Scripture: Luke 23:1-49
It is always difficult to read this passage of scripture. The violence portrayed by nearly everyone, if you really were to imagine it, would give many people nightmares. Imagine the scene. For many of us it is not to difficult, hollywood has given us plenty of images. But really imagine it. Imagine you were a servant in the courts of these government official, that just happened to be cleaning up as a crowd of angry people stormed into the courtyard.
I suggest a servant of the court at first because the servant would not know the inner workings of the government. That is really where most of us would be. We only hear stories about what is going on inside and outside our community, but we do not really know how those stories are affecting our everyday life. So you are a servant sweeping the steps, the crowd pushes by you as they seek an audience with the Roman governor. You listen as they are screaming about a man…wait you have heard about that guy. Jesus he healed the servant of the centurion.
I start here because this story runs deeper than just a dispute within the Hebrew faith, it connects to the whole world. Jesus was loved by the Jews, Greeks, and even Romans.
This is where the story gets interesting. Rome, the government, could careless about Jesus. Do not get me wrong, they knew about him, they probably had spies infiltrating his followers, but he was not a concern of theirs. They are only concerned if there is a threat to the status qua.
This is really interesting if you think about it. The trial was over before it began. One question was asked and the trial was over. Jesus was not a concern of Rome. Jesus could have said anything really, the governor already knew that the crowd was presenting false charges. So when he saw them approaching the court he had probably already gave the order to the floggers to start preparing for a beating. Blood would flow but death in the eyes of Rome was not needed.
Have you ever really thought about the story in that way. Pilate figured this was an open shut case, but the people whose power was threatened by Jesus were persistent. Pilate then realized that the mob was a bigger threat. Jesus is from Herod’s jurisdiction. Send the mob there. Pilate did not get to where he was by being politically ignorant. The best thing for him was to get this out of Jerusalem, because no political leader wants a riot in his town.
Herod the small town governor gets excited. It is not because he feels threatened, but he was going to get a show from the miracle man. Again Herod already knew that politically the threat was not from Jesus but the mob, he gave a mock trial hoping for a show. He too sent Jesus back and then the two governors became friends, meaning they cut a deal.
Where is the focus? As a person without power, as a servant in the court, or maybe a merchant on the street these event are just another story of the ruling class fighting. But this time they are fighting over the guy that gave sight to the blind guy that was on the corner. They are fighting over the rabbi that actually took time to answer the question you asked when you joined the others on the hill side. Why are they accusing him? Why? Why were the religious leaders so upset when the governors showed little concern?
There is and always will be a place for religion on society. The religious aspects of society are the most intimate of communities. The religious communities can unite for a cause and they can change the direction of the culture. Freedom of religion is to be a voice of conscience to the society, they question the intentions of the government and they give a voice to the least of the community. The religious mediate between the extremes.
This is when religion is good. But because religion is so intimate with the communities they can be used to advance agendas. Religion has been infiltrated throughout history to gain support from causes. The crusades are probably one of the darkest aspects of the Christian Church. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the largest supporters of the military actions in the middle east was also a monk that wrote great essays on love. Bernard loved God and mankind yet somehow someone convinced him that a holy war was necessary. The words of a leader prompted people to love also prompted them to to hate. I love Bernard. I personally believe that he was a great leader in the church, but religious leaders can get caught in things. At times those things can detract from the original message.
I mention this because it is similar. The religious leaders were threatened. They reacted. The people stopped listening to them. The people were not seeking their rabbis for extended education. Someone was pointing out where they failed. They several options available. They could have examined their actions or they could stand firm in there traditions. These are both options used successfully by faith organizations. There is a third option also, silence the opposition.
Unfortunately silence is all too often the option taken. Power is threatened or weakness is exposed, and the prophet is discredited or sent away. If they cannot be discredited then the stakes are raised. Death is the final step.
Jesus came to the world to bring the light of God to mankind. He came to bring the kingdom of God. This threatens nations and religions if they are devoted to power only. People give power to mankind and if someone changes the views of people power is transferred to others. Light exposes what was once hidden in darkness. And power seekers often want their agendas left hidden. So what was exposed by Jesus that threatened the people of power? This is where it is time to imagine again…who or what are you thinking about when you read this passage?
The crowd yelled crucify him in Pilate’s courts not because of nationalism, but because Jesus exposed something about them that they did not want too or could not deal with. They were losing their power and if they lost control then they would loss everything they worked so hard to gain.
Jesus exposes the hidden things of the power seekers. He exposes the injustice of those in control. And every day since that day of ancient times, we each have yelled with everyone else crucify him. We yell it when we let political agendas usurp our testimonies of faith. We scream it at the top of our lungs when we let our communities fall into darkness because we fail to help. We each yell crucify him when we put ourselves before our community.
