Sermon: Signs

Lectionary: Pentecost (A)
Text: Numbers 11:24-30; Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23

Introduction

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Don’t put God in a box,” or something like it, perhaps many times in your experience. We all understand what that means and its intent – that God is present and works beyond our small understandings and expectations of how God is supposed to be and act. But it is much more difficult for us to take that saying to heart and for us to interact with the world as God does.

We have our comfort zones. Our little boxes. And perhaps that is often truer in religious settings. We have our traditions and ways of doing things that are comfortable. We have a nice order and liturgy. We know what to expect and when to expect them. Sure, an occasional change might be nice, but don’t make the change too big. There are boundaries that define good order. We like everything and everyone to fit within those boundaries. It makes us uncomfortable when the boundaries are breached. It might possibly even be thought of as unacceptable and best to be kept out and away.

Prophesying in the Ancient World

I suspect most of us would be rather uncomfortable with the behavior of prophets and the act of prophesying in the ancient world, including among the ancient Israelites.

We typically think of prophecy as words rationally spoken or written down by someone about future events. But that is not at all at the top of the priority list of ancient prophets and prophecies. The purpose of prophecy was to communicate messages from a divine being to humans. The prophet was an intermediary between the divine realm and the human realm. In many cases, the act of prophesying was thought to literally involve the possession of the mediating prophet by a divine spirit. And the prophet would speak and act as if possessed. Prophets uttered and acted ecstatically, frequently through unintelligible speech and noises and bewildering behaviors. In other cases, however, prophecies could be delivered as normal speech. The Hebrew Bible contains numerous examples of both types of prophesying.[1]

What would we think if someone among us, right now, started speaking and acting ecstatically? Or perhaps even just got up and started to declare to us a supposed message from God? I do think most of us would immediately get very uncomfortable, perhaps edging away, and wondering about their state of mind. We might think through modern science and suspect that they might have some kind of neurological issue or having a mental health episode.

But in the ancient world, this was expected of religious intermediaries such as priests and prophets, and in fact a sign of divine presence and authority.[2]

Yet even though ecstatic prophecy might appear chaotic, it followed cultural and religious expectations. In our reading from Numbers, when two individuals, Eldad and Medad, prophesied outside the approved and expected place and time, there were some who tried to silence them. Moses, however, recognized that God is larger than the narrow boundaries created by their religious and cultural traditions, and wished that God’s spirit would pour out on even more of them.

Jesus, too, had to confront the narrowness of his own disciples.[3] John reported to Jesus that he tried to stop someone from throwing out demons in Jesus’ name, because that person wasn’t among their specific group and physically following Jesus. Jesus rebuked John, “Don’t stop him,” and ended with a well-known saying, “Whoever isn’t against us is for us.”

Pentecost Sunday

The first Pentecost in Christian history fits within this same prophetic pattern and expectations.

¹ When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:1-4 CEB)

The act of divine possession or inspiration, as some prefer it to be called, is obvious. The sign of divine presence and authority is the ability for all to speak in other languages. This has occasionally been explained that there were enough disciples who knew enough other languages so that it seemed like a supernatural event occurred, even though it didn’t. But the plainest explanation that the author of Acts wants his readers to understand is that these disciples were given unusual abilities to speak languages that they had never spoken before.

Not the Gift of Tongues (Glossolalia)

The event of Pentecost has often been conflated with the speaking or use of tongues, technically known as glossolalia, but they are two very different things. We don’t have time to delve into details today, but for those interested, Paul makes a clear distinction between the spiritual gifts of prophesying vs. tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. The gift of tongues is most closely associated with ecstatic utterances that are unintelligible. The gift of prophecy is intelligible without an interpreter.

They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. ⁷ They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? ⁸ How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” (Acts 2:6-11 CEB)

Gift of Prophesying

What we read about in Acts is the spiritual gift of prophecy in action. The disciples act as intermediaries between God and other humans. They offer a message from God to the people.

