It's Not a New Year's Resolution Kind of Faith: Romans 8:5-13

It’s close enough to the middle of March that I think enough time has sufficiently passed to reflect upon the following question: how are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?  Are you continuing to accomplish them, or are you like the vast majority of folks who have already given up?  I would include myself in that last category if I actually made New Year’s Resolutions.  I’ve given up on even making them because of my less than stellar success rate.

And aren’t New Year’s Resolutions an interesting thing?  I mean think about the things that folks usually try to accomplish.  Think about the things they often say that they will work on: losing weight, becoming a kinder person, becoming more generous, removing stress from life, becoming more diligent in prayer and spirituality.  Lofty things.  How come folks don’t say: you know what, for my New Year’s resolution, I am going to become more of a jerk in my daily life.?  I am going to become enraged while I drive.  I am going to work diligently to become as stressed out as I possibly can so that I give myself ulcers and end up on Prozac.  I am going to eat myself silly and gain 100 lbs by the end of the year.  I am going to work hard to stop praying and consume all my time with sitting in front of the television and computer doing nothing.  Why don’t folks make these kinds of resolutions?

One pastor whose sermon I listened to had a pretty good answer, I thought.  We don’t need any help doing most of those things.  They come rather naturally.  It’s easy to become enraged in traffic.  It’s easy to eat the things that are not healthy for us.  It’s easy to get stressed out over everything.  It’s easy to stop praying and seeking God on a regular basis.  It’s easy to sit in front of the television or computer and simply veg out instead of actively engage the world.  Such things are almost our default settings.  It’s a struggle to break out of them.

For the longest time, I thought Christianity was a lot like making those New Year’s Resolutions.  Promise to do the right things.  Promise to do what Jesus says.  Promise to love one’s neighbor and love one’s enemies.  Focus on such matters with great intensity, and accomplish them.  If you were failing to accomplish them, you simply weren’t working hard enough.  If your life was falling apart, you simply weren’t practicing your faith in the appropriate manner.  If you wanted to live a good, healthy life, you needed to do what the Bible said.  You might run into a few road blocks from time to time, but everything would eventually work out.  Everything would end up rosy and peachy if you simply focused on doing what God wanted you to do.

I no longer believe this.  Something happened along the way that made me reevaluate what I believed and preached and taught.  It started with getting stressed out and burned out because of circumstances that were well beyond my control–things that shouldn’t have happened because I thought I was doing the right things!  And then it was a revelation of exactly what my mind was set on.  God showed me the depths of my heart and what I was truly trying to get.  And that can be summed up in a repeat of this statement: If you wanted to live a good, healthy life, you needed to do what the Bible says.  Think about that sentence very carefully.  What is the end goal?  What is the deepest desire?  What is wanted above all else?  A good, healthy life.  You may ask: what’s wrong with deeply wanting a good, healthy life?

Here is what St. Paul has to say about such matters as we turn to our biblical text from Romans chapter 8: 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Paul here is not offering up condemnation.  He is not pointing fingers at anyone and name calling.  He is simply recognizing that there are two types of people in the world: there are those who live their lives completely and totally oriented toward the “things of the flesh”, and there are those who live their lives completely and totally oriented toward the “things of the Spirit.”  Please know that when Paul says the “things of the flesh”, he is not simply talking about the natural desires of our bodies–he’s not simply talking about food, drink, sex, sleep, and rest.  He is talking about all of the things of the world that demand our attention–that seek to influence us into believing that they can provide us with a deep sense of safety, satisfaction, and fulfillment.  He’s talking about the lure of status and wealth. He’s talking about the lure of achievement and knowledge.  He’s talking about the lure of possessions and acceptance by others.  Paul says that there are people who believe that these things are the ultimate goals in life, and their lives are oriented toward these things.  Everything they think; everything they do; everything they say is geared toward getting the things of the flesh–to living the good life.

But Paul also points out the problem with this life orientation: it is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law–indeed it cannot submit to God’s law; and it is not pleasing to God.  He says that such an orientation of one’s life leads to death.  We actually covered most of the reasons why such a life orientation leads to death in earlier portions of the book of Romans.  In a very real way, Paul is simply reminding the congregation of Rome of what he covered earlier, and he does so to remind them of what comes next.

Verse 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.  Paul’s writing here is not a command.  It’s not a “Turn your lives around from the flesh and get into the Spirit.”  That’s not what Paul says.  He is being descriptive.  He is looking at the congregation in Rome–and to us–and saying, “You are not like that.  You don’t have that kind of life orientation.  You see things in a different way; your entire being has come under the influence of a different power–a different entity.”  Paul says, you/we are in the Spirit because the Spirit of God dwells in us.  Why is this important?

At the end of Romans 7, Paul declared that sin dwelt within the members of his body.  The word he used in Greek was that sin had established a military base within him to influence his members.  Here in Romans 8, Paul uses the exact same word in describing the Spirit’s indwelling–that the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ has established a base of operations deep within us–not in our members, but in our hearts.  The Spirit of God is working within us to reorient our lives so that we find life and peace.  The Spirit of Christ is bringing life to our bodies, not only after we experience our physical deaths, but right here and right now in this life.

How does this come about?  Let’s finish out Paul’s thought with verse 12 So then, brothers and 
sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  Paul says here that because the Spirit dwells in us, we no longer owe the world anything.  We are no longer in debt to the world for anything.  We know that the world cannot bring us fulfillment or peace or ultimate joy and happiness.  We know that the world only brings us temporary satisfaction; temporary joy; temporary happiness.  You know this.  You know this deep within even if you don’t want to admit it.  You know that whenever you achieve that business goal, there is another one that takes its place.  You know that whenever you work and buy your dream home, there’s always another thing to add to it.  You know that whenever you finally reach Friday, Monday morning is just around the corner.  There is always something more to buy; always something more to try; always something more to vie, always one more question why; and in the end you will die with something more to satisfy–if you live according to the flesh.

But if you live according to the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, and you will live.  What does this mean?  This means, that as Christians, we are in a constant state of putting to death our fleshy desires.  We are in a constant state of battle as the world tries to encroach upon us.  We are in a constant state of vigilance as we seek to squash anything that would lead us away from a life that is in the Spirit and pleasing to God.

And on the surface level, this sounds a lot like making New Year’s Resolutions. This sounds a lot like making rules for ourselves.  It sounds a lot like, “I’m going to follow what the Bible says so that I can live a good life.”  But that’s not it.  That’s not it at all.  That’s not how we fight that kind of battle.  If we try to fight the battle this way, we will lose, and we will not have abundant life.

Let me try and tie it all together with this example.  It’s pertinent to me since my family has joined the ranks of those playing Little League Baseball.  The world says, “Get your kids involved in sports because they will learn character.  They will learn how to work on a team.  They will learn life lessons that will give them a leg up throughout the rest of their lives.  Sacrifice in all other areas of life to make this happen.  Cut your family time.  Cut your church time.  Maximize your desire for winning.  Do everything that you can to avoid losing.  Your life–and more importantly, your child’s life–will be better for it.”

A New Year’s Resolution response would be: I am not going to let sports dominate my life, and because of this, baseball will be the enemy.  We will shun it and avoid it at all costs because it is cutting into other parts of our lives.  That’s not exactly easy or fun.  I mean, baseball is a game.  It’s fun!  Life can have enjoyment, you know?

Therefore, I think a Christian response would be this: Baseball, you are promising things that you cannot meet.  Ultimately, you cannot bring fulfillment.  Ultimately, you cannot change a heart.  Ultimately, you cannot turn either me or my child into a good person.  There is only one who can do that.  There is only one who can change a heart and make a person good from within.  There is only one who died for me and for the world.  There is only one who can bring the things that you are promising, and that is Jesus.  You, baseball, are a game.  Jesus is the Son of the living God.  I will engage with you because you are fun, but stop promising me the good life.  You can’t deliver.  Jesus already has.

And that, my brothers and sisters, is the key.  This is what Paul is trying to stress to the church at Rome and to us: when you are in Christ; when you are in the Spirit, Christ is in you; the Spirit is in you.  Trust in their work!  Trust in what they did and promised they would do.  Trust that Jesus has already died to save you.  Trust that the Spirit is working within you to overcome sin and put to death the desires of the flesh.  Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look to the cross.  Concentrate on Him and the redemption that you have in Him.  Focus your heart and mind on the fact that He died for you when you least deserved it.  Focus on His willingness to sacrifice Himself for you and take your place, and your heart will begin to fill with the love of God.  Your heart will begin to fill with a great love for Jesus.  You will desire Him.  You will want to please Him.  Nothing else will bring you the joy that He brings.  Nothing else will bring you the peace that He brings.  Nothing else will bring you the fulfillment that He brings.  The answer to your quest to be a better person is not to make more resolutions; it’s not to try harder–it’s to orient your entire life toward the One who died and rose again.  It’s to think about Him.  Think about what He did for you.  Long to walk daily with Him.

