It’s All in the Math

AM Psalm 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 • PM Psalm 73
Ezra 7:27-28, 8:21-36 • Rev. 15:1-8 • Matt. 14:13-21

Today’s readings are filled with math and numbers.

Ezra tells of the “12” leading priests and the wealth that was carefully measured and recorded, “to be used as an offering to the Lord.” He recounts with exactness the number of bulls, lambs, and goats that were offered by the returned exiles as burnt offering to the Lord.

The book of Revelations recounts the seven angels and the seven plagues. It tells about one of the four living creatures giving the seven angels the seven golden bowls, “full of the wrath of God.”

Matthew provides us with the story of the fish and the loaves feeding His followers. Two fish and five loaves feed “5,000 men, besides women and children,” and twelve baskets of left-over pieces are collected.

So much exactness in these readings and commonality in numbers. Of course, there are scholars that can talk to us about the use of numbers and what the magnitude of the numbers means. But today I am struck by contrast of this exactness and what the path of being Christian is like. When we follow Christ, the path is rocky, it is filled with twists and turns; hopes and doubts; going forward and taking steps backwards. On our journey to live a Christian life, we seek answers, we pray, we study, and we discern to understand. It never feels exact, like math and numbers, with a specific answer or outcome.

William Paul Thurston tells us; “Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding.” Perhaps our journey is exactly like math.

Written by Susie Norys

Lifelong Episcopalian still learning, growing and seeking to understand.