SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 4:12-16 & Mark 10:17-31
THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IN THE TITLE OF THIS SERMON, "WHAT WILL IT TAKE" IS SIMPLE; EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. ACTUALLY, THE WORDS ARE SIMPLE, BUT LIVING WITH THE TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO IS NOT SIMPLE AT ALL. AND TODAY'S SCRIPTURE PASSAGE EXHIBITS THIS TENSION IN MANY PROFOUND WAYS, IF WE HAVE EARS TO HEAR.
NOW ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF GOING TO THURSDAY MORNING PRAYER GROUP IS GOING OUT FOR BREAKFAST AFTERWARDS. WE WORSHIP BEFORE BREAKFAST, BUT THE SERMON FOR THE DAY SOMETIMES HAPPENS AROUND THE BREAKFAST TABLE, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST THURSDAY.
THE SCRIPTURE WE READ DURING THE LITURGY ON THURSDAY MORNING WAS OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE FOR TODAY. AND THE CONVERSATION AROUND THE BREAKFAST TABLE HAD TO DO WITH THINGS LIKE; WHO IS FIRST AND WHO IS LAST AND HOW VERY UNCOMFORTABLE THIS SCRIPTURE MAKES US FEEL. SOME OF US THOUGHT THE LIKES OF BILL GATES WERE THE FIRST WHO WOULD BE LAST, BUT SOME THOUGHT THAT THE FIRST PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY ARE PEOPLE LIKE SAINT TERESA. AND NOT ONE OF US WANTED TO GIVE UP ALL THAT WE POSSESS TO FOLLOW JESUS, EVEN THOUGH THE TABLE WAS FILLED WITH WOMEN WHO LOVE JESUS.
AS I LEFT THIS VERY STIMULATING CONVERSATION TO GO TO AN APPOINTMENT I SAID, "WHEN YOU GET THIS ISSUE SETTLED, LET ME KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER," TO WHICH EVERYONE LAUGHED. WE ALL KNOW, ON SOME LEVEL, THAT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS ABOUT MONEY AND FAITH CAN ONLY BE FOUND BIT BY BIT AS WE MOVE ALONG THE JOURNEY OF LIFE, TRYING TO FOLLOW AFTER JESUS IN THE SAME HAPLESS WAY AS THE FIRST DISCIPLES.
SO TO INFORM OUR OWN JOURNEY, LET'S CONSIDER THE ACTUAL STORY. IT BEGINS AS A MAN THROWS HIMSELF AT JESUS' FEET, WANTING TO KNOW HOW TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE. THIS STATEMENT, IN AND OF ITSELF, IS PRETTY OUTRAGEOUS WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT. IF ONE OF MY CHILDREN EVER ASKED ME WHAT HE/SHE HAD TO DO TO INHERIT MY FINEST THINGS I WOULD PROMPTLY SAY, "NOT A THING." MY INHERITANCE TO MY CHILDREN IS A GIVEN, A FREE GIFT. AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR ALL OF US AS THE CHILDREN OF GOD. ETERNAL LIFE IS A GIFT OF GRACE. THERE IS NOT ONE THING WE CAN DO TO EARN IT. AND SO THE DISCUSSION ABOUT MONEY BEGINS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S GRACIOUSNESS AND GOODNESS. JESUS SAYS, "NO ONE IS GOOD BUT GOD ALONE." THE FOUNDATION OF EVERY DISCUSSION OR ACTION IS ALWAYS THE GRACE OF GOD.
BUT THE MAN OBVIOUSLY NEEDED AND WANTED TO HAVE SOME KIND OF INSTRUCTION FROM JESUS, SO JESUS REMINDS HIM OF A FEW OF THE COMMANDMENTS, AND THE MAN CONFIRMS THE FACT THAT HE HAS KEPT THESE COMMANDMENTS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. NOW THE QUESTION THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS THAT IF THIS MAN HAS LIVED A LIFE OF FAITH, THEN WHERE IS THE JOY FOR HIM?
