THE GENIUS OF IMPROVISATION
J.C.Cordova, D.Min., LCSW
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at
home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them,
not even about the door; and Jesus was preaching the word of God to them. And some
friends came bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by them. And when the friends could
not get near Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above the teacher,
made an opening and let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay (Mark 2:1-4).
First, let me define the title. 1. By improvisation, I mean the ability some people have to provide
unplanned solutions to challenging situations. Inventive minds improvise everyday. When
poets receive challenging words to build immediate ballads around them without any
resources, they improvise. When speakers express intelligent, unprepared thoughts dazzling
their listeners, they extemporize. When Jazz musicians alter chord progressions as they play to
develop new, unique tones giving audiences fresh melodious compositions, they create. When
chefs make momentary changes to dishes to alter flavor giving exclusive tastes, they invent.
2. The American College Dictionary defines genius as the exceptional natural capacity for
creating an original conception. The test known as IQ (intelligence quotient) attempts to
measure mental capacity or intelligence. Since this testing began perhaps in the 1600th in
China for the selection of capable men to occupy royal positions, the test has undergone
much change. Beginning in the 1600th, French psychologists designed instruments to
measure types of mental abnormalities. About that time also in France, Alfred Binet and
Theodore Simon developed a scale to measure intelligence. The scale has been revised and
modified several times since. Here is how the Binet classification looks like today:
152 and up genius
148 to 151 very superior
132 to 148 superior
116 to 132 above average
084 to 116 averages
068 to 084 dull
052 to 068 borderline deficient
Below 52 deficient
Geniuses do the unconventional. Nicolaus Copernicus in his 1543 On the Revolution of the
Celestial Spheres proposed that the sun is the center of the universe, not the earth as it was
believed based on biblical affirmations. Galileo Galilei, a supported of Copernicus, discovered
also in the 1500th the laws of the fallen bodies, stated the principles of inertia and counter
inertia, invented the thermometer and the hydrostatics scale and constructed the first
telescope. Albert Einstein proposed in 1905 the theory of relativity negating the, until then,
affirmation of absolutism.
As I write this article, the world received the sad news of the death of Steve Jobs, the Chief
Executive Officer of Apple Inc. Jobs designed, developed and marketed personal computers,
MacBooks, iMacs, iPods, iPhones, etc. While jobs worked on his ideas, critics attempted to
ridicule him for what they considered unworkable ideas.
Others, too many to mention in this article have made great contributions towards moving the
quality of life to what it is today, particularly in the Western World. They all have been
geniuses of improvisation, going against the thinking of their day. Copernicus and Galileo
almost lost their lives at the inquisition. Einstein was the object of derision. Jobs was labeled
unconventional at best, crazy at worse for even thinking of developing small computers.
However, we all are thankful for their audacity. Had it not been for these men, we would still be
living in Middle Ages convention.
Present passage presents us an unconventional, unique way of meeting a dire need.
Obviously, ripping the roof of a house without authorization from the owner is a crime today as
it was back then. The opening of that roof was of a considerable size, being big enough to put
an individual portable bed through it. Going by the housing standards of the common folks in
those days, you may safely say that almost the entire roof was gone.
This is the day of start-up companies. These are business ventures introducing new products
to the market. Many are successful. Some are not. The world has benefitted enormously by
the risks these successful companies have made providing thousands upon thousands of jobs
and facilitating life in the modern world. Start-up companies usually begin with the vision of one
person, such as Steve Jobs or others mentioned above. The vision is shaped into a form. A
plan of action is designed for potential investors to consider. A group is formed. The product is
manufactured, promoted and sold to the public. Later the product is refined, re-manufactured
and sold to the public anew. Often, these products are used as spin-off to produce yet other
products.
The ingenious action of the friends of the paralytic was most uncommon, requiring a
tremendous risk. They could have been arrested and charged with destruction of property and
sentenced to the severe penalties imposed by the laws of the day in Israel. However, it did not
cause any objection. Rather, everyone admired the audacity of the good friends.
The New Testament passage the Reformed church has used as the main motivator for
believers to engage in Christian action has been the appendix to the gospel according to
Matthew called “The Great Commission.” It states:
Jesus said to them [his disciples]: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.
