I received the following email this past week:
Since the passing of my father recently the question of what happens
when we die is ever on my mothers mind. I might add mine too. I have
read a lot on it on the internet and the Bible and I must admit it can be overwhelming for a simple minded person like myself. I wanted to ask you if on your blog did you address the question and if
so when. I tried looking in the archives but was unable to find one...After reading a lot of thoughts from other people and their reasoning I
always came to the thought of what is Pastor Haug's thoughts.
Heady topic with lots of stuff out there.
Interestingly enough, this week's Living Lutheran: Ask a Pastor section was on this very topic. Answers there vary. Answers with a lot of pastors and professors vary.
Here's my short answer: we don't know exactly. That's the truth.
There's only been one person that I know of who experienced the fullness of death for three days and then returned, and He didn't do too much talking about what was going on when His body lay in the tomb.
Sure, there have been others who have had near death experiences. Some have tried to explain these experiences as the brain going into shut down mode and having a hyper-burst of activity. However, there are some experiences where the brain is completely shut down for days, and yet these experiences still occur. Some have recorded these experiences and sold them on the market. At the recommendation of church members, I have read both:
Heaven is for Real
Proof of Heaven
Both of these books are quite interesting and intriguing. Both have sold thousands of copies, but they are vastly different in what they convey about life after death. Vastly different.
So, what is true?
I don't know, but this is what I trust:
When I die, I believe I will go to be with God.
Yes, I know this doesn't exactly gel with St. Paul's understanding of death: that we fall asleep until the resurrection. But it does gel with other portions of scripture.
For instance, this Sunday's Gospel passage from the book of Luke. Jesus is asked a question about the resurrection by the Sadducees. Of course the Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection of the dead. They believe once a person is dead: that's it.
Yet, Jesus doesn't buy that train of thought. He answers them rather profoundly (bold emphasis mine):
27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30then the second 31and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32Finally the woman also died. 33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’ 34 Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’ 39Then some of the scribes answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ 40For they no longer dared to ask him another question.
"Now, He is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to Him all of them are alive."
This is quite the interesting statement, is it not? How can Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still be living? Their bones have surely decayed and returned to the dust long sense? How could they be considered living?
Jesus offers more insight when He gives the parable of the rich man and Lazarus:
19 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
24He called out, “Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.”
25But Abraham said,
“Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good
things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted
here, and you are in agony.
26Besides all this,
between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might
want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from
there to us.”
27He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—
28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.”
29Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.”
30He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”
31He said to him, “If
they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ’
While this indeed is a parable; it does tell us something of how Jesus viewed what happened after death.
#1. There is life after it.
#2. Some are taken to be with Abraham wherever he may be (With God?).
#3. Some head to torment.
#4. There is a separation between these two places that cannot be crossed.
Some might like to stop here, but Jesus certainly doesn't. Jesus, as Paul talks about the resurrection.
Some folks like to do an either/or. Either heaven and hell or resurrection to a new heaven and a new earth.
I like to combine them with the both/and. Some part of us goes on living--goes to be with God (or torment) as we await the last judgment. Then, on that day, we are reembodied at the resurrection.
Again, I don't know for sure. Haven't been on the other side to check. One thing is for sure: we'll all find out.
Showing posts with label both/and. Show all posts
Showing posts with label both/and. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
We Are God's Children, Now!
I don’t know how many of you have seen the Broadway musical and motion picture, "My Fair Lady." It is based on George Bernard Shaw’s play, "Pygmalion." It is about a brilliant professor, Henry Higgins, who transforms a humble flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into an elegant English lady. In the midst of her brilliant transformation, Eliza falls in love with Henry Higgins, but he treats her only with disdain.
Towards the end of the play, she expresses her complaint to their mutual friend, Colonel Pickering: "You see," she says, "Really and truly apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not in how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will."
Think about this story for just a minute as we consider the fact that today we celebrate All Saints Day in the life of the Church. It is the day in the Church year where we remember the saints–those who have gone onto eternal glory and those who are among us now who have profoundly impacted our lives–particularly our lives of faith.
For many, when the term saint is mentioned, they think about a person who has exceptional morals or who had done extraordinary things. They think about a Mother Teresa, a Pope John Paul II, a Peter, a Paul, a miracle worker, a person who volunteers all of their spare time to help out at soup kitchens, food pantries, or other charitable organizations. Rarely do we think of the person sitting right next to us as a saint. No. We know too much about that person. We know too much about his or her past. We know what he or she does on the weekends or how he or she treated us with just a touch of anger at some point and time in our lives. We know how they don’t keep their lawns perfectly manicured; how they spend money frivolously; how they could do so much more to help others but they choose not to. No, that person couldn’t possibly be a saint. She is just a simple flower girl, never a lady: or, in Christian terms, that person is a sinner not a saint.
