Who Are You? – a Lenten Blog Tour Meditation

 

The chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. They didn’t find anything they could use from the many false witnesses who were willing to come forward. But finally they found two who said, “This man said, ‘I can destroy God’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to respond to the testimony these people have brought against you?”

But Jesus was silent.

The high priest said, “By the living God, I demand that you tell us whether you are the Christ, God’s Son.”

“You said it,” Jesus replied. “But I say to you that from now on you’ll see the Human One sitting on the right side of the Almighty and coming on the heavenly clouds.”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He’s insulting God! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you’ve heard his insult against God. What do you think?”

And they answered, “He deserves to die!” Then they spit in his face and beat him. They hit him and said, “Prophesy for us, Christ! Who hit you?” (Matthew 26:57-68, Common English Bible).

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I answered the call to write a meditation for the Common English Bible Lenten Blog Tour, and due to a misreading of the schedule, I wrote a meditation on Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Fortunately, I realized my error in time to take up the assigned text, which is the one that follows after the arrest of Jesus. In the former story, a sword wielding mob, led by one of Jesus own disciples, comes looking for Jesus in the night so that they might arrest him. We watch as Judas betrays him with a kiss, while another disciple lashes out with his sword. In the end Jesus is taken into custody and his disciples flee into the night, though as see in the passage under consideration today, Peter does follow the crowd at a distance, and then finds a seat in the company of the officers of the guard. In their company, at a distance, he watches as Caiaphas the High Priest seeks to find a way of getting rid of Jesus.

The “trial,” like the arrest, takes place under the cover of darkness, reminding us that this is all a battle between light and darkness, good and evil. As we watch this trial unfold – at a distance – perhaps our thoughts will go back to the prayer that Jesus taught Disciples (Matthew 6:9-13), wherein he instructs followers to make this request of God: “And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Mt. 6:13). This phrase from the prayer is important, because Jesus now finds himself in that very place of being tempted by evil. I realize that in making this assessment I have to be careful, because there’s a long tradition of using passages like this to tar the Jewish people with blame for Jesus’ death on the cross. While it’s true that Matthew couches this “trial” in doctrinal terms, we must remember that Caiaphas serves at the behest of the Roman government, and though they are looking for an excuse to kill him, any authority to do so must come from Rome, and Rome really doesn’t care about intra-Jewish doctrinal debates. They are, however, interested in political rabble-rousers, and in the eyes of both the Temple Leadership and the Imperial Leadership, Jesus has the marks of a troublemaker.

What is very interesting in Matthew’s portrayal of this trial is that the leadership is acting in ways that are contrary to the very Law they are sworn to uphold – not Roman Law, but the Commandments of God. In suborning perjury, which they’re doing as they seek out false witnesses to provide suitable evidence to send him on for execution, they face the dilemma of needing two witnesses who will agree in order to convict (Deut. 17:6). Although they find two witnesses who testify that Jesus allegedly said that he would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days (no textual evidence for this), they had what they needed, even though in getting it they break one of the Ten Commandments – the command to not bear false witness (Deut. 5:20). This encounter reminds us that it’s easy to fall prey to temptation, if it seems to achieve our desired results.

There’s another issue, however, that stands out in this passage and it’s the one that triggered the question that forms the title of this meditation. Caiaphas thinks he has an answer to the question of Jesus identity, and to paraphrase, he says to Jesus I believe that you believe that you are “the Christ, God’s Son?” So, own it, won’t you! What’s interesting in this “accusation” is that Caiaphas is quoting, in a sense, Peter’s Good Confession (Mt. 16:16), the one Peter made in answer to Jesus’ question – who do you say that I am?