WHY THE FEAR ABOUT INHERITING ETERNAL LIFE? WHAT WAS THE MAN MISSING IN HIS OWN LIFE, EVEN AFTER LIVING A GOOD LIFE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS? AND I THINK JESUS HAD THE SAME THOUGHT, BECAUSE JESUS LOOKED AT HIM AND LOVED HIM. JESUS SAW THE MAN THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS MISSING. THERE WAS A SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS FOR THIS MAN THAT JESUS WANTED TO FILL, AND SO JESUS SAID, "GO, SELL WHAT YOU OWN, AND GIVE THE MONEY TO THE POOR." AND THE MAN GOES AWAY GRIEVING, FOR HE HAS MANY POSSESSIONS.
NOW I HAD AN "AHA" MOMENT WHILE STUDYING THIS SCRIPTURE. I HAVE ALWAYS HEARD THIS STORY TELLING ME TO SELL EVERYTHING I HAVE AND GIVE ALL OF IT TO THE POOR. AND MY RESPONSE TO THAT THOUGHT IS PROBABLY VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOUR RESPONSE MIGHT BE.
I PANIC!
I DON'T WANT TO BE POOR.
I LOVE THE NICARAGUAN PEOPLE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THEY DO.
I'M ALWAYS VERY HAPPY TO COME HOME TO MY AIR-CONDITIONED HOUSE AND COMFY BED.
BUT THIS TIME, AS I READ THIS STORY I COULD SEE WHERE I WAS WRONG. JESUS TELLS THE MAN TO SELL WHAT HE OWNS - HIS POSSESSIONS, AND TO GIVE THAT MONEY TO THE POOR. FOR THE FIRST TIME I HEARD JESUS TALKING ABOUT THE OBSESSES OF OUR DAILY LIVING RATHER THAN THE COMPLETE ABANDONMENT OF ALL WEALTH. I THINK MY AMERICAN ANXIETY MADE ME UNABLE TO HEAR WHAT WAS REALLY BEING SAID, BECAUSE NO ONE UNDERSTANDS OBSESSIVE LIVING BETTER THAN WE AMERICANS. WHEN SOMEONE ASKS US TO GIVE UP OUR EXCESSES WE HEAR THEM ASKING US TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING. JESUS ISN'T SAYING "GIVE UP EVERYTHING." JESUS IS SAYING "GIVE UP SOME OF IT." JESUS IS SAYING "GIVE UP THAT WHICH HAS BECOME ANOTHER GOD FOR YOU," BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY FOLLOW JESUS IS TO KNOW THAT GOD ALONE IS GOOD, AND NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD.
FRIENDS, POSSESSIONS AND WEALTH ARE NOT EVIL - NOT UNTIL THEY BECOME OUR GOD AND WE THINK WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THEM. IF OUR WEALTH HAS BECOME SO IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE HEAR THIS STORY AND THINK WE WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH DISCIPLESHIP, THEN WE, TOO, WILL FIND OURSELVES SHOCKED AND GRIEVING AND WALKING AWAY. BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO WALK AWAY! WE CAN BE LIKE THE DISCIPLES, STAYING WITH JESUS EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T ALWAYS GET IT.
YOU SEE, JESUS KNEW THE DISCIPLES DIDN'T UNDERSTAND SO HE GAVE THEM A MINI LECTURE ON THE REALITIES OF DISCIPLESHIP. JESUS SAID, "HOW HARD IT WILL BE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WEALTH TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD." AND THE DISCIPLES DON'T GET IT, JUST LIKE WE DON'T GET IT. WE DEFENSIVELY WANT TO RESPOND TO THIS STORY BY SAYING, "BUT I'M NOT EVIL AND I DON'T THINK MONEY IS EVIL." ANOTHER GOOD RESPONSE IS, "I MAY BE WEALTHY BUT I HAVE WORKED HARD FOR EVERY PENNY I EARNED."
