Stumbling

 Stumbling

Matthew 21:33-46[1]

These days it’s hard to separate “enemies” from friends who disagree with us. It seems like every issue that we can disagree on sets us against each other. It’s too easy for us all to get upset and even outright angry over a simple matter of disagreement. I don’t know, but I wonder if the reason for this is that we’re all afraid. The world we live in has changed dramatically. And the speed at which it continues to change is one that can take your breath away. Life seems to keep getting harder and more confusing. When we’re living under that kind of stress, our “radar” gets stuck in “danger” mode. When that happens, it’s hard for us to separate “enemies” from friends who disagree with us.

I think part of the reason for this is when we are stuck in “danger” mode, our fear dictates our response to everything. We don’t really take the time to sort through whatever we may be dealing with in order to come up with the appropriate response. We simply react. What’s more, we’ve gotten pretty good at coming up with “reasons” to justify our fears and the reactions they fuel. And the result is that, instead of taking enough time to listen to those who disagree with us to understand where they’re coming from, we simply “paint” them as “enemies.” Breaking down the world into “enemies” and “allies” is at least part of what creates the polarization we are living with in these days. We dump people into “all or nothing” categories to feel safer about our world.

I wouldn’t say that Jesus was “dumping” people into all or nothing categories in our Gospel lesson. But it is a disturbing one. Jesus tells a parable about tenant farmers working in a vineyard who refuse to pay the landlord his share of the harvest. When he sends servants to collect, they beat them, and kill others. When he sends his son, they throw him out of the vineyard and kill him, too. And the point is to confront the Jewish religious leaders for rejecting Jesus, just as Jewish religious leaders had rejected the prophets God sent them for generations. And the result, from Matthew’s perspective, is that the kingdom of God was to be taken away from the Jewish people and given to others. Looking back at this parable from the history of Jesus’ death and resurrection can see that’s what’s going on here.

Unfortunately, through the centuries, people in the church have used passages like this to “paint” all Jewish people as “enemies.” In fact, they were labeled “Christ killers” for centuries. And as a result, they were persecuted and hounded from town to town, city to city, and nation to nation. The sad truth, however, is that this reflects more the human tendency to mark certain people as “enemies” than it did Jesus’ teaching. Many of the Jewish people in that day became believers. Thousands of them did! Not even all the Jewish religious leaders were “enemies” of the church. Two of the most prominent leaders, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, objected to the way the high council was proceeding in Jesus’ trial, and they were among those who tended to Jesus’ body after his death. And in the book of Acts we learn of former Pharisees who had become believers (Acts 15:5).

I think the way this story has been (mis)used in the history of the church provides us with a caution against “painting” people with broad strokes. This not only applies to people who follow other religious traditions, but basically to everyone. There’s not a single one of us who has a legitimate claim to judge anyone. We simply do not know the whole story about anyone we try to make out to be an “enemy.” More than that, there’s only one judge whom we all must face, and that’s Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Perhaps the most practical consideration here is that we cannot judge because all of us share in the weaknesses and flaws that define us as human beings.

In this approach to our lesson for today I’m actually taking my cue from John Calvin. In his commentary on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he also views this parable as a confrontation of the Jewish religious leaders, who were originally appointed by God, because they used their office to tear down what they were called to build up. But Calvin also recognizes that all people are still subject to the same temptations that led the Jewish religious leaders to betray their calling. And so he urges the people of his day to take this parable as a “useful warning” that we seek to be diligent about serving our Lord “in true godliness” so that our work may “yield fruit.”[2] I would say that’s a warning from which we can all benefit.

But the truth of the matter is not only that we are all subject to the same temptations. We also all stumble from time to time. Some of what we heard from our Scripture lessons for today might lead us to that there’s no room for that kind of thing. Some of what Jesus taught might lead us to think that there’s no room for stumbling if we want to follow him. In the Sermon on the Mount he said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). And as we heard from our Gospel lesson last week, at another time Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62). If we follow John Calvin’s line of thinking that those who fall to human temptations might forfeit our calling, it doesn’t sound like there’s much room there for stumbling.