My brothers and sisters, we have Jesus in us.  We have the Spirit of God in us.  We are walking in Jesus.  We are walking in the Spirit.  Don’t let the world lure you away.  Don’t let the world trick you into going into its path.  Stand firm in Jesus.  Focus on the cross.  Let Jesus be your vision.  Amen.

The Cause of Mass Murder: A Heart Condition

 Many of you are probably sick and tired of hearing about the shooting in Orlando, Florida.  You’ve heard all the arguments about Islamic terrorism; the acceptance of gays and lesbians, and the calls for gun control.  You’ve heard the same pundits say the same things that they said after Sandy Hook and San Bernardino.  You’ve probably heard several religious leaders rush in to speak and offer their thoughts, prayers, and assertions of what we should do.  You’ve heard crickets from me.  I’ve been silent, and you may wonder why.

 I have become more and more convinced that we do ourselves a deep disservice by failing to take the time to reflect and think about things that happen and what we say in response to those things.  I have become more and more convinced that the 24 hour news cycle and the need to control the narrative have actually done more harm than good.  Instead of allowing fear, anger and grief to subside and clear thought to occur, our comments are instead governed by fear, anger, and grief.  You might ask, “What’s so bad about that?”  I respond, “How many times have you done something in anger that you later regretted?”  Odds are, the answer is not a pretty one.

 And so, I hope that this morning, I will not be speaking in anger, or grief, or fear.  I hope I am speaking with love, compassion, and hope.  I hope that I am speaking the truth in love and am neither a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.  I hope that I can speak at a level much deeper than guns or sexuality or religion.  I hope that I can dig down and address the level of the human heart–the level where hatred arises and where massacres get their grounding.

 For it is my sincere belief that if you have trouble understanding why someone had enough hatred to kill 50 people and wound 50 others, then I would submit that you neither understand human history; human nature; or what lies in the deep recesses of your own heart.  For the human story is full of violence, hatred, and murder–even and especially toward the innocent.

 The Christian narrative is not shy about confronting this reality.  In fact, addressing violence and hatred are woven into the fabric of Jesus’ story–particularly His death.  For Jesus was a victim of such hatred and such violence.

 We pick up this morning in Mark chapter 15 right after Pontius Pilate has had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified.  We must take just a moment to understand now what is happening to Jesus.  We know He is innocent.  We know Pilate has condemned Jesus to save his job.  We know the crowd is blood-thirsty because they feel like Jesus has betrayed them and given them false hope.  Pilate begins the blood letting through flogging.

 Roman flogging was violent and nasty.  If you have seen Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ”, you have gotten a visual image of what such flogging was like.  The Romans would take a whip composed of several leather straps.  Embedded in these straps were pieces of bone or metal, and then this was used to whip a prisoner all over his or her body.  Pieces of flesh would be ripped from the person.  Oftentimes bone was exposed.  The front and back of the body were flogged sometimes resulting in a person’s guts becoming exposed.  I would apologize for the visual images, but I want you to see and know the extent of the cruelty that Jesus faced.  I want you to know the pain that he endured at the hands of fellow humans.  He was bound.  He was naked.  He was helpless.  He had committed no crime, and yet, he was brutally beaten and had his flesh ripped open by this flogging.  And this was just the beginning of His humiliation.

 After the flogging, Pilate handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers, and they all took turns mocking Him.  They placed a purple robe over him.  They placed a crown of thorns upon his head.  They mocked Him and struck Him.  They made fun of the claim that he was King of the Jews.  He looked like no king.  He acted like no king.  He was no king to them.  They took a reed and hit him up beside the head with it, driving the thorns deeper into his skull.  Blood ran freely down Jesus’ face.  Then, they spit upon Him.  They knelt before Him and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  Of course both of these actions were mockery.  The spitting was an imitation of the kisses they would give the emperor.   Their statement “Hail, king of the Jews!” was an imitation of the “Hail Caesar!” they would proclaim to their real king.  They had no respect; no compassion; only hatred and animosity toward Jesus.  After they had had their fun, they took off the purple robe.  Understand that the blood from the flogging would have coagulated on this robe, so when they ripped it off, it would have caused severe pain and the blood to begin flowing once again.  This is humanity at its worse.

 Then, they put the cross-bar on Jesus’ back and made him carry it toward Golgatha.  Understand this: Jesus has had no sleep.  He has been flogged and has lost copious amounts of blood.  He hasn’t eaten.  He is tired, wounded beyond belief, and weak.  He is now expected to carry a 30 or 40 pound piece of wood on his bloody, beaten back raked by bone, metal, and leather.  This is complete and utter cruelty.

 He heads to Calvary.  He isn’t going to make it.  He is too tired.  Too weary.  Too weak.  The walk carrying the cross-bar will kill him, but that would deprive everyone of seeing Jesus die humiliated.  The Roman escort calls upon a bystander–Simon of Cyrene father of Rufus and Alexander to carry the cross for Jesus.  Mark probably includes these names because these folks were well known in the early church and were witnesses to these things.  Mark is saying, “If you want to know whether or not this is true, ask them.”  Simon carries Jesus’ cross for Him, and they arrive at Calvary where one more indignation will be heaped upon Jesus.

 N.T. Wright, biblical scholar says this:

 The cross was a political symbol long before it became a religious symbol.  Pilate knew the crowds knew, the chief priests knew, and Jesus knew, what it meant.  It was the ultimate symbol of Roman power.  It said, “We are in charge here, and this is what happens when people get in our way.”  They had crucified thousands of rebel Jews when Jesus was a boy in Galilee.  They would crucify thousands more when they took Jerusalem in AD70–so many they got bored, and experimented with hanging people up in different positions and attitudes until they ran out of wood.  And in between those two devastating repressions of revolts they crucified lots of people for a variety of reasons, often on small pretexts.  Polite Romans didn’t even mention the word “crucifixion” or “cross”. The reality was so brutal, ugly and repellant.

 This is what Jesus is nailed to.  It carried an even worse meaning for the Jews.  William Lane writes in his commentary:

 The public exposure of an executed person branded him as one cursed by God, in accordance with the provision of Deuteronomy 21:23: “for he is accursed of God who hangs on a tree.”  These words were applied equally to one who was crucified.  When the chief priests and the crowd demanded death by crucifixion for Jesus they expressed the conviction that he must take his last breath on the cross as one “accursed by God.”

 And those standing watching the proceedings treated Jesus as if He were accursed by God.  They mocked Him.  They used the sayings of the false witnesses against Him.  They dressed their words in piety, “If he comes down from the cross, then we will believe in him.”  And then the piece de resistance, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.”  And there is a bitter truth in that statement–a bitter truth indeed.

 Walter Liefield says this about that statement, “Their statement ‘he can’t save himself’ is both false and true.  In the sense they meant it–he does not have the power–it is false.  But in a profound sense, if Jesus was to fulfill his messianic mission, he could not save himself.  His death was necessary for man’s redemption.”

 For it is on the cross that the God immanent is redeeming the world.  It is on the cross that the God immanent is working to change the hearts of men so that they turn from violence and hatred.  It is on the cross that the God immanent is showing a love beyond measure–a love which is intended to melt even the hardest heart.  It is on the cross that the God immanent confronts violence and hatred and dehumanization and responds with the words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

 The question becomes how does this happen?  How does Jesus’ actions on the cross lead us to have changed hearts?

 Let’s consider the issue of hate crimes and the cruelty of mass murder.  What causes such things?  Is it religious ideology and firmly held convictions?  No.  The Amish are some of the strictest religious adherents in the world, and they don’t kill anyone.  Just having firm convictions will not lead you to kill someone.  Is it access to weapons?  Again, no.  Some of the areas with the highest concentrations of weapons have the lowest instances of murder and crime.  Is it viewing another’s actions as wrong that causes mass murder?  Again, no.  We categorically call other people’s actions as wrong all the time, but we do not generally go around killing another person because we disagree with them.  None of these things grasp the reality.  The reality is what Timothy Keller calls the slippery slope of the heart.