All that Jesus will answer is –“You said it.” That is, you’ve made the confession, but do you believe it? The fact that Caiaphas is grilling Jesus in this possibly illegal “trial” makes it clear that Caiaphas is making no such confession. What gets Caiaphas really upset is Jesus’ next statement, which takes on an apocalyptic tone. Jesus says in essence, I am the Human One (Son of Man) and soon I’ll be sitting at the right hand of the Almighty (that is, next to the judgment seat of God), and I’ll be returning riding on the heavenly clouds. You have the sense here that Jesus is promising to get his revenge. Now, of course, that kind of language makes me uncomfortable, so I have to wrestle with it. As for Caiaphas, this is all he needs – Jesus has blasphemed God, or to use the CEB rendering – he is “insulting God.”

As we continue our journey toward Good Friday and then Easter, the question that Caiaphas raises still stands: Who is Jesus? This is an important question, because how I answer that question will help define my identity. Am I like Caiaphas and find Jesus’ claims to be God’s right hand blasphemous? Or is this my own confession of faith? But pushing this farther, how does this conversation fit with the question that Jesus posed to Peter, which elicited from Peter to confession that Jesus was the Christ and God’s Son (Matthew 26:69ff). But not only that, when we make such a confession are we willing to go all the way with it, or as we see with Peter in the passage that follows, will we deny even knowing him? Perhaps not in words, but in deeds? Or, maybe, going back to the beginning of this passage, are we simply follow Jesus at a distance?

As I was thinking about how to deal with this passage I picked up Stanley Hauerwas’s theological commentary on Matthew and I came upon this intriguing comment:

“Following at a distance” is a wonderful description of the way most of us follow Jesus. We want, as Peter wanted, to see how all this will end before we commit ourselves. Unfortunately, that strategy means that we cannot help but end up sitting with the guardians of the established order. (Hauerwas, Matthew, pp. 225-226)

So, where are we in this mix? Are we back with Peter making the Good Confession (Matthew 16:16)? Are we denying we know Jesus? Or, are we simply hanging back, waiting to see how this thing plays out before committing ourselves to something? And if we do the latter, do we not, as Hauerwas suggests, place ourselves at the disposal of the established order?

These are questions that are worth considering as we make our way through Holy Week and wrestle with the question – who is Jesus and what does my answer to that question demand of me as a person of faith?

Important note:

This meditation on Jesus’ trial is provided as part of the Lenten Blog Tour that is designed to highlight and support the new Common English Bible. During this Lenten tour, 41 bloggers have offered their own reflections on the biblical text, using the CEB as their starting point. (See all of the reflections here.) The people from the CEB have offered to provide a copy of the CEB New Testament to a random commenter willing to provide me with their email address.

Judge Not, Lest Ye . . . 7th Sermon on the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:1-14

Although many of us enjoy being judge and jury, few of us want to face judgement. We like the words “judge not, lest ye be judged,” and yet it’s almost part of human nature to judge others. Therefore, we find ourselves saying: “Can you believe the way she dresses? It’s embarrassing.” Or, “Did you hear what he said? Well, I just think that’s totally inappropriate!” Or, “Did you hear that Sam went to the casino last week, and he calls himself a Christian?” In case you believe yourself incapable of such words, Jesus has an unflattering word to describe you (and me).

As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we come to an invitation to examine closely our lives. Instead of judging others, we hear Jesus calling on us to judge ourselves. Of course, the task of facing our own inner demons isn’t an easy task, which is why very few of us answer this call. But, if we’re going to seek first the kingdom of God, then this is the road we must take.

1. Logs and Splinters

Jesus is a master of language, and his choices in metaphors cut through the noise that surrounds our lives. In this passage from Matthew’s gospel, we hear words about splinters and logs. Although we enjoy sitting in judgment of others – admit it, you like it – we’re really not in the position to render judgment on the lives of our neighbors. That’s because we have logs in our eyes that keep us from seeing the splinter that lies in the eye of our neighbor. You simply can’t pull something out of the eye of another person, when there’s an impediment so large sitting your eye that you can’t even see the face of the other. So, take care of that impediment, before trying to do surgery on someone else.

As we contemplate these metaphors, we might benefit from hearing another story, this one being from the Gospel of John. If you look at most bibles, the story of the woman caught in adultery will be in the margins or in parentheses. That’s because there are questions about whether or not it is original to this gospel, but whether or not it originally was in John’s gospel, it speaks to an important truth.