And yet, we’re all subject to human temptations. And we all stumble from time to time. We might think that means that we’ve forfeited any claim to God’s love. I would think all of us would agree we cannot possibly live up to the demand to be “perfect.” And if “looking back” makes you unfit for the kingdom of God, then nobody is “fit.” Nobody is “worthy.” Perhaps that’s the point. We can never deserve the gift of God’s amazing grace, mercy, and love. But if it’s really true that God’s love for us never fails, and that God’s love is unconditional for everyone, then stumbling doesn’t have to mean that we have somehow forfeited our calling to follow Jesus. We all stumble from time to time, and God’s love is such that he continues to reach out to us even when we fall short. Especially when we stumble. At the end of the day, our service to Christ isn’t about whether or not we are “fit” or “deserving,” but rather it’s about the fact that God chooses to accomplish his work in this world through flawed and fallible people like you and me. For me, that’s an encouragement. It reminds me that God still carries out his work even when I stumble, and even when I fall. And I think that’s true for us all: we can still keep serving Christ even when we stumble!

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[1] © 2023 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 10/8/2023 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol 3:35-38.

Grumbling

Grumbling

Luke 15:1-10[1]

We are a people with plenty of boundaries. We find all kinds of ways of drawing lines that let in only those who look like us, who talk like us, who live like us, and excluding anyone who is “different” in any way. Whether it’s the fences we build, or the neighborhoods we choose to live in, or the lines we draw to keep “undesirable” children out of our schools, we find a way to keep company only with those who are like us. Even on the internet, observers note that we tend to filter out messages from those who represent a way of thinking we may find offensive. Instead, we only want to hear from those who endorse the same ideas we do.

Although the Christian faith is intended to be radically inclusive, the way we as a people tend to practice our faith can fall into the same kind of exclusion. Bill Moyers, a journalist who was known for his PBS documentaries in the last Century, used to say that religion has a healing side, but it also has a killing side. Now, we’re not the kind of people to commit a terrorist act in the name of God, but there are other ways to carry out the “killing side” of religion. One of those is by rejecting the people we consider to be “less than,” or “undesirable,” or even “sinful”—the very people Jesus welcomed in the name of a loving God. We may not actually “kill” in the name of God, but we have other weapons that can rob a person of life just as effectively.

It might come as a surprise to hear these comments in connection with the parables of rejoicing over finding that which was lost in our Gospel lesson for today. The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son are probably some of our favorites. They remind us that God never stops seeking us out until he finds us and brings us home. They reassure us that even when we wander astray, God never gives up on us. And when that which was lost is found the proper way to celebrate it is to throw a party!

I’m not sure we fully appreciate this side of Jesus. We can take ourselves and our faith so seriously, that we can miss the fact that Jesus was known among the “religious people” of his day as “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Luke 7:34). Apparently, Jesus’ ability to celebrate the joy that comes from knowing God’s love and seeing that love transform those who were “lost” earned him a “reputation” among the good, upstanding people of the day. They were so busy obsessing about their religious “obligations” that they missed the whole point of it all: living in the joy of God’s unconditional love, and sharing that love with others—all others!

That was the reason why Jesus told these parables in the first place. Again, Luke clues us into that with the way he introduces the chapter. He describes the setting this way: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1-2). Now, there are some things we need to understand about this. First, “tax collectors and sinners” was something of shorthand in that context. It was a phrase that included everyone who was considered “undesirable,” whether they were actually immoral or just consigned to the category of human “trash” by the good, upstanding people.^[2]

It’s easy for us to overlook this dimension to the parables because we tend to identify with Jesus’ point of view when we read the Bible. I think that’s a natural response to Scripture: we would like to think that we’re the kind of people who hear and obey. Therefore, we assume that we’re “on God’s side.” But of course, it’s that assumption that allows us to fall into the trap of the “killing side of religion” by rejecting others and setting up boundaries to keep them separated from us.

The irony in this situation is the fact that those who were consigned to the category of human “trash” were the very ones who responded to Jesus and his message of God’s all-inclusive kingdom!^[3] In the Gospels they are the examples for us to follow regarding how to respond to Jesus. By contrast the “religious” people kept their distance. Or if they did “stoop” to associate with Jesus, it was only to confirm their assumption that he was misguided at best and dangerous at worst. Despite their narrowness, Jesus continued to reach out to the “religious” people, inviting them to join in the celebration of new life. The parables in this chapter leave it open as to whether they would accept his invitation, or continue to cling to relative safety of their grumbling.