Like in other prophetic acts, there are naysayers.

¹³ Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!” (Acts 2:13 CEB)

Peter’s response to the accusation begins,

“Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! ¹⁵ These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning!” (Acts 2:14-15 CEB)

It might seem like a strange rebuttal to our ears, as we clearly know that there is nothing that physically prevents someone, or even large groups, from becoming drunk early in the morning. However, getting drunk before 9 a.m. was considered improper and something just not done in this society.

In the Mediterranean world, even the worst debauchery did not begin until [emphasis mine] nine in the morning (Cicero, Philippics 2.41.104: “But how many days did you most disgrace fully carouse in that villa! From the third hour there was drinking, gaming, vomiting”).[4]

In any case, it apparently was a strong enough argument against drunkenness.

All Receive the Spirit’s Gift

Peter continues with a citation from Joel 2:28-32, with a few modifications. Peter’s point is that the last days have arrived because a clear sign from God has been placed upon Jesus’ disciples. These disciples include men and women, young and old, and wealthy and poor; and the message from God is going to not just Jews and those who speak Aramaic, but to all languages and peoples present in the Roman Empire and perhaps beyond. Peter ends the first part of his rebuttal with an inclusive appeal,

²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21 CEB)

In the next part of Peter’s speech past our reading today, Peter identifies Jesus of Nazareth, who, because of his death, resurrection, and ascension is Lord and Christ. The gift of belonging to and following Jesus the Christ is the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, the outward sign was the ability for the disciples to communicate the gospel in as many languages as was necessary.

Signs of God’s Presence Today

But that was then. We are living in 2023, in a modern, rational, scientific world. Ecstatic behaviors and speech are looked upon much differently now. Even the very claim that one has received a message from God is seen with suspicion. I should add that there are some large segments of Christianity that do accept these as present-day manifestations. But outside of these groups, they are generally not considered authenticating signs, and certainly not by those who are outside Christianity. So, what are the signs of the Holy Spirit possessing or inspiring us and the church today?

Jesus in America Survey

In March 2022, the Episcopal Church released a national study it had conducted through Ipsos.[5] One of the findings were around what Christians and non-Christians (including those of other religions as well as non-religious) respectively thought Jesus taught and what was the most important teaching of Jesus. Another area of finding was how Christians viewed themselves vs. how non-Christians viewed Christians.

Of the teachings of Jesus included in the survey, there was agreement on several of the teachings of Jesus that all thought Jesus had taught. Among the many agreements: Love your neighbor, moral teachings, love your enemies, not judging other without first judging yourself, feed the hungry, love God, turn the other cheek, and how to live in community with other people.

But in the question about what the respondents considered to be the most important teaching of Jesus, there was less agreement. For Christians, love God was the most important. For non-Christians love of neighbor was thought to be most important. Next for non-Christians was Jesus’ teachings around not judging others, but for Christians this falls to around fourth to seventh place depending on subsegment of Christianity. Love of neighbor, too, falls to second to fourth place for Christians, depending on the subsegment. For evangelical Christians, after love of God, Jesus’ teachings that he is the exclusive way to salvation comes in second place.

What is most interesting and where disagreement is most prominent is in how Christians view themselves vs. how non-Christians view Christians. Christians view themselves (in order) as giving, compassionate, loving, respectful, friendly, honest, humble, sharing, and truthful. Those of other religions and the non-religious, however, view Christians as (in approximate order): hypocritical, judgmental, self-righteous, arrogant, unforgiving, disrespectful. Any positive characteristics show up lower in the list, and include friendly, giving, and compassionate.

The most polarized result shows up in the question of whether Christians that each segment knows represent the values and teachings of Jesus. Even Christians surveyed only say about a third of Christians they know represent a lot the values and teachings of Jesus. And for the non-Christians surveyed, that number falls into the single digits – as low as 2% from the non-religious.