FRIENDS, JESUS ISN'T TALKING ABOUT THE EVILS OF MONEY. HE'S TALKING ABOUT HOW MONEY, AND WHAT IT CAN BUY, GETS IN THE WAY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, SOMETHING AMERICANS DON'T WANT TO HEAR. HE'S TALKING ABOUT POSSESSIONS BECOMING BLINDERS TO HOW GOD WANTS THE WORLD TO BE.
NOW THIS NEXT IMAGE OF A CAMEL GOING THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO A BIT OF DISTORTION OVER THE YEARS, AS WE PREACHERS HAVE SOUGHT TO EXPLAIN IT TO OUR WEALTHY CONGREGATIONS AND OUR WEALTHY SELVES WITHOUT OFFENDING ANYONE. AT FIRST IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A ONE LETTER MISTAKE IN EARLY TRANSCRIPTIONS THAT WOULD CHANGE THE GREEK WORD FOR "CAMEL" INTO THE GREEK WORD FOR "ROPE." A ROPE GOING THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE IS A LITTLE MORE PROBABLE, SO THAT WAS A BIT EASIER TO TAKE. THERE WAS WIGGLE ROOM IN THE IMAGE OF A ROPE AND THE EYE OF A NEEDLE.
BUT THEN THE INTERPRETATION I WAS TAUGHT 20 YEARS AGO WAS THAT THERE WAS A SPECIAL LATE NIGHT GATE BESIDE THE OFFICIAL GATE TO THE CITY OF JERUSALEM. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THIS GATE, CALLED THE NEEDLE'S EYE, WAS USED FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO GET INTO THE CITY AFTER THE OFFICIAL CLOSING OF THE GATES. IT WAS SAID THAT THIS WAS A SMALL GATE, AND A CAMEL WOULD HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME GETTING THROUGH, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. WITH THIS IMAGE THERE WAS EVEN MORE WIGGLE ROOM. BUT, RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS AN EXTRA GATE CALLED THE NEEDLE'S EYE, AND IF YOU ARRIVED AFTER THE GATES OF JERUSALEM WERE CLOSED YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED INTO THE CITY UNTIL MORNING.
THE ONLY TRUE INTERPRETATION OF THIS IMAGE OF A CAMEL AND THE EYE OF A NEEDLE IS TO SAY THAT IT IS JUST AS DIFFICULT FOR A WEALTHY PERSON TO GET INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS IT IS FOR THE LARGEST KNOWN ANIMAL OF THAT TIME TO GET THROUGH THE SMALLEST KNOWN OPENING OF THE SAME TIME. WEALTH AND ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AS DIFFICULT AS TRYING TO GET A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE. GETTING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT GOING TO BE HUMANLY POSSIBLE FOR A WEALTHY PERSON. WE CANNOT BUY OUR WAY INTO THE GOOD GRACES OF GOD OR INTO GOD'S WAY OF LIVING, NOT EVEN WITH A MILLION OR A BILLION OR A TRILLION DOLLARS.
SO THE DISCIPLES THROW UP THEIR HANDS AND SAY, "WELL, IF THE CREAM OF THE CROP CAN'T HAVE SALVATION, THEN WHO CAN BE SAVED?" AND JESUS MAKES HIS POINT BEAUTIFULLY BY SAYING, "ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD." THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS THE VERY CRUX OF THE MATTER FOR US. THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO REMEMBER, MAYBE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS MORNING. NO MATTER HOW WEALTHY WE ARE… NO MATTER WHAT CHOICES WE MAKE ABOUT HOW TO USE OUR WEALTH… NO MATTER HOW WE TRY AND FAIL TO GET INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD… ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD! WE DON'T EVEN NEED WIGGLE ROOM!
AND THEREIN LAYS THE TENSION OF WHAT WE LIVE. WE WANT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP OUR WEALTH.