 For you see, in the slippery slope of the heart what happens is that I look at another person and see what they are doing.  I judge them as wrong, AND I feel morally or ethically superior to the other.  I feel like I am a better person; a stronger intellectual; in a higher plane of spiritual or moral thought.  As I look at the other person with this air of superiority, I begin to caricature the other people.  I only emphasize their flaws.  I make blanket statements that do not encapsulate the entirety of the person.  Once I begin this caricature process, the other person or group becomes less than human.  They become less than me.  They deserve punishment or to be silenced or even to be killed.  What leads people to murder people in mass is a heart condition where someone feels morally superior to another.

 The Orlando shooter felt morally superior to the folks he killed.  The Sanhedrin felt morally superior to Jesus.  The Romans felt morally superior to Jesus and to the thousands of other Jews that they crucified.  Once they felt this, it was not long before each of these was able to dehumanize and then treat the other as less than human committing atrocity after atrocity after atrocity. 

 And each of us believes at some level we are morally superior than others.  Each of us at some level believes our particular position on given issues are right.  Each of us believes that if everyone just believed as we believed and did what we did then the world would turn out okay.  Each of us is apt to point the finger at others as the ones who need to change and conform because, by God, we are the ones who have it right.  And the answer is not to throw right and wrong out the window.  The answer is not to throw truth claims out the window.  For heaven’s sake.  If we did that, then we would never be able to judge mass murder as wrong!!  Think about that!!!

 The answer lies at the heart of the Gospel.  The answer lies at the heart of why Jesus could not save Himself.  The answer is that we are all moral failures.  The answer is that we are all morally inferior.  As St. Paul put it, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  And we cannot save ourselves.  If we could save ourselves, then we would have a reason to boast.  We would have a reason to feel morally superior.  But we are saved only and solely by God’s grace.  We are saved only and solely by God’s love poured out by Jesus on the cross for sinners.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

 If we are all morally inferior, and if we are all saved by sheer grace and by no actions of our own, then we absolutely cannot caricature another person.  We absolutely cannot dehumanize another person.  We share intimately with others the same condition.  We share intimately with others the same salvation.  We are all sinners.  We are all saints.  The dividing line is that there are those who have not come to the realization of the Gospel.  There are those who do not know their brokenness and so they feel morally superior.  There are those who do not know they are loved and so all they feel is self-loathing.  It is our job as those who have met our dying Savior hanging on that cross to lead others to Him.  It is our job to lead others to the God incarnate who will humble them and reveal to them their sin and then who will embrace them with nail scarred hands.  And when this occurs, their hearts, hopefully like ours, will be transformed.  Their self-righteousness will leave.  Their views of others will change, and hatred will cease.  Simply telling another person to stop hating will not change anything.  Getting others to Jesus will.  Amen.

Too Much Religion?

 Mark Edwards in his commentary on the book of Mark says these words in regards to our Gospel lesson from the 14th chapter, “The world has never had a problem with religion in moderation.  It has no problem with too much wealth or power or sex or influence, but it has a problem with too much religion.”

 You don’t even have to leave these four walls this morning to realize the truth of this statement.  Now, this doesn’t apply to all churches, but it certainly does to this one.  What do I mean?  Well, just let someone stand up this morning and begin waving their hands or dancing to the music, and tell me what would go through most of your heads?  Let someone shout out “Amen” to a particular point in my sermon, and tell me what most of you would think.  Heck, just let me try to ask you a question in the middle of my sermon and expect you to answer.  Why is it that I have to repeat a question several times before anyone is brave enough to speak?  “That’s not how we do it here,” is often repeated.  Translation: generally, we’re not comfortable with being too demonstrable with our faith.  We are happy to sit.  We are happy to listen.  We are happy to sing a little bit, but to go above and beyond?  To become exuberant?  To have someone other than the pastor pray?  To talk about how God has moved in our lives?  Not generally gonna happen.

 Society tends to feel the exact same way.  There is an unwritten rule out in the world these days: believe what you want, but don’t try to convince anyone else that your beliefs are right or true or good for everyone.  Keep your religion to yourself.  It’s better for everyone that way.  Aside from the fact that such a rule is a belief in and of itself that is being imposed upon others, society is quick to demand that we religious people put our faith into action by helping others as long as we don’t try to convince others to believe like we believe.  In other words, we are invited to respond to the recent flooding in our communities by donating of our time, money, and goods, but the moment we try to do so in the name of Jesus or God, we are essentially told, “Don’t push that!!  Just help out.  Shut up about your beliefs.”  The world doesn’t have a problem with religion in moderation–it does with too much religion.

 In some ways, it’s not difficult to understand why.  We know the dangers of too much religion.  We’ve seen people who are so convinced of the rightness of their religion and the wrongness of others that they are willing to fly airplanes into buildings, commit atrocities like cutting off people’s heads, bomb buildings, protest at funerals, and verbally abuse others.  The vast majority of people condemn such behavior.  The vast majority of people want no part of such behavior.  The vast majority of people want to see such behavior gone from the planet so that we can live in peace.  If people only toned down their religious beliefs, then all this stuff would stop–at least, that’s the hypothesis.  But what if the hypothesis is wrong?

 Today, we begin the final chapters of the book of Mark–the passion of Jesus.  Chapter 14 begins with some daunting sentences, “14It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; 2for they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’” We know from our travels through Mark that the chief priests and the scribes are Jesus’ enemies.  They do not like Him because He is a threat to everything they stand for.  Jesus has undermined their thoughts about what the Kingdom of God is supposed to look like.  He has taught a very different understanding of what it means to be right in the sight of God.  Jesus has revealed the selfishness of their hearts and has shown that they are more interested in money than in getting people to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The chief priests and the scribes hate Jesus, and they want to get rid of Him, but they cannot do so openly.  Their actions would cause a riot because Jesus was popular with the people.  As Edwards again says in his commentary, “The resolution to kill Jesus is an official decision as opposed to a popular decision.”

 As of this point, we might say, “Well, here is further proof of the hypothesis.  The chief priests and the scribes had too much religion.  If they didn’t have too much religion, they would not have tried to kill Jesus.”  Yes, you have some evidence, but let’s press onward.

 Mark now shifts the scene to a house–the house of Simon the Leper.  This house is in Bethany, and Jesus and His disciples are there for dinner.  It is during dinner as Jesus sat at table that an extravagant event takes place.  A woman enters carrying an alabaster jar.  She breaks the jar, and pours the contents all over Jesus’ head.  Now, let’s examine the details of this more closely.  For you see, it was a social taboo for a woman to interrupt a meal of Jewish men unless she was serving food. 
This woman stepped all over societal custom.  Not only did she break society’s unspoken rules, she did something rather lavish.  Those around observed that the perfume that was used could have been sold for over 300 denarii.  It was a rare perfume that had come from India.  This was the equivalent of a year’s wages.  Imagine taking a year’s worth of your income and putting it into a jar, breaking the jar and then pouring the entire amount on someone.  That is what this woman just did!  And she broke the jar too so–there was no going back.  There was no saving anything that was left over.  There was a totality to her gift.  She was giving it all!  And, since most women had no ability to come up with this much money in that day, it was probably a family heirloom that had been given to her.  It not only had monetary value; it had sentimental value.  So, let’s put this into a bit of perspective: this woman stepped all over societal customs to lavishly dispose of a jar of perfume that cost a year’s wages that was probably a gift to her or her family by pouring the entire jar onto Jesus’ head.  Extravagant?  You bet.  To the extreme.

 Now, the fallout to her extravagance is almost expected.  There is an uproar, especially among the disciples.  They complain.  “That could have been sold and the money given to the poor!”  And they scolded the woman. 

 Jesus turns the tables on them, and harshly.  Why?  Let me read to you Edward’s commentary once again.  Please listen carefully:

 We cannot know whether their indignation is owing to genuine concern for the poor, or whether, as is often the case, the poor are simply used as a pretext for other motives.  Whatever their motives, they regard the costly devotion of the woman as a “waste.”  Their condemnation obviously demeans the woman and her gift.  In asserting that there could be better use for the money, however, they demean Jesus as well, whom they regard as unworthy of such extravagance.  The world has never had a problem with religion in moderation.  It has no problem with too much wealth or power or sex or influence, but it has a problem with too much religion.  That is evident here.  The unnamed woman deems Jesus worthy of her sacrifice, whereas the disciples do not.

