Sermon: Against the Powers of this World

Lectionary: Proper 29(B), Reign of Christ
Text: Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37

Christ and Pilate (17c. Flemish)

Jesus is often interpreted as being apolitical, avoiding taking sides in matters of civic debate. One might even point to today’s reading from John’s gospel as such an example – Jesus stepped around being identified as a political individual.

But a careful reading shows that Jesus does take a position. Yes, the position Jesus takes is neither for nor against Rome, at least in the usual sense, but he takes a third position that goes beyond normal human assumptions of politics and rule. I would even identify as Jesus being anti-political in his response. Jesus does not claim to be the king of the Jews. Thus, he is not specifically for the Jews, and therefore, he is not against Rome. But Jesus claims a kingdom. Therefore, he is simultaneously against all human systems of nations, states, rulers, and forms of governance. The kingdom of God is, in one sense, not in competition with human rule, but in simultaneously, completely against it.

As followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, those of us who claim to be Christians should have the same perspective on human systems of authority and rule that Jesus had. While we must live in the present world, we cannot hold and declare allegiance to any human ruler, state, or nation. If we seriously live out this principle, I suspect we will be looked upon with suspicion and could quite possibly experience some form of persecution. But most of us, me included, prefer a more comfortable and stable life and so we make compromises. We need to be reminded of Jesus’ words that his followers must “take up their cross daily” and “lose their lives” (Luke 9:23-24).

The last book of our Bible, which we call Revelation, was written to Christian communities that were tired of being looked upon with suspicion, experiencing difficulties in getting along with the rest of Roman society, their neighbors, and possibly experiencing persecution sometimes. The main accusation that is directed against these churches is that they have compromised. John, the Revelator, reveals to the Christian communities what is going on, both visible and unseen, and exhorts them to return to full, undivided allegiance to Jesus Christ and to him alone.

The gospel account of John does not have much to say about the description of the kingdom of God. However, the other gospel accounts contain descriptions, many which are couched in the language of parables. A summary of God’s kingdom from these texts is that it arrives quietly, subtly, and slowly; it is not accompanied by huge proclamations, power, might, or conquering; and it is most easily found and entered by those who in this world, are powerless, weak, humble, persecuted, marginalized, oppressed, victimized, abused. The entire concept of power is turned upside down in God’s kingdom: the servants are kings, the poor are wealthy, there is no hierarchy of power, those who give up their lives gain it, those who sought no recognition or reward receive them.

When some modern Christians envision Christ’s return and reign in power, they picture a conquering king, slaying his enemies and using a type of military power and might to destroy all who oppose him. There is a blood bath where power and authority are imposed, and fear is driven into any who might be wavering. Christ reigns with absolute authority that none dare question.

It is my emphatic belief that this is not the correct picture of Christ’s reign as king.

The reign of Christ in his kingdom is for him to serve all who are there. Power and authority are not imposed onto his subjects. Power is not used to coerce or intimidate. Authority is not used to invoke fear. The only power Christ has is the persuasive power of infinite love.

In the gospels, Jesus tells his hearers that the kingdom of God is already among them, and therefore also among us. Like the parable of the mustard seed, it may only be a sprout, but it has the potential to grow. But It can only grow when we are fully committed to the kingdom and Christ’s way of persuasive love. We cannot advance Christ’s work and grow his kingdom by employing the methods and tactics of this world. We should be cautious and skeptical about blindly adopting practices that might be successful in business, government, and other organizations. We need to ask the question, “What kind of power dynamics is assumed and promoted by this practice?”

As much as we might wish to see our church grow and the way of Christ embraced more broadly, Revelation offers yet another sobering insight: nothing that is formed by this world, governments and businesses, certainly, but yes, even churches, will never be transformed into the kingdom of God. Babylon, Revelation’s code for abusive power, is within all human-originated structures.

What all this tells me is that the kingdom of God cannot be identified by physical boundaries. It does not have visible boundaries. None of us can state for certain who is in and out. It is not limited to those who have and profess “correct” beliefs. It is far broader and more inclusive than any of us can possibly imagine.

That isn’t to say there is no boundary. The inhabitants of God’s kingdom, the New Jerusalem, must be protected from harm. Therefore, any who seek to use and abuse others are excluded from the New Jerusalem. Those who seek to have power over another are excluded.

Where does this leave us, we who live in the in-between, already in God’s kingdom yet still physically living in this world?