AND OUR DESIRE TO HANG ONTO WEALTH IS WHAT KEEPS US FROM RECEIVING THE FREE GIFT OF GRACE AND SALVATION.
AS LONG AS WE THINK TRUE HAPPINESS IS FOUND IN THE POSSESSIONS WE OWN, WE WILL NEVER BE TRULY HAPPY. AND WE WILL NEVER BE TRULY HAPPY BECAUSE WE WILL FIND WE LOSE TIME AND JOY BY WORKING TOO HARD AND SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME RELATING TO OUR POSSESSIONS. THIS IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING WHAT WALTER BRUEGGEMAN SAYS, "PEOPLE WHO THINK THEIR LIVES CONSIST OF STRUGGLING TO GET MORE AND MORE CAN NEVER SLOW DOWN BECAUSE THEY WON'T EVER HAVE ENOUGH."
AND FREDERICK BUECHNER SAYS IT YET ANOTHER WAY, "THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO USE UP THEIR ENTIRE LIVES MAKING MONEY SO THEY CAN ENJOY THE LIVES THEY HAVE ENTIRELY USED UP."
NOW PETER'S RESPONSE TO JESUS' AWESOME STATEMENT ABOUT ALL THINGS BEING POSSIBLE FOR GOD, WAS TO BECOME DEFENSIVE. HOW VERY HUMAN OF PETER. HE DOESN'T GET IT. PETER BEGINS TO LIST ALL OF THE THINGS HE AND THE OTHER DISCIPLES HAVE GIVEN UP IN ORDER TO FOLLOW JESUS, AS IF HE STILL BELIEVES SALVATION CAN BE EARNED. AND JESUS LISTS THOSE VERY THINGS THEY HAVE GIVEN UP AS THE BENEFITS THEY WILL GAIN FOR THE LETTING GO OF THEM. BUT THE ONE HITCH IN THE LIST OF BENEFITS IS THE WORD "PERSECUTIONS." THAT THROWS ME EVERY TIME I READ IT. "WHO WILL NOT RECEIVE A HUNDREDFOLD NOW IN THIS AGE-HOUSES, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, MOTHERS AND CHILDREN, AND FIELDS WITH PERSECUTIONS [?]"
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS THE MOST IS THAT HE ALWAYS RECOGNIZES HOW DIFFICULT RESPONSIBLE LIVING IS, AND HE NEVER TRIES TO PULL THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES. IF WE FOLLOW JESUS IT WILL MAKE OUR LIVES MORE DIFFICULT, BECAUSE FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS NOT FITTING INTO THE DOMINANT CULTURE OF OUR COUNTRY. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS LIVING AND BREATHING THE REALITY OF OUR SITUATION, WHICH IS A RICH AND WEALTHY REALITY. YES, YOU AND I, EVERY ONE OF US IN THIS SANCTUARY, ARE SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. THE WORLD BANK DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH GROUP HAS DEVELOPED A GLOBAL RICH LIST CALCULATION. IF YOU INPUT A YEARLY SALARY OF $30,000 (US) YOU ARE IN THE TOP 3.11% RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE 5,813,259,052 POORER THAN YOU. IF YOUR INCOME IS $34,000 (US) YOU ARE IN THE TOP .995% RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE 5,940,298,435 PEOPLE POORER THAN YOU. I DIDN'T HAVE THE HEART TO TRY INPUTTING $96,000, WHICH IS THE AVERAGE INCOME FOR PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK.
ON THE OTHER HAND, FOLLOWING JESUS ALSO MEANS REALLY LIVING THIS LIFE. IT MEANS BEING IN FULL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE. IT MEANS EXPERIENCING WEALTH RATHER THAN OWNING WEALTH. IT MEANS HOLDING A JOY THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY; A JOY THAT DEFINES OUR EVERY MOVE.