 Is it any wonder why Jesus turns the tables on the disciples?  Is it any wonder why Jesus praises this woman?  She is willing to pour great extravagance upon Him.  She is willing to spend a year’s wages on Him.  She is willing to shower Him with an affection and love that those most closest to Him could not or would not.  She deemed Him worthy of such a gift, but the disciples did not.

 Now, I don’t want to be too hard on the disciples because ultimately, this story is about Jesus, and there are some who have taken issue with Jesus’ words in response to the woman.  “7For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.”  Some use Jesus’ statement to relieve themselves of the responsibility of caring for the poor, but that is not what Jesus is saying here.  Not in the least.  Edwards says something rather interesting about this in his commentary, and we turn to it for a final time.  “In placing himself above the poor Jesus places himself above the great commandment to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” Why would Jesus do this?

 Well, Jesus said there was only one other commandment greater than love your neighbor as yourself.  Do you remember what that commandment was?  I do.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.”  This woman was putting that into practice.  She was pouring out extravagant love upon Jesus–the God incarnate.  It is no wonder that Jesus said that her actions would be told wherever the Gospel was proclaimed.  This kind of love for Jesus is rarely found throughout the scriptures.  Loving God with this kind of extravagant love is not easy to set forth because it comes at a great cost.  Most of us aren’t willing to pay that cost.  The disciples weren’t willing to pay that cost.  And that’s why we generally appreciate a moderate amount of religion.  It doesn’t cost much.  Extravagant religion costs much.

 And you might point out to me right now that this is the problem.  Those fanatics who practice too much religion are willing to die themselves.  They are willing to die as they kill others.  They think other people deserve to die and are heathen.  They think other people need to be punished and driven to believe like they believe.  We need to keep such religion in check.  We need to keep people from becoming too religious!!

 Now, wait just a second because there is an alternative to this.  Extravagant religion does not by necessity lead to a person killing another person.  The extravagant religion the woman showed in this snippet from Mark did not kill anyone at all, and she is but a pale comparison to the heart and core of the Christian faith.

 But, you might say that there are more than a few Christians who go around spewing all kinds of hate and violence toward others.  There are Christians who protest at funerals holing up signs that say, “God hates fags.”  There are Christians who kill abortion doctors.  There are Christians who are racist and sexist and homophobic.  They think they are right about everything and that God only loves them.  They think everyone else is going to hell and that they need to scare them into believing as they believe.

 You are correct, but do not confuse their brand of Christianity with what Jesus practiced.  Because it was Jesus who practiced a truly extravagant faith–a faith that far surpasses what the woman did to Him.  For you see, if there ever was a person who could point the finger at the rest of us, it was Jesus.  If there ever was a person who could condemn the rest of us to hell for not following what God demands, it was Jesus.  If there ever was a person who could accuse us of missing the mark in loving God and loving our neighbor, it was Jesus.  If there ever was a person who could judge us for our failure, it was Jesus.  If there ever was one who could scold us and make us feel unworthy of the love of God, it was Jesus.

 But what did Jesus do?  Did He scold us?   Did He condemn us?  Did He judge us and call down God’s wrath upon us?  No.  No He did not.  Not in the least.  He stretched out His arms and died for us.  He faced God’s wrath for us.  He paid the price for us.  He allowed Himself to be betrayed, condemned, judged, beaten, tortured and crucified.  And on the cross, He looked down at those who killed Him, He looked down at us and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  He loved us with an extravagant love.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.” 

 Extravagant religion led Jesus to die for you.  Extravagant religion led Jesus to love you when you were unlovable.  Extravagant religion led Jesus to forgive you when you didn’t deserve it.  Extravagant religion led Jesus to save you when you had failed. 

 Does this kind of love move you?  Does this kind of extravagance touch you to the very depths of your heart?  If it does, then you will find something dramatic happening within you.  You will find a wellspring of love swelling up within you.  You will find that you have an extravagant love of God–an extravagant love of Jesus.  Your heart will be filled with a desire to love and serve and give to Him.  Your heart will be filled with a desire to love like Jesus loved, and you will look at those who disagree with you; you will look at those who have hurt you; you will look at those who are in great need; and you will begin to love them with that kind of extravagant love.

 This kind of love is much needed in the days ahead in our community.  As we reach out to those affected by the recent floods, it is our call to bring Jesus’ extravagant love to them–to help them know that God is not punishing them; God does not hate them; God loves them.  God cares for them.  God wants to shower them with an extravagant love, and He will use you and me to be a part of that.  Amen.

Powerball, Fig Trees, Temples, Curses, and the Relevance of Christianity (Part 1)

I sometimes marvel at how some say that the Christian faith needs to be made relevant to our day and age.  After all, these folks argue, the main events of Christianity happened nearly 2000 years ago.  How can it still be relevant to what is going on today?  Such things make me scratch my head in wonder because Christianity isn’t simply a system and code of ethics–it runs much deeper as it seeks to address the fundamental problem with human nature.  And, I would argue that human nature hasn’t changed much in the past 2000 years in the least.  How so?

Well, let’s start by hitting the biggest headlines of this past week–the headlines that threw most of our nation into a frenzy.  I am talking Powerball.  I mean, millions of people were throwing billions of dollars at the chance to win an absolutely huge amount of cash.  The thought of 1.5 billion dollars captivated the thoughts and hearts of many people.  Why?  Why did the thought of obtaining such a huge amount of money hit so many people?

I think most of us know the answer to that question.  Despite the cliche that “money can’t buy everything,” we still act like it can.  I mean, as a nation, we are a slave to our pocketbooks.  Most of us think we never have enough.  Most of us think, “If I just had more money, everything would be okay.  I would be able to buy the things I want.  Do the things I want to do.  Not have to be beholden to any one or any thing.”  Now, I want to be clear, there are those who do not fall into this trap.  There are those who have gotten past such things, but that’s not everyone–not by a long shot.  In fact, remember, the payout on the Powerball is based upon how many people have bought tickets.  That means 1.5 billion is a small percentage of what people actually spent to obtain tickets.  That means people spent billions and billions of dollars on this scheme, and the real winners are the states who have put together the lottery.  Oops.  Did I just name the state as also wanting money and desiring money to do all sorts of things?  Yes, I guess I just did.  So, what is happening here?  Individuals are captivated by the dollar.  States and governments are captivated by the dollar.  Individuals, corporations, governments, and the like are all captivated by the dollar.  And no one seems to be satisfied with what they have.  They all want more.

Let’s break for a moment and see just how Jesus’ encounter with a fig tree and his cleansing of the temple tie in with this just beautifully.  Let’s look and see how the Bible is still as relevant to today as it was when Jesus walked the earth.

Last week, we saw Jesus enter into Jerusalem hailed as the Messiah–the King of the Jews.  We saw how Jesus walked into the temple, looked around, and as the hour was late, walked out and went camping.  It was kind of anti-climatic, and I talked last week how Jesus was interested in a different temple and a different throne–the temple of our hearts and the throne of the cross.  Today, we see just how Jesus begins to make that clear in His teaching and His actions.

In the morning, Jesus and His disciples are headed back to Jerusalem, and Jesus gets hungry.  He sees a fig tree in the road ahead that is all leafed out.  Jesus approaches the tree in hopes of finding a bite to eat, but when He gets to the tree, there is no fruit.  The gospel writer Mark the tells us, “it was not the season for figs.”  Perhaps, much to our surprise, Jesus invokes a curse on this fig tree.  “May no one ever eat from you again.”  What has happened to Jesus?  Has He suddenly been overcome by natural human emotion and anger?  Shouldn’t the Son of God have known it wasn’t the time for figs?  Why curse this poor, little tree for not having figs when it wasn’t supposed to?

Now, if you don’t know anything about fig trees or the ancient Jewish culture, you would think exactly that.  You would think Jesus positively cruel and petty.  But there is more than meets the eye here.  Personally, I wouldn’t have known such things without doing a bit of homework, but here is what I discovered in my studies this week.  You see, fig trees actually have two times when they bear fruit.  They actually begin producing their first crop of fruit before they leaf out in the spring.  This fruit is called paggim in Hebrew.

Let me read to you what Mark Edwards says in his commentary about this encounter:

After the fig harvest from mid-August to mid-October, the branches of fig trees sprout buds that remain undeveloped throughout the winter.  These buds swell into small green knops known in Hebrew as paggim in March-April, followed shortly by the sprouting of leaf buds on the same branches, usually in April.  The fig tree thus produces fig knops before it produces leaves.  Once a fig tree is in leaf one therefore expects to find branches loaded with paggim in various stages of maturation.  This is implied in 11:13 where Jesus, seeing a fig tree in full foliage, turns aside in hopes of finding something edible.  In the spring of the year the paggim are of course not ripened into mature summer figs, but they can be eaten, and often are by natives.  (Hosea 9:10, Cant 2:13) The tree in v. 13 however, turns out to be deceptive, for it is green in foliage, but when Jesus inspects it he finds no paggim; it is a tree with the signs of fruit, but with no fruit.

