Parallel Chapter Seven

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Chapter 7

Parables

Parables are metaphorical stories that share a strong message but often hide the antagonist to protect the writer or speaker. Jesus loved to speak in parables, at least according the synoptic writers. Luke includes 24 (18 are unique), Matthew 23 (11 unique) and Mark 8 (2 unique) in their teachings of Jesus. Interestingly enough John according to many scholars has none. John does include some short analogies that some scholars point to as parables. Again the question is not why is John different but what is it that John is trying to say. John writes from the point of view of history, looking back at his time with Jesus, even to the point of spending a great deal of time sharing their lack of understanding at what Jesus was trying to tell them. John’s point in all this is that Jesus is truly who He said He was.

For the synoptic writers the most important thing to be learned from Jesus was faith. Jesus focus was on believing in the power of God, believing in who Jesus was and spending time trusting God in all that we do. The first parable that I highlighted is the parable of the sower. What makes this parable important is that all three writers spend time not only sharing the parable, but also sharing the meaning of the parable with a caveat. That caveat is that Jesus shares with them that not understanding the meaning is paramount to not believing.

^NRS Matthew 13:1 The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' ¹⁴ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.' ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

^NRS Mark 4:11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; ¹² in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'" ¹³ And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?

^NRS Luke 8:1 ¹⁰ He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.'

All three writers use parables then to promote the idea that it is through faith alone that understanding comes from the teachings of Jesus.

           All three writers include some of the favorites, the Parable of the Mustard Seed that shares that the kingdom of God starts out with a small glimmer of faith and grows into a strong tree that can support the birds of the air. By the way, “Birds of the Air” was a saying in Jesus day often referring to the Gentile nation who moved about while most Jews were born, lived and died within 30-40 miles of their home.

           Another of the parables worth noting is the Parable about “He who has ears”. All three use it to again emphasize that faith is the primary objective of following Jesus. Followers of Jesus who have such faith then would have opened to the teachings in such a way that they would understand the message that God is trying to convey to the world through them. Some of the more famous parables appear only in Matthew and Luke. The Parable of the Leven Bread and the Parable of the Lost Sheep do find their way into Mark’s story. Interestingly enough Mark has the least of the parables in his Gospel. Did he not know them or in his effort to preach to the Gentile world did he not find them as important. Again, maybe not the right question.

           All three writers also address the idea of what is the most important commandment. All three show it as a test given to Jesus by the Sanhedrin to try and trip him up.

^NRS Deuteronomy 6:1 Now this is the commandment-- the statutes and the ordinances-- that the LORD your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, ² so that you and your children and your children's children may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. ⁵ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

This prayer, called the Shema, from verses 4 and 5 is foundational to the Hebrew understanding of what is important and is considered even today to be the greatest commandment God has given us. In all three synoptic gospel, Jesus answers correctly by repeating the Shema. Then He adds to it remarking that we are to love one another as well. Luke takes it a step further with the Good Samaritan. Matthew might well have left that part out since it would not have found favor among the Hebrew people while Mark reaching out the Romans may well have left it out because they would not have truly understood the significance.

           Only Matthew and Luke have included the parable of the Great supper that many believe points to the day of judgement that will come, who will find favor, and who will not. However, all three use this parable to share that we are to be the enhancers of God’s word, to be the preservers of the Word throughout the ages.

Heart of Jesus: A perfect Loving heart

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 4/15/18

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^NRS Joshua 24:14 "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

^NRS Galatians 5:16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

There is a story about three brothers, one of which was a much-acclaimed actor. His name was Edwin Thomas and his brothers were John and Junius. In 1863, the three brothers performed Julius Caesar together to great acclaim. One of the brothers played Brutus. Why that is important comes after their performance. John would become famous as the one who entered into the President’s box in 1865 and killed Abraham Lincoln. Edwin’s brothers, John and Junius had a different last name. Their last name was Booth, as in John Wilkes Booth. Edwin was so embarrassed that he refused to act following this incident. One day he was in the train station in New Jersey when a young man lost his footing and fell onto the tracks. Edwin immediately locked his leg around a post, reached out and saved the young man. Edwin later received a letter from the current president thanking him for saving the young man that day. Funny thing about that, the young man’s name was Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln. How can one brother be about life while the other is about death?

