One of the things I find fascinating about religious practice is that it forces us to think outside the box.  We are asked to believe in things we cannot know, touch or feel.  After all, faith is about believing in something we cannot see and asking ourselves the powerful question–what if?

Religious study is often a study about connective tissue–those things that we believe in that tie us together across generations and geographies.  At the heart of most traditions is the notion of consequence that comes from connectivity.  There is a result that comes from any action, whether you ascribe to pre-ordination or not.  The butterfly theory is perhaps the best secular expression of this notion.

This idea of connection hit me today in looking at the two readings prescribed for the day–one coming from the book of Genesis, and one coming from what we in the Christian tradition call the New Testament.  While the  story of Noah and the redemption after the flood echo the redemption of Jesus, that is not where the similarities end.

Whether the flood covered the whole world or the whole world from the perspective of the ancients is, in my opinion, somewhat academic. The lesson holds regardless.  But what I find most interesting is the idea of the wild beasts being granted refuge in the ark.  These same wild beasts would be part of the circle of life that would eventually repopulate the region.  Perhaps the descendants of Noah’s wild beasts would have populated the region in Jesus’ time.

Which leads us to the passage in Mark that talks about Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, dealing with temptation before his crucifixion–we remember those forty days in the season of Lent.  Attending Jesus during these days were angels and “wild beasts”.  Mark is careful to mention both groups.  Could it be that the offspring of Noah’s wild beasts made up the group that attended Jesus and perhaps gave him some company and comfort?  What if that was indeed the case?

Its important to consider because it reminds us of how interconnected we all are.  In providing refuge to the beasts, Noah’s actions may have provided comfort to Jesus.  There is no way Noah would have been able to guess at that consequence.  Just like there is no way we can guess at the consequence that our actions have on those not only immediately around us but also for generations to come.  We can feel daunted by that prospect or rejoice in the opportunity to give gifts that will bear fruit for years to come.  I think I will try to think on the latter and remember that the innocent lives I help to protect today, may, in turn, protect the lives of others in years to come.