The directive of Jesus specified a task. It did not include method. Jesus left up to the
imagination of his followers to decide how they would achieve the mission. The disciples did
the obvious. They went throughout Israel announcing in the synagogues and wherever else
they could that Jesus was the anointed one expected by the nation to be the liberator of the
people just as Moses had been when Israel was in Egypt in servitud of the Pharaoh.
The announcement of the disciples was most appealing, because it came to meet a basic
need. It declared to the people the fulfillment of a divine promise of sending help to Israel when
their enemies threatened their very existence. The people responded desirably by the
thousands welcoming the message and accepting the proposition that Jesus was the Messiah
(the anointed one).
Years later, a Greek Jew named Saul working for the Roman appointed high priest was
assigned to exterminate the messianic movement. However, he was also converted to the
believe. Saul became a leader in the movement and took the message to the gentiles. In his
appealing rhetoric, Saul introduced attractive perspectives to the Greco-Roman world foreign
to the Jewish religious tradition thus creating a schism in the movement. Saul also known as
Paul was must successful in getting non-Jews to accept his proposals.
Even later, four documents were selected from among many describing the ministry of Jesus.
The texts introduced Jesus as the son of God. It argued that the Jews executed Jesus after
exposing him to much humiliation. It stated that the death of Jesus as the Christ paid for the
sins of all who believe in him as such. It proclaimed that Jesus rose from the dead and went to
heaven where he sits with the Father and from where he will return to judge all people both
living and dead. Finally, it proclaims that whosoever believes in Jesus and follows him as
disciple has assurance of going to heaven upon death.
Paul’s preaching extended throughout Asia Minor. Eventually the movement was named
church, from the Greek “ekklesia,” meaning assembly. In order to attract new converts, the
church continued to accommodate the pagans with myriad pagan attractions, including
assuring persons of their going to heaven in exchange for monetary contributions to the
church. This action brought the protest of a German priest named Martin Luther. His cries to
the pope for reformation fell in deaf ears. Then, Luther left the church and proclaimed a
reformation. John Calvin, a French lawyer follower of Luther, further modified this new
movement. The message of the Reformed church centers on the writings of Paul and the
gospel stories.
In traditional, conservative tone, making disciples has been understood as going to people
and speaking to them in categorical terms and authoritarian tone announcing that Jesus is the
Christ and accepting him as such and complying with his message brings believers assurance
of eternal living. Not doing so leads to eternal demnation.
Other methods of presenting the gospel have been developed working very effectively to this
day. Method is opened for believers to use their imagination conceiving and developing new
programs or joining in with appealing existing ones, as I have mentioned in early studies.
Developing new programs begins at the research level to determine what exist and what is
needed. No duplication is needed. Duplication is wasteful. Here is where the genius of
improvisation comes in. It includes taking risks and exposing oneself to criticism.
The traditional condemnation of being heretics for exploring new possibilities has always been
present. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and so many others through history have been
labeled so. Many paid with their lives, as history reveals. But today we reap the benefits of
their courage.
A main text to consider in pioneering in new ventures for God is Matthew 5:13-16. The text is
part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said to his followers:
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under
foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men
light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the
house. Let your light so shine before men, that they good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.
What was Jesus advocating, according to this passage? Salt was an essential component to
sustain life in his day. Salt was used for food preservation, medication, religion, etc. He used
the image to mean that believers influence in society was as necessary to mold human
character as salt was for everyday physical existence. Then Jesus added the figure of light for
a similar comparison. As light was necessary in the dark for illumination, so was the radiant
knowledge of God and God’s expectations believers projected upon the non-believers. And
finally, Jesus tied the two similes together to declare the mission of the believers. He stated
categorically that displaying character and conduct traits as a model worthy of imitating results
in honoring God.
Much may be done to comply with Jesus teachings reflecting God’s expectations. To
paraphrase the words of Steve Jobs at a commencement speech he gave at Stanford
University in California not long before his death: do not be tied down to dogmas. Be yourself.
Live now. This is your time. Use every moment of you life on earth to serve God as you serve
others. Follow your heart and intuition.