Holding the Line on the Truly Divine
Transcribed from the Sermon preached September 17, 2006
The Reverend Max Lynn, Pastor
St. John’s Presbyterian Church
2727 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705
Telephone 510-845-6830 Fax 510-845-6837
office@stjohns.presbychurch.net http://www.stjohns.presbychurch.net
Scripture Readings: Proverbs 1: 20-33; Mark 8:27-38
Among the study to discern which words attributed to Jesus were actually spoken by Jesus, many scholars feel Jesus did not predict his death, nor was he likely to have planned it. But it is not hard for a prophet to see trouble ahead, as in our modern era Gandhi, Romero in El Salvador, and Martin Luther King Jr. all expressed knowledge that if they continued in their Christ-like behavior death would likely come.
In addition, I have come to believe that Jesus developed a radical understanding of Divine Rule. It makes sense in the context. King Herod the Great was likely the most prominent example of a typical King like behavior. While undertaking a massive building campaign, we know that he was a paranoid murderer, killing his own sons and wife, and anyone else he thought may be a threat to his power. While some kings and rulers were less murderous and paranoid than others, it was standard procedure to literally eliminate the opposition. As a King, you were expected to milk the common peasant of all the taxes you could short of inspiring revolt out of starvation. Pressure was put on potential uppity hungry peasants by the ever present military, and by promoting allegiance to whichever god was expedient. Crucifixion was just one form of intimidating the public. Taxes went to wild, luxurious living for the King and his allies, for building projects, and for tribute to more powerful kings. It was expected practice for Kings to lie, cheat, steal, murder, marry, rape, and bribe in an attempt to demonstrate and keep what power they had, or to gain more. They would switch allegiance of gods and kings whenever it was politically expedient.
In this morning's passage, Jesus is heading to the outlying villages of Caesarea Philipi, the capital of Philip, son of Herod the Great. The city featured a gushing spring, a prominent the temple of Zeus, and a temple of Pan, the half man, half-goat god of sheep and goat herders. Pan was thought to instill inspiration, sexuality or panic, depending on his desire. Later in Christian imagery, Satan is often seen looking like Pan. At any rate, it is not hard to imagine sheep and goats being sacrificed on the altar of Pan during ceremonies of drinking, music, and wild orgies. It is important to note that all of this extravagant party making is happening not only in honor of gods other than Yahweh, but at the expense and sacrifice of the common peasants of the surrounding region.
But the Judean idea of Kingly rule, we know, was not significantly different from the Kingdoms of the surrounding area. They extracted tribute, fought wars, and had wild parties too. Most hoped and expected that the Messiah would be a great King who would amass enough power to oust the foreign rulers and their gods from the land. We may argue that Israel dreamed of a wise and just King, a faithful worshipper of Yahweh, but a King who used worldly power and force to get his way none the less. Tribute would still pour into this Kingdom, but it would come at the expense of other places and people.
It is true that Jesus resembled a prophet like John the Baptist or Elijah, more than a king. Certainly Jesus was a prophet, but he had a vision for what divine Kingdom would look like. Jesus sees that the means is the end. Power is as power does. Power to kill others is one kind of power. Power to do what is right, even when you are not being forced, even when it is not politically expedient, even when you may be rejected and killed for doing it, that is divine power.
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
Time Magazine’s cover story this week asks, Does God Want You to Be Rich? Apparently the Gospel of Prosperity is making a strong resurgence in America. Several prominent preachers are filling large halls and stadiums with the message that God wants you have abundant life. If you dedicate your life to God, he will bless you with joy, happiness and prosperity.
Certainly this is a part of the truth. God does want us to have life, and have it abundantly. This is one of the messages we need to hear. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Human beings long for wholeness, completion, and fulfillment. This is, primarily, a God-given desire to love and be loved. But often we are hurt by love. Someone dies, someone leaves, someone rejects or shames us. We may decide that our desire for love has caused us hurt, so we decide to squelch our desire. We begin to expect less of others and ourselves. Either that or we become desperate and try to complete or fulfill ourselves with whatever is closest at hand. Desire for food, sex, drugs and are often substitutes for our desire for love and a method to hide our fear of love. Domination of others is finally an attempt to make others love us, or at least act like they love us. It becomes an addiction too, but money and force bring only shallow love. We may feel complete for a moment, but then we find ourselves empty again. We may see the world in a negative light. Our low self-esteem and bad habits can get in the way of God’s blessing.
God’s gracious Spirit is what can make us whole. Sure we are not perfect, but God is forgiving. God loves us and has given us gifts to do great things and prosper. God wants us to be fulfilled, to know love and blessing; to have a loving family, a good job, good food, good sex, and a good home. If we dedicate our lives to the God of love, fight off procrastination, avoid feeding pleasures that go down a road to nowhere, stay honest and work hard, it is quite possible that good things will come.
Certainly this message is part of God’s truth. God wants us to have life, and have it more abundantly.
But the Gospel is not just about us, our family, our people, our nation. What is unique about scripture, about the God of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, is that he cares and loves the poor and oppressed. God is with the Israelites even when they are not powerful and prosperous. Jesus is 90 miles from Jerusalem preaching and healing among both Judean and gentile peasants – peasants whose fruitful labor and land is being milked dry by a long ladder of climbing rulers.
It is a short trip from believing that if we are faithful God, will bless us with prosperity, to saying that if we are not prosperous, it must be because we are not faithful, and therefore, that God is not with us. And if we are more prosperous than others, then we are more beloved and righteous in God’s eyes. And if we are the beloved righteous who are close to God, then we must be justified in our fight against others. If prosperity is the primary sign of God’s blessing, then by all means, do what it takes to get and maintain that prosperity. Our goodness at home justifies our evil abroad. Bomb other nations, torture, pollute land and sea: to Hell with everyone and everything else, we are loved by God! The end justifies the means. If you have the power and means to be King or Queen, then by all means, the gods wants you to rule. It is awfully easy for power and prosperity to become our gods.
After going round and round in the struggle for power and prosperity, for the liberty to live extravagantly in the name of our god, we run into what Reinhold Niebuhr calls the “sublime madness” of Jesus Christ. He says, my love first. My love last. This is the message of the Gospel. Not my love is best and therefore I am better than you and deserve to be King. But, so confident in the power of love, I will love you now and forever, regardless of whether I am prosperous or not, even if I am poor and despised, despite fear, terror, or death. Don’t tell others he is God and King, as if the title alone commands allegiance without the life lived. He won’t buy our love, or force us to honor him. We cannot buy or force him to love or honor us. Even in scarcity, His love is free and abundant. Even in death, it lives. Now that is a man with power worthy of a King. This is the one we call Messiah.