Reflection on John 19:26-27 (Good Friday)

 

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. (NRSV John 19:26-27)

A seven sentence sermon for Good Friday

When I am in pain I wince and close my eyes, but Jesus opened his eyes and saw.

Jesus saw a mother who would be alone, and a beloved friend who would feel abandoned.

When I am in pain, the torture forces me to close my eyes as I cry for others to come and help.

When suffering torture, Jesus opened his eyes, saw the pain in the faces below him, and he made certain they were loved.

“Here is your son…here is your mother,” he uttered choosing to use his final breaths to create a new family.

That is love.

Crosses are nothing, death is nothing, and sin is nothing when God’s love sees us.

Reflection on John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Maundy Thursday)

 

It is easy to see the washing of the disciple’s feet as a symbol.  After-all, we still do it today during our Maundy Thursday worship services.  We wash people’s feet as a symbol of loving service. 

But, what Jesus cares about is not making sure you perform a symbolic act in the church once a year.  You see, when the disciples arrived to eat a last meal with Jesus, they actually had dirty feet.  Jesus actually cleaned feet that needed to be cleaned. 

And, to be absolutely clear that he was not talking about some sort of symbolic act here, when Peter suggests, “Lord, [do not clean] my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus responds to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean…”  This is about doing something that the disciples actually need to have done, having their dusty and muddy feet washed.  Seeing Jesus bend down and clean their dirty feet is witnessing an act of real love.

This still happens actually.  A pastor once told me about a village in Africa where a school was run by a small church.  The kids had to travel miles and miles each day on foot to attend this school.  The very first thing that all of the teachers did as the children arrived was bend down and wash the feet of those children.  The adults were serving the children, not as some sort of symbolic act of love commanded by the Bible, but as an actual act of love because their feet were tired and muddy from the journey.  The warm water soothed and washed their feet so that the children would be ready to learn.

We see this sort of love all the time, but we do not necessarily see it as following Jesus’ command to love.  I see adult children washing their elderly parents after using the toilet.  It is an actual act of love, fulfilling an actual need.

I see people going out of their way to pick up a fellow co-worker who cannot afford to drive to work.  They may not necessarily see it as following Jesus’ command to love, but it is an actual act of love, fulfilling an actual need.

I see one teen take the heavy backpack of another (carrying two heavy backpacks) to help out a classmate struggling on their crutches.   They may not necessarily see it as following Jesus’ command to love, but it is an actual act of love, fulfilling an actual need.

I read about a soldier who jumped on top of their young friend when the grenade fell into their trench.  I doubt he thought about Jesus washing the disciple’s feet as he protected his friend’s body with his own, but it was an actual act of love, a life-ending act of love, fulfilling an actual need to help a young friend to survive.

While that soldier probably thought nothing of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet out of love, he may have briefly thought about Jesus dying for his friends on the cross.  He may have briefly thought about how he was joining in the love of Jesus; bits of explosive piercing his body in the same way that nails pierced Jesus’ hands and feet and the spear pierced his side.  His last thoughts may have been about how Jesus had drawn him to be one with him, in this act of love.

“I give you a new commandment,” Jesus told his disciples, “that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This love looks like something.  This love is an actual act, fulfilling an actual need.  As we participate in the symbolic washing of feet, let us not forget that it points to actual acts of love that serve actual needs.   It is a reminder that we are disciples of Christ’s love.

Gospel Reading and Reflection on Matthew 26:14-27:66

Matthew 26:14--27:66 (NRSV)

14One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

 17On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

 20When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 25Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

 26While 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.” 27Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I 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.”

 30When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written,

 ‘I will strike the shepherd,

  and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

32But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” 35Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.