An Interpretation and Suggestion

There are many ways to interpret survey data, and what I suggest next is just one possibility.

What I see is that Americans (who were the ones surveyed), irrespective of religious affiliation, generally have some common agreement to Jesus’ teaching and values. Christians, regardless of denomination, tend to put the vertical relationship with God and beliefs about God higher on the priority than horizontal relationships with other people, sometimes much more so. The non-Christians look at Jesus and they see his relationships with others much more than his teachings about God. When they look at Christians, us, they see a huge gap between what they see as Jesus’ important teachings and what they see Christians living and modeling.

I suggest that perhaps the most impactful sign today of God’s presence in God’s community is a better congruence between what Jesus taught and lived, what the church values and teaches, and how individual Christians live out the teachings of Jesus.

Conclusion

Here is a quick summary of how Jesus lived and related to his world: Jesus’ forgiveness and acceptance offended and threatened the religious status quo, the temple system, and the priests. Jesus’ nonviolence offended his fellow nationalists. Jesus’ inclusiveness offended those who create hierarchies and divisions based on race, nationalities, and religion. Jesus’ egalitarianism offended any who subscribed to the hierarchical structures that were the social, political, and religious norms. Jesus broke down boundaries. Jesus gave his life for these values. God raised Jesus up to vindicate these values. Jesus sent and continues to send the Holy Spirit to animate his followers with these values.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”[6] In the Upper Room on Pentecost Sunday, the Spirit poured out to include all peoples, languages, genders, races, and nationalities into the movement initiated by Jesus Christ.

Will we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives after the pattern of Jesus? A crucifix is a symbol of Christ, but are we willing to go beyond that and truly live a cruciform life and thereby wear the sign of Christ’s presence, power, and authority in our very being?

In the name of God who is the creator and sustainer of all, the God who broke boundaries, and God who continues to move to break boundaries.

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[1] Prophecy and Ecstasy | Ancient Prophecy: Near Eastern, Biblical, and Greek Perspectives | Oxford Academic (oup.com), Chapter 5.

[2] IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament. Numbers 11:25.

[3] Mark 9:38-40.

[4] Reading the New Testament Commentary, Acts 2:14.

[5] Jesus in America – The Episcopal Church (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/jesus-in-america/)

[6] John 20:21-22 (CEB, with my edits). 

Sermon: Shalom Aleichem

Lectionary Year B, Second Sunday of Easter

Text: John 20:19-31

 

What is peace? What does it mean to have peace?

Today’s gospel reading includes three times where Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19, 21,26) The Hebrew phrase is shalom aleichem and would have been a commonly used greeting. It is at least one of the primary basis to the “passing of the peace” practiced by many Christian churches. Yet the fact that the gospel makes explicit mention of the greeting, not only once but three times, seems to indicate that perhaps there is more to be understood in this ordinary greeting. Perhaps like the bread and wine of the Last Supper, which were common items for a Passover meal and that were given new meaning by Jesus, perhaps “peace be with you” is also imbued with new meaning after the resurrection.

In our common English use, peace primarily means an absence of external conflict. Our culture, in general, values this kind of peace; so much so that resolving conflict is frequently only undertaken in a token manner, or brushed away altogether for the sake of expediency and comfort – most often to accommodate the societal status quo and the systems and structures that benefit from it.

But is this the kind of peace that Jesus gave his disciples? We only need to look back a little earlier in the gospel to read that Jesus’ peace is a different sort of peace. In his words following the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

The peace found in the Roman empire was certainly a kind of absence of conflict, but it was maintained by the threat of force, backed by a capable and willing army. It was a peace maintained through fear. Jesus’ peace is one that does not employ force or fear.

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples are all in some kind of house with the door locked. They are afraid, and for good reason: their master had just been executed by the Romans as a threat to the empire, and by their association to him, they could be on the wanted list also. It is into this room that Jesus miraculously appears. Jesus greets them, and then shows them the scars that he still bears from the crucifixion. It is only then that the disciples find joy.