According to this story, a group of religious leaders brings this women who had been caught in adultery and challenged Jesus to render judgment. That meant casting the first stone. Jesus puts the onus back on them, and says to the accusers – “let the one who is without sin, cast the first stone.” When no one comes forward, Jesus says to the woman, no one comes to condemn you, neither do I, but go and sin no more. If we take the biblical witness to heart, Jesus is in a position to cast that stone, but he chose not to do so. Since he chooses not to render judgement, then perhaps we shouldn’t either.

2. Proper Gifts

Of course Scripture speaks of judgment, and next Sunday’s sermon carries the title “Judgement Day.” Although there is a place for judgment, it is God and not us, to whom this task is entrusted. When we try to take on the role of judge, we’re assuming the prerogative of God. Now, the reason why we should leave the role of judge to God isn’t because God is important and we’re not, but instead it’s because of the character of God.

This is why the words that follow the word about judgment are so important. Jesus tells us that if we ask, we’ll receive; if we seek, we’ll find; and if we knock the door will be opened. This is because God is faithful to God’s promises. When it comes to the promises of God, there will be no bait and switch.

Of course, we need to understand that the promises of God are related to the kingdom of God. The promise is made to those who seek first the kingdom and place their treasure in heaven. Although, there are those who would say otherwise, Jesus isn’t promising us a Lexus or a mansion, or even a check for a million dollars, not even if you promise to donate 10% to the church. But because God, who is the giver of every good and perfect gift and who will not do evil, then we can trust God. Yes, as Jesus says, God is like a loving parent, who when a child asks for bread doesn’t give a stone instead, or when a child asks for a fish, gives a snake instead. Indeed, if you, who are evil, don’t treat your children that way, then surely God, who is righteous and loving won’t either. The reason why we should leave the task of judgment to God, is that God isn’t just good, but because God’s essence is love in all of love’s dimensions.

God is love, which doesn’t mean that God is a sentimental chap, but rather, to borrow from Tom Oord’s definition of love, God acts “intentionally in sympathetic/empathetic response to others, to promote overall well-being” (Oord, The Nature of Love, p. 17). This definition of love defines the nature of God, and it also provides the context in which God acts in judgment of the world.

3. Do unto others . . .

Instead of rendering judgments that neither you nor I are prepared to offer, “treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt. 7:12 CEB). These words form what we call the Golden Rule, and this rule is simply a paraphrase of the second great commandment – “love our neighbors as you love yourself.” As you consider this golden rule, remember that Jesus defined neighbor to include one’s enemies, and agape love, as Tom Oord suggests, means intentionally promoting the overall well-being of those who mean to do us evil. This is, of course, no easy task, which is why few of us heed the call to love the world as God loves the world.

But, if you love in this way, then you fulfill the Law and the Prophets. You may have thought that Jesus renders the Law and the prophets null and void, but that isn’t true. Jesus never abandons either the Law or the Prophets, because without them we won’t know how to act toward others. As Stanley Hauerwas, who is known to be a rather radical sort of character, puts it: “love is the fulfillment of the Law.” And, having said that, he goes on to say that love is “a radical politics that challenges the world’s misappropriation of God’s good gift.” Indeed, if Christ embodies God’s love, then we can’t “know love apart from loving one’s enemies.” (Mt. 22:37-40). [Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew, Brazos Press, 2006, p. 89].

If we’re going to take the journey that Jesus outlines in the Sermon on the Mount, then we’ll have to give up trying to be judge and jury. Instead, of trying to be judges of others, we can begin loving our friends and our enemies as God loves them. If we’re going to join God in the work of transforming this world in which we live, then we’ll have to take the narrow pathway, which is the road less traveled.