First it should give us hope. When we don’t see the world becoming more just and equitable, we don’t need to lose hope because we know that this world’s systems will never be transformed into the kingdom of God.

The flip side of this is a warning. We should not place our hope for a better future in this world’s systems. Christianity cannot be imposed into the world’s systems to turn them into a part of the kingdom of God. “Christianizing” power systems cannot transform them into God’s kingdom. In fact, doing this is very much the definition of Babylon.

This isn’t to say that we should give up on making this world a better place. We can and should do what we can to effect governance and policies that are more just and equitable, create a world that is more humane and livable, reduce fear and violence, and improve human relationships and acceptance of one another. We do this while cognizant that this will not transform the present world into the kingdom of God. Thus, we do not lose hope when our efforts seem so meager against a storm of opposition. But like Jesus, we bring compassion and relief wherever we are able.

On this Christ the King Sunday, we are reminded of what Jesus said.

“My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.” (John 18:36 CEB)

Take everything you know about how earthly kings, prime ministers, and presidents wield power. Turn that upside down. A powerless individual, at least in our eyes. That is Jesus Christ the King. He relinquished power and allowed himself to be crucified. That is our calling to follow Jesus as his disciples.

Take everything you know about the most powerful nations and empires and how they managed and maintained their power: the Roman Empire, the British Empire, the many other European colonizing powers, Japan, Russia, China, and yes the United States. Turn that upside down. Powerless nations and empires that wouldn’t last many days. Yet that is how the kingdom of God works: by giving away power so that more can be served and receive the benefits of the kingdom.

We must resist the temptation to see God’s kingdom and Christ’s reign as they are like what we know about kingdoms and kings. Doing so only increases our compromise into Babylon.

I suggest that like Jesus, we become anti-political against the powers of this world.

Sermon: The Eyes and Heart of Jesus

"Widow's Mite" by Tissot, James, 1836-1902

Lectionary: Proper 27(B)

Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Mark 12:38-44

Our gospel reading describes a widow who comes to the temple to place a couple of small copper or brass coins into a box whose contents would be added to the temple treasury. Some commentaries describe this box as having been made to accentuate the sounds of the coins as they dropped into the box. It would be difficult to not notice coins being dropped into the box. And even a small amount would not escape notice. For the woman to drop in so few coins could bring about looks of scorn and derision, and she likely would have felt shame and embarrassment.

Perhaps she tried to conceal her identity as she gave, or to do it as quietly as possible. That is possible, but the text omits any mention of how she arrived and how she gave. I think that she would have tried to not draw attention, but the fact that Jesus noticed and that he pointed it out to the disciples would likely mean that they saw and heard the widow.

This story is frequently offered as examples of what faithful discipleship looks like. It is also used as an example of faithful and sacrificial giving to God. I think they are valid interpretations, but like I often do, I propose a different interpretation that I think better fits the context of the surrounding texts.

The text immediately preceding the story of the widow and her coins is words of Jesus giving warning about the legal experts of his time. Jesus says, “Watch out for the legal experts. They like to walk around in long robes. They want to be greeted with honor in the markets. They long for places of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. They are the ones who cheat widows out of their homes, and to show off they say long prayers. They will be judged most harshly.” (Mark 12:38-40 CEB)

The individuals Jesus is warning against are the national leaders. They are legal and political leaders. They have high positions – they expect to be honored wherever they go. They dress accordingly so that they can be recognized. They are also religiously pious and go out of their way to declare their piety. Yet they are also avaricious and callous. Using their legal maneuvers, some of them may have found widows to be easy pickings. Jesus condemns those who flaunt their piety yet use their legal expertise to line their pockets with widows’ properties.

It is with this background that the rich, quite possibly an example of the legal experts Jesus warned against, appear at the temple. And the widow, perhaps one whose house had been lost to such a legal expert, also enters the scene. The rich give. The widow also gives. But the law does not require the widow to give. Rather, the law demands that orphans and widows be taken care of.

This scene is not primarily about giving, but about the failure of the rich to live up to the very law which they claim to piously follow.

The widow is not required to give, but she gives anyway. Why? Is it because of her faithfulness to God? Perhaps. But another perspective suggests that the teachings of these legal experts may be in play. Piety, regardless of wealth or social standing, was important to ancient people. Giving to God was a legitimate component of a pious life. It may be that giving was so emphasized that the poor felt obligated to give, even when they could not afford to do so.