I just want to pause the reading right here to point out what is literally in the middle of all of the talk of betrayal, desertion, and denial: forgiveness.  You see, Jesus points out that one of the twelve gathered to eat will betray him.  All of the twelve wonder if it could be them.  It fascinates me that all of them see themselves as potentially in that role.  Judas, of course, is the one who has already set the betrayal in motion, but all of them search themselves and see the possibility within.  They are right to do so, because all of them will end up deserting Jesus.  All of them will give up on him.  All of them will place saving their own lives over following him.  Peter has some grand illusions that he will be better than the rest, but he will outright deny knowing Jesus.  And, it all makes me question if I do also?  Do I betray what Jesus stands for?  Do I fail to love whom Jesus loves?  Do I save my own skin rather than sticking out my neck?  Do I deny Jesus in some way, even while I profess to follow him to the end?  It all makes me wonder.

And, while I consider whether I live in the light or in the darkness, while I wonder if I betray Jesus, Jesus sets a table for me, and all the disciples.  Jesus gives me bread which is his body, and a cup full of promise and forgiveness.  While I start to see all the ways I betray Jesus and his love, Jesus gives me the gift of forgiveness.  Right in the middle of betrayal, desertion, and denial Jesus gives the undeserved gift of forgiveness to us all.  And all who are present eat and drink; presumably even Judas.  That sort of love is amazing to me.  The story continues:

 36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” 39And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” 40Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? 41Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

 47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. 51Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” 55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

A sword is drawn and blood is shed in the name of defending Jesus.  I have to stop and wonder how many times we justify shedding blood for the sake of Jesus?  How many times do we justify our terrible actions against our neighbors in the name of preserving all that is good and right and true.  “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword,” Jesus chides those who follow him.  Playing the games of the world, means living by the rules of the world.  Jesus lives a different way of life.  Jesus plays by heavenly rules.  If only we can learn to put our aggression back in its place, we might see the power of Jesus’ self- sacrificial love.  If only we can figure out how to put our swords and anger away.  The story continues:

 57Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. 59Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” 62The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 63But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you,

 From now on you will see the Son of Man

  seated at the right hand of Power

  and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, 68saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”

 69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.27:

 1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

 3When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” 7After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. 8For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

 11Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” 14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

 15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 17So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” 23Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

 24So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

 27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

 32As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. 33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36then they sat down there and kept watch over him. 37Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

 38Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ ” 44The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

 45From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

I cannot help but be utterly stopped by the words, “the earth shook and the rocks were split.”  After-all, when someone you love dies, it feels exactly like the earth shakes and the rocks split.  Everything that you held onto that felt safe and solid suddenly crumbles and falls when someone close to you dies.  Our worlds fall apart completely.  The foundations of our world shake.  And, when Jesus dies, the foundations of the world shake.  The old is torn and the ways of life from before crumble.  God is about to do something new.  Tombs will open and new life will thrive.  We will see everything becoming new and we will declare, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”  But first, everything that came before needs to crack and break, and that always brings sadness and a sense of being lost.  Lord, help us to stay awake and keep watch to see the new things that Jesus will do.  The reading concludes:

 55Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

 62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Reflection on Ephesians 4:31-32

 

It is your turn.  Throughout the scriptures we have seen how God is merciful and forgiving.  We have seen how God has granted forgiveness when we have not deserved it.  We have seen how God has completely forgotten our sins.  God cannot even remember them, though sometimes we can.  We have seen how Jesus has come to bring forgiveness to the world.  We have seen how forgiveness is a part of God’s very being.  God would not be God without forgiveness.  Jesus would not be our Lord without the cross.  It is all about forgiveness.

We are made in the image of God.  So, if God’s image is forgiveness…if Jesus reflected that forgiveness in all he did and said…then I guess we are forgiveness also.  We are a people anointed with forgiveness to be the people of forgiveness.  So, it is your turn, and my turn.  It is our turn to be God’s people of forgiveness.

“Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice…” The wording for “put away” is very rich visually.  The writer of Ephesians wants us to pick up and haul off to another place entirely any bitterness in our souls.  He wants us to pick up and chuck desires for revenge, and kick away our heated hearts of anger.  Also, the writer explicitly desires us to have no more endless arguments and verbal tussles either literally with other people or within, like when you mutter to yourself why people are so stupid.  The anger, and vengeful thoughts, and arguments are over.  They are gone.  They are to be carried away to be seen no more.

