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Does it Really Matter?
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
June 21, 2020
Matthew 10:24–39 (ESV)
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Those that follow Christ often face many struggles. Many come to Christ with the idea that by saying the sinner’s prayer all their troubles will magically disappear. It is not an uncommon thought, I, myself have often thought these things. It is difficult to not consider this thought process. Jesus himself tells his disciples that anything we ask in his name will be done for him. Each of us have faced difficulties. The pandemic we are currently going through is evidence that we still struggle in our world, even though we claim the name of Christ. When we turn on the news we are often challenged with the struggles of the world, and often we as followers of Christ are right in the middle of the conflict.
When we read scripture, the historical context often alludes our attention. We look at the words and our minds interpret those words through the lens of our contemporary struggles. This is an amazing and dangerous aspect of scripture. It is amazing because after thousands of years, the words of scripture are still relevant. Every time I open my bible, I read something that seemingly speaks exactly to the very issues I am currently struggling with. This phenomenon is why Scripture is often referred to as living, it is living because the Spirit that inspired the words is still active in our lives today. That same Spirit that inspired the Apostles to write and teach, is still just as active in our lives today as it was generations ago.
I said that reading the scripture through the lens of our contemporary struggles is amazing and dangerous. It is dangerous because those ancient authors were writing to people that lived nearly two thousand years ago. Those people lived in cultures vastly different than our own, and they had problems that we may not understand. If we are unaware of the history surrounding the words of scripture, we might miss something important, and we might make assumptions about doctrine or life claiming biblical authority that might not be accurate. We can give countless example of this. In the antebellum era those supporting the abolition of and the continuation of slavery used the same King James Bible to support their cause. Denominations that support women in ministry and those that limit the leadership of women use scripture to support their cases. We can use scripture to justify any activity we desire. Harper Lee wrote in her celebrated book To Kill a Mockingbird, “Sometimes the Bible in the hands of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of oh of your father… There are just some kind of men who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”
Scripture is amazing but can be dangerous. This has been the case since the beginning of time, because even in the garden the interaction between humanity and the serpent were based on the manipulation of the words of God revealed to them. The serpent used words out of contexts to inspire desire, and Adam twisted the words of God to control Eve which eventually led to their destruction. Adam could have waited and asked God why they should not eat of the tree, they walked together in the cool of the evening, so it was not as if God were distant. But he did not want to wait, they did not want to seek the truth from the source, instead they relied on their own understanding.
In today’s passage we meet the disciples in a similar place. Jesus had given them the authority over all illness and affliction, and the authority to free people from spiritual bondage. The disciples were amazed at this. They had the authority to do everything they had seen Jesus perform to that point. Can you imagine that? These were things beyond their comprehension when Jesus performed them, and he is now telling them to go out and do it. Jesus gave them that authority, but there is a cost.
The disciples were common. At that moment they were not yet known to be the saintly men and women we regard them to be today. The people within the communities they were going knew who they were. When Peter walked into town, they knew him as Simon the fisherman. They knew Levi, as the despised tax collector that sat at the table when they we attempting to make their way to Jerusalem, they did not know him as Matthew the gospel writer. Then there was that zealot Simon, he was going to get people killed. Jesus sent these men into the communities. He sent them out to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and that kingdom was at hand. He sent them into the communities, where the people knew them and tells them to go without any provision but to rely on the hospitality of those within the community. How many of you would be willing to house and feed the tax collector that just extorted money from you?
Jesus knew that the disciples would face struggles. He knew this because he faced struggles. Jesus went into these communities, and he began to teach. There were already established teachers in the community, rabbis that had experience and reputations. People that had spent years of their lives learning everything they could possibly learn about scripture. And Jesus comes into their town, draws a crowd, heals some people, and they know him as the carpenter’s son. They are upset. And from the perspective of those leaders they have a right to be a bit disturbed. Jesus has their community in an uproar. They have been leading this community for years and suddenly they are getting questions that they do not know the answers to. They were not prepared for this, and it is Jesus’s fault.
I, myself, have an education. I have training. I have a degree that indicates that I have studied theology, biblical studies, counseling, and several other things. There are some things that I have faced as I have been a pastor that I have absolutely no training for. How do I lead and encourage those within this meeting through a pandemic? There was not a class for this, and if there was, I probably would not have taken it because there were too many more interesting classes to take. We struggle because we are unprepared and often unaware of what might happen.
