April 18, 2021

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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

Intro: What I’m about to say may seem obvious, but consider it

Our lives would be radically different if we could see through God’s eyes!
– nothing in the world would worry or frighten us
• not one particle of beauty would escape our attention
• every single human person on the planet would be beautiful
◦ and you would see that nothing in the universe is more valuable than yourself
– this is what Jesus was trying to get his disciples to understand
• he was sending them on their first solo mission
◦ his instructions included preparing them for rejection
and if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that . . . town (v. 14)
Behold, I am sending your out as sheep in the midst of wolves (v. 16)
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake (v. 22)
A disciples is not above his teacher . . . . If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household (vv. 24-25)
• it was possible that they would not consider themselves worth very much
◦ Jesus revealed to them their value to God through two illustrations
1. a sparrow could not die without God’s attention and concern
and disciples were of more value than many sparrows
2. the hairs of their head were tallied; every one of them

What is the significance of this illustration?
– God’s interest in Jesus’ disciples included minute details,
• things they would have never guessed God cared about
• this is where we will begin our survey of the human body
◦ from the top down
Thomas Staubli and Silvia Schroer, in Body Symbolism in the Bible, wrote “The human head has always been regarded as the top of the hierarchy of body parts, and therefore represents . . . the whole person.”
– Paul also saw a ranking of body parts (1 Cor. 12:23-24)
• stronger/weaker
• honorable/less honorable;
• presentable/unpresentable
Saubli and Schroer, “The crown and ornament of the head is the hair.”

The Bible shows more interest in hair than we might assume

It takes note of the twin babies, Esau and Jacob
– and the first to be born was hairy
• that fact plays into their stories later on
– both Daniel and John, visions of heaven, white hair
• perhaps to signify purity
– people expressed grief by shaving head or pulling hair out
• priests, however, were prohibited from doing this
– gray hair was a crown of glory (Pr. 16:31)

The law of Moses had specific laws regarding hair
– in Leviticus, a hair could be used in diagnosing a skin disease
• it was also used in offerings : a purification ritual and the Nazirite vow
• men, and especially priests, were not to trim their hair or beards
– in the Book of Numbers, there was the case of a wife suspected of adultery (ch. 5)
And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD and unbind the hair of the woman’s head . . . (Nu. 5:18)
• the significance of this act was culturally defined, and had to do with modesty and intimacy
Mary Douglas gives as an example, “what criteria women use to decide when it is and is not permissible to walk in the street in slippers and hair nets.”
• appreciation for the beauty of a woman’s hair was an intimacy shared by lovers
Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead (Song 4:1)
◦ undoing it might be a shaming ritual
◦ meant to make her feel vulnerable and transparent

Two men whose hair was a distinctive feature in their stories
– Samson, of course, whose hair represented his devotion to God
• and Absalom, the oldest son of David
Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighted the hair of his head [ and it was over two pounds] (2 Sam. 14:25-26)
• in the lives of both men, I see vivid examples, of how a person’s strength can also be their weakness
– prophet Ezekiel was told to cut his hair and use it in a street-theater prophetic drama (5:1-4)

I will just mention in passing, a terrifying story in 2 Kings (2:23-24)
– there may be a deeper meaning to it, but for me the lesson is,
• don’t make fun of bald men (I’ll leave it at that)
– in the New Testament, on two occasions women dried Jesus’ feet with their hair
• both Paul and Peter instructed women not to braid their hair
◦ we’re told it has to do with modesty and humility
• it was more likely meant to address the challenge of economic inequality
◦ hair braided with jewels was an indication of wealth — a status symbol
◦ in and honor/shame culture, the showy fashion of the wealthy would shame the poor

Last week we saw that body parts can speak in three potential voices:
– a literal voice, a figurative voice, and a spiritual voice
• we use hair figuratively: when we:
• describe hair-raising adventures, missing a target by a hair, or splitting hairs
– what is “a bad hair day”?
• at first, when you can’t get your hair to do what you want it to do
◦ then, it more generally came to mean a day when everything goes wrong