And what kind of tree is it that bears signs of fruit but has no fruit?  Well, let me rephrase the question: what good is a fig tree that leafs out and looks beautiful but produces no fruit?  You know the answer.  It’s a worthless tree–especially in an arid, rocky climate like Palestine.  Jesus knows by the lack of fruit that this tree is rotten.  There is something wrong with it.  On the outside, it looks great, but on the inside, it is no good.  “May no one ever eat fruit of you again.”

Is it any coincidence then, that immediately following this encounter with the fig tree, we move to the Temple?  Well, it really isn’t.  For the two stories are intimately related.  The Temple of Jerusalem at this time was a thing of beauty.  It took up roughly 1/3 of the entire city of Jerusalem.  The stones were massive. The columns were huge.  It was the center of Jewish worship and life.  Throngs of pilgrims visited every year–not only Jews, but Gentiles as well.  Jesus looks at what is going on in the Temple, and blows a fuse.  He enters into the temple and disrupts the sacrificial system overturning tables, scattering coin, and preventing people from bringing any sort of goods into the temple.  The question is why?

I mean, when I was in college, I took a class on Judaism, and the professor, who was Jewish was apologetic toward the buying and selling that was going on in the Temple.  After all, the rabbi argued: the Bible was very clear on what kind of animals needed to be used for sacrifice.  The Bible was also very clear about what kind of money could be used to pay your temple tax and give your tithe.  The sellers and money changers were providing a service to the people who were there to sacrifice.  The fact that they would make a little bit of money off the sales and exchanges was just good business.  Jesus really didn’t need to get so angry and disruptive!

I can appreciate my professor’s need to defend the practices of those within his faith, especially in a Christian college environment.  But my professor left off a few details–details that I only came across this past week in my studies.  William Lane, in his commentary points out that the selling of sacrificial animals in the temple was not a long-standing practice.  Historical evidence shows that the buying and selling of sacrificial animals in the Temple was begun by the High Priest Caiaphas sometime around 30 A.D.–which, coincidentally(?) is right around when Jesus began His public ministry.  Why would Caiaphas institute such buying and selling in the Temple?  There was really no need considering that there were four certified market places for the selling of sacrificial animals right outside the city of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.  Why sell animals in the Temple when there were perfectly good markets right outside of town?

Well, think about this for a moment: during Passover, hundreds of thousands of Jews made their way to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices.  That’s a lot of sheep, goats, and doves to be offered.  That’s a load of animals that needed to be bought.  Why shouldn’t the Temple benefit from those sales?  Wouldn’t it be good business for the Temple authorities to allow businesses to come in and set up shop to sell their animals–especially if the Temple authorities charged a fee or received a portion of the sales money to line their pockets?  Doesn’t this make economic sense for the Temple?  You would think so, but remember this: the priests actually got paid by receiving a part of the sacrifice that was offered.  The priests therefore, during Passover had more than enough meat and leather and such to sell and gain income.  The priests were rolling in dough, but they wanted more.

So they allowed merchants to set up shop in the Temple.  Of course, there was only one place for these merchants to set up: the courtyard of the Gentiles.  Please remember, the Temple was set up in tiered layers for worship.  First, you had the court of the Gentiles where all people were allowed to worship.  Second, you had the court of women where ritually cleansed women were allowed to worship.  Then you had the court of Jewish men.  Finally you had the court of the priests which surrounded the Holy of Holies where only one person was allowed to enter once per year.  Now, think about that tiered system, and then think about which layer you would use–as a Jew if you were going to allow the buying and selling of animals.

Of course, you are going to use the court of the Gentiles.  It’s the largest area, and it’s also the “least important” area for Jews.  Who cares about the Gentiles who have come to worship and pray.  They are the least of all in God’s eyes.  The Jewish people were of the most import–after all, they were the chosen ones.  This was reinforced by signs that appeared on a wall separating the courtyard of the Gentiles from the rest of the Temple.  Mark Edwards says again, “The sanctuary was separated from the Court of the Gentiles by a wall, called Soreq, on which the following warning was posted at intervals in Greek, Latin, and Aramaic: “No foreigner may enter within the railing and enclosure that surround the Temple.  Anyone apprehended shall have himself to blame for his consequent death.”

Think about this for a moment.  Think about the attitude expressed on that sign. Think about the attitude the Temple authorities had toward the Gentiles by setting up a marketplace in the only place they were allowed to worship.  Does it sound like they were really trying to get people to worship God?  Do these actions really show that the Temple authorities had a heart for helping people–even foreigners come to know the living God?  No.  Not in the least.  As N.T. Wright said, “The Temple had been intended to symbolize God’s dwelling with Israel for the sake of the world; the way Jesus’ contemporaries had organized things, it had come to symbolize not God’s welcome to the nations but God’s exclusion of them.”  Is it any wonder why Jesus goes berserk? This Temple, which was supposed to be a house of prayer for all people had just been commandeered to take money from those selling sacrificial animals on the Mount of Olives and exclude the vast majority of the world’s people from praying in a holy place.  Den of thieves indeed!

And, of course, Jesus’ actions were a direct assault on the Temple authorities.  They were a direct condemnation and judgement of their actions, so they sought to kill Him.  Jesus had dared challenge them.  Yet, in reality, Jesus had just exposed them.  The wonderful, beautiful Temple, had just been exposed as a profiteering scheme instead of a place of worship.  And when you are exposed as committing great wrong, you either admit your mistake or silence the one who is pointing out your mistake.  The Temple authorities made no bones about what they intended, but they feared the crowd because the crowd knew Jesus was right.

The next day, Jesus and His disciples are walking by the fig tree, and Peter notices that the tree is withered and dead.  “Look,” Peter exclaims. “The tree that you cursed is withered from the roots up.”

There is an obvious lesson here.  The fig tree and the temple share the same problem.  From the root, it is bad.  From the root, both will wither.  Both may have looked great from the outside, but once the inner workings were revealed, they were found to be corrupt.  And that corruption will lead to death.

I wish I could tell you this morning that such corruption does not affect you and I, but that whole lottery think this past week proves otherwise.  We too are corrupt within.  We too are rotting from within.  We too have put our trust in external things and do not depend upon God.  We too work to make sure our outside looks great, but we hide the inner workings of our hearts and personal lives to disguise our own short comings.

Let me point at myself here using the example of the lottery.  You see, I remember very well the first time I played the lottery.  It was in my hometown, and I bought a scratch off ticket.  It was a football themed one, and I actually won $20.  So, what did I do?  I cashed the ticked and resolved to give the money to the church.  Sounds very cool from the outside, doesn’t it.  Well, let me reveal to you the inner workings of my heart.

You see, I figured if I showed God how generous I was; if I showed God that I was going to give these first fruits to Him; then He would let me win more.  Of course, I would give some of those winnings to Him, but I would keep the vast majority for myself.  I had some really selfish motives because I was centered on myself.  I wanted the safety, security, and freedom that money could by, and I was going to use God to get it.  Is it any wonder why I rarely won anything more than a dollar whenever I tried to play the lottery after that?

You see, human nature doesn’t change much.  Even after thousands of years, hearts still do not change.  Hearts still want the safety, security, and freedom that money buys.  The false idol of money still rules over many, many hearts.  The question is, if the false god of safety, security, and freedom that money can buy rules the temple of our hearts, and Jesus wants to be in that temple Himself.  How can He displace that false god?  How can He make sure we know that we have safety, security and freedom without money?

Well, next Sunday, we will delve into this as we deal with those last few verses.  Those verses will lead us straight to the cross and to God’s wonderful love that He showed there through Jesus.  We will hear the Good News that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”  We will see how this news cleanses our hearts and gives us even more than money can buy.  Amen.

A Rather "Blah" Ending

The ending just doesn’t seem right.

