Sermon 9th September 2018
Text: Mark 7:24-37 – No line in the
sand
Once again Melbourne is gripped in
racial tensions after a violent brawl in Collingwood in the early hours of last
week.
The racial profiling identified the
main perpetrators as African and Islanders.
It comes on the back of another wild
brawl a few weeks earlier in Taylors Hill with similar racial profiling.
The Letters to the Editor and talk
back radio were almost cut and paste from a few weeks ago with people saying
the same things:
Deport them.
Jail them.
Stop calling them African Australians
– there’s nothing Australian about them.
It is easy to get caught up in the
hatred in similar ways that hatred was directed against all Muslims in the
aftermath of terrorist attacks.
To suggest that God could possibly
love them and send his own Son to die for them would have many people seriously
looking at us with misgivings.
And yet that is the radical nature of
God’s unconditional love – that God could possibly want them to be saved and
come to him so he can embrace them with his love.
We have to believe that about God’s
love because if we draw a line in the sand and say, this is where God’s love
stops, then we could never be sure if God’s love extends to us.
How would we know where God has put
the line in the sand.
Jesus today shows that in people’s
minds there is a line in the sand but that Jesus wipes that line out
completely.
A woman whose daughter is sick comes
to Jesus for help;
She is of Greek origin so Jesus lays
down the line in the sand for her request:
He tells her - I have come for the
children of Israel (this side of the line in the sand). It wouldn’t be fair to
take the children’s food and throw it to their dogs (the other side of the line
in the sand).
So “fairness” is the line in the
sand.
It wouldn’t be fair to take the
children’s food and throw it to their dogs.
To help her daughter would be
“unfair” – to help first the children of Israel is the “fair” thing to do.
But the mother points out to Jesus
that it’s not about what is fair and unfair.
It’s about all people receiving what
God has to give.
And so when Jesus says it’s unfair to
give what belongs to the children of Israel to their dogs – she responds – even
the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.
The problem with using “fair” as the
benchmark is that it is so subjective.
What one person deems as “fair”
another might deem as “unfair”.
We hear it all the time in society.
Is it fair that an asylum seeker – or
what many refer to as an illegal immigrant – queue jumpers – is it fair if they
get housing while there are so many “real Aussies” who are homeless.
Is it fair that they take OUR jobs?
Is it fair that my taxes pay for the
long term unemployed who are probably going to use it on drugs and alcohol?
All of a sudden we stop thinking
about the needs of people and replace it with whether it’s fair or not – BUT
according to OUR set of values.
Jesus did not extend his love to
others based on whether it was fair or not.
He went to those who needed him.
He was criticised for it – he eats
with sinners and tax collectors.
But as Jesus pointed out – a doctor
goes to those who need him.
Or, when the woman washed Jesus’ feet
with her hair:
If Jesus knew what sort of woman she
was he would not let her touch him.
Or the Good Samaritan who did not
base his help on one of his enemies as to whether it was fair or not but based
on his need for help.
And Jesus told us to “go and do
likewise”.
It is so easy to fall into the trap
of judging others based on what we perceive is fair or not.
None of us like what we see happening
in society today.
It does make us angry, but as St Paul
says – in your anger do not sin.
Instead we are called to pray.
To not join in the chorus of those
who regard others as more or less worthy of love and acceptance.
James points that out also when he
criticises those who make a distinction in the church.
Those who showed acts of favouritism
to the rich saying – have as seat here – this side of the line in the sand.
While to the poor they said – go and
stand over there – the other side of the line in the sand.
Wealth became the line in the sand;
rich people here – poor people over there.
Just as God shows no distinction in
showing his love we too are to show no distinction when it comes to showing his
love to others.
God loved “the world” so much that he
sent his one and only Son to die for us.
It was while WE were yet sinners that
Christ died for us.
It’s not while THEY were yet sinners
– while WE were yet sinners.
And if we think it’s unfair that God
should even extend his love to those with whom we disagree how unfair is it to
God that he continues to forgive us time and time again – even though we’ve
promised to never do it again.
But he does because his love is not
based on fairness but on his unconditional love for us in Jesus Christ who died
for us and the entire world.
There is no line in the sand.
And he does not place a line in the
sand for us either;
Love your neighbour as yourself – we
hear in James.
Jesus goes even further – love one
another as I have loved you – and by this all people will know that you’re my
disciples.
If we join in the cries of “unfair”
will we witness to God’s love?
If we join in the cries of unfair,
how can we be sure others aren’t judging us the same way when we stray?
As Jesus says: “Do not judge, or you
too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,
and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
It is so easy to join in with the
crowd as they did against Jesus and shout “Crucify Him”
It’s no different to the shouts:“Send
them back where they came from – lock them up and throw away the key”.
Jesus however sets a different standard
as he cries out:
Forgive them Father for they do not
know what they are doing.
Remember what Jesus says in the
Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the merciful, for they
will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God.
And as children of God we won’t be
sitting under the table picking up the crumbs in heaven.
We will be sitting with Jesus at his
table enjoying the great feast.
Until then Jesus invites you to his table
to receive a foretaste of that feast to come as you receive, not crumbs that
fall from the table, but the very body and blood of our Lord that is given and
shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins so you can be sure there is no
line in the sand you have to reach because Jesus invites you to come, for all
things are now ready.
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