We face the same choice today. We can choose to assume that we are justified in writing off those we exclude as “trash.” If so, we will have forgotten that though we have all gone astray, we want God to be merciful to us, but we’re asking him to withhold that mercy from those we reject!^[4] Instead of assuming that posture of judging others, we can admit that Jesus has something to say in these parables that we desperately need to hear as much as anyone!^[5] If we have the ability to hear him, perhaps then we can leave our grumbling behind, and join with him and “all heaven” in rejoicing when anyone from any walk of life who was lost is transformed by God’s love.

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[1] © 2019 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 9/15/2019 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV, 1073.

[3] Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, 570.

[4] Cf. R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” New Interpreters Bible IX:298: he says that we want God to be merciful to us by giving us more than we deserve, but we want those we view as “undesirable” to get no more than they deserve.

[5] Fred Craddock, Luke, 184.

Open Hearts

Open Hearts

2 Corinthians 6:1-13[1]

As I look at our society, it seems to me that one of our fundamental problems is that we are filled with anger. Bitterness, hatred, and meanness seem like a virus that spreads and grows day by day. We can get so angry so quickly these days. All you have to do is accidentally pull out in front of someone to experience road rage. Or bring up the subject of politics at the local donut shop or coffee house spot. We get pretty hostile pretty fast. And we start throwing all kinds of hateful words at each other. We shouldn’t be surprised at this, since that’s the way very visible people behave—from politicians to news commentators to social observers of all stripes. The level of nastiness in the way we speak to and about each other can be overwhelming. And we’re shocked that our news cycle is continually filled with acts of violence!

What’s perhaps more disturbing is the fact that we in the church have adopted this approach for dealing with our differences. We seem to have lost the ability to sit down across the table with someone who holds a different opinion on a matter that concerns us deeply and have a conversation that is based on mutual respect. Instead, we are like those around us, our anger ready to come spilling out at any moment. And when it does our words can match the intensity of the “talking heads” in our world—they can be bitter and mean, if not positively hateful. [2]   My brothers and sisters, to borrow from Scripture, in the Body of Christ it ought not be so!

In our lesson from the St. Paul for today, we find the Apostle dealing with hostility that has arisen in one of his beloved churches. The church at Corinth was founded by Paul. He had served them faithfully until he was forced to leave. And after he left, other teachers came along and began to call into question whether he was truly worthy of the respect due to an Apostle of Christ.[3] Apparently, they criticized him for his looks, for the way he talked, and even for the content of his teaching. The end result was that this church which owed its very existence to Paul’s labor of love began to fracture and turn against him. It would seem, in fact, that on one of Paul’s visits, he was publicly humiliated by one of the ringleaders among those who had decided to turn against him.

Not only was this damaging to the church’s health, it was also damaging to the cause of Christ in general. Paul likened it to yeast that could spread its way throughout a whole lump of dough. Since they didn’t know about viruses in that day, it was probably the best analogy he had. But I think a better one is the image of a virus. If left to spread unchecked, it will eventually destroy whatever body it has infected. And Paul knew that to be true for a church as well: bitterness, anger, and nastiness can poison any church and kill it.

Paul’s approach to this problem was to tackle it head-on. Some in his day (and perhaps also in ours) might say this was the wrong approach to take.[4] Nevertheless, Paul insisted that he had been an open book to them. He had not tried to deceive them or manipulate them in any way, but rather had served them in love. In our lesson for today, he says it this way, “We have spoken frankly to you …; our heart is wide open to you” (2 Cor. 6:11). Even though he says that many of them had “closed their hearts” to him, his heart remained open and full of love and concern for them.

If you’ve ever been in a situation like that, you’ll know how difficult it is to keep your heart open. When we come under fire our tendency is to protect ourselves by closing our hearts. But I’m afraid that’s the first step toward hardening our hearts to others. And that leads, in turn, to bitterness and the anger that we may verbalize in ways that aren’t so kind. We can see this at all levels of church life especially when we disagree about the convictions we hold dear. When we take that protective and defensive stance, it’s hard to recognize that our convictions may not necessarily be the final truth, and that others might have some valid points to make, even if they hold different views.

Again, Paul’s approach to this problem is the direct one. He appeals to the people of the church at Corinth straightforwardly: “It is not we who have closed our hearts to you; it is you who have closed your hearts to us” (2 Cor. 6:12, TEV). And so he asks them directly: “open wide your hearts also” (2 Cor. 6:13)! This is where some might fault Paul in his approach. And yet he goes straight to the crux of the problem: they had hardened their hearts and had broken their relationship. Since Paul has just explained to them the importance of being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, he now applies that message to the broken relationship between them: “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor. 6:2). Of course, he’s talking to believers, so he’s not inviting them to the new life in Christ.[5] Rather, he’s inviting them to take the opportunity to be reconciled with him that the present moment affords.[6] And the way to do that is for them to open their hearts to him.

