Thursdays at Volmoed – Sermon by Br Josias

Scripture Readings

  • Job 2:1-10
  • Mark 9: 38-50

In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin (dark) yang (light) is used to describe how contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn.  

Symbolically the yin yang demonstrates the dynamic proportional relationship of this opposing pair and of other such pairings in nature. The yin begins where the yang ends, and the line that separates them is curved. The white dot lying in the black half and the black dot in the white half show how each part takes its origins from the other, and how neither could exist without the other.

yin yang

Nothing is totally Yin or totally Yang. Just as a state of total Yin is reached, Yang begins to grow. They constantly transform into each other. For Example: there’s no day without night, and we all know that spring only comes when winter is finished. (Depending on where you stay of course, and subject to global warming, we have seen how the weather has been altered lately). So, the yin always transforms into yang and vice versa. In Chinese philosophy, the Yin represents a passive and negative principle in nature, while the Yang represents an active and positive principle in nature. However, they both form a whole.

Where do I want to go with this?

We are all familiar with the story of Job. The man who suffered total disaster, losing all his children and property and afflicted with repulsive disease. Seeing his suffering, Job’s wife tells him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9b). But I am intrigued by Job’s reply. “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” (Job 2:10).

 I struggle with this statement, because I always expect good from God. However, reading this passage over the week, in line with the yin yang symbol, made me realise that for every good thing I expect from God, then I must be open for something bad. For all good things that I may desire in life and all the blessings that I receive, I must create a room for disappointment and disaster. This is difficult to comprehend yet true. And the opposite is the same. For every bad thing that happens in my life, I must try to open a window for something good.

A person might ask, but what if my life is just total Yin? Well, there is a dotted Yang on the Yin. Strive for it…St Benedict in his Rule encourages his followers to “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14b). So, in your yin situation I would say, do not embrace it. Strive for peace and purse the yang.

For every yin there’s a yang; and for every yang there’s a yin.

There are people who always look for bad things in another and never embrace the good that the other does. These people always plot ways to attack whenever faced with situations. They already envision a bad response from their counterparts without being open to the good that might come from them. They only see the Yin in the other and never the Yang. This reminds me of Mark Anthony in William Shakespeare’s play who once said this about Julius Caesar: “the evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones”. So, the evil that other people do we hold up, and the good that they do we bury. This is similar to what John was doing in the gospel passage this morning. “Teacher, we saw a man who was driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group”. So, in John’s eyes this man did something bad, but in Jesus’ eyes it was a good thing.  

Taking from Job’s response then I ask: Should we only receive the bad from fellow human beings and not the good? Should we receive the good and not the bad? Even the people we care for, love, and trust with our lives have their bad sides. So, while we hold them in high esteem, we may need to leave room for disappointment and disaster. Because nothing is totally Yin, and nothing is totally Yang.

But we live in a World where everything seems totally Yin.    

The levels of child abuse in South Africa are increasing rapidly. According to a 2009 study by the Solidarity Help Hand, every three minutes a child is raped in in our country. “This means that about 530 child rapes take place every day in South Africa,”[1]. If that is still the case, by the time I finish speaking to you, more than 5 children will be raped?

According to the latest official crime statistics for SA, 3 people are murdered every hour in our country.[2] By the time we leave this place 3 or 4 people will be murdered?

In 2018, females accounted for 51,3% of cancers diagnosed in South Africa while males accounted for 48,6%. The median age at death due to cancer was 62 for females and 64 for males, suggesting that cancer in males may be diagnosed at more advanced stages than in females.[3]

In South Africa more than 1 in 3 adults live with high blood pressure…[4]

Where is God? Where and how do we find the yang in these situations? How do we access hope? “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not the bad?” (Job 2:10).

I read an article last week about a boy in Langa, who helped a pregnant dog with food and thus encouraged a community member to establish an NGO called “Langa Happy Tails”. [5] This is how the article reads: An animal rescue movement has taken root in Langa, driven by the compassion of a young boy, Emihle, who shared his supper with a starving pregnant dog. With the help of filmmaker Katja Moebitz and other volunteers, the NGO now provides food, shelter, and medical care for stray dogs in the community. I am sure we are all familiar with the township of Langa. Despite his background, the boy still managed to feed a hungry dog. You see, the ten-year-old understood that even in his situation that looks very Yin there can be a small Yang that grows. What about you?


[1] See https://www.gov.za/minister-sch%C3%A4fer-appeals-teachers-report-child-abuse-cases

[2] See https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/788892/shocking-murder-numbers-in-south-africa-70-people-killed-every-day/

[3] See https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16217 and https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiuC2BhDSARIsALOVfBIzAQWvRMmpJ_JG79yAowKj5efDre2CjqGQw5kdfBuB4C-7tb0LZX4aAtb3EALw_wcB

[4]  See https://heartfoundation.co.za/blood-pressure/#:~:text=In%20South%20Africa%20more%20than,in%20every%205%20heart%20attacks.

[5] See https://www.news24.com/news24/community-newspaper/peoples-post/langa-happy-tails-a-young-boys-simple-act-of-kindness-leads-to-a-thriving-rescue-mission-20240917


Image attribution: DonkeyHotey, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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