Ulysses vs. Jason

as some of you know, one of my most favorite books is called "One Thing" by Sam Storms. And this is a part of the book I go back to time and time again. I hope it is encouraging to you...A little context: Sam's main idea of the book is that if/when we see God for Who He is (a beautiful, amazing, all powerful God) then we will be captured and captivated by Him, His grace and His beauty, so that sin will be an easy opponent...it will not really even be tempting to us because it is not attractive to us in light of the beauty of Christ. So now, for the quote:

When temptation comes knocking, what good is grandiose talk of beauty and splendor and the God of quarks and quasars?

The answer is found in a story that could change your life. It's about one mysterious island, two heroic men, and a host of 'women' whose beauty was quite literally skin-deep. But mostly its about radically different perspectives on the nature of Christianity and living to the glory of God.

...I've told this story many times...Don't be put off that it comes from Greek mythology. The point it makes is thoroughly biblical.

The first of our two characters is well known to most. Some call him Odysseus, others Ulysses. When I hear his name I close my eyes and envision the craggy features and dimpled chin of Kirk Douglass, the actor who portrayed him in the film version of our story...Ulysses was a devoted husband to his wife, Penelope, adored his son, and agonized at leaving his home of Ithaca. But he was also a Greek, and duty called.

Paris, the prince of Troy, had stolen away helen, the woman 'whose face launched a thousand ships'. She was the wife of Menalaus, the king of Greece. He, together with his brother Agamemnon, Ulysses, and a a mighty Greek army undertook the daunting task of recapturing her and restoring dignity to their beloved land.

To make a long story short, hidden in the belly of a huge Trojan horse, Ulysses and his men gained access to the city, slaughtered its inhabitants, and rescued the captive Helen. But the return voyage to Ithaca, which lasted nearly a decade, would prove to be far more challenging.

...My fascination...has always been with the infamous Sirens. Countless were the unwitting sailors who, on passing by their island, succumbed to the outward beauty of the sirens and their seductively irresistible songs. Once lured close to shore, their oats crashed on the hidden rocks lurking beneath the surface of the sea. These demonic cannibals whose alluring disguise and mesmerizing melodies had drawn them close wasted little time in savagely consuming their flesh.

Ulysses had been repeatedly warned about the Sirens and their lethal hypocrisy. Upon reaching their island, he ordered his crew to put wax in their ears lest they be lured to their ultimate demise. He commanded them to look neither to the left nor right but to row for their lives. Ulysses had other plans for himself. he instructed his men to strap him to the mast of the ship, leaving his ears unplugged. 'I want to hear their song. Not matter what I say or do, don't untie me until we are safely at a distance from the island.'

The songs of the Sirens were more than Ulysses' otherwise strong will could resist. He was utterly seduced byt heir sound and mesmerized by the promise of immediate gratification. One Siren even took on the form of Penelope, Ulysses' wife, seeking to lure him closer on the delusion that he had finally arrived home. Were it not for the ropes that held him tightly to the mast, Ulysses would have succumbed to their invitation. Although his hands were restrained, his heart was captivated by their beauty. Although his souls said 'Yes', the ropes prevented his indulgence. His 'no' was not the fruit of a spontaneous revulsion but the product of an external shackle.

Ulysses' encounter with the Sirens, together with his strategy for resisting their appeal, is all to similar to the way many Christians try to live as followers of Jesus Christ. Like him, their hearts pant for the passing pleasures of sin. Their wills are no match for the magnetic power of sensual indulgence. Although they understand what it at stake, they struggle through life saying 'no' to sin, not because their souls are ill-disposed to evil, but because their hands have been shackled by the laws and rules imposed by an oppressive religious atmosphere. It is the extra-biblical taboo that comes thundering form a legalistic pulpit or a long-standing denominational prohibition that accounts for their external complicity. Their obedience is not the glad product
of a transformed nature, but a reluctant conformity born of fear and shame.

I have no desire to live that way. Neither do you, I suspect. So, how do you account for your 'obedience'? Is it the expression of your deepest heart-felt joy? Is it the product of a passion that spontaneously and urgently springs from the depths of your being? Or are you firmly bound to the mast of religious expectations, all the while yearning for the opposite of what you actually do? What is the most effective scheme for confronting the sinful sounds of Sirens?

A Sweeter Song
Jason, like Ulysses, was himself a character of ancient mythology, perhaps best known for his pursuit of the famous Golden Fleece. Again, like Ulysses, he faced the temptation posed by the sonorous tones of the Sirens. But his solution was of a different sort. Jason brought with him on the treacherous journey a man named Orpheus, the son of Oeager. Orpheus was a musician of incomparable talent, especially on the lyre and flute. When his music filled the air it had an enchanting effect on all who heard. There was not a lovelier or more melodious sound in all the ancient world.

When it came time, Jason declined to plug the ears of his crew. Neither did he strap himself to the mast to restrain his otherwise lustful yearning for whatever pleasures the Sirens might offer. But this was not the reckless decision of an arrogant heart. Jason had no illusions about the strength of his will or his capacity to be deceived. He was no less determined than Ulysses to resist the temptations of the sirens. But he chose a different strategy.

He ordered Orpheus to play his most beautiful and alluring songs. The sirens didn't stand a chance! Notwithstanding their collective allure, Jason and his men paid no heed to the Sirens. They were not in the least inclined to succumb. Why? Was it that the Sirens had ceased to sing? Was it that they had lost their capacity to entice the human heart? Not at all. Jason and his men said 'no' because they were captivated by a transcendent sound. The music of Orpheus was of an altogether different and exalted nature. Jason and his men said 'no' to the sounds of the sirens because they had heard something far more sublime. They had tasted something far sweeter. They had encountered something far more noble.

For many people Christianity is a tedious and ultimately unsatisfying aversion to temptations they would much prefer to indulge. Nothing depresses me more than to think of expending my one life on earth merely suppressing my deepest desires, always acting contrary to what my soul continues to crave. But there is little hope of it being otherwise, so long as I seek satisfaction in something other than God.

Here is my point, both in this story and in the book as a whole. I don't want simply to live the Christian life. I want to love living the Christian life. Ulysses may have survived the sounds of the Sirens. But only Jason triumphed over them. Yes, both men 'obeyed' (in a manner of speaking). Neither succumbed. Neither indulged his desires. Both men escaped the danger at hand. But only one was changed.