MANY CENTURIES AGO AN INDEPENDENT ISLAND WAS ATTACKED BY THE DICTATOR OF A NEARBY NATION, a nation with vast resources and a mighty army. Upon landing on the island, this army moved with little resistance toward the capital city. With less than a day to decide what action to take, the leaders of the island desperately discussed what could be done in the face of the encroaching army. They were hugely outnumbered, out-resourced, and out-skilled, so defeat seemed inevitable.
The leaders never made a decision without first consulting with their religious oracle, so they approached her small dwelling on the edge of the city. The oracle was a woman who possessed great insight and had the ability to see into realms usually reserved only for the angels. Upon hearing about the invasion, she spent an entire day in deep meditation before finally coming to the leaders with a heavy heart, saying,
“I bring sad news: I have been told that God himself has joined with our enemies and has put all of his power at their disposal.”
This ominous message sent deep fear and trembling through the hearts of the elders. In response one proclaimed, “We must surrender now and pray that they will have mercy on us.” Then another responded, “No, let us make ready our fastest ships and set sail with as many people as we can. Perhaps we can sneak past their navy while it is dark.” But the chief, a strong man with deep faith, remained calm throughout the debate. At the end of the discussion he said, “Please trust me, I know what to do in order to ensure that we make it through this dark hour.”
The chief was well respected by all, and so, in the absence of a plan, they reluctantly agreed to trust him.
That day he called together all the men of the city who could fight. He then sent those with young children home, followed by those who had been married for less than a year. By the end of this process the remaining men numbered less than a few thousand, a tiny group in comparison to the army they would soon face.
These brave men were then armed and told to march behind their chief toward the encroaching army. That day there was a bloody battle and many tragically lost their lives. But, to everyone’s utter surprise, by the end of the day the dictator’s seemingly impenetrable army had been dealt a devastating blow and had turned away in retreat.
The entire island was dumbstruck as they heard of how the enemy had run in fear and trembling back to their homeland. The oracle however was more confused than most, for she knew what had been kept secret from the people: that God had joined the side of the enemy and put all his vast power at their disposal. So the oracle approached the chief and said, “How did you know to fight when the odds where impossibly high and when you knew that God himself was pitted against you?”
But the chief merely smiled and replied, “Surely you know that it does not matter which side God is on. When God is involved, the oppressed always win.”
While this tale may at first seem rather strange, we must remember that this is not the first time that God has been defeated in a fight. For example, Jacob is said to have grappled with God all night and overcome. The leader of the island was wise enough to know that the important thing was not whose side God appeared to be on, but rather on what happens when God is present in a fight. In the above story the leader knew that God would always let the weak and marginalized win, even if it meant that God would have to be defeated in the process.
The idea of the weak and oppressed having priority in the kingdom of God can be seen in the life of Jesus. Whenever Jesus favored the tax collector over the Pharisee or the Samaritan over the religious authorities he was not favoring one person or group above another because of what they believed. Rather he favored certain individuals and groups because of the social position they inhabited. In short, it was not that Jesus had a deep love for tax collectors or Samaritans over other careers and ethnic groups. Rather, what was important was the place that the tax collector and the Samaritan held in society. Jesus was moved by the oppressed and the excluded wherever he found them, always seeking to reach out to those who had nothing and who were considered to be nothing.
This story can be described as a pedagogical tool designed to bring us insight into something important about the life of faith. The fact that God loses simply helps to solidify the importance of the message. A similar example can be seen in Matthew 15:22–28 when we read the following exchange between a Canaanite woman and Jesus:
A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Here Jesus appears to lose an argument. How are we to approach this passage? It would seem that Jesus wishes to teach his disciples an important lesson by taking their side and then allowing the woman to defeat him. In this way, the disciples are caught off guard. They think Jesus is on their side, but then they are faced with Jesus himself being beaten. Thus, the message is driven home in the strongest possible way: if Jesus is happy to admit being wrong, then so must we.
It is not difficult then to imagine the defeated army in the above story shouting at God because of their defeat, and God responding with a smile, “I’m sorry, I tried my best, but the powerless and the oppressed will always overpower me.”