TO QUOTE FREDERICK BUECHNER AGAIN, "JESUS SAYS THAT IT'S EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. MAYBE THE REASON IS NOT THAT THE RICH ARE SO WICKED THEY'RE KEPT OUT OF THE PLACE BUT THAT THEY'RE SO OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY THEY CAN'T SEE IT'S A PLACE WORTH GETTING INTO." (PG. 81 OF WISHFUL THINKING.)
SO THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO THE DIFFICULT QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. WE MUST TRY TO DO EVERYTHING TO LIVE LIFE THE WAY GOD INTENDS IT TO BE. WE MUST SELL ALL OUR OBSESSIONS AND GIVE THE MONEY TO THE POOR. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE CAN LIVE INTO THE TRUTH THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WE CAN DO TO EARN OUR INHERITANCE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 26 & Mark 10:2-16
I PREACHED MY VERY FIRST SERMON IN THE SUMMER OF 1981. THAT WAS OVER 22 YEARS AGO.
NOW MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT I TRY TO PREACH ACCORDING TO THE LECTIONARY PASSAGES. THAT IS, I TRY TO HOLD FAST TO THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF PREACHING FROM A THREE YEAR CYCLE OF UNIVERSALLY CHOSEN PASSAGES MEANT TO OPEN US UP TO THE ENTIRE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE. BUT I HAVE TO CONFESS TO YOU TODAY THAT OUT OF MY 22 YEARS OF PREACHING I HAVE NEVER ONCE PREACHED ON THIS PASSAGE FROM MARK.
WHENEVER THE PASSAGES ABOUT DIVORCE HAVE SURFACED IN THE LECTIONARY CYCLE, I ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF, "NOT THIS SUNDAY, MAYBE LATER." BUT SINCE I BELIEVE DEEPLY IN THE WHOLENESS OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE, LATER SEEMS TO HAVE FINALLY COME! THERE IS NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO TAKE ON THE DIFFICULT ISSUES, SO HERE WE GO!
WHEN STEWART AND I HAD BEEN MARRIED ONLY A LITTLE OVER A YEAR, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MY OLDER SISTER TELLING ME SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE GETTING A DIVORCE. I WAS DEVASTATED. I HAD JUST ENTERED THE JOURNEY CALLED "MARRIAGE" THINKING IT WAS FOREVER, AND SOMEONE VERY CLOSE TO ME HAD UNKNOWINGLY TAKEN A CHUNK OUT OF THE ROCK SOLID FOUNDATION UPON WHICH I WAS STANDING. I REMEMBER HANGING UP THE PHONE, AFTER THIS SOBERING CONVERSATION, AND RUNNING TO STEWART WITH TEARS OF DEEP SORROW STREAMING DOWN MY FACE. "PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE ME," I SAID TO HIM.A TRUST HAD BEEN BROKEN AND I NEEDED HIM TO HELP ME PICK UP THE PIECES.
DIVORCE IS A VERY DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL ISSUE, WHICH TOUCHES SO MANY LIVES IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. AND THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE CERTAINLY DOESN'T MAKE ANYBODY FEEL ANY BETTER ABOUT IT. I FIND VERSES 11 AND 12 TO BE ESPECIALLY DAMNING - "WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE AND MARRIES ANOTHER COMMITS ADULTERY AGAINST HER; AND IF SHE DIVORCES HER HUSBAND AND MARRIES ANOTHER, SHE COMMITS ADULTERY."
I DON'T THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DIVORCED AND REMARRIED AS COMMITTING ADULTERY, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE LIKE MY SISTER WHO WAS BEING PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY ABUSED BY HER FIRST HUSBAND. THERE HAS TO BE MORE TO THIS PASSAGE THAN MEETS THE EYE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN SKIP OVER LIGHTLY, SHRUGGING OUR SHOULDERS AND SAYING, "OH WELL."
FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE GREAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARRIAGE IN THE FIRST CENTURY AND MARRIAGE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. IN BIBLICAL TIMES MARRIAGES WERE ARRANGED BY TWO FAMILIES, NOT TWO INDIVIDUALS PROFESSING LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. AND MARRIAGES WERE ARRANGED FOR ONE PURPOSE - THE PROCREATION OF MALE CHILDREN SO THAT THE MAN'S FAMILY WILL HAVE HEIRS TO CARRY ON THE FAMILY NAME AND INHERIT THE FAMILY PROPERTY. WOMEN WERE NOT CONSIDERED ANYTHING OTHER THAN A MEANS TO THE END OF MAKING A FAMILY FOR THE MAN. AND IF A WOMAN COULD NOT BEAR A CHILD, FOR WHATEVER REASON, IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THE MAN WOULD TAKE A SECOND WIFE OR EVEN THE SLAVE OF HIS WIFE; ANYTHING TO ASSURE HIM AN HEIR.
SO IN THE ANCIENT TRADITION OF ARRANGING MARRIAGES THERE WERE TWO ENTIRE FAMILIES INVOLVED IN A TRUST RELATIONSHIP. MARRIAGE WAS NOT AN INTIMATE ACT; IT WAS A COMMUNAL ACT. AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS SPEAKING MORE BROADLY THAN THE PHARISEES WERE THINKING WHEN THEY ASKED HIM ABOUT DIVORCE.
NOTICE THAT JESUS RESPONDED TO THEIR QUESTION BY ASKING HIS OWN QUESTION, "WHAT DID MOSES COMMAND YOU?" AND THE PHARISEES COUNTERED WITH A SPECIFIC DEUTERONOMIC TEACHING THAT CAME ABOUT BECAUSE MEN WERE TREATING THEIR WIVES IN SUCH A CAVALIER WAY. IN THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY, TO WHICH THE PHARISEES WERE REFERRING, MOSES EXPANDS UPON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM RELEVANT TO THE EVERYDAY LIVING SITUATION OF THE ISRAELITES. THIS BOOK IS LIKE ONE LONG SERMON ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, AND THEIR SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER OF DEUTERONOMY HAS TO DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A MAN FINDS HIS WIFE "OBJECTIONABLE."
MOSES HAD GIVEN THE MEN PERMISSION TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND THE UNWANTED WOMAN AWAY. BUT JESUS COULD SEE THAT THE LAW CAME INTO BEING BECAUSE OF THE HARDNESS OF THE HUMAN HEART. YOU SEE, I THINK JESUS WAS LOOKING FOR A MUCH BROADER ANSWER ABOUT LOVING THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART, SOUL AND MIGHT. JESUS WAS TALKING WAY UP HERE, AND THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING WAY DOWN HERE; TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS!
WHILE JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE JOY OF A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO LOVING ENTITIES - GOD AND GOD'S CREATION - THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF A MAN AND WHAT HE COULD DO WITH HIS PROPERTY. WHILE JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUALLY BECOMING ONE, THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HUMAN FIXATION ON ONE BEING POWERFUL OVER AND AGAINST ANOTHER. WHILE JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT WHAT GOD JOINS TOGETHER, THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HARDNESS OF THE HUMAN HEART THAT CAN TEAR APART THE TOGETHERNESS OF GOD. AND I HAVE TO BELIEVE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS IN GENERAL MORE THAN OUR CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDING OF MARRIAGE BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN. JESUS ALWAYS SAW THE BROADER PICTURE AND HE CALLS US TO THAT SAME VISION, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND ALWAYS.
NOW, WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I BECOME A BIT CONFUSED ABOUT VERSES 11 AND 12, AND ESPECIALLY VERSE 12. IF A WOMAN IS PROPERTY AND NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE, THEN HOW CAN SHE BE GUILTY OF ADULTERY? AND WHAT DOES REMARRIAGE AND ADULTERY HAVE TO DO WITH THE BROADER SENSE OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP. AFTER ALL, INTIMACY IS NOT ONLY ABOUT SEX!