We have gathered today to talk about what a perfect loving heart looks like. Perfect love is unconditional. It carries with it no requirements other than that of loving one another. It requires only that we decide to love in return. It carries with it no strings, no burdens, no expectations or abuse. Perfect love requires of us that we have the ability to choose whether we love back in return or not. We call this doctrine of love, free will and it is a tenant of our denomination. We believe that God loves us unconditionally without merit to who we are, where we were born, how we walked life’s journey to this point and whether we love God in return. 

God loves us unconditionally and unendingly. I have often been told that my answer is too simple, that is truly must be more complicated than what I say. There must be rules, doctrines and guidelines that I am not telling and I am using this simplistic explanation to entice people. However, the reality is that it is simply that God loves us unconditionally and unendingly, nothing more, nothing less. We make it difficult because we want to believe that life everything else it life, it cannot be simple and uncomplicated. God loves us unconditionally and unendingly.

Richard Rohr writes that it was God’s plan all along to bring Jesus into the world. That the 14.8 million years since creation began, God has intended all along to bring Jesus into the world. Not to bring atonement but to allow us to learn about God. Jesus came not to change how God is in relationship with us but how we are in relationship with God.

So what does perfect love look like? I read a poster just the other day that sums up perfect love in a wonderful way. It said, “You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. Jesus came to teach us to look at the world perfectly. To see the love that weaves its way in the flaws of humanity, in the creases of age, in the beauty of a sunset and in the imperfections of our bodies. What lies within all of those things is the love that God gives each day, reaching out to us in a desire for us to feel the warmth of an embrace, the whisper of a kiss and the fullness of being loved. Today is the day when we have the opportunity to go out and change the world. It cannot be done through violence, deceit or manipulation. It can only be done when people understand that you care about them in an authentic genuine way. Paul sums it up well when he wrote these words, “⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant  ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  ⁸ Love never ends.”

Jesus summed it up a different way. He said that true love, perfect love is the willingness to lay down your life for it. Complete submission is the way of love for Jesus. It is a love where we give all that we have to another without regard to promises, conditions, strings or even life itself. Imagine with me for a moment that kind of love. Imagine if the world around us learned to love one another in such a way, that we would be willing to give our lives to secure that love. That is the essence of this scripture this morning and of the one from Corinthians. If we, the people of God, were willing to sacrifice everything so that everyone else in the world could experience that kind of love, then I believe we could and would create paradise here on earth. I believe that is the reason that Jesus came into the world, to show us what that love looks like and to go to the cross that we might experience it.

We have and will continue to be in a discussion about Discipleship. As we explore the concept of discipleship, the one thing that should continue to rise to the surface is our desire, our obligation if you will, to love one another. We cannot become perfect in our relationship with God without love. We cannot move forward in our desire to be true disciples of Jesus Christ in the world without learning to love one another. Jesus walked this earth over two thousand years ago and His example, found in the Gospel’s and Epistle writings leads us to learn this basic concept of discipleship. If we cannot find a way to love one another, regardless, we cannot find a path that allows us entry into the Kingdom. If we cannot enter the Kingdom then we have no chance for salvation. That seems to be a hard lesson that Jesus taught over and over again. If you are not willing He said, to abide in me and let me abide in you then there is little chance we can be in true authentic relationship.