Is he the king? The only question asked by the infamous Pilate…Jesus’ answer to him, “You say so.”
Is he king or should we just crucify him again.
Scripture: John 12:1-8
St. Patrick’s day is one of the only saint days I ever like to celebrate. I do this because I find the life of Patrick fascinating even though most of what we know about him is seeped with legend. I like this day because it celebrates what one life devoted to God can really do. There is something remarkable about one man going into a nation that was opposed to his faith, starting a ministry, devoting his entire life to that ministry, and to see nearly an entire nation convert. What a dramatic story. It is a story that has attracted me to the Celtic Christian traditions in many ways. I have read about their spirituality and how they approached evangelism, and have found that it is actually very remarkable. They converted most people through encouragement. They started where they were at that moment and encouraged them to take a step closer to God.
In most legends of Patrick we hear about how he would teach the concept of the Triune God through the illustration of the shamrock. It is a great illustration in many ways. The first is that the Celtic people did not worship in buildings like we do but instead they would worship out in nature. The resurgence of the ancient Celtic religions is in a large part to this worship in and of nature. Patrick did not condemn nature because nature is part of creation, he would instead use what they knew already to teach them a deeper truth.
So often times we try to convince people of the truth, argue and debate over what is right, but we put so much effort in knowing all the answers to the potential questions that we fail to listen to the question. The early Celtic Church would go into areas and build monasteries. These monasteries would then become centers of villages that would educate people and eventually would become centers for trade. They would then plant another monastery and the cycle would continue until there were monasteries all around Ireland. This was early in the church and Ireland was nearly independent of the influences of the rest of the Catholic Church. The way that they did things was different; the leader of the church was not a bishop but the monastery’s abbot. This is important because the leader of the church was not appointed but was groomed to lead that community. Sometimes it was a tribal leader or a family, at other times the abbot was a person that rose to their position out of great spiritual devotion. They would lead the community in faith and action.
The Celtic form of Evangelism was Pray, Worship, and Ministry. They set up the house of prayer, they built the center for worship, and they lived among the people teaching and encouraging a faithful life. It is truly a beautiful history. For nearly a thousand years this community based approach flourished and even spread into other areas of Europe. They had a unique manner of expressing their faith in God, and it saved not only Ireland but also the Catholic Church. The Irish were an artistic people; they expressed this in poetry, song, and ink.
Today we celebrate that rich heritage of Ireland, but that rich heritage goes well beyond the emerald Isle. In many ways it goes right back to this meal at Bethany in the house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. This house is mentioned often in the gospels as if it became a central hub of the ministry of Jesus. There are really two centers, Capernaum to the North and Bethany in the south. Jesus spent so much time in this place; he was so fond of this family that one of the greatest miracles blessed them. This house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary was one of the first churches of the Way; it was a place of worship and renewal. It was the sanctuary of Sabbath retreat for the traveling ministers of Christ. They meet there, they share a meal, and they praise God.
Why is this house so important? It is widely believed that this family was the major supporters of the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. Jesus was literally without a home. After his baptism in the Jordon his first disciple chased him down and wanted to follow him. Jesus told them that foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. So it was the houses of people like this family that became the home base for the ministry. But it goes deeper than this, it is often said that Mary was the woman caught in adultery that Jesus saved from execution, and that she was also delivered from bondage of seven demons. Lazarus was so dear to Jesus that he was raised from the dead after being buried in the family tomb. This family, if legends are true, was blessed by God through Jesus so it is no wonder that they would become some of the greatest supporters of the ministry.
We see in this story a great exchange. Mary anoints Jesus and washes his feet with her hair. It is a beautiful and intimate ritual. She is kneeling before her Lord the one that saved her life, and she gives him all that she has. She lathers the feet of Jesus with one pound of costly perfume. Let us consider this for just a moment. Nard is not easily found in Israel. It comes from the roots of a plant that is native in Nepal, China, and India. This is something that has been transported from the far eastern regions of the Persian Empire. This is a perfume that is costly; it was used in the Song of Songs by the woman to anoint her lover and king. This perfume is not something a common person would obtain, and it is not something that would be used in vain. In this scene Mary is expressing her total commitment and service to Jesus, she is anointing him as her king. She is expressing devotion and love for this man who saved her and gives her a purpose in life. She uses a pound of nard. This is a pound of thick oil being worked into the skin of Jesus’ feet and into her hair; the air is filled with the fragrant aroma. Which leads us to yet another use of nard. This same oil was used in the making of incense for the temple. It is still used by churches throughout the world to represent the sweet smell of pray and praise being lifted up into heaven as it is burned and the smoke fills the air. Mary and all present are in a state of worship.
