Cross. Jesus submitted himself to the will of the Father, and "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." All glory apart from this is vainglory and only a means of covering up our true selves from the sight of the world. But, the Gospel calls us to throw out all of this cover-up, and come to Jesus fully exposed, and allow him to cover us instead with his own glory, the glory which will never fade.

So then, what is it that draws us to simplicity? It is the freedom that comes with full exposure. It is knowing that we do not need to prove ourselves or exalt ourselves in the eyes of others. Instead, we come to the Cross as sinful, lowly creatures, and become aware of the vast void between us and God that has been created by our sin. That void, we continually try to fill, as if we were the children of a parent that only acknowledges those they deem worthy. But, Jesus is the only worthy one, and by his act, he has filled the void and given us access to the love of the One True God. By his taking on our sinfulness, we put on his righteousness.

The Cross is a call to step into the light of God and allow our sinful bodies to be exposed and shown for what they are. Rather than being covered with distracting gold and jewels, the Cross is bare, covered only in blood and sweat and grime. The cross is not a glorious thing, but the simplicity of the Cross brings glory through its vileness. By placing our burdens at the foot of the Cross, we can be free of the weight of the need for approval, knowing that we have already received the ultimate gift which cannot be paid back. Instead, all we are called to do is take off our covers and come in to the Light of the World, that we may finally receive life; and not by our own merits, but by the mercies and love of God.