To treat our hair in a way that yields positive results, I suggest we learn a lesson from “the Teacher”
Go, eat you bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head (Ecc. 9:7-8)
– he is saying, “Dress and groom yourself as if you’re happy”
• we tend to feel better about ourselves, if we feel that we look good
◦ getting compliments after coming from the beauty salon or wearing a new shirt,
◦ lifts our spirits, makes our attitude more positive
• I’m not suggesting we attempt to adopt worldly criteria of beauty
◦ there’s a beauty that has nothing to do with body type
◦ the most beautiful people I know, their beauty is not about their looks
– we can groom our inner beauty
• but that may require a significant reorientation
Pat Ogden, “We remember the past not only in words, images, and stories, but also through chronic habits of tension, movement, and posture. Our bodies continually respond to what happens to us, how others treat us, and how we feel inside. . . . It takes a long time, but eventually the body’s repeated reactions become automatic, long-lasting patterns that carry the memory of a past that our minds have forgotten . . . or repressed.”
“When we translate the nonverbal language of these elements into words, we glean insights into behaviors that contribute to difficulties in our current lives and discover new avenues for changing outdated patterns.”

I’m going to jump from here to our next body part; the head

I don’t think I need to say as much about the head as I did hair
– the head is what stands out, because it is the most exposed part of body,
• it receives whatever a person has coming
◦ blessings (Ge. 48:14; De. 33:16), anointing (Lev. 8:12);
God’s loving kindness (Ps. 103:4)
◦ or guilt (2 Sam. 3:29); shame (Job 10:15); sins (Lev. 16:21)
• the head is covered: for protection (Ps. 140:7; Ep. 6:17)
Hans Wolff, “The head represents a danger point for the life of the individual (Judg. 9:53); that is why the bodyguard is called ‘defender of the head’ (1 Sam. 28:2, somer lerosi). To bow the head is an act of humiliation (Lam. 2:10). Conversely, raising the head means the end of the humiliation–a raising up, a recognition, or a restoration to office (Gen. 40:20; Ps. 3:3) . . . when it is not an attitude of arrogance . . . .”
◦ but the head is also covered in grief or despair (2 Sam. 15:30)
◦ and sometimes covered with dirt or ashes
– the forehead was especially important
• in some ancient cultures, people would mark or tattoo it
• in giving Moses the pattern for the garments of the high priest, he said,
You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.” . . . It shall be on Aaron’s forehead . . . that [the holy gifts] may be accepted before the LORD (Ex. 28:36-38)

What I find most significant for us this morning is the “lifting up” of the head
– this is used literally and figuratively (to “exalt” or “be raised up”)
• with the head lifted up, are able to see where we’re going
◦ then we don’t head off in wrong direction and hopefully make headway toward our goal
– our heads orient our whole body – turn your head and the body turns
• must be aware of this when driving or riding a bike
◦ if we turn our heads to look at something, we’re likely to turn the steering wheel that direction too
Pat Ogden, “All animals, including humans, have an innate ‘orienting reflex’ that is activated by novel stimuli: a new sight, sound, smell, person, or something we unexpectedly touched. When this reflex is stimulated, we instinctively and involuntarily focus our attention toward the unfamiliar stimulus, automatically turning our eyes or even the entire head and body toward it.”
• if we know this, we can choose to change our orientation by paying attention to something else
• emotion affects the body
Stanley Rosenberg, “A rotation of C1 and C2 [vertebrae] can put pressure on the vertebral artery, which supplies the frontal lobes and the brainstem, where the five nerves necessary for social engagement originate. From my clinical observations, I believe that it only takes on negative thought to bring C1 and C2 out of joint, affecting our posture and physiology”
◦ emotions affect the body, but we can turn it around so the body affects emotion
◦ we do this by noticing what our body is doing, and changing it (posture, movements, gestures)

Conclusion: The position and tilt of our heads are an untapped resource

Do you walk looking down? Why?
Are you studying something at your feet?
Are you trying to avoid something?
(like seeing other people)
Do you feel down?
Unworthy?
Walk with your head up
and you chin parallel with the ground
Reorient your head, and your whole self with it
Let God be your shield
and the lifter of your head (Ps. 3:3)

“Get your head in the game!”