Jesus sits and lets Mary do this to him. Mary’s brother is sitting there at the table with him. This is something that should be done in the marriage chamber but it is something more. There is a love and devotion that runs deeper than marriage; this is intimacy of God and man. But there is one that objects to this worship, Judas. The first thing out of his mouth is “Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?” In the very act of worship the idolatry rears it’s head. Jesus says, “Leave her alone.”
Leave her alone. There is a place for beauty, and a place for ministry. There is a time for rest and a time to work. There is a time and place for everything under heaven. I say that this story links to the story of Ireland because the story of Ireland is not one of beauty and peace but is often plagued with war. Ireland was devoted to God and as a result they created some of the most priceless treasures of faithful art. In their monasteries they created or illuminated gospels to distribute throughout Christendom. They carried these treasures to each new monastery they established throughout all of Europe. The demand for the books copied by their monks were great and Ireland in their love for God was flooding the Holy Roman Empire with the Nard of the Word, and those in power became jealous. They became jealous of the power that the Irish monks had with the people because they lived with and encourage the people. They became jealous that these monks and priest of the Irish rite were not conforming to their will and a crusade was waged against them.
The great story of a nation coming to Christ through Patrick became a story of tragedy by jealous pride and betrayal. The greatest supporters of the church in Europe were betrayed by the very people they honored and represented. All because of money and power. Judas betrayed Christ for money, Judas was not capable to join the others in the worship of Christ as Mary anointed the feet of Jesus because he was not worshiping God but he was consumed by the idolatry of the denarii. A year’s wages was dumped on Jesus’ feet, and Judas could not fathom the waste because he had plans for that money. But money is just a tool. It is ultimately worthless. Yet this one tool often times become the purpose of many. Judas had plans for the money; he even had plans for this pound of perfume. He had good plans actually, plans for ministry. Give it to the poor, but why?
Why are we doing what we do? Why do we give what we give? Mary bought the perfume to honor Jesus so that she could keep it for the day of his burial. Yet Jesus was not dead, she instead used it to honor him while he still lived. And then Jesus says something that is very strange, “you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
You always have the poor. This is a crazy cryptic phrase. It can be interpreted many different ways. Some people interpret it as meaning that there will always be people oppressing them. Some interpret it, as meaning there will always be people in need. If we combine the two it means that there will always be a need for ministry…[B]ut you do not always have me. We can look out at the people around us struggling to make ends meet, struggling to keep their businesses going, struggling to just feed their kids and keep a roof over their heads. We can become so consumed by the needs, that we can become focused on what we do not have instead of what we have. This is bondage, bondage to the cult of money. There is never enough when you are focused on what you do not have. There is always someone with more or someone with something better. Judas was caught in that bondage just as many of us are, bound by what we don’t have instead of what we do. We have enough to honor God.
Patrick started with what people had, a shamrock. And from that shamrock an entire nation turned to God. From that shamrock, Ireland turned to the light and carried that light into the world. He entered Ireland with nothing and left Ireland rich in faith. Mary worshiped Christ with what she had, she freely gave it all she gave in worship without knowing what would happen in the future, and she was honored.
I close today with a challenge as we move ever closer to the week of the year we remember the sacrifice of Jesus for each of us. I often encourage us to imagine ourselves in the scripture to identify with a character in the story. Today I ask whom do you identify with? Are you Mary? Pouring out your love and devotion to the king who lifted you out of a life of bondage and sin? Or are you trapped in bondage? Are you trapped by your past, by your circumstances, or by some sort of idolatry? As we enter into this time of open worship and holy expectancy, as we examine our lives or break open the jars of perfume in our hearts let us remember that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to love the world and to bring each of us to him through his life, his death, and his resurrection.
Saint Patrick’s “Breastplate” Prayer
I bind unto myself today The strong Name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever. By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation; His baptism in the Jordan River; His death on Cross for my salvation; His bursting from the spicèd tomb; His riding up the heavenly way; His coming at the day of doom; I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power Of the great love of the cherubim; The sweet ‘well done’ in judgment hour, The service of the seraphim, Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word, The Patriarchs’ prayers, the Prophets’ scrolls, All good deeds done unto the Lord, And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today The virtues of the starlit heaven, The glorious sun’s life-giving ray, The whiteness of the moon at even, The flashing of the lightning free, The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks, The stable earth, the deep salt sea, Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today The power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need. The wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward, The word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin, The vice that gives temptation force, The natural lusts that war within, The hostile men that mar my course; Or few or many, far or nigh, In every place and in all hours, Against their fierce hostility, I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan’s spells and wiles, Against false words of heresy, Against the knowledge that defiles, Against the heart’s idolatry, Against the wizard’s evil craft, Against the death wound and the burning, The choking wave and the poisoned shaft, Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name, The strong Name of the Trinity; By invocation of the same. The Three in One, and One in Three, Of Whom all nature hath creation, Eternal Father, Spirit, Word: Praise to the Lord of my salvation, Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Scripture: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
This parable can stir up many visual images in our lives. That is the main reason I wanted us to watch the parable acted out in video. To hear the words and to see one instance of it being acted out is moving.