One might think that with such an attitude, these folks would think more highly of themselves than they should. One might think that those with such an attitude would consider themselves above the people they think about. However, I would submit to you this morning, they probably don’t. They probably look in the mirror and say, “I am no saint either. I do not do enough good things. I am no Mother Teresa. I am no St. John. I am no St. Francis of Assissi. I’m not the most horrible person in the world, but neither am I so great. I get angry. I get frustrated. I say things I shouldn’t say. I do things I shouldn’t do. I know my limitations and my imperfections all too well. I am no saint. I am a sinner.” I am just a simple flower girl, but I really am not a lady to return to the opening illustration..
This is where we get with either/or thinking. This is where we get when we start thinking in terms which are not necessarily Christian. For the orthodox Christian faith proclaims that we are not either a sinner or a saint. The orthodox Christian faith proclaims that we are both a sinner AND a saint. Consider that very, very carefully, and then consider its implications.
And as you consider it, listen once more to the words of 1 John. Words that we heard earlier this morning: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
John holds up this balance very well. We are children of God NOW. Not later. Not when we are finally brought to perfection. We belong to Him NOW. Yet, we have not reached perfection. We have not been fully purified. That will take place slowly and surely in a process called sanctification. We are in the process of being transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. God has claimed us NOW, but we are not there yet.
And that raises and interesting question for me: how am I then called to treat others? How am I called to look at them? What am I called to emphasize about them, and how am I supposed to relate to them? As simple flower girls? As ladies–going back to the original story?
Let me try to shed some light on this question with another story. It is a story I have told before, but it bears repeating again and again and again.
Back in the mountains of Tennessee, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy? Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'
He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid
going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. Little Ben had heard good things about this preacher how he was kind and non-judgmental. He heard that he was compassionate and full of the Spirit.
Before long, Ben decided he wanted to check this preacher out. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' Ben liked the things he heard in that church. He liked hearing about a God who loved and forgave. In fact, on one particular Sunday, Ben was so caught up in the message that he forgot to slip out early. Before he knew what was happening he got caught up in the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?'
The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church
looking at him. This was the question everyone was dying to receive an answer for. Ben expected harsh words, condemnation. But something very different happened.
This new preacher looked deeply into Ben’s eyes. With a great big grin, the preacher said, “Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.” With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, “Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.”
Perhaps I should tell you that little boy went on to become the governor of Tennessee. Perhaps that is relevant to the story. Perhaps it is not. Perhaps what is most important was the way the preacher thought to look at Ben. Whereas many could only see him as an illegitimate son of an unwed mother, this pastor saw him as a child of God–and worthy of love, respect, care, concern, and compassion.
Each of you are worthy of such things as well. Each of you have been adopted in the waters of baptism and have been claimed as God’s children now. No, you are not perfect, but God’s not done with you yet. He loves you dearly. He wants you to know that, and He hopes that you will treat one another with the same love He gives you. For that is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
Towards the end of the play, she expresses her complaint to their mutual friend, Colonel Pickering: "You see," she says, "Really and truly apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not in how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will."
Think about this story for just a minute as we consider the fact that today we celebrate All Saints Day in the life of the Church. It is the day in the Church year where we remember the saints–those who have gone onto eternal glory and those who are among us now who have profoundly impacted our lives–particularly our lives of faith.
For many, when the term saint is mentioned, they think about a person who has exceptional morals or who had done extraordinary things. They think about a Mother Teresa, a Pope John Paul II, a Peter, a Paul, a miracle worker, a person who volunteers all of their spare time to help out at soup kitchens, food pantries, or other charitable organizations. Rarely do we think of the person sitting right next to us as a saint. No. We know too much about that person. We know too much about his or her past. We know what he or she does on the weekends or how he or she treated us with just a touch of anger at some point and time in our lives. We know how they don’t keep their lawns perfectly manicured; how they spend money frivolously; how they could do so much more to help others but they choose not to. No, that person couldn’t possibly be a saint. She is just a simple flower girl, never a lady: or, in Christian terms, that person is a sinner not a saint.