The interesting thing is that Jesus is telling his disciples that they will suffer and struggle. People they love will turn their backs on them. People they respect will seemingly oppose them at every front. People they perceive as allies will become their enemies and many of them will be in seats of power within their own religious organizations. We are often our greatest challenges.
Jesus tells them that disciples are not greater than their master, but it is enough to be like their master. Jesus is their master, he is their teacher, he is the one that has given them power and authority of disease and the spiritual realm, yet their master was accused by the religious leaders of being in league with the devil.
Jesus is sending his disciples out into the world like sheep among wolves. And he sends them saying, “have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known… And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both the soul and body in hell.”
What is Jesus saying? These are not exactly the most encouraging words that could be spoken. But the historical context is key. Remember the religious institution of Israel was probably at its greatest strength in history. They had a religious industrial complex that was the envy of an empire. People would travel three times a year to one place to offer sacrifices. And they had set this religious sanctuary up in such a way that they could not accept any currency because it needed to be sacred coins. Everyone that wanted to worship was required to convert their Roman coins into temple currency, just to be able to give their tithes. But there was a requirement for sacrifice as well. They would need perfect animals for the sacrifice. Priests would inspect each animal prior to sacrifice to determine if the offering were acceptable. If the animal did not meet the requirements it was rejected. That is ok though because you could convert more money into temple currency and purchase an animal to sacrifice that would be guaranteed to pass the inspection right there in the temple courts. Three times a year the people would participate in these holy festivals and then they would go home. When they got home there were synagogues to worship in. And these synagogues had rabbis trained in the porticos of the temple. Everything revolved around the temple.
Jesus is telling the disciples that they will not be greater than their master, but like their master. This is true even with the rabbis. They have influence because of who they were taught by, the better the school the more respect. Jesus was teaching and he did not have the proper educational background, yet he taught with authority and this set the religious world on edge. And they lashed out in words and deed. Jesus warned the disciples that it was coming, and they had already heard some of the words. They knew that Jesus did not fit the leadership mold, yet they trusted him.
Why? Jesus was not just words. He lived what he said. He would teach the disciples while they gathered by their evening’s fire and he then encouraged them to live it out in the day light. They had seen Jesus live this way. They had seen him worship in the synagogues, withdraw to the isolated places to pray, and minister to the needs of the community. Jesus was the same on the Sabbat as he was in the community the other six days of the week. His words and actions were consistent. And he says do not fear the struggles you will face.
Jesus lived a consistent life. He taught and he then proceeded to put his words in action. He proclaimed that Kingdom of God was near, that it was at hand meaning it is right around you. And he demonstrated it by restoring the lives of lepers, by healing the lame, the deaf and the blind. He called the children to him and included them among the adults. He allowed women to sit with the men while he taught, and he even said that some of the gentiles he interacted with had greater faith than Israel. Jesus said do not fear the world, because all they can do is take your life, instead focus on God. Respect the things that matter to God.
Over the past few months, I have struggled with this. I am a stubborn person. I have ideologies that I think are the best way to live. I think I am right most of the time. And I have come to a place where I do not have the answers. I cannot rely on myself. When our yearly meeting advised us to move worship to an online format, I was grieved, and I was on the board that made that decision. I sat in prayer asking how can we close and say we are living by faith? I struggle. But it is the right decision.
God cares for the lives of those around us. Not just the soul. He wants us to have an abundant life, now and in the hereafter. We can get ourselves worked up, on one aspect or another and miss the point. And that is what Jesus is speaking about. People will hate you and people will love you. Who cares? People will agree with you and people will disagree. It does not matter. What really matters is how are you living with those people during the disagreement and through the struggle?