And I am not talking about the movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”  No.  I am talking about our Gospel lesson today from Mark chapter 11.  We have returned once more to walking through the Gospel of Mark, and our first day back just happens to be the text that is usually read on Palm Sunday–Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  In all my years preaching on this text, I have generally overlooked verse 11.  I have focused most of my attention on all the rig-a-ma-roe that takes place when Jesus enters into the city.  It’s a grand parade!  It’s a note of triumph!  There is singing and cloak spreading and palm branch waving.  It is joyous and uplifting as Jesus enters into Jerusalem, but it ends abruptly, and, might I add, rather unsatisfactorily–at least to our taste.

It’s kind of like the way Christmas is now for many people.  Maybe you have had this experience at some point and time.  You go through all of the build up for the holiday: shopping, getting ready for the meal; wrapping presents; cooking, cleaning, decorating; putting tons of time and energy into it...Christmas Day finally arrives, and what happens?  In less than 10 minutes, the kids have all the gifts unwrapped and they run off to play with their toys.  You slave for hours cooking dinner, and it is demolished and eaten in less than 15 minutes.  With full bellies, the adults all find their most comfortable spot in the house and doze off.  The television is blaring.  Kids are off making a bunch of noise.  There are a boat load of dishes in the kitchen, and someone has to clean it all up.  And you think to yourself, is this what it’s all about?  Is this what I spent all that time and effort and worry for?  There is a great sense of let-down as all that time, effort, and energy suddenly come crashing down.  If you don’t know that feeling in regards to Christmas, I bet you know it regarding something else.  All the grandeur ends in a whimper.

That’s what happens when Jesus enters into Jerusalem.  Those of you who grew up in the church know the story.  You know the actions of the day.  Thousands upon thousands of Jewish pilgrims are headed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast.  It is the holiest of holidays for the Jews.  This celebration was mandated by God Himself to commemorate the saving of the Jewish people from slavery to the Egyptians.

In Exodus Chapter 12 God said these words to the people:

14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance. 15Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel. 16On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your companies out of the land of Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance.

This day; this celebration of Passover was a huge deal for the Jewish people.  It symbolized freedom.  It symbolized deliverance.  It symbolized the removal of oppression and tyranny.  It offered them hope for the future when God would once again make Himself known to the world and deliver His people.

Of course, at this time, that meant the Romans who occupied Israel.  There was great hope; there was great expectation that God would indeed deliver them once more, and on this day, that hope rested upon one man: Jesus of Nazareth.

Oh, they had heard the stories about Jesus’ healing.  They had heard the stories of His miraculous raising of people from the dead.  They had heard of His feeding of the multitudes.  They had heard about His preaching and proclaiming of the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  They knew of His power, and now...now He was coming to Jerusalem–the center of power and authority for Rome’s occupation and the center of power and authority for Jewish religion and worship.  How would things transpire?  What kind of statement would be made?

Jesus sets the tone by sending two of His disciples into town to procure a donkey “that has never been ridden.”  The commentaries note explicitly two important things: 1) an animal that has never been ridden is a special animal.  Such animals were generally seen as being suitable for sacred purposes.  2) Jesus, and the people, know the prophesy from Zechariah chapter 9,

“9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!  Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem; and the battle-bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.  11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”

This text was about the promised Messiah.  The people knew it.  Jesus knew it.  A donkey was procured.  The procession began.  And people lined the streets.  They took off their outer robes and put them in front of Jesus.  They waved leafy branches.  They shouted out, “Hosanna.”  Now, please know that the original Aramaic word Hosanna! literally means, “Save us now!”  These words; these actions by the crowd had great significance!  This was not simply a spontaneous, happy gathering celebrating a person who was much admired.  No.  It goes much, much deeper.

Hear the words of scholar and theologian N.T. Wright:

You don’t spread cloaks on the road–especially in the dusty, stony Middle East!–for a friend, or even a respected senior member of your family.  You do it for royalty.  And you don’t cut branches off trees, or foliage from the fields, to wave in the streets just because you feel somewhat elated; you do it because you are welcoming a king.  Two hundred years before, Judas Maccabaeus defeated the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, entered Jerusalem and cleansed and rebuilt the Temple–and the people waved ivy and palm branches as they sang hymns of praise. The point Mark wants to make, however, is clear.  From chapter 8 onwards the disciples have believed that Jesus is the true and rightful King of the Jews, on his way to the capital city to be hailed as such.  This is the moment of his royal reception...[And] In the middle of the chant they have inserted the dangerous prayer: Welcome to the kingdom of our father David!

So, I hope you see.  This entry into Jerusalem is a direct confrontation of the powers that be.  It is a direct confrontation of the earthly kingdom of Rome.  It is a direct confrontation of the religious order.  It is a direct confrontation of all of the principalities and powers.  The crowd is in a frenzy.  Everyone is worked up.  Expectations are high.  Jesus is announcing Himself as the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  He is the one ushering in God’s Kingdom!

And how does it end?  Jesus walks into the outer courtyard of the Temple.  He looks around.  He checks His watch–well, no, they didn’t have watches back then, but the language leads us to say almost the same thing.  He checks the time, sees that it is late, and goes camping.  That’s how it ends.  All the pomp.  All the circumstance.  All the uproar.  Poof!  Gone.

Why?  It seems so unsatisfactory.  It seems like such a let down.  It seems so contrary to the way we would write the story.

But this is not our story.  It’s God’s story.  It’s God’s story of redemption.  It was deeply held that when the Messiah returned, he would do two things: He would cleanse the temple and set the religious authorities right and he would liberate the people from their oppressors.  In doing so, he would make Israel, the chosen nation of God great once more.  They would be a power to be reckoned with.  All the nations of the world would once again tremble at the power of the God of Israel.  That was the expectation, but the reality became much different.  The true Messiah; the true Son of God had His sights set on a different temple and a different throne.

First, let’s talk about the temple that Jesus truly has his sights set on.  It is not a temple built with hands.  St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”  This is a far cry from the Jewish understanding of where God was located.  The Jews believed that God dwelt within the temple at Jerusalem in the holy of holies.  They believed this was the most sacred place on earth.  Jesus looked at that temple.  He looked toward that holy place, and He walked away.  He would return at a later date, but He would come to show the temple for what it truly was: a den of thieves.  Jesus was casing the joint.  He was making careful observations for He knew what He was here to reveal.  He knew He was here to reveal to the world the true nature of God’s love and the true nature of our oppression.

For you see, there is a reason we are oppressed by worldly powers.  There is a reason we feel oppressed by all the things that are going on in society.  There is a reason we feel stressed out and burned out and at our wits end.  There is a reason we feel out of control.  We feel such oppression and are oppressed because the human heart is deeply selfish.  Oh, don’t get me wrong.  It can be good at times, but the reason there is so much pain and suffering in the world; the reason the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; the reason there is hunger and thirst; the reason people kill one another with guns and knives; the reason people steal and manipulate the system is the desire for power and prestige and security.  The reason is fear that we won’t have enough or that someone will take what we have.  At the center of our heart is a deep longing for security and well being, and we will do most anything to satisfy that longing.

And Jesus stands at the courtyard of our hearts casing the joint.  He stands there looking at what He could possibly do to change our hearts.  He stands there wondering if there is a possibility of change.  How can a heart be changed?

The Roman Empire sought to keep people in line and sought to keep the peace by means of fear.  If you didn’t pay your taxes; if you caused problems; if you tried anything that looked seditious, you were arrested, tried, and oftentimes executed.  Troublemakers were not tolerated.  People were publicly humiliated, killed, and crucified to send a message: step out of line, and this is what will happen to you.

The Jews saw these acts of power and believed that the Messiah would bring about God’s power.  Wielding the authority of heaven would be something to be even more fearful of!  When God’s might and God’s wrath were unleashed, then all would tremble at the power of Israel’s God!  When the Messiah ascended the throne, things would drastically change.  There would be peace because everyone would be terrified of what would happen if God were crossed.  Of course, the Messiah would probably be seen as quite the tyrant–as would God.  And would this really change a heart?  Do you truly love a tyrant?

Jesus walked away from such expectations.  There had to be another way.  There had to be a way to ascend to the throne without fear.  There had to be another way of cleansing the temple of our hearts without breaking and crushing them in terror.

The answer was the cross.

For even though Jesus could have ascended into that throne; even though He was worthy to sit on that throne.  Even though He had obeyed all of God’s commands and observed God’s will perfectly; He chose to face utter rejection not only by the people, but from God the Father.  He chose to face the wrath of not only the people for failing to live up to their expectations, but He chose to face the wrath of God so that those very people could be saved.  He chose to give up the throne so that He could dwell within your heart.  How so?