One might think that with such an attitude, these folks would think more highly of themselves than they should. One might think that those with such an attitude would consider themselves above the people they think about. However, I would submit to you this morning, they probably don’t. They probably look in the mirror and say, “I am no saint either. I do not do enough good things. I am no Mother Teresa. I am no St. John. I am no St. Francis of Assissi. I’m not the most horrible person in the world, but neither am I so great. I get angry. I get frustrated. I say things I shouldn’t say. I do things I shouldn’t do. I know my limitations and my imperfections all too well. I am no saint. I am a sinner.” I am just a simple flower girl, but I really am not a lady to return to the opening illustration..
This is where we get with either/or thinking. This is where we get when we start thinking in terms which are not necessarily Christian. For the orthodox Christian faith proclaims that we are not either a sinner or a saint. The orthodox Christian faith proclaims that we are both a sinner AND a saint. Consider that very, very carefully, and then consider its implications.
And as you consider it, listen once more to the words of 1 John. Words that we heard earlier this morning: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
John holds up this balance very well. We are children of God NOW. Not later. Not when we are finally brought to perfection. We belong to Him NOW. Yet, we have not reached perfection. We have not been fully purified. That will take place slowly and surely in a process called sanctification. We are in the process of being transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. God has claimed us NOW, but we are not there yet.
And that raises and interesting question for me: how am I then called to treat others? How am I called to look at them? What am I called to emphasize about them, and how am I supposed to relate to them? As simple flower girls? As ladies–going back to the original story?
Let me try to shed some light on this question with another story. It is a story I have told before, but it bears repeating again and again and again.
Back in the mountains of Tennessee, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy? Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'
He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid
going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. Little Ben had heard good things about this preacher how he was kind and non-judgmental. He heard that he was compassionate and full of the Spirit.
Before long, Ben decided he wanted to check this preacher out. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' Ben liked the things he heard in that church. He liked hearing about a God who loved and forgave. In fact, on one particular Sunday, Ben was so caught up in the message that he forgot to slip out early. Before he knew what was happening he got caught up in the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?'
The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church
looking at him. This was the question everyone was dying to receive an answer for. Ben expected harsh words, condemnation. But something very different happened.
This new preacher looked deeply into Ben’s eyes. With a great big grin, the preacher said, “Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.” With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, “Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.”
Perhaps I should tell you that little boy went on to become the governor of Tennessee. Perhaps that is relevant to the story. Perhaps it is not. Perhaps what is most important was the way the preacher thought to look at Ben. Whereas many could only see him as an illegitimate son of an unwed mother, this pastor saw him as a child of God–and worthy of love, respect, care, concern, and compassion.
Each of you are worthy of such things as well. Each of you have been adopted in the waters of baptism and have been claimed as God’s children now. No, you are not perfect, but God’s not done with you yet. He loves you dearly. He wants you to know that, and He hopes that you will treat one another with the same love He gives you. For that is what it means to Live God’s Word Daily. Amen.
Monday, August 19, 2013
What Happened to Jesus?
Something a little different to start:
And for those who would rather read instead of watching the video:
I don’t know how many of you remember the original movie “The Karate Kid,” but I sure do. When I first saw it as a youngster, I thought it was one of the best movies I had seen. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I would play around and imitate the “Crane Technique.” Anyone remember that one?
There was a very impressionable scene when the main character, Daniel, is about to begin receiving his training from Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi asks Daniel if he is ready to begin, and Daniel replies, “Yeah, I guess so.”
Mr. Miyagi then says, “Daniel-san, must talk. Walk on road. Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk in middle, sooner or later (squiiiiiiik) get squish just like grape. Here karate same thing. Either you karate do yes or you karate do no. You karate do guess so, (squiiiiiiik) just like grape.”
The implication is awfully clear. There is an either/or proposition. Either you do things one way or you things the other way. There is no middle ground.
A lot of times, we as Christians do the same thing with Jesus, and one of the prevailing thoughts regarding Jesus in the Church is that He is love. And if Jesus is all about love, then He certainly can’t do anything or say anything which is opposite of love.
We flesh out that picture of Jesus by citing many favorite stories and sayings of Jesus. “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Love your enemies and bless those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:38-39)
There is the parable of the Prodigal Son, or as others have begun to call it, the Parable of the Prodigal Father who goes above and beyond to show love and compassion to both of his children even enduring humiliation to show them that kind of love.
And finally, there is Jesus’ new command given to His disciples at the Last Supper, “Love one another as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Yes, Jesus was all about love–all about showing God’s love–and we just need to love everyone like He loved us. This is what Christianity is all about!!! Love, love, love. It’s that simple. If something doesn’t speak of such love, then it cannot be of Jesus. “Walk on right side of road. Safe.”