It is your turn now to forgive, and mine.  And, if we have the desire to be the people of Jesus Christ, we will need to take the time to first stop, consider our resentments, and arguments, and anger against other people, and we will need to find a nice, dark basement where they can be dumped to be seen no more.  That is the first step.

Psalm 103 says that God has put all our sins “as far from us as the east is from the west.  And as far as sunrise is from sunset…”  So, it is our turn to do the same, putting all the hurt feelings and resentments away.  We need to clear the way because something new is about to take shape in our lives.

And, the writer knows exactly what that new thing looks like.  It looks like being kind and compassionate to one another.  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”  God has forgiven you.  It is now your turn to forgive, and mine.  Resentment and anger has been replaced with actions that show kindness, understanding, and forgiveness.  Notice how I said “actions.”  Our actions have been replaced.

The Biblical writers are not talking about your feelings here.  You may not feel very forgiving right now, or ever.  And, that is the problem.  If we waited until we felt like forgiving before we actually did something to show forgiveness, there would be a lot of anger, resentment, and closed doors filling up the world.  You cannot simply change your feelings.  Your anger is your anger!  But, you can change your actions.  You can act with kindness to your enemy.  You can open your ears and be understanding when you currently do not understand.  You can let go of the anger and hurt, and you can forgive even if you do not feel like it.  Forgiveness is an action of love.  The feelings may come later.

So, the author instructs us to do the things we need to do to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”  Like I said, it is your turn, and mine.  It is our turn to be the image of forgiveness that others need to see so that they too can live in the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ our savior. 

What do you need to pray that God do for you so that you can be an image of divine forgiveness?

Reflection on John 11:1-45

 

If you have ever wanted to have a glimmer of what the resurrected life might look like, if you have ever wanted to see what eternal life and peace could be, then we need look no further than the story of Lazarus.  The story of Lazarus gives us a glimmer of what eternal life is all about, just as it gave Lazarus a glimmer of that life with Jesus.

But, to show you that life, I want to start by looking at the scenes immediately following the raising of Lazarus.  We see scenes that show Lazarus and Jesus sitting at the table together.  But, the image of tables and chairs created in our modern heads is not quite the image for which the writer of John was going.  In the Greek, it says that Lazarus is reclining with Jesus at the table.  You see, in the ancient world they did not use tables and chairs as we do today.  Rather, people ate at low tables or on large, fancy rugs, and they lay at these low tables filled with food, reclining next to one another, with their heads facing the middle, facing the food.  So, Lazarus is lying close to Jesus at the table.  In fact, during one of these meals, the disciple that Jesus loved (the man who I am convinced is Lazarus, ask me to do a Bible study with you to show you why later) that beloved one is lying with his head against Jesus.  So, the image that I want you to have in your head is one where Lazarus is leaning against Jesus; lying as close to Jesus’ heart as one can get. 

It is an ancient image of close friendship.  It is an image of compete trust.  It is an image of being as close to a person as you can possibly get.  It is an image of what the resurrected life is all about.

I like that image.  I need that image.  It is an image of trust, and rest, and hope in the middle of a dark and threatening world.  Lazarus is reclining at peace near Jesus, even though religious leaders are plotting to take this newly raised man’s life.  Jesus is holding onto Lazarus, unwilling to depart from him, even though the cross looms in the near future.  Like a flower that clings to its lily pad even in the roughest of seas, Lazarus clings to his savior as the waters rage and roar around.  And, as he does so, he is at peace.  He is at peace as he reclines at the table, close to his savior.

I just happen to know that the waters of many of your lives have definitely raged and roared recently, if not raging and roaring right now.  For some of you, illness is creating a wave of uncertainty and fear.  Death also knocks on the door of some of your lives, creating a wave of uncertainty and fear.  Some of you have seen long time relationships fail in mere moments, threatening to drown you with sorrow.  It all makes me think of a man that I worked with who used to say, “If there was nothing to worry about, I would worry about that.”  I suppose he has a point, you never know when the next wave is going to crash.  The dark waters are always there, threatening to drown us. 

