The Apostle Paul urges Euodia and urges Syntyche to think the same way. Now, full disclosure, biblical scholars have no idea who these two leaders in the church were. Nor do we have any idea what their disagreement was about, or even if they had a major disagreement. The Bible does not tell us. All we know is that Paul wants these two women to be of the same mind…to think the same way.
Now, most of us come at this idea thinking that in order to get anything done well we have to agree on most everything.
How many farmers have insisted to their children that there is only one right way to get the crop into and out of the ground?
How many seamstresses have insisted that there is a right way to get those stitches in correctly and looking nice?
One of the downfalls of knowledge is that if you know that something will work well if done one way, you will expect that it be done that way. Wisdom is knowing that there may be multiple ways to achieve the same goal.
This seems to be the wisdom that Paul is imparting, because Paul does not say, “I urge Euodia and Syntyche to agree.” He could have said that. Nor does he give his own answer to whatever their issue happens to be. Rather than trying to lump both of these church leaders into one agreement, Paul instead urges Euodia, and then, separately, also urges Syntyche to be of one mind in the Lord. They are two separate minds, two separate people, and two separate opinions who are urged, not to have one plan, but to have one goal: the Lord and all that the Lord cares about.
In the theatre, it takes a lot of different people to pull a show together. The director, the individual actors, the scenic designer, the lighting designer, the choreographer, the sound designer, the conductor, the painter, the guy working the ropes; they all contribute to putting together a fine show. But, the power and magic that happens on the stage has nothing to do with their agreement on any one thing.
The scenic designer, herself, might have painted her scenery with a different brush stroke or different brush than the scenic painter, but the point of any production is not that the brush strokes are done in the way that the scenic designer views as the “right” way to paint.
Instead, the point (or the goal) of the production is to create something larger than any one person on the creative team, which will transport the audience into someplace new, engage them with new characters, and make them think about a certain subject matter.
Getting in a fist fight over the type of brush stroke used is pointless. The audience is over 20 feet away. They cannot see brush strokes. And, if a fight erupts over all of this small stuff, we never get to the show. In that case, everyone loses.
Be of the same mind. Have the same goal.
In the same way as putting together a theatrical piece of art, which aims toward a certain vision that audience should experience (but with multiple ways to get there), so too, Paul encourages the faithful to focus on the goal of our spiritual lives; not the details.
Do not rejoice in yourself, but rejoice in the Lord, always, Paul says. The Lord is the focus. Go to the Lord in prayer. Seek the vision of the Lord. Make your requests made known to the Lord. After-all, it is the vision that the Lord has for all of creation which is important.
It is not the vision that you have for creation that is important. It is not any politician’s vision for creation that is important. It is not the vision that society puts on you that is important. Be of the same mind in the Lord. Care about what the Lord cares about.
Just as there are many different ways to put a production of the Wizard of OZ onto the stage, and to tell the story effectively, there are many ways to live out this kingdom life of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, rather than focusing on specific actions that we must take to live a kingdom life, Paul lists a whole bunch of attributes that contributes to life in the kingdom. He encourages us all:
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
You might not choose to march on Washington DC in order to press for the cause of upholding the life of the vulnerable, (protest might not be your thing) but does that mean that the action is not just and pure? Another way to question this is to ask, “Does the marching and protesting move towards the goal of upholding and preserving the life that God has created?” If so, then, as Jesus says, “whoever is not against us is for us” (Luke 9:50).
This does not mean that you cannot also uphold the life of the vulnerable in your own way (like volunteering at a local shelter); just as long as you are acting out of the life-giving mind of Christ.
Do you see what the Apostle Paul is getting at here? If you and those around you are focusing on all that is good and loving and Godly, then there will be nothing but joy to go around. And the peace of God will be with you.
May the peace of God be with you. You may not always agree, but may you always be of one mind in the Lord…focusing on all that Christ cares about.
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