You Decide What You Become: A Reflection on Ezekiel 18

Ezekiel is one of the four major prophets along with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. He is one of the strangest and most theologically profound books of the Bible. Ancient Israel had an adage, which says “Don’t read this part of the Bible (i.e. Ezekiel) if you are not up to 50 years.” The reason is that anyone not up to 50 may not have what it takes to read a text as complex as Ezekiel. Having said that, journey with me as we reflect on Ezekiel 18, which I think represents a real breakthrough in the consciousness of the modern mind. You know, ancient philosophers like Socrates, Plato etc. represent great quantum leap forward. They are consequential figures who lived around 400 BC. As for Ezekiel, he operated around 580 or 590 BC. It means that nearly 200 years before Socrates and Plato, Ezekiel was already operating and writing. As I previously stated, the eighteenth chapter of Ezekiel represents an important breakthrough, and it begins by making a reference to a proverb that is evidently popular among the ancient Israelites: “Parents eat sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge?” (v.2). The implication is that after parents have eaten sour grapes, the children, grandchildren, and descendants of those who have done wicked things are punished for the wickedness of their ancestors. To this proverb, prophet Ezekiel says that God does not endorse it. Here is God’s objection: “As I live, says the Lord God: I swear that this proverb shall no longer be used in Israel” (v.3). 

Ancient Israelite like most ancient people and like most people in Africa thought not so much in terms of the individual. Unlike the western world where individualism is the order of the day, family identity, tribal identity and national identity was more important than the individual. So, if someone way back in the past had done some awful things, all the descendants are implicated because family lineage is unbroken. But God speaking through his servant Ezekiel does not approve this line of thinking. More than that Ezekiel says:

For all life is mine: the life of the parent as well as the life of the child, both are mine. Only the one who sins shall die! If a man is just— if he does what is right… (v4-5)… But if he begets a son who is violent and commits murder, or does any of these things, even though the father does none of them— the son who eats on the mountains, defiles the wife of his neighbor, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not give back a pledge, raises his eyes to idols, does abominable things, lends at interest and exacts usury— this son certainly shall not live. Because he practiced all these abominations, he shall surely be put to death; his own blood shall be on him (v.10-13). 

The point that Ezekiel is making here is this, if the son or daughter of a just man or a just woman is wicked, they cannot wrap themselves in the mantle of their parents virtue. A man’s virtue entirely belongs to him; a woman’s virtue belongs to her entirely as well. With regard to family or tribal terms, one can definitely benefit from the achievements of his or her ancestors here on earth. My family’s good name and reputable image can fetch me some respect, attention, and favor here on earth. But apart from that, it contributes nothing to my eternal destination. I must create my own path, live my own virtuous life, please God in order to be saved. In verse 18 of the same chapter, Ezekiel strongly affirms: Only the father, since he committed extortion and robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, shall die because of his sin!” And in verse 20, he says, The son shall not suffer with the guilt of his father, nor shall the father suffer with the guilt of his son. Justice (righteousness) belongs to the just, and wickedness to the wicked.” This is classic! 

What is Ezekiel doing here? Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he is helping us to understand that although family or tribal identity is real, although our moral acts always have implications, nevertheless, in the moral act, the individual gathers himself, defines his character, stands in a very real and important sense alone in the presence of God. In the moral act, I show God and the world who I am. I reveal the quality and integrity of my moral act by the choices I make. When making moral decision, we are defining the person we are becoming. The angelic scholar, St. Thomas Aquinas made a distinction between actus hominis (act of man) and actus humanus (human act). Actus hominis is the action that a person does without the need of thinking; it is based on instinct like sneezing. On the other hand, actus humanus is a human action or decision, whose source is in rational knowledge and free will. It is not in actus hominis (act of man) that a person gathers and consciously defines himself because it is an instinctual reaction like screaming or jumping from your seat when you are startled by someone or something. It is a sudden shock of reaction. However, Actus humanus (human act) involves the full engagement of the mind— a person knows what he or she is seeking and the nature of what is being sought— and full engagement of the will— he or she decides and chooses. Although the mind and will can be influenced by forces outside, nevertheless, at a decisive moment, when a person gathers himself or herself, knowing what he or she is doing, chooses consciously. It is in that great actus humanus, (human act) that a person stands before God, stands on his own two feet and defines his character.  

The decisive moment in the life of everyone is the moment when we stand up on our own two feet, not wrapping ourselves in the mantle of our parents, grandparents and ancestors virtues, not suffering from the wickedness of our friends and colleagues around us, but fully engaging our mind and will, fully engaging in actus humanus, we choose and we decide. It is in actus humanus (human act) that we know a person and where a person stands. The German Roman Catholic philosopher and religious writer, Dietrich von Hildebrand loved the three transcendentals— the good, the true and the beautiful. Speaking about the truth, Hildebrand said it is what every philosopher seeks. They are educated, read lots of books, think deeply and entertain people with their knowledge and high ideas. But if someone is uneducated, don’t have access to books and not able to speak eloquently, not able to speak with clarity and distinction, we usually say, “that’s sad,” “it’s unfortunate.” As for the beautiful, he said that if someone has a sense of aesthetic sensibility, appreciates fine arts, can even create fine arts, like Michael Angelo, we say “wonderful.” However, if someone is deprived of all that, never got aesthetic education, had talents that weren’t cultivated and developed, we say, “that’s a sad thing.” But in regard to the good, to the morally upright, if someone is incapable of such, fails in that regard, we don’t just say, “how sad,” we say, “It’s a calamity,”  “it’s a tragedy.” As a society, we are not going to blame someone for not being a great philosopher, a great artist, but we  are going to morally blame someone who does not cultivate the moral dimension of his or her life. What Hildebrand demonstrates is the primacy of the good, the primacy of the moral. In the light of prophet Ezekiel, it is the moral act that defines who a person really is.    

The great Pope and Saint, John Paul II in his moral philosophy says that every time we perform a moral act, we do two things: one, we effect the world in a particular way; two, but in a  deeper way, we are also creating the person we are becoming. There is a direct line from Ezekiel to John Paul II. When you make a moral decision, by this I don’t mean the decision to watch either a live soccer match or American football. It is a decision but not morally important decision. You can decide to eat steak or fried chicken, none of it is a morally relevant decision. In the presence of a moral choice— the choice of good or evil—knowing fully well what is at stake, fully engaging the will and mind, when a person performs such an act, they define the character they are becoming. Think of the moral act as a little brick in the wall, and with each of those acts, a person is building up the edifice of their own character. In the course of the day when you make a moral decision to either do good or bad, you are not wrapping yourself in the mantle of your parents and grandparents and you are not suffering because of what your ancestors or children might be doing at the moment, you are standing in a self defining way in the presence of God. This is why Ezekiel chapter 18 represents a great breakthrough in the consciousness all the way to Pope John II. As you live your daily lives and make moral choices, remember you are effecting your world and defining the person you are becoming, What you become is contingent upon you. 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, September 30, 2020