Many years ago a young woman who dressed in gothic fashion and I began to have a discussion. I enjoy talking with young people because often it lets me know how out of touch with the world I really am and provokes me to learn what makes the world move around me in different ways. We cannot continue to do what we have always done or we will achieve the same results we have been achieving, declining as a church until we die. What is that famous quote; the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So I asked her why she dressed the way she did. She wrote me a three page typed response and the one reason that stood out was this. If you can accept me for who I am then we can have relationship together. If my clothes prevent that then you cannot see who I am and we cannot be friends. Profound don’t you think? I wonder how many times we turn away from folks because they dress, act or talk a certain way. Jesus by the way never turned anyone away. His teaching caused some to walk away but He offered them perfection before they decided to leave. A member of our family shared with me that another member of our family was leaving us because they did not feel welcome. What does that say about us?

We should all strive to have a perfect loving heart. It does not mean that we will be in relationship with everyone under every circumstance. What it does mean is that we will always be open to the idea that no matter who you are, we will strive to be in relationship with you. Why? Because God is that way with each of us.

We as the church called Sydenstricker have come a long ways in the last almost two years. In July, actually on June 28^th Bonnie and I will have been here two years. In that time, we have grown in size but more importantly, we have grown in love and enthusiasm. Not every one of you has welcomed all of the changes that have come and I would have expected no difference in that. We must make other changes if we have hope of being relevant in our ministry to the world around us.  

We have to come to terms with who we are called to be and how we can live into that calling. Jesus called us out in the Great Commission to GO out into the world, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach them all the things He taught us. What did He teach us? To love God with all our hearts, minds and soul and love one another in the same way. We even have a vision of how to live into that, Christ’s love in action. Did you hear that? We are called to be Christ, as we love people in our actions. Bringing God to People and People to God.

Who are we going to be? Are we going to be faithful to the promise of God and enter into the Kingdom with the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to empty ourselves of our prejudices, our holds to tradition, our comfortability to only do what we have always done or are we willing to reach out to the world in new ways that bring folk into relationship with God? Perfect love gives us the choice to be in relationship with God or not. As Joshua said to the people of Israel, I now say to you, the choice is yours, but as for my house, and me we will serve the Lord.

Parallel Gospel - Chapter Six

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Chapter 6

Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is a great teaching moment in the Bible. It may surprise you to know that Matthew spends three chapters on it, Mark ignores it all together and Luke spends only one chapter although Luke spreads some of the teachings throughout his writing. Again, the wrong question is who is right. The right question is what is the writer trying to tell. Matthew’s account is a collection of sermons or teachings if you will. Matthew could easily shared piece by piece through individual talks, teachings or sermons, in order, and the reader would receive a full accounting of the miracles, the healings, the teaching, the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew has taken all the teachings of Jesus and put them in one place so that the reader can get a full account of what Jesus said in one place. It is structured like a lecture teaching if you will that is easily followed.

Mark on the other hand doesn’t include a special sermon on the mountain. He talks about Jesus going to the mountain several times and there is teaching or miracles that occur. So why are the two so different? Maybe Mark is more focused on sharing with the Romans the nature of God on earth. Which makes the miracles and healing stories far more important than the upheaval of structure and order that is Rome. Mark is trying to convince the Roman reader that Jesus is the Son of God, is divine and that following Him is more important than loyalty to Caesar or any Roman God.

Luke likewise spends only one chapter on the Sermon on the Mount. Did it happen? Apparently, two of the writers spend at least one chapter on it. Did all the teachings of Jesus that we see in parallel occur in that one teaching? Probably not? Which is why Luke spreads the teachings throughout, bringing in what he would consider important lessons in the story at the time of certain events, healings or confrontations with the Jewish authorities. Remember the three writers are trying to convey a story with an important message to their readers.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is the centerpiece of the teachings of Jesus. In the story we get all the teachings of what is important to Jesus. Jesus focuses on reaching out to the poor, the marginalized, the need to be humble before God and the need to great witnesses to the message. Luke follows along but places these pieces in different places and uses often-different words. Luke may be stressing the need to reach out to the marginalized while Matthew is giving us the whole story that includes the humbleness before God, the need to strive for peace, etc. Matthew also spends more time on how we are to live our lives, anger management, obeying the law and listening to the prophets, not storing up treasurers here on earth, etc. Luke spends time telling these as well but shares them within parables to emphasis the teaching.

