But I said, 'I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;' Isaiah 49:4

Almost sounds like the lament of he who is stricken with the dreaded constipation, doesn't it? Of course I have taken this totally out of context, but don't I have the same religious artistic license so that I, too, may make obscure Bible verses relevant to the common man?

Years ago, I heard some guy speak of being all bound up. Pretty accurate description, wouldn't you say? No one likes to admit it, but with the amount of remedial products on the market today it would seem as if most Americans have regular bouts of irregularity. Perhaps there may be a secret group therapy meeting out there that opens with: Hi, my name is John ... and I'm constipated.

Now, I'm not sure which is worse ... the physical or the mental affliction, but the signs of its prevalence in our society abound. Our psychological shelves are filled with curative products. And I think there is a problem: we are trying to correct a condition using the same faulty logic that binds us! Our advanced solution involves harsh stimulation to unclog the obstruction. Oh, sure, this may open the blockage, but it does nothing to correct. Instead, it creates a repetitive cycle that traps the one who thinks he is being freed from his bondage. The remedy is found in the proper intake and in the proper exercise of the pathways.

But in this information age aren't we exempt by the sheer amount of knowledge available? Aren't we privy to a truly unprejudiced understanding on the WEB ... a pure sharing of minds? If you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you.

But our senses have been deceived by a false security; we lean too hard on the speculation that the authorities must be right! We feel confident as long as we quote those who quote those who quote the authorities.

Now, if regularity means that I never have to sit all dishearted, nor have the need for a remedial product to help it along, then, I think, we are all stricken. If I do not want to be seen as having this problem, I will accept the ever-changing popular opinion. After all, if everybody experiences some symptoms, then it's normal ... right?

Now, let's move this concept into the realm of religion, for it is the same mind in operation. During the time of Jesus, there was an established group whose members were the caretakers of the information highway of their day (anyone who scoffs at this idea would also have a difficult time realizing how an airplane is first developed as a small model). These guys had the knowledge and they knew the words and where to find them. And they quoted their authorities.

The religious mind is an amazing thing, for it can have the appearance of wisdom and confidence though it is sadly lacking either. Even when Jesus was just a boy he confounded the religious scholars with the questions he asked them. As a man, he was an offense to them, for he spoke with authority (as opposed to quoting them), and he did not act in the manner they thought he should.

Strange thing was that even though they used the book of God, they had missed HIS appearing! Though they had memorized the words, they tripped over the meaning! This was the enigma of Jesus: He was the embodiment of the very word they claimed to understand and yet they rejected Him when He stood in front of them!

We get so goofed up by words. We are thrown off if somebody drops a name, as if it really lends credence to all the BS the name-dropper is dishing out. Words are wonderful tools that can reveal the most difficult concept, but can just as easily conceal the most obvious simplicity.

If we were to go back in time and meet some famous historical figure I daresay we would not recognize him though we had read all about his life. For though we may know things about a person, we can't know him until we meet him. And this is exactly how it was when the Pharisees came upon Jesus, for he told them,

You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of ME; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life ... Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? John 5:39-47

We can read this and do the very same thing they did, and yet think we understand the words of this passage. Oh, but we say that we accept the name of Jesus, but these guys said they believed Moses. The reality is that you may be as mistaken as the men who rejected everything they claimed to have believed. Or you may truly believe Him and yet fall back into the same mind-set that seeks to ensnare you again. True faith calls you to reject the religious mind and to trust a living God.

The religious mind quotes whatever authority it thinks will substantiate itself ... whether Freud or God. It is all bound up with its own logic and rationality. It seeks to free itself by measures that ensure its continued bondage. True freedom stands outside of this mind-set ... and it has a name that is above all names.