Looking at Luke 9:51-62, did anyone else notice that the people Jesus rebukes is NOT the Samaritans who reject him, but his own disciples who want to call down fire to "consume" them for their rejection of Jesus? Check out this clip from the movie Saved (let's hope you can actually connect to youtube from this link...if not cut and paste):
What Jesus rebukes is the use of violence (in all its forms)...Which, of course, challenges all of our assumptions...in fact, it challenges the entire way our society is set up. You offend me, I offend you. You hurt me, I hurt you. You embarrass me, I embarrass you. You abuse me, I abuse you. You bomb us, we bomb you. Those are the very things, actions, attitudes Jesus rebukes (by the way...Jesus also rebukes the wind, the rain, Peter, and Satan!).
One commentator (Culpepper) offers this reflection: "This episode [in Luke's gospel] allows us to study the temptation to use violence to achieve right. Does insult entitle one to do injury? ...The disciples mistakenly thought they could achieve his [Jesus'] ends by violence. How often have those who claimed to be following Christ repeated the mistake of these first disciples?"
Or, to repeat a statement from Jonathon Swift in 1711: "They have enough religion to hate, but not enough to love."
Here's the thing, using Jesus - ANYTHING having to do with Jesus - as a weapon is inherently inconsistent! It just does NOT work. BUT, what most people think they know of the church (and what they think they know about people who claim the name "Christian") is precisely this...That we will threaten with hellfire and brimstone all who refuse/reject Jesus. The gospel is NEVER a weapon (which is why I've taken to call myself a "follower of Jesus." I can get a lot further in conversation with those turned off by church/Christianity, by letting them know that I try hard to live as much like Jesus lived, as I can).
Just think of the wars that have been fought in the name of Christianity//the furtherance of the church. It's ludicrous! No wonder people want nothing to do with the church. When "God hates fags" gets more airtime than the beautiful stories of love and embrace which we have to share, we should hardly be surprised.
We have a different story to tell. Jesus over and over and over again insists on LOVE...not only of neighbors, but of enemies! (NB: Just some examples in Luke... 6:27, 32, 35, 10:27...I'm not making this stuff up!). THIS IS THE STORY OF THE GOSPEL. No, to hellfire. Yes, to love!
Yesterday at St. Luke's (the church I am serving), we - like so many other churches - had the kids who participated in Vacation Bible School sing a song they had learned during VBS. The kids at St. Luke's sang a song called "Stand Strong." Repetitive (to say the least), the lyrics say "Stand together, stand forever, we will stand strong. Standing up for God each day, we will stand strong." Its repetition is its beauty. It gets stuck in your head and you will find yourself singing it all day. That's a good thing, because we all (maybe our children are our best hope to change the world) need to have stuck in our heads that what we (followers of Jesus) stand for is God and God's love.
Stand strong!
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Hey, Sara -- how are you? Loved what you had to say! I have a colleague who isworking with a Pentecostal family (their loved one is Catholic). They claim that the devil is after their loved one, as he is claiming to see shadows and things move across the room, etc. I counseled my colleague to take a look at the patient's medications before we call for an exorcism. Sure enough, he's reacting to the narcotics. It seems to me that the "devil" works much more subtly than what we see in the Exorcist. The desire to harm another in Christ's name just might be one of those ways.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you! Rev. Nancy Zuckerman
It's so good to hear from you! Thanks for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWe are doing well. How are you? Where are you?
Good call, BTW, on the "check the meds" counsel to your colleague.
Wherever you are serving is surely being blessed!
Peace ~ Sara