Last Sunday we heard three parables from Jesus that challenged the religious authorities of his day. We remember that Jesus gave them in the temple compound during what we call Holy Week. Not surprisingly, the religious leaders were not happy about it. Today we read responses from several groups posing challenges to Jesus in return.
We’ve looked at these things in the past. There were a number of sects or divisions within Judaism at the time. Prominent among them, and those who appear in our gospel reading today, were:
-The Herodians; those who supported the leadership of the Herod family.
-Also, the Sadducees; who centered Jewish faith on Jerusalem and the temple system. The Sadducees felt that scripture was limited to the Torah, or the books that came from Moses.
-Perhaps in contrast to the Sadducees were the Pharisees. While the Pharisees did accept the centrality of the temple, they were the ones who had synagogues throughout the Roman empire. Teaching was of great importance to them. For them scripture was not just the Torah but the entirety of what call the Old Testament.
-Then in the midst of (and throughout all) of these groups were scribes, lawyers, and other leaders.
Each of these groups sought to undermine Jesus’ authority. They each did so from their own perspective, using their own tactics. Jesus, as we know, mastered them all. We’ve looked at all this in the past when we’ve read these texts. Today, however, I want to take a different approach. Even though these groups and issues are from almost 2000 years ago, we still find that many different groups want to undermine Jesus’ authority or discredit him.
You see, people don’t like Jesus; even today. Oh, most people wouldn’t say that outright. They may say that they like Jesus but they don’t like the religion of Christianity. They say that he was a great spiritual inspirer or maybe a moral teacher, but the religion that grew out of his teachings went wrong. In truth, people who say these things have never really read what Jesus actually taught and what he actually did. Somehow teachings like, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” And, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” And also, “Take up your cross and follow me,” all get forgotten.
So lets look at some perspectives today that seek to discredit Jesus. Perhaps the easiest is science, or perhaps I should call it pseudo-science. For true science can neither prove nor disprove God or the reality of Jesus.
For example, people like Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and even ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ all have popular writings and videos that use science to disprove the existence of God. Their arguments can be very compelling. Books like The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins make it seem like anyone who believes in God is hopelessly deluded and laughably ignorant. Yet what people like Sagan, Dennett, Dawkins do is take select scientific discoveries and connect them in a philosophical way in order to reach the conclusions that suit their agenda. It’s done so seamlessly that you don’t even realize you’ve left science. None of this is new. What they have done is repackaged late nineteenth century scientific atheism. Their thoughts are actually old ideas being retreaded. Nevertheless, chalk them up as people who want to discredit Jesus. The truth is, as I said a few minutes ago, impossible to either prove nor disprove God’s existence through science. Good science recognizes that and many scientists are people of deep faith.
Another group that seeks to discredit Jesus is some branches of psychology. I’ve heard of psychologists who’ve written assessments of Christians calling them delusional for believing there is a Being who created them. Similarly, in the world of psychology it is common to say that faith is a crutch of the emotionally weak. Or that a person’s ideas of God are a projection of their own father onto an imagined super-being. I find myself replying that if there is no God and that it is up to you to find your purpose and meaning, then you’ve made life into a taxing ordeal that will leave you hopeless and dead. But, people don’t want to accept what Jesus actually said.
Then there is a group that likes to say that Jesus simply a great moral teacher. Lessons of justice, kindness, and fairness were all given by Jesus; and he is no more nor no less than any other historical moral teacher. These people also say that you don’t need religion at all to have good morals. This point of view is both right and wrong. Jesus was not a moral teacher; although his teachings have moral implications. Jesus is the Son of God who came to reveal God’s ultimate nature – and the power of ultimate self-sacrificial love. That is not strictly morality, and in fact runs counter to morality.