The past few days, I have watched people go crazy over pancake mix. Pancake mix. I have watched people buy more pancake mix in the past three days than in a month. We are yelling and crying and have we ever really listened to ourselves? These past few weeks has shown me what Jesus means when he said that he has not come to bring peace to the earth but a sword. I have watched people argue over pancake mixes. It has nothing to do with pancakes, and in most cases those in the argument never even buy the questionable mix anyway. Jesus says that he does not bring peace, because people are too concerned with their own opinions. Jesus wants peace, that is why he came. He wants to give us an abundant life filled with hope, but all too often we are more concerned with our opinions than we are with the humanity of the person we are arguing with. We are more concerned with our reputation, and our heritage. Where is God in the great pancake debate?
We struggle. We find ourselves in the middle of struggles. Where is God in those struggles? For a couple of months, I have been alone in this Meetinghouse, preaching to a camera. And it has been a great deal of work. But last night I found myself longing for that time alone before the camera. I longed for it because I would sing and pray while I was setting everything up. I would listen to the service again while I was loading and editing. I would spend twelve hours a week in worship and prayer, just to get one hour of video. It is not about my opinions; it is not about my preferences. It is about God. We often want God to back our ideas, but we have not allowed God to shape those ideas with us. We have built institutions on the ideas we claim God is for, and God is nowhere to be seen. Jesus does not bring peace because we often have no desire for peace. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
We are in the middle of many struggles. How are we approaching them and how are we responding? We have been in a fast from church as we know it, have we learned anything from this time?
We Have Work to Do
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
June 14, 2020
Matthew 9:35–10:23 (ESV)
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
As the weather continues to warm up my mind moves from hockey to baseball and harvest. While I was growing up harvest was the most important time of the year. It was the time of year that the most important time of our business cycle. Every portion of an economy has a form of harvest. For those in the accounting industry, tax season is harvest. In retail the fourth quarter is harvest, because that is when the greatest gathering holidays are. There are always cycles. Life is filled with cycles and understanding those cycles gives us a greater understanding of the world around us, and when those cycles are disrupted there is usually catastrophe.
In today’s passage Jesus speaks of a harvest. He goes out into the cities and village, he teaches in their places of Meeting while proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and while healing disease and affliction. He looks out at the crowd. He has compassion for them, because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. This story is one that speaks of a disrupted cycle.
Cycles are often disrupted. Disruptions come from many different sources. When rain comes too soon or too late the plant cycles get disrupted resulted in something less than ideal. Many of us are facing a disruption in our traditional cycles and our lives seem to be disrupted. Schedules are off, school has not been in session since March, and our jobs and home cycles have also been a bit off. The results I am certain we have all felt: Irritability, fatigue, depression, and a strong desire to get out of the house.
Jesus looks at the crowd, and he sees that there is something not quite right, but the potential is there. He said that the crowd was harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd after he had already healed disease and affliction and then he said that the harvest is plentiful. This caused me to pause as I was studying, because in my mind the healing of disease and affliction would be the harvest. But even after Jesus had brought the immediate needs under control the people remained harassed and helpless.
There are always signs that indicate need. When a plant needs water, we can see it. At first the leaves may droop slightly, and the surface of the leaves may begin to look dusty. The dusty look is because the pores on the leaves are closing to maintain the moisture and the drooping leaves are because cells within the plant have less water, so it is like a deflated balloon. If we do not react when we see the signs of distress, eventually leaves will sacrificed, and if we still do not remedy the situation the plant will die. I mention plants mainly because I have a degree in crop science, I know plants. That is just one system, there are multiple signs on a plant that will tell us many things, discoloration will indicate nutrient deficiencies, and can even indicate disease. And at times plants will emit a different odor when they are distressed. If we learn to read the signs, we can act. I know plants. Before I became a pastor, my job was to maintain landscapes around the community. The yards I managed looked amazing, and the trees and shrubs could have been featured in magazines. I know plants, but my own yard was not something spectacular and I cannot seem to keep a house plant alive if my life depended on it. I can see the signs in others but often I overlook what is right in front of me.
Jesus looked out at the crowd, and he had compassion for them. These were not people across the ocean in some mission field, they were people from the very district of Israel he lived. He saw the crowds around him, after he had healed every disease and affliction and he had compassion because there was more work to do. And if that work would be completed, then the change within the community would be like a harvest of record proportion.
