The Special Question

The Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When either men or women make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate themselves to the Lord..." Numbers 6:2

The Special Question:  Are some people more special than others?
By Rev. William Dohle

What does it mean to be "special?"

The dictionary defines special as being "better, greater, or otherwise different than the usual."  But is that it?  Is that what it means to be special?  And who falls into this category?

I've wondered that as I look at my kids.  My kids are special kids...at least that's what I believe.  Each of them are unique with their own talents and gifts.  They are all special, I believe.  They are "better, greater, or otherwise different than the usual."

But no one child is more special than any another child.  They are each special.  They are each unique.  They are each different from the usual.  They are each special, right?  Just like your kids and your kids and the kids next door to you?

I grew up thinking and believing that everyone is special.  Nobody is more or less special than anyone else is.  Everyone is different from the usual, special in their own right.

But is that what special means?  And by making everyone special, aren't we saying that no one is special?  Aren't we taking that distinction away?

The book of Numbers talks about setting one group of people apart from the rest.  That group being the "Nazarites."  Most Christians probably dismiss or avoid these passages, but they are relevant, especially with the old familiar story of Samson from the book of Judges and Samuel from the book of 1 Samuel.

Nazarites were set apart in a very simple way.  They made a special vow to the Lord.  After taking such a vow, they were instructed to do the following...

• They must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. (Num. 6:3)
•  No razor may be used on their head.(6:4)
• The Nazirite must not go near a dead body. ⁷ Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. (6:6-7)

Thus the Nazarite became "special" to the Lord, set apart from all the others, and different from the usual Jew.  This role or designation wasn't often a lifetime one.  They became this way because of a vow taken, either by them or by their parents.  The chapter goes on to talk about how this vow can be broken and what must happen should it even accidentally be violated.

Though this vow offers us some insight into Sampson(this is why he couldn't drink wine or cut his hair...it had nothing to do with his strength!).  I think this passage leads us into another question: Can some people become "more special" than others?  And what do they do with that specialty?

I struggle with that because, as you know, I am an ordained pastor.  Some clergy(not me) claim that these vows set you apart from the rest of the world.  That, like the vows taken by the Nazarites, ordination vows make the ordained different from the ordinary, everyday Christian.  Some Christians, Catholics particularly, make ordination a sacrament, a rite ordained by God to change Creation.  Thus you could say priests and deacons and the like are special in the eyes of God, set apart from the usual and the ordinary believer.

So is that true?  Are pastors and priests more special than other Christians?  Can anyone be set apart as more special than anyone else?  Or are we all just usual, everyday people with nothing to separate us from each other?

Perhaps we can answer this question by looking at what those who are special are to do with their specialty.  Special people are set apart to serve others!  Look at the Nazarites in Scripture.  Samson is sent to be a judge for his people, serving them and rescuing them from the Philistines.  Samuel did the same thing as both prophet and judge for his nation.  They were not set apart for their own glory or so they could feel special.  They were set apart to serve.

In fact, if you look closely, you'll see that those we consider and deem to be special are those who are our greatest servants!  Martin Luther King, the Pope, Mother Theresa, Gandi.  These people are special.  They are set apart from the usual and the ordinary person.  And their specialty is a call for service, for sacrificial service in most cases, serving the needs of the world for the betterment of humanity!

That's what it means to be special.  To be called to serve.  No one shows this more clearly than Jesus Christ himself who, special as he was, was the greatest servant of all time!

Maybe that's how we should measure specialness too.  "How special are you?  How much have you served your fellow human today?"

Electing God, you have set up apart to serve and love and care for our neighbor.  Break us out of our shell that we might be your special servants, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.