It should be noted that the text does not have Jesus praising or condemning the widow’s act. Jesus simply sees and makes some factual comments. He does not provide an evaluation. Therefore, I think it is best to treat this as an observation and not turn it into an exemplary act.

When we continue to read past this story into the next couple of verses, the non-evaluation approach seems more appropriate.

“​As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What awesome stones and buildings!”

Jesus responded, “Do you see these enormous buildings? Not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.” (Mark 13:1-2)

We do not know precisely when Mark’s text was written. Many place it before the destruction of Jerusalem. In which case these words of Jesus could be seen as prophecy about the future. Or it could be that by the time Mark’s text was being put together, the writing was on the wall regarding Jerusalem’s future.

Another possibility is that Jesus’ words are recalling Hebrew history, where Solomon’s temple was destroyed. A key reason for the destruction of the first temple was also because the nation’s leaders failed to provide justice and care to the widows and orphans. According to Jesus, the future of a nation that fails to take care of its most vulnerable is judgment and destruction.

In our reading from the Hebrew scriptures, 1 Kings 17, we read about another widow. This widow is said to be from Zarephath, near Sidon. Elijah came to her during an extended drought, to receive food and water from her. She, too, was on her last meager bit of sustenance, and she too, gave what she had, first to Elijah who was a representative of God.

This could be seen as another story about faithfulness to God through giving. And this could be a lens through which the story of the widow at the temple could be interpreted.

But once more, there is another way of interpreting the story of the widow of Zarephath. And this one comes straight from Jesus. In Luke 4, as Jesus begins his public ministry, he returns to Nazareth and declares his mission statement.

¹⁶ Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. ¹⁷ The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,

¹⁹ and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

²⁰ He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the synagogue assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on him. ²¹ He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.”

²² Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”

²³ Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” ²⁴ He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. ²⁵ And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. (Luke 4:16-26)

First point to note is that Jesus’ mission is to be good news to the poor, the prisoners, to the blind, and the oppressed. What is missing is any notion of acquiring power, conquering, and ruling.

Second, when the people of his hometown expressed doubt about Jesus, Jesus’ response included a mention of the widow of Zarephath. Jesus does not say anything about the widow’s sacrificial giving. Rather, the point here seems to be about who God chose to work through to provide his prophet, Elijah, with support and sustenance. The point is also about who Jesus is sent to offer the gospel.

It wasn’t Elijah’s own people, the Israelites. It was, instead, a foreigner, a Canaanite. It was not someone who had the proper religious identity or beliefs. The widow was not a follower of Isarel’s God. But Elijah’s God, the God of Israel, chose a Canaanite, who worshiped some other god, to care for Elijah.

The same could and should be said of our God. Our God is not limited to working with and for those who profess the right name and those who claim to possess proper beliefs. Our God is not limited by race, ethnicity, language, culture or borders. God will choose to work with whomever is open and receptive to the mission of love and compassion for others. On the other hand, those who falsely claim piety to be seen and to gain human approval “will be judged most harshly”, in Jesus’ own words.

I see echoes between then and now in the depictions of human powers found in the Bible and what we see in our present day. We read about Jesus observing these powers at play in his time. We read what God values and desires to see among people. We, as the church, and therefore an embodiment of Christ in the world, have an obligation and responsibility to continue to see the world as Jesus saw it and to continue his mission of bringing justice and restoration to all peoples.

In closing and as our prayer, I will recite Psalm 146, which I see as an appropriate summary for today’s message.

¹ Praise the LORD!
Let my whole being praise the LORD!
² I will praise the LORD with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
³ Don’t trust leaders;
don’t trust any human beings—
there’s no saving help with them!
⁴ Their breath leaves them,
then they go back to the ground.
On that very same day, their plans die too.
⁵ The person whose help is the God of Jacob—
the person whose hope rests on the LORD their God—
is truly happy!
⁶ God: the maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
God: who is faithful forever,
⁷ who gives justice to people who are oppressed,
who gives bread to people who are starving!
The LORD: who frees prisoners.
⁸ The LORD: who makes the blind see.
The LORD: who straightens up those who are bent low.
The LORD: who loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD: who protects immigrants,
who helps orphans and widows,
but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!
¹⁰ The LORD will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next!
Praise the LORD!