But what is correct is that you do not need religion or a belief in God to be a moral person. The ideas of “natural law” seem to be present across most of humans and across all cultures throughout history. But Jesus didn’t teach natural law. Morality that is natural law is really strategic self-preservation. It is recognizing that anarchy is bad, but cooperation leads to better outcomes, better security, longer life, and a better chance at procreating. Natural law is just realizing that cooperation rather than extreme individualism gives one benefits.
What do the ancient teachings of our scriptures say about humanity’s ability to be moral? Well, let’s ask this. Are people fundamentally good or fundamentally bad? The moralist will say that with enough education and safety humans will naturally be good. It is fear, greed, and ignorance – all of which can be overcome with healthy social conditioning – that lead to evil and bad conduct. It’s all very tempting to believe. We want to believe that we are good at heart. Our faith teaches otherwise.
In Genesis 3 we learn that Adam and Eve transgress. They decide to take their destiny into their own hands. They will know good and evil themselves. The results were disastrous. In the Bible’s story line people start murdering each other in just the second generation. But the Bible is hardly done. Right after the Noah’s Ark story – we’re still only eight chapters into the Bible – we find, “The imagination of the human heart is evil from youth.” (Genesis 8:21) Even so, God says he will not destroy humans. Three chapters later we find the Tower of Babel story. Humans are again trying to be self-determinative. The result is disaster.
Human made morality leads to endless justification. We find that in Proverbs 21:2. You’ve heard me say this before, the only thing we humans are truly good at is making a mess of things. Human morality does not turn to God. It wants to get rid of God. And human morality never leads to voluntarily being crucified. So, Jesus is rejected because do not want to trust God.
Another group that seeks to discredit Jesus is the “spiritual but not religious” group. This one is immensely popular today. Atheism sounds harsh. People don’t want to outright reject that there is a God. But they also don’t want the disciplines and demands of religion; especially a religion like Christianity which says to take up your cross and follow Jesus. Christian love is based on giving of yourself for the benefit of others. That is the core of the religion. The spiritual but not religious person is really interested in self-determination. They don’t want any religion or group getting in their way. But just like people insisting they can be good and somehow moral without God, so too you will never get to authentic self-determination apart from accepting God as your creator, and also realizing that self-determination actually comes not from freedom but from difficulties and constraints. St. Paul wrote, “suffering produces endurance. And endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. If you have a life freed from all definitions, limits, boundaries and difficulties you may think you’re living a great and fulfilled life. But it is a life without hope, without accomplishment, and without meaning. It is another ironic truth that discovering yourself always comes from limits, boundaries, and hardships.
While I could make a long list of those who oppose Jesus today, I’ll list just one more. This is the go-with-the-flow group. These are people who follow society with very few questions. They want acceptance and approval from others, and so they just do whatever gets that. Even if it is illogical or unsustainable, or hurts their own core values, they do it. Kids sports is always an easy example of this. Why does everyone do it? Because everyone does it. And the more demanding and irrational is the commitment the more people love it. I’ve cited to several of you that the Webster 2nd grade flag football travel team did well last fall. They were invited to a flag football tournament in Florida in February. And indeed, parents took their 2nd graders out of school for a week and traveled to Florida for a flag football tournament. Talk about messed up priorities! But it is even more local. Mother’s Day weekend is not about celebrating mothers around here. Mother’s Day weekend is the Irondequoit Soccer tournament. Many families around here never ever celebrate Mother’s Day. Instead they prioritize the tournament. …core, fundamental family relationships, or kids’ soccer. Apparently soccer is perpetually more important. Go with the flow. When Jesus is in vogue, follow Jesus. When he isn’t, then do whatever is.
Nothing has changed. We don’t have Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees, and other ancient Jewish sects challenging Jesus. But we just have different names for the same dynamics.
Following Jesus is hard. It’s going to cost you. Most don’t want to pay the price. But those who do find themselves on the path to true life. How all those who prioritize things above Jesus will fair when God judges, is not our concern. But it is our commission to spread the gospel which says that truth, wholeness, love, and life are found in the often difficult way of Jesus. And it is definitely worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment