http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204:3-4&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18:9-11&version=NIV1984
Today is that day. You know what day. Friday the 13th. Yeah, that day. It is the ‘unlucky’ day. The day when bad things happen. You know, you drop you Big Mac on the floor. Your toilet overflows. Your vehicle breaks down. You are involved in an accident. Perhaps someone even dies. It’s all because it’s Friday the 13th. The unluckiest of unlucky days. As a result, we need to be extra careful. Don’t drive too fast. In fact, you might be better off not to drive at all. And whatever you do, don’t climb a ladder. Or on a chair. If you do, you know that there is a 100% chance that you’re going fall and break something. In your body. The bad news is that this year has 3 Friday the 13th’s. Today, April & July. Talk about an unlucky year. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!I tried to do a little research into Friday the 13th and was shocked to find that it is of rather recent origin. There is no known reference to this infamous day before the 19th century. And it has only been in the past century that belief in it has really exploded. It seems most likely that Friday the 13th is a combination of 2 unlucky entities, Friday and the number 13. Friday has been seen as an unlucky day for a couple thousand years. Jesus was crucified on a Friday. In ancient Rome it was the day for executions. (I guess if you were one of those getting executed, it would be unlucky!) In the intervening centuries, without any Biblical support, it is also thought that Adam & Eve fell into sin on a Friday. That God changed the language of the builders of the Tower Of Babel on Friday. That Noah’s flood began on a Friday. And that Solomon’s Temple was destroyed on a Friday. So, Friday has been viewed as a very unlucky day.
As far as the number 12 is concerned, in numerology, it is the number of completeness. Again, referring to the Bible, there are 12 tribes of Israel and 12 disciples. There are also 12 hours in a day. 12 months in the year. And 12 signs in the Zodiac. So, the number 13, since it exceeds 12, has been viewed as irregular. And therefore unlucky. As case in point is that there were 13 people present at the Last Supper. One of them, Jesus, died soon afterwards. As a result of its unluckiness, most hotels don’t have a 13th floor. Many airports don’t have a 13th gate. And airplanes don’t have a 13th aisle. So when you combine unlucky Friday with the unlucky number 13, you get the unluckiest day of the year - Friday the 13th.
What is amazing, is how many people let superstition rule their lives. Currently, Friday the 13th is regarded as the most popular superstition in America. This is why some people refuse to go to work on this day. And why others won’t eat in a restaurant. And why there aren’t very many couples getting married. Something about bad luck. Why take the chance? But there are other superstitions that we also observe. We follow horoscopes. And avoid black cats. And walking under ladders. We collect 4 leaf clovers. And put horseshoes above our doors. There are many other superstitions that we also follow.
I don’t know if its’ more so than the average person, but athletes have long been known to be superstitious. For example, you will see some baseball players make the sign of the cross before they go up to bat. Others have a ‘lucky’ cap, or socks, or jewelry that they wear. Then there are ‘rally’ caps in baseball, where everyone on a team turns their cap backwards in order to come from behind in a game. Really? If this actually worked wouldn’t it be advisable to wear your cap backward all the time? My favorite superstition is in football. It’s the end of the game. A game-winning field goal is about to be attempted. The TV cameras show the sidelines. What’s this? Ten or so players (rough, tough, grown men), from the kicking team, all locking arms, kneeling on the ground? Why? Because they believe it gives them good luck! Only belief in a superstition could get grown men to do something like this on national TV!
What is superstition? Basically, it is a belief in the supernatural. That unseen forces are at work in our lives. Everyday. That our lives are affected by doing or not doing certain things. Or wearing or not wearing certain objects. So how should we, as Christians, view superstitions? Is it the same as Christianity? Is there any value in following them? Or harm in not following them? I will cover this in tomorrow’s post.
Lord, I thank you that my faith is more than myth and superstition. I thank you that it rests in You, the ultimate reality. Help me to resist the temptation to treat my faith in a superstitious manner. To always be careful to live in such a way as in keeping with Scripture. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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