Ah, but then one runs across stories and sayings like our Gospel lesson for today. Listen to Jesus’ words once again:
49 ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ (Luke 12)
Just what happened to Jesus? Where is all that love? He speaks of bringing fire to earth? He speaks of bringing division? What happened to love one another? This sounds quite different. It sounds more judgmental! Surely this can’t be right. It doesn’t seem to gel with the idea that Jesus is all about showing God’s love. Does it? Is Jesus more of a judge? Did Jesus show up to render judgment and call us to mend our ways and get our lives back in order?
Well, there is a portion of Christianity which builds a case for Jesus being exactly this, and they use the above Bible verses and others to show that indeed Jesus renders such judgment upon us.
Matthew 4:7, Jesus says, “Repent for the kingdom of God has come near!”
Luke 5:32. “I have come not to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance.”
“Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5)
“In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7)
And there is that long parable of the last judgment in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells of the last day when God will judge the sheep and the goats. Those who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, and the imprisoned will head to a heavenly reward while those who refused to show such compassion will end up separated from God for eternity.
Indeed Jesus came to render such judgment, and there are more than a few Christians who harp on this fact to no end. In fact, some almost revel in rendering these judgments upon others believing they are doing the Kingdom of God a favor. “Walk on left side of road, safe.”
Or so it seems. Either go with Jesus as Lord of Love and be safe or go with Jesus as Righteous Judge and be safe. Try to do anything more, and squish, just like grape. Right?
Wrong. Unequivocally, wrong.
For, the reality is that the same Jesus who showed compassion and love is the same Jesus who rendered judgment and called for repentance. The same Jesus who prayed that His followers would all be one is the same Jesus who said He came not to bring peace but bring division. It is the same Jesus on both counts. It is not an either/or, it is a both/and.
There is no doubt that Jesus came to earth to show God’s love and compassion. He came to heal. To bind up the broken hearted. To restore to community those whom had been shunned. To forgive those whom society had labeled sinner and unworthy to stand before God. To make people radically rethink the nature of God and who God truly cared and loved. One cannot read the gospels without noting this facet of Jesus.
But Jesus was also uncompromising in standing against that which was evil. He didn’t mince words when dealing with the Pharisees who showed a lack of compassion toward the poor and widowed. He didn’t hesitate to call such people “a brood of vipers” which is the modern equivalent of sons of female dogs. He didn’t hesitate to make known the reality of eternal punishment for those who failed to show charity in this life. Anything which stood in the way of God’s Kingdom or led people away from God, Jesus unhesitatingly condemned. And it was this uncompromising stance which led to division.
Love AND judgment. This is Jesus. And as His followers, it is who we are called to be as well.
There is no doubt that we, like Jesus are called to show compassion, mercy, and love. There is no doubt that we are called to welcome the sinner, the outcast, those whom society turns its back on. We are to love those who are considered unlovable. We are to love our coworker who scoffs at us and gossips about us. We are to bring God’s message of salvation to anyone and everyone regardless of race, color, or creed. Love must be a part of our lives, and we must sense it to our very core.
But we too must be uncompromising when it comes to living by Kingdom principles. We must shun the works of evil. When gossip is laid on our ears, we must not repeat. We must not return evil with evil. We must refrain from abusing anyone who is made in the image of God. We must reject dishonest dealings and refuse to cut corners if it means doing shoddy work. We must take such stands even if it means rejection and division.
Unlike the karate, Christianity isn’t about walking down a road. Christianity is about following a path–a path laid out by Jesus Himself. Too far to the left, and you’re out of His footsteps. Too far to the right, and you’re off the way again. Keep your eye on Him and imitate Him because if you go too far one way or the other, squish, just like grape. Amen.
And for those who would rather read instead of watching the video:
I don’t know how many of you remember the original movie “The Karate Kid,” but I sure do. When I first saw it as a youngster, I thought it was one of the best movies I had seen. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I would play around and imitate the “Crane Technique.” Anyone remember that one?
There was a very impressionable scene when the main character, Daniel, is about to begin receiving his training from Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi asks Daniel if he is ready to begin, and Daniel replies, “Yeah, I guess so.”
Mr. Miyagi then says, “Daniel-san, must talk. Walk on road. Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk in middle, sooner or later (squiiiiiiik) get squish just like grape. Here karate same thing. Either you karate do yes or you karate do no. You karate do guess so, (squiiiiiiik) just like grape.”
The implication is awfully clear. There is an either/or proposition. Either you do things one way or you things the other way. There is no middle ground.
