Have you ever used the term, “That really gets my goat!” I was curious as to the nature of this phrase recently, due to some internal anger about how people interpret scripture.
The most common agreed upon finding on the phrase “That really gets my goat!” comes from horse racing. The night before a big horse race, horse owners would put a goat in the stall with the horse to help calm the horse. Other owners would slip into the stall in the middle of the night and steal the goat in effort to upset the horse so it would lose the race.
A fictional story:
A man is a leader in a recreational soccer league. He is the coach of 7-8-year-old kids. As the coach, the man upholds the strictest of values and principles for his kids. First and foremost, they are there to have fun. Second, the kids are there to learn the game of soccer. WE ARE A TEAM is the biggest message he delivers to his kids. Everyone gets a chance to play and his coaching approach is positive re-enforcement discipline. The kids love him and so do the parents. As the season progresses, the teams winning record is the fruit of their work.
The team has made such huge progress, and everyone is proud. Of course, there is always a star player on every team. Tyler is the team’s top scorer and the coach has told him that while he is the top scorer and a top performer, he didn’t get there all by himself. The coach pointed out to Tyler that because he passes and really works well with the rest of the team, that is why he is a top player. Without the team Tyler would not be a top player. Just before the playoffs Tyler fell on the field and got hurt.
It seemed to be a really bad sprain in his ankle. His Dad promised to take Tyler to the doctor and have him checked out. At the practice that following Wednesday Tyler and his Dad showed up and Tyler’s Dad said the doctor thought it was best if Tyler sat out of practice, but he would be good to go for the final game before play offs.
That Saturday the team squared off with the best team in the league. They were undefeated. The coach sat down with the kids and talked first about having fun, and second about how much they learned and what a great team they were.
The game was tied in the second half and only 2 minutes remained in the game. Tyler had the ball and was getting close to the goal when he tripped and fell and down he went. The coach rushed out and Tyler was in tears. Tyler’s Dad rushed to his side on the field and it didn’t look good. Tyler’s ankle was obviously broken. The game was paused, and an ambulance was called. As they lifted Tyler off the ground to get him to the sideline Tyler looked at his Dad and said, “I told you the Doctor was right that I shouldn’t be playing!” The coach was mortified. Further he was really angry at Tyler’s Dad. Tyler’s Dad had lied to the coach and what a bad example this was to his team. It’s not like Tyler’s statement wasn’t heard by everyone on the sidelines. The game resumed and the other team won the game with an overpowering goal in the final 30 seconds.
The coach was really mad at Tyler’s Dad. How could he do this? After all the principles that the coach was teaching his kids, and now a parent lies about his child’s health so he can be the star to beat the undefeated team. What a rotten lack of principle Tyler’s Dad has. Look at the harm that this has done to Tyler and to his team.
The phone rang and it was one of the coach’s other kid’s Dad. They were now down a player, and also their best. The team wouldn’t be able to compete in the playoffs unless they filled the spot. The Dad was coaching another team in the same league for his older son in the 10-11-year-old bracket. The Dad had a plan. His son could play down to fill in the gap for the missing player. This practice was not allowed in this league. The Dad had a plan on how to cover it up since of course there was a shared last name. Who would know? The coach gave it some thought and went ahead with the plan. He couldn’t let the kids down. Afterall, they all worked so hard. They deserved a chance at winning.
The big day for the play offs came and the plan went off without a hitch. The team won the 1st place trophy and the coach, kids and parents were all happy. Tyler looked on from the sidelines sitting in a chair with his cast on his ankle.
DO YOU SEA IT?
It was good for everyone – except one.
Luke 15:3-7
How do you interpret scripture?
In some Christian circles there are interpretation of Ephesians 5:22-23 that provide that the man is the leader of the household. This interpretation means that he has final say and final authority of the household. People who hold this interpretation are very devout in their belief and they can back it up with scripture. Their arguments appear to be perfectly defended by the scripture they quote. Afterall, the Bible scripture speaks the principles.
Remember the Dads in our story? Remember the “great” coach from our story?
When you ask these same people about the story of Tyler, they can sea it clearly. They can tell you what Jesus would say about these circumstances. When you ask them to explain their position on how man is the leader and has final say and authority over women, they will go so far to tell you how Jesus lifted women up and Jesus helped women and Jesus loved women and men and women are equal. Then they will say: But Paul said. Or it is written here that…women can’t lead. Or according to scripture the man is the leader.
What is the point of the argument? The point is so that someone else (NOT ALL) can benefit. It looks great, doesn’t it?
What about Jesus? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? Do you really think he would be ok with this?
This Really Gets My Goat!