Yet, Lazarus is a peace, resting near his Lord.  How?  How can he be so at peace?  Maybe, it is because he has been raised from the dead.

Apparently, knowing that you will be raised changes things. 

Remember, at the beginning of the story, Lazarus was sick and a message was sent to Jesus, telling him that he needed to come quickly.  However, Jesus did not come quickly.  Jesus stuck around where he was even longer.  Lazarus was not healed.  Lazarus died.  And, this would all seem to go against the point I am trying to make: that Lazarus trusts the Lord.  It actually seems like Lazarus and his family would learn from this that the Lord does not care.  But, that is not what Lazarus and his family learned. 

Apparently, God had better things in mind that Lazarus and his family could not possibly know about at the time.

When it was the right time, Jesus does come.  We should be surprised by this because Jesus is choosing to come to a region that is dangerous for both he and his disciples to enter.  The authorities are already onto Jesus, and they are waiting for a chance to capture him.  Jesus’ decision to come and do signs in a region that is dangerous to him and his disciples will end up having tragic and amazing cross related consequences, but not yet.

First, Jesus meets up with his good friends, Mary and Martha.  The anxiety and sadness of the days explode onto Jesus as they both accuse him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”  They know that God gives Jesus whatever is asked.  He has healed a blind man.  He has changed water into wine.  He and the Father are one.  God the Father will do whatever Jesus asks.  So, why was he not there?  Why was he not present when he was needed?  Why did Jesus not stop the tide from raging in and drowning them all?  The anger that comes with grief crashes upon them all.

And, I want to stop right there for a moment and just allow that anger to exist.  Because, it is real.  Sometimes grief crushes us and we do not understand why it happened.  Why were you not there Jesus?  Why did you not stop a terrible thing from happening?  I do not have answers for you, but I just want to point out that the Bible shows us that it is OK to be angry and it is OK to ask those questions.

To Mary and Martha’s anger…to their rebuke of his ministry…Jesus answers their accusations, not with anger of his own, not with words of rebuke, not with words of defense concerning what he is up to; rather he answers with a promise, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  And then, he answers with tears. 

Jesus is not unaware of their pain.  He feels it too.  Jesus is not unmoved by their loss.  He grieves his friend too.  Jesus is not distant from them.  He is right there, sharing their pain.  And, Jesus will soon join the rest of the world’s pain on the cross, but not yet.  First, he will give life, and give it abundantly.

Coming up to the tomb, Jesus calls out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  And, Lazarus comes out!  Lazarus is given new life!  And, as the scraps of burial cloth which are reeking of death are unwrapped from his eyes, Lazarus gets to see Jesus, his savior.  Lazarus sees the one who can overcome pain and death.  And, those first glimpses of his savior give the most important gift on this earth, the gift of trust. 

When the waters rage and roar, he can trust that through it all, he will see the Lord.  We in the church call this faith.  But, it is not the sort of faith that believes in a set of dusty doctrines or musty smelling beliefs.  Rather, it is the sort of faith that trusts in a person.  It is the sort of faith that trusts in the one who brings resurrection and life.  It is the sort of faith that trusts in the one who accomplishes the right thing at the right time, especially when the waters rage and roar. 

Why is Lazarus so peaceful in a time where his very life is threatened?  Jesus.  He trusts Jesus.  He trusts the one who came and raised him from the dead.  After-all, if the Lord cares enough to raise you from the dead, then what else is there to fear?  What amount of drowning water could cause you concern?  As the Apostle Paul puts it in Romans, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (NRSV, Romans 8: 35).  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Life is found in him.

So, as the chaos of the world threatens and crashes and rages, I will take a moment to picture that flower clinging to its lily pad in the raging waters.  I will take a moment to think of the peace on Lazarus’ face as he rests his head against the Lord while at a table filled with good things.  I will ask Jesus to hold me close.  And, when I do, Jesus will remind me, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Reflection on Matthew 18:15-22

 

One day Peter came up to Jesus and asked him the very question that most of us ask at some point in our lives of faith: “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” (NRSV, Matthew 18:21).