So how do we know which path to take? Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in his book on discipleship that we’ll know the way if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, who walks in front of us, leading the way. Bonhoeffer writes:

He is the narrow road and the narrow gate. The only thing that matters is finding him. If we know that, then we will walk the narrow way to life through the narrow gate of the cross of Jesus Christ, then the narrowness of the way will reassure us. [Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, (Fortress, 2001), p. 4:176].

This narrow path doesn’t take the form of legalism, with a lot of senseless rules and regulations that tell us not to do this or do that or we’ll be excluded. It’s not a matter of dress codes and good manners, or even having all the right beliefs. What it does involve is living life in a way that honors God and seeks to promote the well-being of others. That’s not an easy path to take, but this is the path way that leads from what Richard Rohr calls the first half of life to the second half of life.

If we’re going to take this path then we’ll have to “let go of our own smaller kingdoms,” which we’re not always eager to do, and instead choose union with God. That means letting God lead the way. If we choose this path, and let God both guide us and judge us, then we’ll begin to think in a way that leaves plenty of room for others to join us in communion with God. As Fr. Rohr writes: “Everyone is in heaven when he or she has plenty of room for communion and no need for exclusion. The more room you have to include, the bigger your heaven will be” (Richard Rohr, Falling Upward, p. 101).

It is my prayer that each of us will let go of the need to judge others, but instead as we recognize our own need of forgiveness and restoration, that we will commit ourselves to the way of the kingdom, and in doing so, we will promote the well-being of all those who share this world with us. In this we will know the fullness of God’s presence, and that is what it means to be in heaven!

 

Preached by:

Dr. Robert D. Cornwall

Pastor, Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Troy, Michigan

3rd Sunday in Lent

March 27, 2011

What Should I Desire Most? -- Sermon 6 on the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:19-34

In The Christmas Carol, the heart of a young Ebenezer Scrooge grows dark and cold as he enters the world of business. His pursuit of earthly treasure has even shut his heart to the young woman to whom he’s engaged. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, which I watch every Christmas in as many formats as possible, is a telling portrait of the problem that Jesus addresses in our text this morning.

This brief section of the Sermon on the Mount is framed by two statements. In the opening paragraph Jesus says: “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (vs. 21). That is, wherever you put your treasure, that will be your God, as the story of Mr. Scrooge clearly illustrates. Then we close with these familiar words: “Seek first the kingdom of God.” In both of these statements and the verses that surround them, we hear this important question: In whom will I place my trust?

1. Making a Kingdom Bank Deposit

These words follow Jesus’ gift of a prayer, one that we pray each week, and perhaps even daily. Last year we spent the Lenten season exploring this prayer, which calls for us to pledge our ultimate allegiance to God. And, if we are pledging our allegiance to God, then it’s possible that this faith of ours is calling us to be subversives. We may not seek to be subversive, but if we live according to the Sermon on the Mount, then that’s what we’ll be. Yes, as ethicist Stanley Hauerwas puts it:

“Jesus is very clear. Wealth is a problem. That capitalism is an economic system justified by the production of wealth is therefore not necessarily good news for Christians.” [Hauerwas, Matthew: Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible, (Brazos, 2006), p. 81].

Hauerwas might be right, because when I read the gospels they tend to make me feel very uncomfortable with the way I live in the world. Indeed, if we take Jesus’ sermon seriously, it’s clear that Jesus was not a capitalist.

If this is true then what are the implications of these verses for the way we live in the world? Who is influencing our thinking – Jesus or Adam Smith? As you ponder this question think about the ways in which our thinking is influenced by the media, our friends, and even the games we play. Yes, have you ever played Monopoly or Life? I expect you have, because we’ve played them here at church on game nights, and in fact, some of you are down right ruthless in your attempts at winning the game. There is, of course, a message to these games: The winner is the one who accumulates the most property and money. We may enjoy the games, but if we take these scriptures seriously then we must admit that they reinforce values that run counter to the gospel message.