A lot of times, we as Christians do the same thing with Jesus, and one of the prevailing thoughts regarding Jesus in the Church is that He is love. And if Jesus is all about love, then He certainly can’t do anything or say anything which is opposite of love.
We flesh out that picture of Jesus by citing many favorite stories and sayings of Jesus. “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Love your enemies and bless those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:38-39)
There is the parable of the Prodigal Son, or as others have begun to call it, the Parable of the Prodigal Father who goes above and beyond to show love and compassion to both of his children even enduring humiliation to show them that kind of love.
And finally, there is Jesus’ new command given to His disciples at the Last Supper, “Love one another as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Yes, Jesus was all about love–all about showing God’s love–and we just need to love everyone like He loved us. This is what Christianity is all about!!! Love, love, love. It’s that simple. If something doesn’t speak of such love, then it cannot be of Jesus. “Walk on right side of road. Safe.”
Ah, but then one runs across stories and sayings like our Gospel lesson for today. Listen to Jesus’ words once again:
49 ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ (Luke 12)
Just what happened to Jesus? Where is all that love? He speaks of bringing fire to earth? He speaks of bringing division? What happened to love one another? This sounds quite different. It sounds more judgmental! Surely this can’t be right. It doesn’t seem to gel with the idea that Jesus is all about showing God’s love. Does it? Is Jesus more of a judge? Did Jesus show up to render judgment and call us to mend our ways and get our lives back in order?
Well, there is a portion of Christianity which builds a case for Jesus being exactly this, and they use the above Bible verses and others to show that indeed Jesus renders such judgment upon us.
Matthew 4:7, Jesus says, “Repent for the kingdom of God has come near!”
Luke 5:32. “I have come not to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance.”
“Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5)
“In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7)
And there is that long parable of the last judgment in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells of the last day when God will judge the sheep and the goats. Those who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, and the imprisoned will head to a heavenly reward while those who refused to show such compassion will end up separated from God for eternity.
Indeed Jesus came to render such judgment, and there are more than a few Christians who harp on this fact to no end. In fact, some almost revel in rendering these judgments upon others believing they are doing the Kingdom of God a favor. “Walk on left side of road, safe.”
Or so it seems. Either go with Jesus as Lord of Love and be safe or go with Jesus as Righteous Judge and be safe. Try to do anything more, and squish, just like grape. Right?
Wrong. Unequivocally, wrong.
For, the reality is that the same Jesus who showed compassion and love is the same Jesus who rendered judgment and called for repentance. The same Jesus who prayed that His followers would all be one is the same Jesus who said He came not to bring peace but bring division. It is the same Jesus on both counts. It is not an either/or, it is a both/and.
There is no doubt that Jesus came to earth to show God’s love and compassion. He came to heal. To bind up the broken hearted. To restore to community those whom had been shunned. To forgive those whom society had labeled sinner and unworthy to stand before God. To make people radically rethink the nature of God and who God truly cared and loved. One cannot read the gospels without noting this facet of Jesus.
But Jesus was also uncompromising in standing against that which was evil. He didn’t mince words when dealing with the Pharisees who showed a lack of compassion toward the poor and widowed. He didn’t hesitate to call such people “a brood of vipers” which is the modern equivalent of sons of female dogs. He didn’t hesitate to make known the reality of eternal punishment for those who failed to show charity in this life. Anything which stood in the way of God’s Kingdom or led people away from God, Jesus unhesitatingly condemned. And it was this uncompromising stance which led to division.
Love AND judgment. This is Jesus. And as His followers, it is who we are called to be as well.
There is no doubt that we, like Jesus are called to show compassion, mercy, and love. There is no doubt that we are called to welcome the sinner, the outcast, those whom society turns its back on. We are to love those who are considered unlovable. We are to love our coworker who scoffs at us and gossips about us. We are to bring God’s message of salvation to anyone and everyone regardless of race, color, or creed. Love must be a part of our lives, and we must sense it to our very core.
But we too must be uncompromising when it comes to living by Kingdom principles. We must shun the works of evil. When gossip is laid on our ears, we must not repeat. We must not return evil with evil. We must refrain from abusing anyone who is made in the image of God. We must reject dishonest dealings and refuse to cut corners if it means doing shoddy work. We must take such stands even if it means rejection and division.
Unlike the karate, Christianity isn’t about walking down a road. Christianity is about following a path–a path laid out by Jesus Himself. Too far to the left, and you’re out of His footsteps. Too far to the right, and you’re off the way again. Keep your eye on Him and imitate Him because if you go too far one way or the other, squish, just like grape. Amen.
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