So what do we glean from the Sermon on the Mount and the stories that are attached in Matthew or disclosed in Luke in other locations and settings. That Jesus is trying to change the very order of things. That Jesus is reaching out to the poor, the marginalized and the sick. Certainly all of these things. That Jesus is setting guidelines for how to live our lives? Again, certainly! Mark never mentions the beatitudes but again, his audience is Rome. He does allow the stories about the salt of the earth and the law to be included in his dialogue. All three include the Lord ’s Prayer with a twist. Matthew and Luke are very similar but Mark only asks to be focus on forgiving.

The Lord ’s Prayer is worth noting how it is handled by each of the writers. Matthew includes it in the Sermon on the Mount. It is strategically placed between loving your neighbor, how you share your witness and fasting. These are every day challenges for all Christians. Mark almost includes it as a passing thought, placed between the prophecy of the fig tree and their arrival in Jerusalem. Maybe he thought that it was an important thought but not worthy of its own section in the story. Luke begins chapter 11 with the Lord’s prayer and quickly takes us on what can be done through the power of God. Again Luke spends a great deal of time on miracles while Matthew focuses on Jesus teaching.

Go and Tell for I am already ahead of you

Sermon given Easter Sunday, April 1st at Sydenstricker UMC

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^NRS Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶ But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." ⁸ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ⁹ Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. ¹² After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. ¹³ And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. ¹⁴ Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. ¹⁵ And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

Don and Rick were best of friends and loved to play golf. They would have played every day if their jobs had not gotten in the way. In fact, they would play every day except Sunday. You see, these two men were also devout Christians who attended church regularly and were active in their church in ministry. Often they would play together and when playing with others they would discuss their faith lives in non-threatening ways to whomever they were playing with. Well as you can imagine, they had one of those heaven questions. We all have them. Is such and such going to be in heaven when I get there? Are there animals in heaven and will I see my favorite dog, cat or whatever when I get to heaven? I have even been asked if there will be NASCAR in heaven. Honestly, I cannot quite see that one but hey, God is bigger than anything I can think of. So anyway, as the story goes, Rick passes away. Well weeks and months go by and Don was missing his friend as many of you can probably relate. One night there at the foot of his bed stood his friend Rick. Well Don was shook up at seeing him so he asked him if he was real. Of Course, said Rick. However, I have to tell you I have some good news and some great news. Well give me the great news first, Don said. Well I know you are curious, as we have wondered aloud if there is golf in heaven and I can tell you that there is. In fact, some of the most beautiful courses you can imagine are here. Well, Don said, what is the good news? You and I have a tee time next Tuesday.

The truth of the story is that there is no bad news. Like the criminal in the cross, the knowledge that we leave this physical world to be in a world of joy and celebration in the presence of Jesus is only good news. We as human beings live in a world where we become accustomed to bad news, to sad tidings and to adversity in the world around us. However, the good news of this morning is that the tomb is empty and Jesus has already gone on before us to prepare a place at His table.

To truly understand what today is, we need to understand who Jesus is. His story begins in the Old Testament where God creates the perfect humans and places them in the perfect setting. If not for their desire to be greater than they think they are, we would still be there in a place called paradise or the Garden. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, which means that they were created to be in relationship and to love one another. An image of love is always and will always be the perfect creation story. But truth is that image got flawed not by God’s hand but by forces that would have us believe that perfect is something other than being in a relationship that is centered on love and obedience. So God set in plan a new creation that is yet to come to fulfillment! God promised a new perfect human whom we would learn from and who would lift us up. That is the story of Jesus we have come to love and to focus on. God’s promise begins in the very first book of the Bible where he proclaims at the first punishment that there will be one who will come who will win the victory in the end. That theme threads its way throughout the story of humanity. Abraham is promised a great nation and David is promised that one will come and sit on his throne forever. The Prophets are promised that the coming Messiah will bring peace and salvation will conquer the forces of evil in the world and the lion and the lamb will live in peace together again. This is the eternal promise of God and everything that God has been doing in the world has been toward achieving that promise, both in the world and in the lives of people like us who live in the world. Yet we mess it up by wanting something different, something unattainable, and something we truly do not need. We do not need to be the creator in order to enjoy the world that we live in. But that sin runs deep in us, so deep in fact that it is an infectious wound that grows and churns its way straight into our hearts where it destroys the love that we were designed to feel and share. God’s promise in the Old Testament story was to send a new Adam who would find a way to fix that.

