The Squeaky Wheel
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” A metaphor or proverb that reminds us that the most prominent problem, or at least the most noticeable one, the loudest one, is the problem that gets the most attention. We’ve all seen this in action, I’m sure—the problem that complains the most is the one that is acted upon. Other, often equally crucial ideas, are frequently passed by when all the attention is focused on the squeaking problem.
In the early years of the Church, the squeakiest problem was how to understand what the Bible was saying about Jesus. Who was He? What did He do, and why does it matter? All these and so many more were questions that dogged the early followers of Christ. The Bible speaks, and clearly enough, about Jesus; but, stating what the Bible says about Jesus, in a clear and concise way, was hard to do.
It’s not that other issues were not also pressing, needing to be answered. Who was the Holy Spirit? What is the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit? How was the follower of Christ to relate with the world? Did the Christian owe any allegiance to Caesar at all? What books belonged in the Bible? Which ones did God inspire? So many good and important questions and the Church had to deal with them all. But…, there was a squeaky wheel in the early centuries, and that squeak was all about Jesus Christ.
You can see this attention to detail when it comes to the Creed. The Apostles’ Creed was written early as a concise statement of faith, a way for young Christians to assert their faith and trust in the God who saves. In doing so, there was some ground to cover, a number of important issues that needed to be stated. You can’t talk about the Christian faith without talking about God, about Jesus, about the Spirit, the Church, forgiveness. And, sure enough, the Creed touches on all these issues. But, it does so, unequally. That is not to say it does it poorly, just to note that the squeaky wheel gets a lot more attention.
Look, for instance, at what the Creed states about God—the opening line: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.” A short concise statement. Even shorter, on the Spirit: “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” That’s it, that’s all. About forgiveness? “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” True enough, but, admittedly, not a lot of explanation. On the other hand, look at what the Creed says about Jesus—Son of God, conceived by the Spirit, born of Mary, suffered, crucified, died, raised, ascended, reigning, coming again and judging. That’s quite a list!
Why so much attention to Jesus? Of course, He is worth it! He is, after all, our Savior and Lord. But the Creed speaks so much of Jesus precisely because this was such an important question at the time it was written. Sure there were other issues, important ones. But the question of the nature of Jesus, and the essence of His work on the cross, had to be answered. It is clear from the structure of the Creed itself what emphasis, what importance, the early followers of Christ placed on their faith in Jesus. It was crucial—and it still is!—crucial to affirm exactly what the Bible teaches about our Savior. The Creed takes a lot of time here… and so should we.
In preparation for worship this Sunday, read Matthew 16:13-17, 21-23.
