During the second world war, Abraham Wald worked for the US Statistical Research Group. One of the things he did-which saved, no doubt, untold lives- was to armor planes in what would seem a very counterintuitive way. See, planes that survived combat were riddled with bullet holes, and the USGOV wanted to armor the planes where those bullet holes were. Wald said “Wait. We know that those planes can survive bullet holes where those are, we need to armor the planes where those bullet holes aren’t“. He theorized, and accurately so, that the airplanes that went down were shot in the vulnerable places, and nobody ever saw them because they went down. He used- not the data he had, but the missing data.
Yesterday I talked about the prodigal son, and how it is the wayward that need help- you don’t fix your radio when the windshield wipers don”t work, and you don’t put air in the round tires neglecting the flat. You improve things where improvement is required- and Jesus did the same. He sought out the broken- it would have been nice, and easy, and enjoyable, for him to come to the homes of only the just and decent and be comfortable- instead he went to those who needed the most help. Which had to look a lot like he was cavorting with hookers and thieves and government agents and downright criminals- but I repeat myself.
There was no need for the father of the prodigal son to armor his older son against the debauchery of the world- he proved that he already had strong defenses against that. The younger son was the one who needed the help- and that is where he applied it.
This sounds horribly unfair, on the face of it. It seems like giving your dog a treat for shitting in your loafers- but in reality, it is the humility and repentance that is rewarded.
In “Sons of Martha” Kipling talks about another seemingly unfair situation- Mary gets to lounge around and listen to Jesus talk while Martha does all the work. This upsets Martha just as the older brother of the Prodigal son is upset. Kipling has missed the point, though, because he forgets this other (very important) verse, told outside the tomb of Lazarus.
Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
But now also I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
Martha gets it, like the elder brother of the prodigal son gets it. They have all the armor they need, in the right places.
Anytime you feel like someone else is getting a better deal than you, especially someone who really doesn’t deserve it, as far as you can see, rejoice that the Lord considers you not to need the extra help.