At Christmas, we celebrated the birth of Jesus. The Son of God who was sent into the world to bring an end to the pain and suffering that our sin has caused. God in human form came into the world to share with us what perfection looks like lived out. That is part of the story of this loving relationship of God. God walked among us as God had in the very beginning. However, this time, God’s loving nature-spent time healing and teaching, showing us what living in this creation could look like if we desired it. We each have the opportunity to be in this type of relationship with each other, loving rather than hating, caring rather than discarding and healing one another rather than harming one another. That is the essence of what Jesus showed us when He came and spent time among us two thousand years ago. He did not differentiate in color of skin, nation of origin or even the path that we had taken as he walked, healed, taught, and fed those around him. Jesus was already ahead of us all the time in understanding, healing and loving. Jesus taught us how to have relationship.

But the best part is yet to come. Jesus went to the cross that we might have freedom from our very natures. That we could escape death itself, not the physical death that will come to us all, but eternal death where we exist knowing that love was available and we gave it up for a new car or new home or mid-life crisis. Even now, Jesus is already preparing the table for us as we share these moments of life. Already Jesus is preparing a place for us just as He promised. Jesus wants us in relationship and wants us to be loved and to love one another. He said that is how the world would know us, that we had love for one another regardless and unconditionally. Jesus even wants us to know to what extreme He will go to share that with us. He went to His death for us. When He came back risen and alive, Peter was high on His list. Peter denied Him three times and Jesus forgave him three times. I believe the emphasis in the scripture is because of that denial that Jesus told Mary, go and tell the disciples and Peter. So that we would know that even when we have denied Jesus, Jesus offers us His love.

Jesus told Mary to go and tell. Jesus is telling us to go and tell. We are to be witnesses throughout the world to the power of God’s love. Jesus wants us to share unconditional love with all the world just as He shared it with us on the cross. Jesus wants us to share through witness by example and teaching that God so loved the world, that God gave us God in the form of Jesus who gave His life so that you and I might live eternal lives with God. What a great message. Jesus is already ahead of us in showing us that love. Jesus is already ahead of us in preparing our eternal homes. Jesus is asking us not to look at the future but to live in the Kingdom right here and now. Peter denied Him three times and Jesus forgave Peter three times. Peter was lost after the death and resurrection but Jesus, already ahead of Peter, met him right where he lived and gave him love. How many times are we Peter? Every time we fall, Jesus is already ahead of us picking us up and loving us. Jesus is preparing a table for us. Would you come to the banquet of God? 

Have We missed it?

Sermon given March 31st at Sydenstricker UMC

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Scripture Reading:

^NRS  Luke 19:29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" ³² So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" ³⁴ They said, "The Lord needs it." ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" ³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." ⁴⁰ He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. 'That laundry is not very clean', she said. 'She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap' her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. About one month later, the woman was surprised to see nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: 'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her how?' The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.' And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

I wonder how often we see without seeing. Have you ever been driving along the road and remarked on that new sign or new storefront only to have your spouse say, it’s been there for a while, where have you been? Obviously not in the kind of awareness one needs to be in to notice new things. I have shared with you before that experts are those people who we either love or hate. Expert in fact is defined as X is a has been and xpert is a small drip under pressure. People present themselves as experts all the time and yet we know that they can and often are wrong. Thomas Edison once remarked that his moving picture invention was all but useless and would never amount to anything of value.