Most folks, when they hear the story of Jesus admire Him.  I mean it.  Even some of the most secular folks appreciate many of Jesus’ teachings.  They love it when He talks about peace and justice.  They love it when He talks about loving even your enemies.  Other folks love Jesus when they hear that He can give them peace, joy, happiness, and fulfillment.  They desperately want those things, and go to church hoping to get them.  There are others who have been promised wealth and health and strong relationships because of a relationship with Jesus.  They admire Jesus for what He can give to them.  In all of these ways, people come to Jesus with great expectations.  They cheer Him on.  They shout, “Save us now!”  But then Jesus confronts them with more.  He doesn’t act like they think He should act.  He doesn’t give them what they think they deserve.  You see, Jesus sees through our facades.  He knows that oftentimes we want the things He can give us; we don’t necessarily want Him.  We want the goods, but we don’t want to really commit to Him.  We love what Jesus can give us, but we don’t really love Him.

If we cherish things above our relationship with God, we commit idolatry.  We commit sin.  If our desires supersede God’s desires, we are acting out of selfishness, and that selfishness ends up causing great pain.  We are all guilty of this.  We deserve condemnation, but instead of allowing God to bring such condemnation upon us; Jesus takes it upon Himself.  Jesus faces God’s wrath for us.  Jesus takes our place because He loves us.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

It’s unexpected.  It’s a different ending to the story.  It’s not what we are used to.  For every other religion and philosophy says, “Do this and God will bless you.  Do this, and God will love you.”  Christianity says, “Jesus has already done this; Jesus has already blessed you; Jesus has already loved you; now do this.”  It is that love which truly changes a heart.  Has it moved yours?  Amen.

Guns, God, and Goodness

It was a great wonder to me why the national news media made such a big deal about my home state's new law that allowed properly certified individuals to carry firearms openly instead of concealed.  I mean, this is nothing new in the rest of the U.S.  Texas joins 44 other states in allowing individuals to open carry.  Think about that.  The vast majority of states already allow what Texas just began.  My state is actually behind the curve--and for all of those who think Texas is a gun crazy state, just ask yourself why it is that we were behind nearly everyone else.

But this post is not a defense of open carry or the state of Texas.  There is much more too it, because the facts are undeniable.

There are far too many people in the U.S. who die from gun violence.
There are far too many people in the U.S. who have fire arms who should not have them.
There are far too many people who look for safety behind the sights of a weapon.

AND...

There are far many more responsible gun owners than criminals.
There are far many more gun owners who never point a weapon at anyone except for those who threaten them, their families, or their property.
There are many lives that are saved by responsible gun owners.

AND...

We have more than a few, good, common sense gun laws on the books that regulate the sale and distribution of fire arms.
We have a good system of background checks for individuals who are looking to purchase.
We do not allow the sale of automatic weapons.

AND...

We could have better enforcement of these laws.
We could have better laws which might make things safer.

If you read through that list, I think you will see that the issue is much more complicated than simply saying: "We need to get rid of guns." "The government is coming to take your guns." "We need more guns."

Simplistic views are myopic and really do no one any good.  We need to acknowledge the messiness. Even in my list above, more facts could be added muddying the view even further.  And from facts that paint a muddy picture, it's hard to get a clear sense of what to do.

That being said, let's muddy the waters even more by dealing with an oft repeated phrase:

The only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

I am an unapologetic Christian, and Christianity takes a very specific view of humankind.  St. Paul articulated it best in Romans chapter 3:

"All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...No one is righteous..."

Think about that for a minute.  If you are not a Christian, wrap your head around the thought that there is no such thing as a "good guy."

Christianity argues that all are flawed.  All are sinful.  All seek their own wants, desires, and interests--sometimes without even realizing it.  We tend to reside at the center of our own universes, and if we become threatened...if our safety is not assured...

The tendency throughout human history is to strike out.  Remove the threat.  By hook, crook, law, or might, we preserve ourselves.  Add a gun to that equation, and the results can become volatile.

Oh, but lest you think I am going to go down the road and suggest that we need to give up our fire arms...

Remember, governments are made up of sinful people.  Governments themselves are infected with sin and the desire for self-preservation.  Governments are well adept at removing threats, and they have done so numerous times in history.

In fact, the number of U.S. citizens killed by firearms post Civil War pales in comparison to the numbers of people murdered by tyrannical governments who disarmed their populations.  Governments can be just as bad as the people who live in those nations.

I am also no hypocrite because I am not going to preach here on this blog and say that everyone should turn the other cheek as Jesus suggests.  I wouldn't do that if my own family was under threat.  I would unhesitatingly shoot to defend them.

Ideally, the Christian would turn the other cheek.  However, when unmitigated evil begins harming others, does a Christian have an obligation to defend others, even when that defense might be violent?  One of the most famous theologians of the Second World War came to that decision after having once been a pacifist.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer even participated in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler, which eventually cost Bonhoeffer his life.  Violence became an option in the face of horrendous violence and evil.

Which brings us squarely back to the situation of gun violence here in the U.S.

It's messy, for certain.

Having open carry isn't going to solve the problem.
Putting more laws on the book isn't going to solve the problem.
Disarming citizens and only allowing government officials have guns most probably will lead to an even larger death toll (if history has anything to contribute to the situation).

So, what to do?

How do you deal with the fears for security that are inherent in all human beings?
How do you deal with perceived threats to your security?
How do you deal with a heart that sees someone who disagrees with it as an enemy?
How do you deal with a corrupt human nature that seeks its own self-interest?

²³since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.  27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.  --Romans 3:23-28

You were far off from God, and you were brought near to God not because of your actions but because of Jesus' actions on your behalf.  He became the sacrifice of atonement nullifying your sins.  

If you trust in this action: you have no room to boast because you are a sinner.  You have no right to look down at another as an enemy.  You hate no one.  You also have no need to wonder about your security because you are firmly taken care of by God.  You stand just before Him, and your place with Him is secured.  Your heart is changed because you are not striving to justify yourself or work for your own self-interest.  All has been accomplished, so you can work for God (not for others because that leads to burn out and contempt for those who don't work for others like you do).  

And you are then commanded by Jesus to convert others to this understanding--not by coercion like some in the faith have tried--but by introducing people not to yourself and how good you are, but by introducing them to the God who died for them.

The Christian approach to gun violence and death is not legalism but conversion--which will lead to changed hearts--which will lead to humility--which will lead to people responding with love instead of hatred.

Too often, we look to the quick fixes.  We think simply changing laws will make things better.  It hasn't worked throughout history.  People find a way to manipulate the laws; manipulate the courts; manipulate the process.  The only one who cannot be manipulated is God and His goodness.  

Are We Naturally Born Racists?

This title in the July/August "Reader's Digest" was timely given the events that took place in Charleston, SC when Dylann Roof murdered nine men and women because of the color of their skin.
There has been much discussion and reaction to this event--much of it particularly misguided in my estimation.   I mean, some have used this shooting as a platform to rid the nation of symbols of the Confederacy.  But removing the Confederate flag from public grounds will do very little to address the real, underlying issue regarding racism and prejudice.  There is much more to this issue--much which is not being discussed.

I am going to take just a moment to deal with particular definitions in this subject.  I think it is important to do so because if we cannot agree on terminology, then we cannot agree on solutions.  Therefore, in this post, I will define

Racism as prejudice with power.  (A definition I was exposed to in college.)

Prejudice as an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. (from Merriam-Webster's third definition)

It is important, I think, to deal with prejudice.  The appropriation of power, history shows, changes over time.  It rises and falls among groups over and over and over again.  If prejudice is combined with that power, racism occurs.  

The Nature of Power

The philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche penned many influential writings which actually underpin much of our surrounding culture these days.  Philosophically, Nietzsche removed transcendence from reality.  Essentially what he said was: human reason cannot prove any sort of reality above and beyond this world.  Therefore, what is our motivation for doing things?  What is our reason for engaging in whatever activity we engage in?

Nietzsche's answer was: will to power.  Essentially, we strive to put ourselves in the most advantageous position possible.  We strive to get our own way; to make our own lives easier; to put ourselves in a position of power and authority so that we do not answer to anyone.

One might argue Nietzsche's basic postulates; however, I don't think he is far from the truth.  For Christianity also says that humankind tends to act with its own self-interests in mind.  Christianity states that humankind tends to seek autonomous authority where we answer to no one and make our own decisions without regard to anyone else--but with regard to our own well-being.  This is the original sin of the garden of Eden where humankind wanted the knowledge of good and evil so that it no longer needed reference to the One who created them.