WELL, THE EASY ANSWER IS THAT JESUS WAS SPEAKING IN TERMS OF THE GRECO-ROMAN LAW WHEN HE SPOKE IN PRIVATE WITH HIS DISCIPLES. IN THE SECULAR WORLD, SEPARATE FROM THE HEBREW PEOPLE, A WOMAN WAS ALLOWED TO DIVORCE HER HUSBAND. AND WHAT JESUS IS SPEAKING AGAINST, HERE, IS NOT DIVORCE AS MUCH AS IT IS ADULTERY.
BUT IN THOSE DAYS, ADULTERY HAD MORE TO DO WITH HONOR THAN SEX. IF A WOMAN HAD A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN HER HUSBAND, WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE MAN WAS DISHONORED. AND THE TRANSGRESSION WAS ABOUT HONOR RATHER THAN SEX. AT THE SAME TIME, IF A MAN HAD A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE OTHER THAN HIS WIFE, THAT WAS OK - UNLESS, OF COURSE, THE WOMAN WAS MARRIED. IF THIS HAPPENED, THE OTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND WAS DISHONORED, BUT NOT THE WIFE OF THE OVERLY ACTIVE MAN!
I HAVE TO BELIEVE JESUS WAS NOT TALKING ABOUT SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS HERE. I HAVE TO BELIEVE JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT TRUST HERE, AND REALLY UPPING THE ANTE, SO TO SPEAK, FOR ALL RELATIONSHIPS. IN THAT DAY AND AGE, FAMILY FEUDS WERE STARTED WHEN THE HONOR OF ONE FAMILY WAS TAINTED BY THE ACTION OF ANOTHER FAMILY. JESUS WAS TRYING TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY IN ALL RELATIONSHIPS. JESUS KNEW THAT TRUST IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF ALL RELATIONSHIPS, BOTH HUMAN AND DIVINE. AND THIS IS POIGNANTLY HIGHLIGHTED BY THE FACT THAT THE DISCOURSE ABOUT DIVORCE IS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A STORY OF JESUS AND THE CHILDREN.
IN THIS SAME LECTIONARY PASSAGE, JESUS SAYS THAT WE MUST RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS IF WE ARE LITTLE CHILDREN. IF WE DON'T WE WILL NEVER HAVE A TASTE OF IT. YOU SEE, I BELIEVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS AS MUCH TO DO WITH THE HERE AND NOW AS IT HAS TO DO WITH THE EVER-AFTER. AND NOTHING MAKES THE KINGDOM OF GOD MORE CLEAR AND PALPABLE THAN TRUST.
IF WE TRUST IN GOD THE SAME WAY A LITTLE NURSING BABY TRUSTS HER MOTHER… IF WE TRUST ONE ANOTHER WITH THE SAME TRUST OF A COUPLE STANDING BEFORE GOD AND NEIGHBOR AND PROMISING TO LOVE, HONOR AND CHERISH ONE ANOTHER TO THE DAY THEY DIE… IF WE SEEK TO BE AS TRUSTWORTHY AS OUR OWN LORD AND SAVIOR, THEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL HAPPEN THROUGH US AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS, RIGHT HERE AND NOW.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE ON A DEEPER LEVEL, I DON'T SEE JUDGMENT AND GUILT ABOUT CONTEMPORARY DIVORCE. WHAT I SEE IS JESUS DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET A MESSAGE ACROSS TO THE HARD-HEARTED HUMAN CREATURE.
I SEE AND HEAR JESUS SUGGESTING THAT TRUST IS A PRECIOUS GIFT AND NOT TO BE DISPOSED OF LIGHTLY. AND WHETHER THE RELATIONSHIP IS AN ANCIENT CONTRACT OF HONOR BETWEEN THE MEN OF TWO FAMILIES OR A CONTEMPORARY COVENANT OF LOVE OR THE ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP OF GOD AND GOD'S CHILDREN, THE GIFT OF TRUST IS MEANT TO BE HELD ONTO AT ALL COST.