The experts of Jesus day were none other than the scribes and Pharisee’s that moved among the people, regaling them with their knowledge and making people feel inferior. That is what experts do. I remember some years back an environmental engineering company spent the day with me. We walked around the plant and he pointed out things that we would need to look at, each time saying to be with sarcasm, but you already knew that didn’t you. If I already knew then I wouldn’t need him. Anyway at the end of the day I thanked him for his time and observations and then told him we would not be needing the services of one who was too wrapped up in his own ego to work with the likes of us. His boss called the next day and I assured him with experts like that on his staff he would probably go broke.

The Pharisee’s and Scribes came to check out Jesus. Now remember, they are the leading authority on Biblical prophecy and such. So Jesus decision to ride into town on a donkey should certainly have got the attention of the knowledgeable experts. Why? Because one of the prophecies concerning the Messiah from Zechariah 9:9 is that he would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Never happened before and yet they refused to believe that Jesus was who he said he was. I mean, really, how could they miss the one thing they have been trained to observe for hundreds of years, the signs of the prophecies being fulfilled.

Maybe the reason that they missed it is because they are trained to see the predictable. We spend our lives being taught to see the normal, the predictable, the ordinary and so when the extraordinary happens we often miss it. I think it is why modern day political parties cannot seem to understand the desire of the populace; they are so enamored with their status quo. So the Pharisee’s were looking for David to come on a white horse beating back the Romans. Hmmmm. Maybe they had forgotten to read the story of young shepherd boy who comes and slays a giant with a rock.

Jesus is a son of a carpenter from a no count little town called Nazareth. And you know what they say about Nazareth, nothing good ever came from Nazareth. I mean really, this Jesus fellow doesn’t even have a high school diploma and most certainly is not one of the favored students in the synagogue like that Saul fellow. In fact, it is most clever that he has such an understanding of the Biblical text since he was never trained with the best of the best like the rest of us. Ellsworth Kalas says, “We have to concede that Jesus doesn’t fit their profile.”[i]

If we dig closely into the story we can see an important truth here. God does not choose who we expect and God does not work in the ways we expected things to happen. I mean look at the stories of who God chooses to change the world. God chose Jacob over his older brother Esau, breaking the whole inheritance thing. Joseph was chosen special over all of his older brothers. David was a lowly shepherd boy who God thrust into the limelight. Moses had killed in anger. And the list goes on. God chooses those who are willing to let go of their own ego’s, let their guard down, submit themselves to a higher will and do the bidding of God, not their own.

If we acknowledge that the Scribes should have immediately picked up on the fact that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy it was their job to watch out for and yet missed it, then what about us? Is it possible that the reason we don’t see God or acknowledge the presence of Jesus is that it doesn’t fit our mold? I mean really, if we cannot see it, touch it, feel it with our fingers, then it cannot be true. Don’t believe me; ask Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus was resurrected until he placed his fingers in the wounds. What if God is working right here amongst us? Would we refuse to see because we too cannot put our fingers in the wounds?

I imagine that if we close our eyes we can see the hundreds of people who lined the streets to get a glimpse of Jesus. Here He comes now! Riding in the city gates on the donkey, the young foal, just as the prophetic message told us He would. Among the people are those who have probably seen Him performing miracles, others who heard the stories and yet others who have come to see what all the excitement is about. Among them are the Pharisee’s who are angered by all this because it upsets their sensibilities and they are concerned what Rome will do with all this excitement. Meanwhile the city is filling up with people who have come for the Passover celebration.

Who would we be? Are we those who had come because we had heard about Jesus and wanted to see them? Are we those who had come because Jesus upsets our sensibilities about life? Maybe we too would rather He did not ask us to be different and upset the delicate balance of blending in with our culture and our world. But then I wonder what would happen if we were suddenly confronted with a living Jesus? How would we feel if we suddenly had in front of us His outstretched hands with the holes where the nails had been? What would we feel? How would we respond?