"What does this have to do with racism?" you might ask.  Everything, I think.

The Nature of Prejudice

I personally do not believe we are naturally racist or prejudice, but we become prejudice very, very fast.  In the July/August issue of Reader's Digest an article caught my eye.  It was titled "Are We Naturally Born Racists?"  I encourage you to read the article in its entirety to see the research that the following quotes are based upon.  [The research is based on the IAT, and if you would like to take the test you can find it here.] I found the following one particularly fascinating:


"Humans are tribal creatures, showing strong bias against those we perceive as different from us and favoritism toward those we perceive as similar.  In fact, we humans will divide ourselves into in-groups and out-groups even when the perceived differences between specific groups are completely arbitrary."  Reader's Digest, July/August 2015 "Are We Naturally-Born Racists?" Pp. 113-114.

Let that sink in just a moment before reading the next one.

 "In other words, if you give people the slightest push toward behaving tribally, they'll happily comply.  So if race is the basis on which tribes are identified, expect serious problems."  Reader's Digest, July/August 2015 "Are We Naturally-Born Racists?" P.114.

We only need the slightest push to begin drawing lines in the sand and acting tribally.

It Should Seem Obvious, but...

In my Sunday School adult class we have spoken at length about race issues and whether or not racism is on the decline.  Racist behavior I think is significantly less because of the Civil Right's Movement; however racist attitudes, I think, have not abated.  The above research perhaps gives us an insight as to why.

One of the gentlemen in my class who is over seventy recalled in the early days in the Cat Spring, TX community how Germans and Czechs drew sharp lines of distinction.  Intermarriage was "verboten".  Drinking beer socially was acceptable, but that was about it.  The two groups sought to be distinct and separate.  They clung to their differences.  Over time, those barriers faded, and the cultural distinction is almost gone.

"Why?" one might ask.  These groups were  divided based upon clinging to a particular culture and language that kept them distinct.  As time passed and generations lost many cultural practices and children learned English only, the differences evaporated.  There were no longer lines that caused divisions.  Remember, the brain needs only a slight push to draw the boundaries and become tribal. When language and cultural distinctions evaporated, tribalism vanished.

That's not easily done with physical attributes, is it?

One cannot simply wait 60 years for skin color to change.  It won't.  Intermarriage will not produce a "greying" of color anytime soon.  This distinction will remain regardless of our best efforts to become colorblind.  You cannot help but see the differences.  And if our brains just need the slightest push...

We will become tribal.  Not we will, we are tribal.

This is not just a "white" problem.  This is not just a "black" problem.  This is not just a "brown" problem.  This is a human problem that demands a radical answer.

Society's Answers

Society over and over again has tried to teach us that no matter what is outside, we all bleed red.  This is most certainly true.

Society has taught us since the overthrow of the Jim Crow laws that skin color is irrelevant compared to our identity as human beings.  This is most certainly true.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech resounds with words that touch many of us to our very core--the dream of a nation where we are judged by the content of our character instead of the color of our skin.

If these truths are embraced by many and believed by many, why do we still find such division?  Why do we still see so few integrated neighborhoods?  Why is Sunday morning still the most segregated morning of the week?  Why do kids congregate among kids of their same color?

We only need the slightest push toward tribalism.

Do we naturally disregard these ideals and continue to cling to our respective culture of color?

I think we do.  And no matter how much you point to the ideal, human nature has a tendency of taking over--whether we want it to or not!

Why?

Because of two things: 1) In the deepest recesses of our hearts we want to be with others who are just like us.  Our brains make distinctions and cling to them, so nothing less than a total restructuring of our brain's natural state needs to occur.  2) Our Western, enlightenment society still tells us to cling to our racial identity!  Embrace the color of your skin!  Let no one tell you, your skin color is bad or wrong or ugly!  This is central and core to your being!

And in one way it is, but in another way, it perpetuates the problem.  For if I cling to my skin color and if my skin color is central to my being, then those who do not share my skin color are categorized as different by my brain--whether I want my brain to do this or not.  And we only need a slight nudge toward tribalism...

The Gospel's Answer

Christianity proposes another answer--one that is much more difficult, but much more liberating and all encompassing.

The Christian answer begins with dying to self.  That's a hard thing to swallow because we love ourselves.  We do everything we can to preserve ourselves.  Evolution has bred us to look out for ourselves and protect everything about us--not only my physical self, but also my identity.  I am who I am, and no one is going to tell me to be otherwise!

Yet, Jesus says, "Find your identity in me.  Don't look to your race, gender, ethnicity, or social status.  Don't look to your wallet or your possessions.  Don't find your sense of self-worth in how many Facebook likes you get or in how many degrees you possess.  Find your worth, value, and identity in me."

St. Paul articulated this in brilliant fashion when he penned the words of Galatians 3:27-28, "For as many of you as are baptized in Christ Jesus have clothed yourself with Christ.  For there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.  All of you are one in Christ Jesus."

The White Privilege Accusation

When my wife and I adopted our first daughter (who is bi-racial), I sat down to fill out my parochial report for my congregation.  As I contemplated the report, I became very uncomfortable.  You see, my denomination wants me (on the basis of my best judgement) to write down the racial/ethnic composition of my congregation.  As I looked at the places to fill in such categories, I unequivocally thought about my own family.  Do I look at my daughter and think, "Oh, she is bi-racial.  Her skin tone is black."?  NO.  UNEQUIVOCALLY, NO!!!!  I simply see her as my daughter.

The human brain only needs the slightest nudge to draw lines and act tribally...

I filled in the blank under "other" for the entire congregation.  I wrote in "Children of God."

I ended up in a heated discussion with someone in Chicago, IL where our church offices are located.  I was accused of having viewing the topic with white privilege and that "with all deference to St. Paul's theology, the Division for such and such requires these numbers."

So you are putting the Division for such and such ahead of the clear biblical witness?  Which one do you think I am going to listen to?

"You are speaking from a position of white privilege."

Now, I am going to go back to Nietzsche because Nietzsche was remarkable in his assessment of human nature.  He says we all seek our own will to power.  We don't, by default, seek the greater good.  We don't, by default, seek the betterment of society.  Nietzsche argues (and rather successfully since much of philosophy has been trying to deal with him for the last 100+ years) that we only seek things that have some direct benefit to ourselves.  It's a great understanding of original sin.

The claim that folks like myself are speaking from a position of white privilege is nothing more than a power play to lessen the force of a particular segment of society and increase the power of other voices within that same society.  In this case, the claim of white privilege places a priority on the voices of people of color (putting them into ascendance of power) while making secondary (putting them in a lower position) the voices of people labeled as "white."  It's a power play, plain and simple.

I expect to be soundly bashed for that comment, but I think I am on solid ground with my assertion.  The claim of white privilege allows society to continue to draw lines based upon skin color, and:

The human brain only needs the slightest nudge to draw lines and act tribally.

Toward a Solution

Christianity offers a pathway forward because of the nature of the Gospel.

The Gospel does not allow anyone to take the moral high road.  It does not allow anyone to place his or her race in a position of moral superiority or authority.  For Jesus died for us WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.

The Gospel also does not allow anyone to wallow in victim hood.  For the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE BOUGHT YOU WITH GREAT PRICE showing your immense value to Him.

These two things try to address something that society cannot touch: the heart.  For it is the heart which seeks power and privilege.  It is the heart which has selfish intentions, and it is these selfish intentions and desires for self-preservation that lead us to isolate ourselves from others and draw our boundaries.

The human brain only needs the slightest nudge to draw lines and act tribally...

But if those lines are destroyed because all have sinned.
And if those lines are destroyed because God's desire is to redeem all.

Then, no racial group can claim to be better than another with these two fundamental understandings.  There is something that cuts us down at the knees while at the same time building us up.  There is something that humbles us in our interactions with God and with one another without making us feel like we are worthless.

I simply cannot look at a person of a different color and see myself as better than him or her when I know that I was and am a sinner.  I cannot look at a person of a different color and see myself as somehow superior when I know that person is made in the image of God and clothed with the righteousness of Christ--the same garment I am clothed in!!!  I cannot see myself belonging to another group based upon ethnicity or skin color when all has been covered by Jesus.

And for those who are not part of the Christian faith, I am not commissioned to see them as anything less than fellow human beings who need to hear the Gospel just as much as I needed to hear it.

For certain the Church has not done a very good job of following through on the implications of the Gospel, but I believe part of this is due to the fact that we've forgotten the nature of that very Gospel.  But that is another topic for a later date.