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Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the LORD said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
What a beautiful image in reading this biblical passage today: the whole earth has one language and the same words. Here is painted a powerful image of peace. Everyone understands everything, there is no misunderstanding, and there is no war. Everyone acts in perfect union and agreement with the other, and miscommunication does not exist. Together they decided to build a city, a space to live together. Together they decide to build a big and wonderful tower: A wonder for the eyes. No needs for plans, one proposes, the other agrees. They start producing building materials and everything they do is for the common good. They want to build up their name, make it famous and respected all over the world. Everything is perfect, only one voice, only one idea, and one city, one tower, one name for them.
Dear sisters and brothers, I fear in reading this peaceful image. The Fascist regime is still something that my grandparents remember, I have heard stories about “one voice” the dux Mussolini, speaking from Venetia’s palace, in one city, Rome, the eternal one, as they called it. There was no space for disagreement. There was no space for misunderstandings. The Roman Empire was the example and the model for everyone. There was No space for disagreements, but only for one voice.
I fear before this peaceful image of unity. Because of what human beings can do when they speak the same language. I fear because all the good intentions are warped and used for evil instead of good. I fear because I am human.
They feared as well in the plain of Shinar, millennia ago. They wanted to secure themselves, they wanted to reach the top of the skies, otherwise they shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.However, there was no fantasy, no creativity, no colors, no diversity, and no music. All over the earth, there was a monochord, monolithic, unique voice and a big project. Nevertheless, in this terrific unity there was still space for fear.
God answers to human fears always, and God comes down to see how God’schildren are doing. Moreover, God sees the wonderful things they are doing and the monochord harmony that reigns on the plain of Shinar and says: “This is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
This is not a judgment, God observes us, and God follows our actions day by day, as did with them. But in front of the human talent, what is God’s reaction? God gives to all of them and to all of us a different tongue. No one is anymore speaking the same language. We all are strangers to one another. Being a stranger means being excluded, being alone, being misunderstood, and it also mean to misunderstand and to feel pain. However, it is not others fault. Is it a divine punishment? Possibly, but day after day after day, first the hearings, then the tongue and then theirs eyes started to open. As an invisible wall of division one after the other, the prejudices fell down. Diversity is speaking another language, but every one of us does speak a different language. One is a musician, the other is a prophet, and the other is a doctor. Then there is a dancer, a singer, and a poet. There is the athlete, the wise, the careful, and the entertainer. Everyone is different, and each one has a special interest and passion. However, I ask a rhetoric question: isn’t diversity God’s blessing? Is it not God's plan that all the earth is fulfilled and populated by many beautifully diverse people?
Unfortunately, where there are human beings there is space for exclusion. In fact, one historical interpretation has been to look at the confusion of language at Babel, as divine command to racial segregation. It was used in South Africa as Biblical support for apartheid. If we are different, there has to be a reason. Therefore, it is to stay separated. Provocatively, I will ask the question: “Is God’s planning that, while diverse, we remain in segregation and in division? Is not the idea itself of church or of synagogue as assembly a contradiction in terms of the previous sentence?”
Brothers and Sisters, division and human alienation, is the main topic of Babel’s story. Humans fear before the unknown, humans’ desire is to build a city and to protect oneself. It is human to fear and to try to be famous, have a big name. Nonetheless, God put us before ourselves. God challenges us, letting us face our bigger fears. In God’s hands, what we perceive and understand as punishment becomes a warning against our selfishness and desire of omnipotence. God warns us against the misery of standardization and segregation. God leads us to become strangers one to another.
God is the same who once became a stranger to God-self in Jesus Christ. God through Jesus Christ answered our human fears. God at Babel is announcing the same message that Jesus explained to us. Today, many people are moving from the East. Those “strangers” are traveling to find a better life, a plain to settle in. They are escaping lands of pain, misjudgment, war and misery. Today through Babel’s simultaneous warning and blessing, we are challenged by God. This challenge is a calling to all of us, both in our congregations and community of faith and as individuals. May God be always looking over us. May God accompanies us in our ways of live. May God continuously teach us what it means to be strangers by giving as a spirit of discernment and a grateful heart. May God’s name be blessed in our diversities, in our different talent and attitudes. In every single day of our life.