If we were to apply these verses to our own lives, which of the characters would we most identify with? I ask this question because that is the intent of story. Stories are told to incite emotional responses of either positive or negative intent. As humans we have a long history of story telling. From the ancient bards, to the Victorian playwrights, from the novelist to the screenplay writers, from the comic book artist to the lyricist basically all forms of entertainment can draw their roots deep into history back to the oral tradition of story telling. Jesus was a masterful storyteller. His stories were humorous, thrilling, mysterious, and filled with inspiration. Probably of all the scripture we could quote from memory, I would guess that the vast majority would be a parable of some sort. And in these stories Jesus is asking us to identify with a character walk around in their clothing and consider their point of view.
Just as with any story we can more easily identify with certain characters than others. In the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet who is it that we identify with? More often than not we identify with either Romeo or Juliet, rarely do we identify with the parents of the two main cheaters, I doubt any of us have ever identified with the priest that performed the secret wedding of this tragic couple. Yet there are times where you might happen upon a random showing of the movie playing on the classic movie channel and maybe the situation of your life at that time would lead you to identify with someone different than usual, in High school you were sure to think the story was about love, but as an adult and as your children begin the courtship rituals of our culture you may think something totally different. As a teen you see love flourishing against all odds, as an adult you identify with the tragedy of the story more easily.
How do we identify with this parable? Which of the characters do we identify with? As you listen to the words were you thinking more about the younger son, if you were what might that mean? Do you identify with the desire to get away from the family that seems to be limiting your potential? Maybe you in the course of your current course of life can really identify with the father of the children. Your family is in a place where your children are moving away (or you wish they’d move away), and they are rejecting the ideas you have tried so hard to teach. Maybe you listened to these words and you seem to side with the older son. You have spent your life working along side your parents and you may feel like you were overlooked because the sibling that moved away has just come home and suddenly everything is revolving around them and the consistency of your service to the family is seemingly forgotten.
I can honestly say that I have read this passage countless times. I have had so many different experiences with this passage at various stages of my life that to me, it seems to be on of the most moving parables that Jesus spoke. Though I am not the most experienced of pastors in the terms of length of service, my life has had many twists and turns. I have been on the side of the elder brother, I have been jealous of the attention my siblings have had. I am the middle child, I have been rather healthy and I rarely got into trouble so at times I felt neglected and overlooked. As I have matured I realized that that was a feeling that was not supported in anyway by facts, the truth is I was loved deeply by my parents. I have been the younger son that rejected the teachings of my parents and went out on my own to blaze my own trail, as a result I have also been the younger son that came back home to beg forgiveness of my lifestyle and had to face the consequences of my actions. I have been the son embraced by the loving parent. I have been the parent that has seen my child in the distance longing just to hold them in my arms. I have also been the one filled with anger.
If each of us were to examine our spiritual journeys and were to compose a spiritual autobiography we would probably notice areas in our lives where we more closely identified with each of these characters. I encourage each of you to just consider that at some point. But for right now let us look at this story not through the eyes of our own personal journey with Christ. Instead I would like us to look at this story through the eyes of our Meeting or Church.
I think that this is a very proper way to approach this parable as a community of faith because it was spoken not in a personal context but in a community. It was spoken to a community of people with a common heritage that connected them together. When I was meditating on this parable this week the old song kept playing in my head: “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God, I’ve been washed in the fountain cleansed by the blood, Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, I am part of a family the family of God.” The reason this song kept playing in my head is because this parable speaks beyond a nuclear family but stretches into the realm of a community. In a community there can be a closeness that extends beyond the tradition family. The church is that type of community or family.
Let us consider who we are as a church as a Friends Meeting in this parable. We could be one of four different types of personalities as a church. We could be a rebellious meeting rejecting the time-honored traditions of the past. We could be a judgmental meeting that is so bound up in the legalistic aspects of the church that we become angry when things do not go the way we want. We can be Meeting driven by guilt over our past. Or we can be a church driven by repentance and grace.