After-all, it is hard to dole out forgiveness multiple times when a person keeps failing in the same way over and over again.  It is hard to watch that person hurt themselves and others over and over again.  It is painful even. 

“Is there some point, Jesus, when we can just say enough is enough?  Is there some point, Jesus, where we can stop forgiving?”

Come to think of it though, if there was a point where Jesus ever said, “Enough is enough!” to forgiving us, we would never be able to sing about the one who “saved a wretch like me.” Jesus did save a wretch like me, and a wretch like you, and a jerk like your neighbor. 

Jesus tells Peter that he must forgive, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times’” (NRSV, Matthew 18:22).

After-all, that seventy-seventh time might be the one time that finally changes a person’s life.

There was a man, true story by the way, who embezzled over $70,000 from a charity that he was helping to set up.  Understand, he had no intention of embezzling that money.  It all started when he accidentally pulled out the wrong card to pay for a meal.  He intended to pay it right back the very next day, but when nobody noticed the money missing, he just kind of let it slip.  From there, it was a hotel room here, and a gas fill-up there, all of which he fully intended to pay back.  But, as these things go, it got out of hand, and he started to see a total amount that needed to be paid back that far exceeded his ability to do so.

The man was caught and sentenced to two years in prison, plus fines.  His generous victims who gave large amounts of their savings intended for the charity were out of luck.  They had lost $70,000.  Years later, the man very publicly stated that he was sorry for stealing from the charity.  He asked for forgiveness, but expected to get none because, in his own words, “I wouldn’t be understanding of me.  I wouldn’t forgive me.”

But, do you know what?  Jesus is serious about this forgiveness thing.  Jesus gives multiple chances to for people to repent and turn around their lives.  Look at the instructions that he gives us, his followers, regarding attempting to provide forgiveness.  If someone sins against you, you should take it up with them one on one, and hopefully they will repent and receive forgiveness. 

If they do not repent, Jesus urges you to give them another shot.  He says to bring someone along with when you speak to them, so that there are more people to give support to the whole situation.  And, if they still do not repent and accept the gift of forgiveness, then bring the larger faith community in so that the community might be able to help bring them around. 

Do you notice how in each of these circumstances Jesus urges more and more contact; more and more support surrounding the person?  This is the opposite of writing off the person.  Alcohol and drug interventions seem to work in this spirit.  Those who love you, surround you when confronting you about your substance abuse.  They are right there to be supportive as you take your first steps in a new direction toward healing. 

“Forgive seventy times seven times.”  Look at all of the chances that Jesus gives us to repent, receive forgiveness, and start our lives again.  But, even if none of this works and we still cannot see a better way to live life, Jesus is not through with us yet. 

Jesus says to treat the offending person as “a Gentile and a tax collector.”  That is precisely to whom Jesus says he is sent.  It is a tax collector that Jesus invites to follow him.  It is the gentiles to whom the apostles are sent to baptize and teach.  The person who is trapped by sin is not to be disposed and never seen again, like last night’s trash; they are to be the target of our love and the target for teaching the basics of following Jesus.  They obviously need to start again.

Have you ever had to start again from scratch because the first time did not work out?  When baking cookies, have you ever mistaken the baking powder for baking soda?  Did you ever grab the wrong wrench set from the shop and need to go back and try again? 

Sometimes, Jesus does that with us.  Sometimes, we did not latch onto the faith the first time around.  Sometimes our faith is like a seed that falls on rocky soil and it seems to shoot up fine, but it soon withers under the sun because the soil is too rocky. 

Sometimes, Jesus just needs to start from scratch with us so that we can grow and flourish under the new love and grace that he provides.  Sometimes, trees that bear no fruit need to be cut down and replanted.  Sometimes, we need a reset in life.  But, a reset…a restart…a replanting does not equal throwing away.  Jesus’ love is too great to just give up and dispose of us.  Forgiveness is too powerful to just give up.