Jesus turns from the crowd and he looks at his disciples and he says, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” I imagine they are looked at Jesus in confusion. These men understood the concept of agriculture, but they did not have skills to manage the harvest. They were fisherman, tax collectors, and one is even known as a zealot which is basically a gang member. He looked at this group of unlikely leaders and he gave them authority over unclean spirits, and to heals every disease and every affliction. Imagine that scene. It is about the must unlikely group imaginable. To make it even better, from the outside their leader is a construction contractor. And Jesus says, “Yep, this place is in sad shape, look at those harassed and helpless people. The harvest is plentiful, and we do not have enough people to do the work, but I am going to give you guys authority to cast out demons, and to heal every disease and affliction. Now Go!”
And he sent them out, with the instruction to stay in Israel. This also caused me to pause. The harassed and helpless people were their own people. The sad bunch that cause Jesus to have compassion was not the pagan Romans, or even the misguided Samaritans but Israel. The people of God were the ones that were helpless like a sheep without a shepherd. Israel at this time had an amazing Temple complex. It could be argued that at this moment the religious industry of Israel was at its peak performance. People from around the empire were coming to this frontier province just to look at the structure that gave this nation pride. And the value within the treasury was the envy of those that sought power. This efficient and effective religious monument held power that was beyond the population it represented. Israel was small, but influential. I have always been small but influential. Yet it was these people that Jesus called harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
He sent the disciples out to their own countrymen. Advising them to go without gathering money, without packing for the journey, and to live off the hospitality of those within the community. He told them to enter a house and to stay there. Make that house the center of their ministry operations within the community. They are not advised to go from house to house. Which I find interesting. There are sent with authority to heal and to liberate, yet they are encouraged to remain in one place. You would think that moving around would be better, going out to find the people, and adding as many stats to the healing roster as possible, but that is not direction Jesus gave. Jesus sent these disciples out to heal, but that was not their main mission, the healing was to ease the symptoms of a greater distress. He sent them to one house within a community to become a place of strength and unity as they taught about the kingdom and challenged those that were causing the harassment and helplessness. They were advised to remain in one place so that they could work to affect a change within the very heart of the community.
Jesus sent them with authority, but he sent them to live with and among the people. He sends them with the authority to ease affliction, but their mission is to show a different perspective of life. He sent them knowing full well that many within those communities would be so consumed and distracted from God that they would not be able to bear an alternate perspective, and Jesus encouraged them to not worry about it. To shake the dust off their feet and to move on to the next house and to try again. Remember again that these communities that Jesus is sending them to, are communities of good people of Israel. The chosen people of God, they are the people that God chose to reveal Himself through for the world to see. Their very own people might reject what they have to say even though they are healing diseases and giving freedom from spiritual bondage. And Jesus says that it would be more bearable on the day of Judgement for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those communities that would reject the disciples of Jesus.
I want us to take a step back before we dwell in Sodom and consider the shaking of dust off their feet, because this I believe will give us an insight into what exactly the tone is. This practice was a condemnation of the land. As I was studying, I read that this was a custom performed by of the people of Israel that were wanting to enter the Holy Land from areas deemed pagan. They did not want to contaminate the scared soils of Israel with the dirt so to speak. Jesus sent the disciples into communities within Israel, their own people. And he was commanding them to shake the dust off their feet before their own countrymen to illustrate that their land was contaminated and that the disciples would not carry that dust into sacred space.
I want us to think of this for a moment. Jesus says to shake the dust from your feet in communities that reject the gospel, and that those communities are worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah can be found in the book of Genesis, and these communities were deemed so sinful that God in his righteous judgment destroyed them with burning sulfur, which in my mind I imagine they were covered with lava and ash like Pompeii. There are a few theories about the cause of this harsh judgement, and I will allow you just consider that on your own. Jesus is telling his disciples that the rejection of their ministry within a community is even worse than whatever caused God to wipe out Sodom. What could possibly be that bad?
Jesus traveled through the cities and villages, healing every disease and every affliction, and he looked at the crowds and had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Harassment and helplessness are what sparked Jesus’s compassion. There were institutions within the community that took advantage of people. Institutions that installed barriers and restrictions that caused hindrances within the population. And these hindrances caused disruptions within the various systems and cycles within the community that prevented healthy growth and an abundant harvest.
