Current studies on people with a so-called attention deficit
are pointing away from a negative diagnosis of attention deficits to a deeper
underlying reality. In our culture some
of the new studies divide people into two basic groups. The Hunter and the Farmer. At the simplest level the Hunter constantly
monitors the environment and is ever ready for a new chase to begin. The Farmer is not easily distracted from the
immediate task at hand. The Hunter has
some of gifts and weakness of the Hare, while the Farmer has some of gifts and
weaknesses of the Tortoise. Most of us
mix the characteristics of the Hunter and the Farmer in varying degrees. The story of the Tortoise and the Hare was
incidentally written by a Farmer who had empathy with the Tortoise.
That brings us to the very first pair of
brothers in the Scripture. Cain is a
Farmer, slow and steady wins the race.
Abel is a Nomad/ Shepherd, a Hunter who follows the flocks and
constantly monitors the environment for dangers. The danger that he fails to recognize is the
jealousy and resentment of his brother, Cain.
These dynamics occur many times in Scripture and come to light in the
followers of Jesus. Mary and Martha are
a clear example. Martha has her mind
fixed on the mundane task at hand and plods through her preparation as a
hostess, while her Hunter-type sister has dropped the dishes and is mesmerized
by Jesus and his teaching in much the same fashion as the Hunter would drop the
plow and go and chase a rabbit. Both the
Cain and Abel story, and the Mary and Martha story are written with an
appreciation of the Hunter type and a caution given to the Farmer type. On the other hand we need to recognize that
when the crisis of death of Lazarus hits the family of Mary and Martha, it is
Martha who rushes to meet Jesus on the road with a clear statement of her
faith. Mary is so overwhelmed by her
grief that she remains in the house waiting for the call from Jesus.
A simple overview of the Apostolic band
uncovers obvious Hunters like Peter, and his brother Andrew who is marked by a
quieter and steadier approach to life.
What binds them all together is the person of Jesus. He is the only thing that some of them have
in common. Jesus himself is an
interesting study. For the first thirty
years of his life he lives as a farmer type methodically following the family
business of carpentry. It takes much
more patience to finish a piece of carpentry than most Hunters possess. On the other hand, at the age of thirty, like
a true Hunter he drops everything and becomes an itinerant preacher wandering
from village to village preaching the good news of the Kingdom and healing the
sick. Jesus combines in himself the
perfect balance of Hunter and Farmer. He
is the complete man who attracts them both drawing the impetuous Hunter Peter
into a deeper steadiness in following him, and challenging the less
adventuresome Andrew to go out and preach and perform miracles. For the love of Jesus they both rise to the
challenge. For the love of Jesus those
who are Hunters within the Church and those who are Farmers are called to honour and respect each other, to complement each other, and to grow in grace in his
image.