TRUST IS A PRECIOUS COMMODITY IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS AND SLANDEROUS POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND A 50% DIVORCE RATE. BUT THE THING THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR CONTEMPORARY PEOPLE OF FAITH TO REMEMBER IS THAT TRUST, IF BROKEN, CAN BE REBUILT.
WHILE I WAS IN SEMINARY ONE OF MY PROFESSORS WENT THROUGH A DIVORCE. HE WAS AN ORDAINED METHODIST MINISTER AND A PASTORAL COUNSELOR. HE WAS HELD IN VERY HIGH REGARD IN THE COMMUNITY. HE WAS KIND AND GENTLE, THE HUSBAND OF AN ATTRACTIVE WIFE AND FOUR GREAT CHILDREN. HE HAD BEEN MARRIED OVER 25 YEARS, AND EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO KEEP THE DIVORCE PRIVATE, IT SOON BECAME THE TALK OF THE TOWN. I REMEMBER FEELING AS IF HE HAD ALMOST BROKEN A TRUST WITH ME, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT A PART OF THE FAMILY. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE TAKING ANOTHER CHUNK OUT OF THE SOLID ROCK OF THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE.
EVENTUALLY THIS MAN BEGAN TO SPEAK MORE OPENLY ABOUT HIS DIVORCE AND IT'S AFFECT ON HIS LIFE AND THE LIFE OF HIS CHILDREN. ON SOME LEVEL I KNEW HE UNDERSTOOD THAT A TRUST HAD BEEN BROKEN BETWEEN HIMSELF AND HIS CHILDREN, AS WELL AS THE DREW COMMUNITY. BUT, INSTEAD OF FALLING INTO THE ABYSS OF GUILT AND SHAME, THIS MAN COMMITTED HIMSELF TO REBUILDING THE TRUST WITH THE PEOPLE HE LOVED. HE NEVER DIVORCED HIMSELF FROM HIS CHILDREN. HE NEVER ABANDONED THEM IN THEIR ANGER. HE NEVER CHANGED HIS ROLE AT DREW, WHICH WAS TO BE A WARM AND PASTORAL PRESENCE FOR ALL OF THE STRUGGLING SEMINARIANS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THIS MAN SPENT HOURS AND DAYS AND YEARS REBUILDING THE TRUST OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY, AND TODAY HE HAS A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH A NEW WIFE AND PLENTY OF GRANDCHILDREN FROM ALL OF HIS CHILDREN WHO CONTINUE TO LIVE CLOSE BY. HE RECEIVED A WONDERFUL RETIREMENT PARTY FROM THE DREW FACULTY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND HE IS, AGAIN, A WELL RESPECTED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. AND I KNOW, IN MY HEART OF HEARTS, THAT I WAS WATCHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAPPEN AS I SAW HIM TRUST IN GOD'S LOVE ENOUGH TO BREAK FREE FROM A LONG TERM PAINFUL RELATIONSHIP AND THEN SEEK TO REGAIN THE TRUST OF THOSE FROM WHOM IT HAD BEEN LOST.
DIVORCE HAPPENS ALL OVER THE PLACE, WHEREVER A TRUST IS BROKEN IN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP. AND WITH THIS DEFINITION IN MIND, WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS WITHOUT PRONOUNCING A CRIPPLING INDICTMENT UPON HALF THE POPULATION OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD. DIVORCE IS PAINFUL AND DIFFICULT, BUT THE THING WE NEED TO REMEMBER MORE THAN ANYTHING IS THAT WE ARE CALLED TO TRUST IN GOD AND GOD'S LOVE AS IF WE ARE CHILDREN. IN THIS WAY THE KINGDOM OF GOD CAN BE SEEN THROUGH US, AND THE WOUNDS OF THE WORLD CAN BE HEALED THROUGH US.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!