Today if we are to look across our nation, we can see signs of dis-ease. There are protests in city centers, and in some areas these protests have turned violent. We can condemn the violence, but violence occurs when communication is no longer effective. We have violence because somewhere along the line we as communities failed to see the signs that were causing the disruptions, or we in our efforts to fix problems constructed institutions that harass and leave people helpless and hopeless. Am I calling for war within our communities? Absolutely not. I am encouraging us to take a step back and listen.
Jesus says that communities will resist the change that Jesus encourages. They accept with open arms the acts of healing and the deliverance from the influence of evil, but they resist change. And those that seek to change the direction often face harsh treatment. Jesus says, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the didst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”
I always struggle with the concept of being wise as serpents and innocent as doves. This is probably because of my irrational fear of snakes. But snakes are very aware of their surroundings, they are constantly flicking their tongues out to test the air and when they get the proper sense they silently wait until the proper moment to act. Doves on the other hand are out where everyone can see them joyfully flying causing no harm, and at times they seem as if they are unaware of what is going on around them. We need to be both, ready to act, and when we act only causing no harm. But we have work to do. We cannot just sit back and allow our communities and the communities around us to remain harassed and helpless. We will be opposed by governing bodies and religious institutions, we will be challenged by family and those that wield authority’s power, but we have been given power over diseases, afflictions and spirits that cause bondage and we are commissioned to use that power to promote the abundant life of Christ and prevent harassment and empower those that were once helpless.
This is the purpose of the church in the world. We are here to respect that of God in all people. We are to be stewards of God’s creation. We are to be instruments of healing and change in disease and affliction. We are called to be compassionate and be willing to give ourselves so that others can experience the hope that we have in Christ. We are called to use every aspect of our lives to encourage and empower our communities to become part of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
As we enter open worship and participate in the communion of Friends, I want us to consider our communities and where we are in them. We all have opinions and ideas that we see as being the right way to live. As we sit in silence, I encourage us all to consider those ideas and the positions others might have. Are we promoting the compassion of Christ or are we participating in the harassment and helplessness that infuriated Christ? Lord, forgive us and help us in our unbelief. Amen!
On the Go!
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
June 7, 2020
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Matthew 28:16–20 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The year is rushing on past. When we began this shelter in place discipline it was still hockey season and now it is hitting ninety degrees outside. It seems as if we missed spring entirely. And unfortunately, we are not out of the woods yet. Yes, the pandemic is not in the news as much, but the reality is in Missouri it is still very real, the new cases of Covid are continuing to increase in our city. But that is not the only concern, our communities are still struggling with unemployment that has reached the highest point in our nation’s history. And that is not even all the concerns facing us. For the past week there has been civil unrest throughout our nation, unrest that began as a protest bringing awareness to injustices that are occurring within our neighborhoods, especially within the neighborhoods populated primarily by minority groups. These issues and our opinions on them threaten to divide us, but it can also unite us. The events that lead to the death of George Floyd and so many others should never be acceptable because it denies the rights that our nation champions throughout the world.
My heart has been heavy this past week. I like many posted things on the internet that sparked controversy. I do not want the controversy. I love my community, I love my country, I love the heritage that has given hope to so many people. A hope that I was taught was for all people.
There is much uncertainty in our world today. There is a great deal of fear coursing throughout our thoughts and in our streets. But we have been in these places before. Lucretia Mott, one of the great Quaker ministers that stood for liberty, the abolition of slavery, and for women’s rights once said, “If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?” Let those words resonate in your mind. If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?
Equality is one of the core beliefs within the Friends Church, or the religious society of Friends. From the very beginning of our history we have encouraged the ministry of women and men. And during the colonial period of our nation’s history, the Friends tried their hardest to treat the indigenous people with respect and even though the king of England gave William Penn the land that would become Pennsylvania, Penn was lead in his spirit to not take into his possession the land without first securing the rights with the Native Americans living there. The early Friends believed in equality, they believed that every human being should be treated with respect because they bear the image of God. This has been our belief, and we have paid for our beliefs.