We live in a world where it can seem foolish to live with open hearts. Those who make themselves vulnerable in that way inevitably come under attack. And yet, the way of the open heart is the only way for us in the church.[7] After all, it was God who opened his heart toward us in the first place, pouring out his love and grace and mercy in our lives. And it was Jesus who opened his heart and made himself vulnerable enough to die for us on the cross. In that light, I don’t see how we can do anything less than to follow Paul’s example and open our hearts to all those around us, even those who may disagree with us, even those who may attack us. The way of Jesus is the way of love, the way of the open heart.

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[1] ©2015 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 6/21/2015 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Our situation reminds me of Thomas Merton’s comment in New Seeds of Contemplation, 73-74: “Strong hate, the hate that takes joy in hating, is strong because it does not believe itself to be unworthy and alone. It feels the support of a justifying God, of an idol of war, an avenging and destroying spirit. … . It is easier to serve the hate-gods because they thrive on the worship of collective fanaticism. To serve the hate-gods, one has only to be blinded by collective passion. To serve the God of love one must be free, one must face the terrible responsibility of the decision to love in spite of all unworthiness whether in oneself or in one’s neighbor.”

[3] Cf. J. Paul Sampley, “The Second Letter to the Corinthians,” New Interpreters Bible XI:97: “Paul’s apostleship has been one of service to others, not self-service and self-aggrandizement, perhaps to the chagrin of some Corinthians who see in him a person of attenuated status, too diminished to be considered a true apostle.” Cf. also Glenn T. Miller, “2 Corinthians 5:11-6:13,” Interpretation, 54 (Apr 2000): 188: “In a passage filled with irony and pathos, Paul rehearses the charges against him in antitheses that contrast his opponents' views with what the Corinthians know to have been the case: "honor, dishonor; good repute, poor repute; imposters, truth-tellers; known, unknown; dying, yet alive; punished, not killed; sorrowful, rejoicing; rich, poor (6:8-10).”  Cf. further, Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God, 56–57: “The authentication of his apostolate is given by Christ himself, who reveals himself in his apostle’s cross. Because he follows the mission of Christ, Paul takes ‘his’ cross upon him and reveals the power of Christ through his weakness and the life of the risen Christ through his daily dying.”

[4] Cf. Sampley, “Second Letter to the Corinthians,” NIB XI:102; cf. also 107: “Frankness, now as then, is best suited for strong friendship relations. Outside of friendship, frank speech is likely to be perceived as meddlesome at best. But even among friends, speaking frankly is a delicate undertaking that requires caution as well as a sense of timing and proportion.”

[5] While this is certainly the case, Ernest Best, in Second Corinthians, 58, reminds us that “Just as there is a continual need to be reconciled to God (see 5:20), so there is a continual need to accept salvation day by day, ‘now is the day of salvation.’ No group of Christians can think itself so firm in the faith that it does not need to go back again and again to examine itself lest it accept in vain the grace of God, the gracious way he has acted in Christ.”

[6] Cf. Sampley, “Second Letter to the Corinthians,” NIB XI:98: “Reconciliation is at the heart of life’s business. If the most important single factor about any of our lives is God’s having reconciled us to God’s very self, then the proper celebration of our reconciliation is to share it with others by fostering reconciliation and atonement whenever we can.”  Cf. also Miller, “2 Corinthians 5:11-6:13,” 187: “This is how reconciliation works. First, God reconciles us to God's self through the cross, and we become new creatures. Likewise, others also are made anew. And the fact that we recognize Christ's work in each other means that we have to relate to each other in a new way.” Cf. further Ralph P. Martin, 2 Corinthians, 169, 188. See further, Merton, New Seeds, 67: “Love comes out of God and gathers us to God in order to pour itself back into God through all of us and bring us all back to Him on the tide of his own infinite mercy.”

[7] Cf. Henri Nouwen, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit, 22: “When we see only demons within ourselves, we can see only demons in others, but when we see God in ourselves, we can see God also in others.” Cf. also ibid, 47, where he speaks of the Dalai Lama’s freedom from “any hatred or bitterness toward the Chinese who ravaged his land and murdered his people. He says, ‘They too are human beings who struggle to find happiness and deserve our compassion.’”