The people who were defrauded of over $70,000 wrote to the man who wasted away their money.  They responded: “Please forgive us for the years we have simply disregarded you.  You deserve more.  You deserved forgiveness.  You deserved a second chance, and we did not give it.  You are forgiven.  Now, have a good night’s sleep, free from guilt.” 

They followed Jesus and forgave the man the 77^th time, and the man’s life changed because they did.  How can life not change when the power of Jesus’ forgiveness is with you?

Jesus did save a wretch like me and a wretch like you and a jerk like your neighbor.  And, this saving forgiveness changes everything. 

So, as a follower of Jesus, I urge you to give it a try…really.  Forgive many times over, not because they deserve it, but because Jesus has forgiven you many times over.

Reflection on John 9:1-41

 

Everyone who sees this blind man sees a scandal, but Jesus sees a person.  The disciples see the blind man and wonder whose sins caused the man to go blind; the man’s own sins or the sins of his parents?  It is like when I saw a guy with a rat’s nest for hair walking down the street the other day.  I uncharitably thought to myself, “What is that guy on?”  He was a problem.  He was a scandal.  He must be nasty in some way. 

Of course it was completely possible that the man was actually very sick and just needed to get out of the house for fresh air.  Maybe, he had done nothing wrong.  I did not think of that possibility at the time.  I was too interested in imagining the scandal. 

Like the disciples, wondering if the blind man’s life is tainted by sin, I wondered what this crazy haired man had done wrong.  We tend to see scandals walking past on the sidewalk, but Jesus sees a person.

As he and his disciples are walking along, Jesus sees the blind man.  He sees his distress.  He sees his need.  He sees that the blind man needs to be restored.  In sort of a flashback to the beginning of creation where God takes some mud and shapes and forms a human, Jesus spits into some dirt, mixes it into mud and spreads in on the man’s eyes. 

I have seen my children do something like this.  A beloved creation made out Play-Doh gets broken.  Let us say that an arm gets broken off of a person they have made.  So, they will open up the same color of Play-Doh and fashion a new arm. 

Now, my kids could have gotten distracted by trying to find out who broke the arm off of their creation.  Who caused the harm?  Who caused the scandal?  And, then a fight could ensue where one says, “She did it!”  And, another says, “No, you did it yourself.”  And, the bickering could go on and on and on and on until a certain parent’s head starts to pound.  Not that this has ever happened before.  But, if it had happened, guess what never takes place?  That is right, the creation never gets fixed.  The scandal becomes a distraction to seeing the need.

But, Jesus sees and fixes his beloved creation.  Jesus works the mud to heal the blind man’s eyes.  The blind man goes and washes in the waters just as instructed.  And, after the man has washed, he can see!  It is amazing.  This man, who has been blind from birth, can finally see!  It should be a wonderful day, but that is not how the world works.  Remember, where Jesus sees a person, the world sees a scandal.

            “Is that the guy who was blind?”

            “It’s not him.  It just looks like him.”

            “I’m the man!  I’m the man!  I’m the man!”

            “You can’t be.  How did your eyes get opened?  It is impossible.”

 “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to     Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

            "Where is this man Jesus?”

The man was healed of a lifetime of blindness.  It was supposed to be a day of rejoicing.  Sadly, the people do not see him, not really.  They only see the scandal.  They only see a hoax being played on them.  They are blind to the man.  They do not see him.  They do not rejoice with him.  They do not welcome him, and eat with him, and discover his amazing story.  They become fixated on the scandal.

Here is the scandal: Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath.  Jesus had done work.  The Pharisees forget about the man and become fixated on the scandal of Jesus.  “Is the formerly blind guy who he says he is?”  “Did the healing actually happen?”  They drag the man’s parents into things to establish that he really was blind and was healed.  Then they turn their attention back to Jesus and what a sinner he must be because he healed on the Sabbath.  And, though they are giving the formerly blind man lots of attention, thoroughly interrogating him, they do not actually see him.  They are distracted, worrying about establishing how sinful Jesus is for healing on the Sabbath, against the Law of Moses. 