This week is also the anniversary of the hanging of Mary Dyer in Boston. Mary came to the new world like so many, with hope and dreams. She and her family left England because they sought fortune and adventure, but they also left because they wanted to live their faith freely. Mary was a minister, and her husband was not. Her husband, while attempting to provide for his family and survive in the wilderness, encouraged Mary to minister. And she boldly taught and preached in the colonies of New England. But in many of these areas there were laws against these sorts of things. She was a Quaker, and being a Quaker was illegal in the colonies surrounding Massachusetts. She was told to keep quiet and to leave, but she, with the support of her husband, would not be quiet and she proceeded to preach. This angered the leaders, and she was executed. We might not think too much of this, but her death was what caused many to question their principles. Her death in many ways promoted the colonies to recognize the human right to practice their faith in whatever way they saw fit. The death of Mary ensured our freedom to worship.
If our principles are right why should we be cowards? Jesus took his disciples out to a mountain. They followed him to this mountain, but they did not fully understand what this journey would entail. They had spent three years following Jesus. They walked where he walked, they ate what and where he ate. They listened to his teachings, and they watched as he performed miracles that were beyond their wildest imagination. They followed Jesus for three years. They watched as Jesus challenged the authorities. As Jesus taught, he challenged beliefs that they had held their entire lives, but he did not simply teach these things he lived them out.
Often when we think of Jesus, we do not always see the whole picture. Jesus was born, he grew up within a community just like every other child. He went to school in his local synagogue. Synagogues were more than places of worship; they were centers of education and community enrichment. Like every young boy Jesus went to learn, he learned to read the scrolls of scripture. He listened as the Rabbis taught their interpretations of what they read. And when he became a man, he entered the family business. He worked from the age of thirteen along side his cousins, Joseph, and his uncles. He lived like this for thirty years.
The community he lived was not a large town. It was extremely small. Everyone knew everyone. So, people knew who Jesus was. When he began his ministry, it was in a small community. We do not really know how Jesus went from living in Nazareth to Capernaum but maybe he was hired to help build the synagogue. Because we are told that one of the people involved in a healing performed by Jesus was a God fearing Roman, that had financed construction to Capernaum’s place of worship.
Jesus was known by those within that community, and he began his ministry within his own community. These people listened to his teaching and they responded because Jesus lived it out before their eyes. He worshiped with them, he withdrew to isolated places to pray, and he would minister to the needs that he saw. There was no hypocrisy in his word and action. Yet at times his words challenged them.
The disciples followed Jesus, listening to those words for three years. They watched as he lived his message out before them, and the participated when he encouraged them. But eventually the authorities did not like what they saw. They were afraid that they would lose some of their privilege if Jesus a common carpenter continued to attract attention. Their fear caused division. Their divisions caused hardening of stances and more ridged adherence to their favorite interpretation. They were annoyed by Jesus, they wanted to force him to choose a side, or force him to say something that would discredit his standing within the community. Jesus saw around their power plays. And he challenged them to a greater degree. Then someone with a disability entered the place of worship on the sabbath, Jesus healed that man. And the leaders began to unite against Jesus. He continued to teach, and the crowds continued to come. But sabbath after sabbath people were being healed. Jesus seemingly sought to find people on the sabbath to heal just to cause greater trouble. But when Jesus invited a crippled woman into the place of worship and healed her, the religious leaders had had enough. She was not accepted in that area of the sacred space, and Jesus healed her. Two transgressions to their interpretation of the law.
The disciples watched, listened, and followed. They were there when the authorities unjustly arrested Jesus on trumped up charges. And they watched as the governmental officials judged him not guilty but crucified him anyway. They had just a few weeks earlier proclaimed Jesus to be their king, and the only one that had the words of life, and they then locked themselves in a room out of fear.
But now they are following Jesus to a mountain. Much has changed over the course of a month. Jesus was dead and buried. They were locked in a room, and suddenly Jesus was alive and eating with them again. They did not understand it, and they could hardly believe it, and some even doubted, but Jesus showed them his hands where the nails pierced him, he even told Thomas to put his hand into the wound left by the spear. The doubt left their minds. Jesus was alive, walking and eating with them. And now on the last day that he was with them, they go to this mountain and Jesus give them the mission that will be their life’s work.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [1]
There is much in statement. When Jesus says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, what comes to mind? Ms. Mott has another interesting quote saying, “Truth for authority, not authority for truth.” Jesus has authority because he is truth, he is the word that was spoken to bring the world into existence. He conquered death, a death that the authority of mankind caused, and he lives. Jesus has authority because Christ lives.
