When I was near
the end of seminary I was interviewed by former bishop, the Rev. Lee Miller
Sr., about coming to this synod. One of
the first things he asked me was, “Who is Jesus?” That’s an almost offensively simple question
to ask someone who’s about to graduate with a Master of Divinity Degree, but
it’s a very difficult question to answer.
He asked that of all potential pastors to this synod, and the way they
answer give a lot of insight into how they will be as pastors. I must have answered well enough because he
decided he’d keep me!
If I were to ask
you the same simple question how would you answer? I suppose with me you could just answer he
was the Son of God, or the Messiah. But
that’s a cheap way out. How would you answer
a Buddhist …or an atheist?
Lee Miller was
succeeded by the Rev. Marie Jerge as bishop.
She would ask potential pastors who Jesus was too. She’d also say, “Give me your elevator
speech.” It took me a while –probably
too long- to figure out what that meant.
But it is basically, what is your faith in nutshell, using plain
English? If you just met a person in an
elevator and all the time you’d have to spend with them was the time it took to
go to your destination floor, what would you say about faith?
Now I don’t know
about you, but I don’t find elevators particularly stimulating places to have
conversations. And if the doors closed
and I was sealed in that little box and someone starting in on me about Jesus,
I’d start hitting the button of my destination floor for dear life!
Talking about
Jesus is hard. We don’t like doing it,
and we don’t want it to be done to us. I
suppose if I was in the Red Elevators at Strong Hospital coming down from the 6th
or 7th Floors and someone stepped into the elevator sobbing, saw me
wearing a clerical collar, and starting asking for help I’d come up with an
elevator speech fast. But otherwise I
don’t have one!
Who is
Jesus? It’s an easy question to
ask. It is hard to answer!
We meet Jesus in
the gospel reading today. We also
encounter his brothers. I wonder what
they would have said if you asked them, “Who is Jesus?” The gospel tells us that not even his
brothers believed in him. And we’re
seven chapters in by this point! He’s
been preaching, teaching, gathering disciples, and has performed several
miracles – yet they don’t believe him.
It turns out that
nailing down who Jesus is has always been difficult. Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Festival of
the Booths. This was a seven day harvest
festival in October where people would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and live
in tents for the week. There the crowds
are divided about Jesus. Some say he is
a good man. Others say he is deceiving
people. The Jewish leaders have
questions too: “How does this man have
such learning, when he has never been taught?”
The entire Gospel
of John is about answering who is Jesus and whether you believe in him - or
not. In our verses for today Jesus says,
“My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.
Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching
is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.
Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks
the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”
There’s really a
deeper dimension to the question of who is Jesus. Do you bring to Jesus your categories of
right and wrong and how the world is supposed to work? Or does Jesus define your categories of right
and wrong and how the world is supposed to work? Do you see the difference?
Jesus’ brothers
bring to Jesus their categories of how the world is supposed to work. They say, “Leave here and go to Judea so that
your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be
widely known acts in secret.” And we
have to admit that what they say makes sense.
If you want to start a political or social revolution you don’t do it in
secret. If you don’t tell anyone no one
will ever know. No, you start a blog to
spread your ideas. You use social
media. You have email, phone, and other
advertising campaigns.
If Jesus can do miracles then he
should be doing them in public – in Jerusalem, the religious capital, not
Galilee. That would be like having political
ideas and instead of going to Washington D.C. you go to Penn Yan. What Jesus’ brothers say makes perfect sense.
That’s not to say that Jesus is
illogical, or that God’s will is nonsensical, but that God defines your
categories, not your categories define God.
In fact Jesus does then go up to
Jerusalem. However he does so secretly,
at least at first. He hasn’t lied to his
brothers, but he is showing that his agenda is set by his relationship with the
Father, not set by the expectations of others.
Timing is important in all of this
too. Numerous times in John’s gospel
Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come.” His
hour is the crucifixion; or perhaps more like the crucifixion, the
resurrection, and the ascension. John
links all three. When that time comes,
because it is not yet, Jesus goes on his terms in his own way and in his own
time. It is ironic because it looks like
he’s out of control, when in fact he has planned it all along, and all is going
according to plan.
Jesus calls us to have our categories
defined by him, not us define him by our categories. But living that way can be hard.
In our second reading from Hebrews we meet people in a church who are
struggling. It appears as if when they
became Christians they did so joyfully even as it cost them a lot in the way of
possessions and relationships. They were
willing to make the sacrifice in light of the promises of eternal life. But it appears that they thought Jesus would
be returning soon and their sacrifices would be temporary. Time is going by and they’re starting to
wonder if it was true. Where is Jesus,
and when is his great return?
I think when there is a crisis we can
all find the time and resources to pitch in.
When an ice storm takes out power or a blizzard snows us in, every able
bodied person is out giving of their time and resources to help with clean-up
and getting things back to normal. But
when things get back to normal you can’t really maintain that level of
sacrifice. It is in ordinary day to day
life that being a Christian is a challenge.
Then is when the categories of the world start to define Jesus more than
Jesus defines the categories of the world.
The recipients of the letter to the
Hebrews were in some danger of losing their faith. And after all, it was all new to them. They had no Christian history to look back
on. But we who are blessed to look back
upon centuries of Christian history have more roots for our faith. We know that the world’s categories look
enticing at first, but they ultimately lead us nowhere.
You know the world’s categories
well. They tell you that you have to be
the epitome of popularity and cool and glamour and success if you want to live
a fulfilled life. That is to be
whole. But history shows that those
categories leave people empty, frustrated and wanting ever more. The categories of Christian faith give a
different truth. This is the truth that
your IQ and your bank balance and your level of glamour have no bearing on your
worth at all. The categories of
Christian faith call on us to ask the world if what it’s doing really builds up
people and the creation. Those things
that do, even though they cost your money and your time, will fulfill you.
We are in our stewardship drive for
2019. That’s much more than just how
much money will we give to St. John’s in 2019.
That asking ourselves what categories we will use for all of our
resources in the coming year. For God
does not want you to give a portion of your money away. God wants you to direct all that you are in a
way that will bring you peace and wholeness.
Directing yourself to God’s way probably won’t make you rich and famous,
but it will bring you peace, certainly more peace than the world can give. May you hear God’s voice and may it give you
the guidance you need to grow and be content.
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