So, what’s the alternative? Jesus says, “Do not store up treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal.” Instead, store your treasure in heaven. Consider for a moment the story of the young man who came to Jesus seeking to know what it takes to experience eternal life. In the course of the conversation we learn that this young man sincerely wanted to experience oneness with God. He had diligently kept all the commandments, but something still was missing, and so Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow him. Then he would experience salvation. As the story goes, the young many walked away with deep sadness, because he had many possessions (Mt. 19:16-22). As I hear this word, I recognize that I too have many possessions, and I wonder how these possessions get in the way of my being a disciple of Jesus.

2. Which Master Should I choose?

This question gets asked in a different way in the verses that follow. Jesus talks about the eye being the lamp of the body. If the eye is healthy, then light enters the body. If it’s unhealthy then there will be darkness. Having said this, Jesus makes one of those memorable but challenging statements. You can’t serve two masters. You’ll end up loving one and hating the other. Therefore, you can’t love both God and mammon. Most modern translations translate mammon as wealth, but there’s something to be said about using the word mammon. You see the word stems from a root that means “to trust or believe in.” That was the pressing question for this young man – in what or in whom would he place his trust – his possessions or God? [Williamson and Allen, Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews, (WJK, 2004), pp. 22-23].

This issue of trust is important, because it says a lot about why we hoard and worry. When we put our trust in God who feeds the birds and clothes the grass with flowers more beautiful than anything that Solomon in his glory might wear, then we need not worry. But to do this, we must put our focus on Christ alone.

I say this knowing full well that we need jobs, stores, government services, and more to sustain our lives. But what Jesus seems to want us to understand is that while we can’t live on bread alone, we do need our daily bread. The question is – how do we draw a line between our daily bread and that treasure which captures our hearts and minds and then leads us away from God? The line may be very thin, but as Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, it may have to do with “what your heart clings to.” [Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, (Fortress, 2001) 4:163]. Yes, whatever your heart clings to, that is your master.

3. First Things First

If our master is that to which our hearts cling, then how should we respond to the message of this morning’s gathering song?

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness,

and all these things shall be added unto you. Alleluia, Alleluia!

This song, and the Scripture upon which it is based, invites us to prioritize our lives around the reign of God. Yes, the message is clear – first things first. The problem is, we’ve been led to believe, that we live in a world of scarcity. We’re constantly being told that there’s not enough land, water, or food, to go around. While I don’t want to instigate class warfare in this sermon, it’s becoming clear that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is increasing at an alarming rate. The wealthy are getting wealthier, while the poor are getting poorer. And, as for the traditional middle class, upon which our society is based, there are signs that it’s in danger of extinction. Why is this?

Although we’ve been told that our nation, our state, and our local governments are broke, we’ve also seen tax breaks get extended for the wealthiest amongst us, even as taxes are increasing for those at the bottom of the economic ladder. Somehow that doesn’t seem right. But, it shouldn’t surprise us, because with wealth comes power, and if our lives are guided by the principle of scarcity, then we will not only worry about tomorrow, we will build as many barns as possible to hoard our treasures. We will build fences and walls to protect our treasures. Yes, that is what we will do, if we believe in the principle of scarcity. In such a world, injustice and violence reign because we think that we can survive only if we increase and protect our treasure on earth.

But, what if we put the kingdom first? What if we put our trust in God -- not the God of scarcity, but the God of abundance, the God who feeds the birds and decorates the fields with glorious flowers? How will we treat our neighbor then? As we seek to answer these questions, I want to offer another word of wisdom from Stanley Hauerwas:

Abundance not scarcity, is the mark of God’s kingdom. But the abundance must be made manifest through the lives of a people who have discovered that they can trust God and one another. Such trust is not an irrational gesture against the chaos of life, but rather a witness to the very character of God’s care of creation. (Hauerwas, Matthew, p. 83)

Yes, we worship and serve a God who pours out upon us the treasures of heaven, so that we might share this abundance with one another. But this requires that we put our trust in God and store up our treasures in heaven. Yes, let us seek first the kingdom of God, and then all that we need will be provided us.

Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Pastor, Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Troy, Michigan
2nd Sunday of Lent
March 20, 2011