It’s Saturday night and we are in the midst of the Holiest part of the year. Thursday we shared bread together in the celebration of Passover as we will today. Friday we came to celebrate or mourn depending on your perspective the events of that Friday at Golgotha. Tomorrow we will celebrate the gift of God through resurrection and eternal promise. But how will we celebrate the remaining the days of the year? Will we struggle with believing or will we lift up our voices in witness and praise to the God who loves us so much that God will go to His death for us? The choice is always ours. Passover is coming! Are you ready for the wilderness? Are you ready for the cross? Are you ready to be a disciple?  

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[i] Kalas, Ellsworth, Preaching the Gospel, 2004, Westminster John Knox Press, page 48

The Last Supper

Sermon given March 25th at Sydenstricker UMC

Click here for audio

^NRS Genesis 40:1 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them; and they continued for some time in custody. ⁵ One night they both dreamed-- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison-- each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. ⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh's officers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?" ⁸ They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me." ⁹ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, ¹⁰ and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." ¹² Then Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; ¹³ within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ But remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place. ¹⁵ For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon." ¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, ¹⁷ and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head." ¹⁸ And Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; ¹⁹ within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head-- from you!-- and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat the flesh from you."

^NRS Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." ²⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

You might ask why I choose this passage from the Old Testament today. I love prophecy. I love to hear it interwoven into the fabric of God’s message for us all. Joseph has been thrown in prison, falsely accused and shares his time with two other prisoners, one good and one not so. Sound familiar? It should because it becomes a very different story when on the cross. Joseph becomes if you will the salvation for the Hebrew people during a time of great famine. He has been enslaved because God has given him the power of interpreting dreams and his brothers did not like his interpretation very well. Joseph must interpret the dreams of these two and he does. One, the chief cupbearer, is told he has three days and then he will be restored by the King to his job. The other, the baker, is told that in three days he will be put to death. I cannot help but wonder at the three days. In three days, Jesus was put to death and rose again because God intended it that way. In three days, Satan who held great power would lose all of his power at the hands of the resurrection. Jesus becomes the cup of God’s redeeming power and it is through the cup that we are reminded of the sacrifice of blood. It is through the giving of His body that Satan’s power is taken away. Hmmmm! Could it be, cupbearer restored as the cup restores our lives, baker put to death as the body of Jesus is given to death for us?  

This weekend we celebrate the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem where He has come to die. He arrives in great fanfare with palms, the ancient symbol of victory, waving and people shouting. In short order they will give Him up to be crucified. But before that happens He will share a meal with His disciples. A meal like no other that has come before Him and a meal shared by millions after. For those who know the history of this event you know that it happens on the Thursday night before Passover, which this year began at sunset on March 30^th and will continue to sunset April 7^th. This event celebrates the story of the passing over of the Hebrew people in Egypt by God. That significance for us is important to our understanding of the communion table today. Jesus and the disciples came together for the purpose of sharing a meal. As we understand it, it was one day prior to the beginning of the Passover celebration. What we find intriguing in all this is the Passover requires a sacrifice of an unblemished lamb around twilight and the blood spread on the doorposts of the entranceway into their homes. If we follow the custom of Passover with the life of Jesus, we begin to see parallels between this ancient story and the events of Easter. We come on Easter to celebrate the sacrifice of the perfect human, known to us as the Lamb of God that occurred on the day, which celebrated the passing over of the Hebrew people, his body removed and buried at twilight as Passover began, with his blood on the wooden cross, the new entranceway to heaven.

But on this night, the day before, the disciples came together for a meal. They had no idea of the events that would transpire over the next 24 hours, but Jesus did. And his knowing created anxiety for Him we can be assured as He focused His attention on the teaching of the disciples. For He knew that they would soon be alone in their ministries and it was important that they understood what they were to do. And it was also important that they understood who they were to be. Do you know what your purpose is and who you are to be? Jesus brought them together and scripture tells us that they broke bread together and shared grapes from the vine together in their drink. And we also know that the custom was for the leader to bless the bread and wine. Jesus did that and we will share in that celebration a little later.