The rebellious meeting is actually a very interesting concept. To be honest if we look at church history most denominations were once started in one way or another in this rebellious manner. I say this not because I reject the protestant reformation, but there was a rebellious spirit involved that prompted these religious protests. We divide because we feel that we have some greater understanding of the teachings of Christ that is better than the group we were once part of. So we gather a following and we go our own way, at times our parent meetings willingly release the rebellious order and at other times the divide is less than harmonious. The rebellious church can rebel against morality, ethics, piety, interpretations, or many other different reasons. Rebellion can also be present even without formal divides.
The guilt driven church is one that is continuously focused on the past. It constantly reminds everyone present that they are sinners deserving the wrath of God for their conduct. I say that it is a personality but this particular personality is bipolar. It can be accompanied with either grace or judgment. This personality is one that moves from one extreme to the other but leaves those present wanting. They are not lifted out of their current state and are left feeding the pigs. They know that there is grace available but they sit. They feel they need to do something to make them better but they bound by the responsibility of paying for their past. Many churches are caught in this bipolar guilt driven personality. We remain where we are afraid to reach out because we know our failings and we know our weaknesses.
Then there is the Church of the Elder son, or the judgmental church. These churches are focused on being right. It is easy to be trapped by this type of personality. They have a holiness aspect that do the right things and say the right words. They can become very legalistic and those outside of their community are not acceptable. They have rigid standards for membership and if you have failed you are often shamed. These churches do not do wrong in their eyes, if you do not agree then you must leave. Often times this idea provide the fuel for rebellion.
Then there is the repentant church. A repentant church is one that recognizes that they are an assembly of humans that often times can be caught up. They seek the spirit of God to direct their paths and they move forward with confidence. The repentant church is filled with grace because they know they have been given grace. They embrace a hope for the future instead of dwelling on the failings of the past. They see a hurting person and they open their arms to them, they accept them into the community and gently encourage them to change, instead of focusing on the errors. They do not judge but they allow the consequences of past actions to play though while they walk along side them carrying them into the celebration of the lost being found and the dead coming to life.
Which church are we? In many cases the story of Christianity has been a bipolar guilt driven church. The guilt driven church can control the masses by offering an escape from the wrath of God. We have preached the sacrifice of Christ to appease the wrath of an angry father. Within this framework lives can change yet many are left in the exact place they were little or no change, grace and love are not fruit in their lives because all they have experienced is a substitution their life for that of Christ. This is not the total gospel. Jesus did not preach substitutionary atonement but the Kingdom of God being at hand.
The rebellious church and judgmental church also leaves the community without. Those driven away from the judgmental church either flee completely or they enter rebellion. People begin living a life of hypocrisy. It promotes social changes and moral legislation but it also divides people into the haves and the have-nots. They may change lives today but ultimately leave the spirit longing for relationship. This social gospel was something that Jesus promoted but it was not the totality of his message. Jesus calls us to abide with him, and in that abiding we will be more than servants but friends of God.
Both sons in the parable are products of the misguided ideologies the truth of the gospel is not found in the control of the guilty conscience or the social engineering of a culture. It is found in the grace and turning of the rebellious into a community. It is found in the turning of the judgmental to the forgiving accepting community. Do not hear incorrectly there is only one way the way of Christ. Jesus preached a total change, a turning of the mind, body, and spirit. This total change is one built on grace, forgiveness, redemption, and discipline.
The father ran to greet the rebellious younger son and in the same day he offered the same grace to the rebellious elder son. The elder often forgotten son has all the abundance of the father around him, yet unwilling to join in. Both sons are equally rebellious, both have equally fallen short of the blessing and joy that the father has to offer. We are often more like that elder son than the younger. Our rebellion is not in the form of out right immorality, but it is just as dangerous. We stand in the doorway holding onto our devotion as being good enough yet we keep ourselves from experiencing the joy of the heavenly celebration.
The judgmental church knows the lifestyle that will provide the abundant life, yet they do not join in. The rebellious son runs from the disciplined life seeking to fill its life with pleasure but soon realizes that pleasure is not abundant life either. Both miss out. God is the father; the father’s joy comes from the relationship. It is not found in control, it is not found in rebellion, joy is not found in judgment but in relationship.
The church is to be reflective of the father of this parable, though often we instead reflect the sons. The father does not control, but he loves. He allows the experience of rebellion to happen even though he knows the lifestyle will cause pain, and he waits with open arms. We are called to love. We are called to welcome and celebrate the return of any person back into the fold of God. We do not say their actions are acceptable, but we offer a different lifestyle. A lifestyle of Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and Living the Love of Christ with others. Which son are you? Which church are we?