Sermon 26th June 2022 – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Luke 9:51-62 – Dealing with
problem makers
Last week I began by asking
you a question of how do you deal with your problems. The context was the demon
possessed man who was deemed too difficult to deal with so they dealt with
their problem by putting him in shackles and then sent him off into the tombs
to live. Out of sight out of mind. Today a different question is put to us –
how do we deal with problem makers. When Jesus was confronted with rejection,
his disciples, James and John, wanted to deal with the problem maker in their
unique way – "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from
heaven and consume them?" But Jesus
did not agree with their solution and turned and rebuked them.
Jesus rejects retaliation or
violence as a response to problem makers and calls on us to do likewise. And in
this reading we can see the real problem when we become judge, jury and
executioner. The problem – when Jesus arrived the people did not welcome him. James
and John’s response – let’s command fire to come down from heaven and destroy
them. This is always the problem with human response by responding with
retaliation.
How can you compare being not
accepted with having fire coming down from heaven and destroying you. Jesus
deals with this in the Sermon on the Mount when he says - “You have heard that
it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell … if anyone slaps
you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Because it doesn’t usually end up being one
eye for one eye. Even if retaliation could be meted out equally it doesn’t
solve the problem. You hit me – I hit you back: It doesn’t stop there. As we
find in war situations – that’s only the beginning. You come in with soldiers –
we’ll come in with tanks. You see it in sport so often. A footy player roughly
tackles his opposition player. He retaliates – and next moment every player on
the field runs over and gets involved. That’s human nature – that’s what James
and John example.
Again, we see in Paul’s
writings concerning retaliation and warning against human retaliation: In
Roman’s 12 he writes: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what
is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on
you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge but leave room for God’s
wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Paul knows that God’s wrath is
justice and not revenge. How amazing it would be if this is what the church was
known for? Being at peace with everyone. If our enemy is hungry, feed him and
give him drink for his thirst. It’s interesting that Paul doesn’t say – you
shouldn’t have enemies. I guess that’s something that is part of our fallen
world – but we don’t have to live as enemies but live in peace and love. As
Jesus said before his arrest – a new Commandment I give to you – love one
another as I have loved you and by this everyone will know that you are my
disciples. And that’s exactly what Paul said today - "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take
care that you are not consumed by one another.
That’s how we end wars and
fighting and “devouring one another” – through love. And that’s not the end of
it, Paul says.
When we move away from the
standard of love it is replaced by destructive behaviour such as - fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions,
factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. Love was put in
place by God to give us protection. God has given us love as a means to control
our evil and destructive behaviours. And we’re not talking about the airy fairy
love that we hear in our pop songs or the Hollywood image of love. No, this is
a serious and deep life changing love that we are called to example: Love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. Note that Paul refers to them as the fruit of the Spirit – not
fruits of the Spirit. We don’t choose one of them – they are all part of the
life of a growing Christian.
Just like fruit continues to
grow and ripen so too these are to continue to grow in us but once a fruit
drops from the tree – the source and energizer of love - it begins to decay and
rot. And so too we are to continue to remain in Christ because our human nature
will want to continue to move us back to those destructive behaviours that Paul
listed. And we saw that in James and John and their response that didn’t show
love or joy. It didn’t show peace or patience in those who rejected them. It
didn’t show kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness – and certainly not
self-control.
Love is hard work. Just look
at love at work: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it
is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails. Again, James and John did not show that to those who rejected Jesus. Love
shows itself in ways that go way beyond human behaviour. As Paul says – God
demonstrates his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for
us. As Jesus exampled on the cross to those crucifying him – forgive them
Father for they know not what they are doing. So different to Zechariah’s dying
words in the Old Testament - Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the
Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!”
We don’t want to go back to
that thought of thinking. Jesus has freed us from that desire for comeuppance.
And thankfully Christ has
freed us from receiving our comeuppance – what we deserve. As Paul says - For
freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again
to a yoke of slavery. As Jesus went to the cross he called on his disciples,
you and me to pick up our cross and follow him. And sometimes that cross is to
bear the burden of forgiveness for the sake of the Gospel, as Jesus exampled
from the cross. Sometimes our best efforts are ignored and rejected and when
that happens then Jesus also gave us the example in today’s Gospel reading:
they went on to another village. The book of Proverbs has very sound advice in
this situation also: Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for
the Lord, and he will avenge you. Or as Paul says in 1 Corinthians - Why not
rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
What would James and John have
achieved by calling down fire and consuming them?
Now they have another opportunity
to go back later and share the Gospel when the time is right. Now they have
something to pray about. Let us also see rejection and injustice as an
opportunity to pray and give an example of love and, as Peter says, always be
prepared to give the reason for the hope we have with gentleness and respect.
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