If we back up one verse from today’s reading, we are informed that Mary Magdalene has told the disciples that she had met the risen Jesus. But this news did not have any effect on the disciples’ fear or faith. Jesus’ initial appearance does not appear to have changed them either. Only when they see the scars on the body of Jesus are their fears replaced by joy. Note too, that in the subsequent Thomas set of texts, he too, hears about Jesus’ appearance to the disciples but hearing about it does not result in belief. Rather, he insists that not only does he need to see the scars, but he needs to touch them: although once Jesus appears and shows Thomas the scars, Thomas is immediately satisfied and believes.

Once the disciples experience a release from their fear, Jesus once more offers his peace and in conjunction, commissions them to be his apostles. He sends them out to do the same works that the Father sent Jesus into the world to do. It is work that generated opposition to it by the political and religious powers of that time. It is work that eventually led to Jesus’ execution. This is the work that Jesus is sending out his disciples to do. It is the work that every generation of Christian is still called by Jesus to do.

Jesus opposed the status quo. Jesus advocated for the underclass, the oppressed, the marginalized. Jesus called out abuses of power. He made a point of inclusion and egalitarianism in his society. Jesus taught and lived out a reversal of traditional notions of power. This got him killed. These practices are what the church is called to continue.

I think we are all too aware that we live in troubled times. We might not live in a war zone, but there is unease, tension, and more and more, open conflict and violence between individuals and societal groups. We may be living in a relatively peaceful time, as peace is often understood. But intuitively we probably know that we are not really living in a peaceful time.

Is the church currently living behind closed doors, in fear, as the disciples were on the very day of Jesus’ resurrection? Are we afraid of what the repercussions might be if we were to genuinely confront and challenge the status quo of the world, its systems, structures, and powers? Have we forgotten what Mary, the mother of Jesus proclaimed in the Magnificat, a portion that reads:

He has shown strength with his arm.

He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.

He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.

(Luke 1:51-53) 

Or what Jesus himself read from Isaiah and applied to himself at the beginning of his public ministry? 

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 the sight to the blind,

To liberate the oppressed,

And to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

(Luke4:18-19) 

The church was not commissioned to maintain her edifices. The church was never given permission to be part of the empire. The church was not blessed to maintain her own comforts.

Simply proclaiming what we believe is not enough: Mary told the disciples about her experience, but it did not change them. The disciples told Thomas about their encounter with Jesus, but it did not change him.

Simply being present in the world as a community of faith is not enough: Jesus appeared to the disciples and Thomas, but his mere presence did not change them.

What the world needs to witness is a wounded and scarred Christ: only when Jesus reveals the symbols of having battled and emerging victorious do the disciples and Thomas believe.

The Apostle Paul describes the church as the body of Christ in this world (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Are we as a community of faith, trusting in the peace of Jesus, willing to do the works that Jesus did, to risk being wounded by the world?

What the world needs is not more preaching, more theology, or more churches. What the world needs is more communities that are vulnerable and willing to advocate for and lift the oppressed, the marginalized and the outcasts, and to alleviate the pain and distress of the suffering, to not just minister to these but to include them as full members of our community. Furthermore, the world needs communities to confront the injustices and the abuses that are inflicted by the powerful, and to oppose the systems and structures that permit and perpetuate said abuse.

The power of Jesus’ resurrection is found in his scars. They are the signs that he gave all to accomplish his mission and came out victorious. This is perhaps another reversal to ponder: victory and power is found in Jesus’ wounding. Perhaps it is a lesson that we need to consider more thoughtfully: where are our communities’ wounds and scars that we received as we fought and continue to fight for the dignity and worth of fellow humanity?

The peace given to the church by Jesus is the settled confidence and courage to confront oppression, to correct injustice, and to comfort all who are victims of the caustic priorities of this world. Shalom aleichem! May the peace of Jesus Christ be with us all.