Jesus on Chinese Busses & Banquets

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
[Jesus said], "Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." Luke 13:30 13:30 [耶稣说]"只是有在后的将要在前，有在前的将要在后。"路加福音13:30

"So the sage wishing to be above men puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them." Lao Tse V. 66 道德经: "是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。"

Chinese have often remarked on my patience in boarding the bus last, while everyone else fights to get on first. But as I watch the arcane Chinese art of bus packing, I respond, "It's not patience but logic. Jesus said, 'The first shall be last and the last shall be first.' Those who fight to get on first are pushed to the back and get off last, whereas I, in taking my time, will be the last one to board but the first one to get off the bus!"

And thus I dispel any illusions of my sainthood. I board last not because I'm patient but because I'm too impatient to fight the crowd, and I can think ahead far enough to know that if I let them fight it out, and I board last, I will be the first off--and have fewer black eyes and bruised knuckles.

What is true of boarding Chinese buses is true of life in general, as Jesus' taught by both his life and his preaching. His common theme was to put others first, and if we want to lead, we should first learn to follow, and to serve. Jesus very last act before he was betrayed and crucified was to act as a lowly servant and wash his disciples' feet. If he chose this as his final act, the point he was making must have been very important to him:

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:12-15 耶稣洗完了他们的脚，就穿上衣服，又坐下，对他们说，"我向你们所作的，你们明白麽。你们称呼我夫子，称呼我主，你们说的不错。我本来是。我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。我给你们作了榜样，叫你们照着我向你们所作的去作。" 约翰福音13:12-15

Jesus and Chinese Banquets Jesus' "The first shall be last" sounds like good strategy for Chinese buses. But he also understood Chinese banquets, which have elaborate rules to decide who sits at the host' right hand, or left, or facing them. Jesus said Pharisees "love the place of honor at banquets" [Matt. 23:6], but he warned that when we attend feasts, we should not sit at the place of honor, lest the host move us to a lower place and we lose face. Rather, we should choose the lower place, and perhaps the host will move us to a higher place, for "those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" [Luke 14:8-11].

Low Seas, High Places Jesus was from Asia, not the West, so it is no surprise his thoughts and teachings remind me so much of ancient China's philosophy. Consider Lao Tse's comments on putting others first:

"Rivers and seas can receive the homage and tribute of valley streams because of their skill in being lower, thus they are kings of all. So the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them. In this way, though he is above me, men do not feel his weight, and though he is placed before men, they do not fee it an injury to them. Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him."66 道德经: 江海之所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。是以圣人处上而民不重，处前而民不害。是以天下乐推而不厌。以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。

Standing on Tiptoes And in closing, Lao Tse also said that "He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self- conceited has no superiority allowed to him." 道德经24 "企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。"

Early Worms Today, whether boarding a Chinese bus, attending the banquet, or simply going about your daily job, put others first, because the first shall be last. And if that doesn't convince you, then don't forget that "The early worm gets eaten by the bird--so sleep in!"

Related Links:
Arcane Art & Science of Chinese Mini-Busing

Famished at the Feast

Turning the Tea Tables (a Cross-Cultural Confrontation)

www.amoymagic.com