Truth for authority, not authority for truth. Jesus once said, “and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” The world seeks to impose authority with force, but that will not last. Jesus also says that those that live by the sword will die by the sword. He is alluding to this unending cycle in human existence where empires are striving to grasp and maintain power and influence but every empire throughout history has eventually come to an end. The world’s authority is like dust in the wind and when we build our lives on the truth of force eventually our lives will crumble.
The authority of man is death, they use this effectively because we fear death. Death is one of the five fears that we all share, and it is probably the biggest fear that we have. Death could not hold Jesus. The very worst that mankind could bestow on another could not keep Jesus from taking that which is rightfully his. Jesus said because I live you also will live. The one thing that the kingdoms of men can hold over us is that fear of death, but Jesus takes that fear on himself, and he obliterates it. Death has no power over those in Christ.
Jesus conquered death when he rose. Which leads us to a major question, the question that Pilate himself asked, what is truth? If we build our entire lives on the things of this world, it will all lead to the same end. Our worldly wealth will come to an end. Our property will be fought over by the generation after us. It will all be whittled down to nothing. Unless we invest in something greater.
Jesus claims his authority and he tells his disciples on that last day he spent on earth, to go and make disciples of all nations. Go and make disciples of all nations. What words stick out in that verse? The first that really grabs my attention is all nations. He does not say one nation or people group but all nations. This goes to the very beginning of God’s revelation to humanity. Yes, God chose on family or nation to make the revelation through, but God made a promise to the fathers of Israel that they would be the light to the nations. God has always been for all because all of humanity is created in God’s image. Male and female reflects the beauty of God. Those from the jungles of the Amazon, those from the artic, the deserts and savannahs of Africa, and the billions of Asia are all reflections of God’s great love and recipients of God’s desire.
Jesus commissions the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. The next word that that stands out to me are the verbs, go and make. These words speak of activity, participation, and continuation. When we go, we leave the comforts of where we are and the embrace the unknown beyond the horizon. To go means that we cannot stay where we are, we cannot be stationary but moving.
When we think of the word make there is a sense of activity. When I was in grade school, one of my teachers gave me a recipe for bread. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I wanted to make bread, because I had never made bread before. I mixed the ingredients and allowed the dough to rise just like the recipe called for. But then the next step was to separate the dough into several balls. There was not any direction in how to do this, so I put my hand in to grab a handful. There was more dough left on my hands than was in the ball I was making. That is the reality of the word make. You are right there getting your hands dirty. Life sticks to you. Sweat rolls off your nose, and at times a trickle of blood might trace its way along a wound. To make something you are not only there you are in with it. And since the activity we are commissioned to participate in is making disciples, we are in with other people, living live with them. If they are struggling, we are standing beside them. If they are excited, we celebrate along with them. When they mourn, we weep too. We reflect the very life of Jesus; worshipping, praying, and serving. Teaching as we work along side them. Helping make sure there is enough to drink at a party. And when someone is sick, we nurture them. We do this not to make converts but to reflect Christ. When they see that abundant life of Christ, they must then answer their own call to go and to make along side us.
The past few weeks have shown us how very fragile our world is. One microscopic virus has our entire world on its knees. And because we are all struggling fires begin to blaze and the authority of world pushes back. Mott said, “If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?” She lived in a time where there was a nation enslaved by another and she boldly spoke out against it, because it was contrary to Truth. She was so emboldened by this mission she bravely crossed the ocean to speak out against the practice in the capital city of an empire. She did not stay; she was on the go and she lived the truth in all she did. Mary Dyer did not stay but she was also on the go. She boldly proclaimed the message God gave her even under the threat of death and as a rope went around her throat she did not falter because Truth has authority over the authorities of men. We need to be on the go, and we need to participate in the making of disciples of all nations. We need to stand for truth and when we fear we need to withdraw to pray and make sure our principles are right. As we enter this time of open worship, I ask that you reflect on why we might fear today and ask yourself on whose authority you are putting your trust. And as we pray, I encourage you all to pray for all nations, including those among our community.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 28:18–20). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.