They are blind to the formerly blind man.  They cannot see him.  And, that is why in the end of the story these accusers have failed.  Sin is still clinging to them.  The scandal has blinded them to a very real person.  The scandal has blinded them to the work of the Lord to restore the world, one person at a time.  The scandal has blinded them to the amazing goodness of Jesus.  And, because the scandal has blinded them to Jesus, it has blinded them to God.  They cannot see.

When I first saw the young teen, I glanced briefly into her room in the children’s psychiatric ward at the hospital where I served as a chaplain.  She was singing quietly to a young girl, cradling her, rocking her back and forth as the young girl cried over and over about how she missed her mom and dad.  The nurses had placed the little girl into the bottom bunk of the teen’s room, and they were wise to do so.  She was a gift to that psychiatric ward.  She was a gift to that little girl.

Later, in the children’s spirituality group that I led, I had a chance to talk to the loving teen.  The little girl was still clinging to her arm, even at group time.  I asked the teen why she was in the children’s psychiatric ward.  She responded, “I do not always make the right choices.  I am here a lot.  But, lots of kids don’t make good choices.  Do you want to know what I actually think?  I think it is because my parents can’t see the good that I do.  They can only see the bad.  Plus, I think they wanted a vacation and couldn’t convince someone to take care of me.” 

Of course, you and I know that parents cannot just admit children into a psychiatric ward because they want to take a vacation, but there was still some truth in what the teen thought.  It seemed as if her parents did not really see her.  They did not see her the way the staff saw her, as a loving asset; someone who would love a little child in the throes of grief.  They did not see her the way the little girl saw her either, as a loving someone to whom she could cling. The parents seemed distracted by the scandal of their own daughter, and the scandal caused them to push her away.

The formerly blind man would understand.  If the teen could write a letter to the man, he would have nothing but sympathy because the Pharisees drove him out of his community also.  The formerly blind man tried to convince the Pharisees that Jesus could not possibly be a sinner, because God does not obey sinners.  Jesus must be the real deal because God listened to Jesus and healed the blindness.  The Pharisees did not buy it, and they threw the guy out of their community, even though he was telling to whole truth.

Everyone who sees this blind man sees a scandal, but Jesus sees a person. 

He found the man; Jesus that is.  Jesus searches for the man who had been cast out.  The man was lost, but not because he had done anything to become so.  The man was pushed into being lost. 

I wonder how many good, good people are pushed out for no good reason, and become lost.  How many people have nowhere to go and no one to care about them?

But, the formerly blind man had someone who cared.  The formerly blind man had someone who would search and find.  The Bible literally says:

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.”

Everyone who sees this blind man sees a scandal, but Jesus sees a person.  And, because Jesus sees him as the beloved child of God that he is, someone who needs healing, someone who is lost through no fault of their own, because of all of this Jesus welcomes the man into his fold.  The formerly blind and scandalized man is found. 

What if we, the followers of Jesus, did a little more seeing of people rather than scandalizing?  What if we, the followers of Jesus, committed ourselves to look at a person, not as a problem to be taken care of, but as someone who needs to be healed?  What if we admitted to Jesus that sometimes we are the blind ones, only seeing the scandal and not the person? 

What if Jesus came and found us?  What if Jesus seeks us out whenever we become lost, like a sheep who has wandered away?  What if Jesus walks into our dark valleys and finds us, not wanting us to live in fear?  What if we who are lost are found?  After-all, we are.  We are found.  Jesus finds us, and draws us near.  The world pushes people away, but Jesus embraces us all.  That seeing, that finding, that embracing of the people of the world, is called, “grace.”  It is a grace that opens its arms wide on a cross to embrace us all.  What if we embraced that person of grace back?

In words that embraced Jesus back, the man declared to Jesus, “’Lord, I believe.’  And he worshiped him.”  And, so do we.