But what purpose did the table have? The most important reason for the disciples to be there that night was for Jesus to finish the teaching of their role and purpose. And so He brought them together. Each one would develop a new role as a result of their teaching and Jesus example. Judas thought to force Jesus hand, Peter denied him and the others dispersed among the city in hiding. All thought themselves at this point that they were being loyal to God. Jesus knew that of each of them on this night would betray Him in the events that were about to transpire.

There are three important reasons for the gathering that night. The first is that we now have a service where we can be in communion with Jesus. A place where the Holy Spirit is present in the elements, where the Holy Spirit is present with the participants and where we can come and seek and receive forgiveness for the sins committed in our lives. A place where we gather as a community sharing in the joys and sorrows of each others lives. A place where we come to support each other and lift each other up for the good of the community, the church as defined and led by God. When we come together to this table, we come remembering the sacrifice that God made for us and we restore the relationship with God that we desire to have.

When we come to the table we come together reminding ourselves of Jesus life, death and resurrection. In those moments when we participate in the table, we reflect on what it meant to be Jesus and what his life means to us. I believe that Jesus intended this as one of the major focuses of the table. It tells us in scripture that he took the towel and water and began to wash their feet. In the first century when folks would gather at the table for a meal, they typically would have walked to the location and their feet would be dusty. The host would provide servants or children to wash the feet of the honored guests. If you have ever participated in a feet washing, you know that it is easier to wash someone else’s feet than to have yours washed. It can be a humbling experience. But what is important is the lesson that Jesus teaches. If the leader can become the servant, then what does leadership really mean? Peter struggled with this aspect of the washing. Jesus wants us to know what our purpose is and how we are to live our lives. Serving others! Simply said, it means that we are to spend our lives witnessing our faith through our actions, words and deeds. In those examples that we set for the world, they will see Jesus in each of us. We are to reach out to the world by leading as servants, not asking others to do menial chores, but rather leading others through example to do them. Not asking others to sacrifice of themselves for others, but rather leading the sacrifice of ourselves as an example to others of how we shall live. I spent most of my life leading others by my example of working towards the American dream, big house, nice cars, and a nicer paycheck. Then Jesus said to the disciples, come, follow me. And each of us begins to focus our attention on being there for one another. It doesn’t mean that prosperity is not still attainable for Christian people. It simply means that it becomes secondary to fulfilling the service to others through witnessing and living the will of God.

We come to the third aspect of what the purpose of the table is. It is to remind us of the greater commandment of Jesus. ³³ Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." ³⁶ Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward." We are to leave this place today and every time we participate in the table remembering that we are to love one another. It is important that we focus on the loving grace that comes from God and then share that with the world around us. No longer focused on differences or on how others might not share the same ideas that we have, but rather focused on how we can share with them through our own lives the wonder and beauty that God has created. The world is all about focusing on the betterment of humanity one individual at a time, whether all get to share it or not is not the important point, rather, who has the most toys when they die is. With God, we focus on the betterment of humanity one person at a time as a result of community and the greater good is when no one hungers, no one suffers alone and no one goes without essentials. Some years ago I shared a class with a young man from Nigeria. He was asked if there were rich people in his community. The question rocked him a bit and he pondered it in front of us. What he said next reminded me why we come to this table. HE said that when no one hungers and no one is without the necessities of life, then the community is rich. But if even one is hungry, then the village is poor. You see in his way of life, there is only community, not individual. Jesus is reaching out to each of us today asking us to join together in this place in order that we become community. He is asking us to come together as a community that focuses on service to others, a community that focuses on sharing the message of God and a community that loves one another. Let us join together in the way of God, in his grace and love, spreading his message through our actions, words and deeds and sometimes using words.

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected." This story highlights a beautiful illustration of what communion really means. It is a meal with God. And God is present with us as we gather together to enjoy this meal of bread and juice.