'Living Sacrifice' - transcript of sermon St Oswald's Rugby 10th July 2022

                     Sermon – 10^th July 2022 St Oswald’s – 10.30am Eucharist

Roman’s 12. 1-8 ‘Living Sacrifice’

‘Sacrifice’ – what images does that word suggest to you?

At the extreme level we probably think about the ultimate sacrifice. That of sacrificing a life so that someone else might live.

Yet at the other end of the spectrum if we think about it, there are countless sacrifices we all make every day to enable us to function as a human community and the world around us.

On Wednesday last I spent a couple of hours volunteering with Riding for the Disabled.

I made a sacrifice of my time. I could have chosen to spend my time on something else, even indulging myself.

I know if I were to ask you would all be able to tell a similar story.

We sacrifice our time for our children or grandchildren.

We sacrifice where we would like to live.

We sacrifice careers to care for people or move hundreds of miles to look after an elderly parent.

If we are alert enough, we may even sacrifice a bit of time and road space to enable someone else to get on their way.

And the world around us.

We sacrifice convenience so that we may do less damage to the environment.

I know in this community there are those who sacrifice their time and talents to clean up litter, weed and help to make the streets and back alleys much more pleasant to walk down.

Sacrifice is built into the warp and weft of life.

And sacrifice is writ large throughout all of Scripture.

I have recently been listening to a series of podcasts from the Bible Project exploring the larger movements and motifs in the Old Testament.

The last couple of podcasts have been diving deep into the Book of Leviticus and the sacrificial system.  

I can’t say I have fully grasped all the nuances that are presented but there are two big take-aways for me.

One is obvious but certainly something that I need to be reminded about regularly.

That Jesus, Paul and all those who contributed to what became the New Testament, are steeped in the practise of sacrifice. What we may want to call the liturgical practises of sacrifices rather than the type of sacrifices we have already considered.

That is why it is important to gain some understanding of the sacrificial system we find described in the Old Testament.

But don’t worry, I am not planning on a three hour lecture this morning. That’s way beyond my pay grade anyway.

That’s your homework as we continue to grapple with God’s Big Story.

The second take-away is the very nature of the sacrifices.

This is highly significant and sets the tenure for all references to sacrifices throughout Scripture.

It not only sets the tenure it also sets Israel apart from other nations, societies and cultures and their sacrificial systems and practices.

Question – what is the first blood sacrifice we read about in Scripture?

Genesis 3:21 ‘The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.’

What is the last blood sacrifice we read about in Scripture?

     That of the Lamb of God, Jesus.

So, what’s the important difference between the sacrificial system of the Israelites and that of other nations?  

In most contexts and cultures sacrifices were offered as a means of appeasing or placating god or gods or spirits or whatever it was you believed ordered the world or it variant parts.

It was often thought that these god’s and spirits were capricious and malevolent.

You never quite knew if the gods were going to help or hinder you. Whether you would get a good harvest or safe travel or safe delivery of a baby.

Life was focussed on seeking to curry favour from the gods or spirits through a variety of sacrifices, and we know that included human sacrifices including child sacrifices.

What’s different about the Israelites then?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3.16

Think back to God providing clothes for Adam and Eve – consider that God gave them these clothes to cover over their naked disobedience. 

Think of Abraham being tested by God and taking his son Isaac to offer him up as a sacrifice. Isaac said, father I see wood and fire for the sacrifice, but no lamb. To which Abraham replied, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.’

Consider that God gave his one and only son…

The sacrificial system outlined in Leviticus and elsewhere is a gift of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness initiated by God.

It is given to us as means by which we can enter into God’s presence.

One of the very important and overriding motifs in Scripture is that God desires to live amongst his creation and alongside humans.  Working in partnership to push back the chaos and establish God’s good order and life in abundance.

By their disobedience Adam and Eve step outside this relationship. As a result, they are banished from the Garden in Eden and cherubim and a flaming sword bar the way back to the Tree of Life.    

In mercy God clothes them with skins – blood shed to cover over their sin and failure to pass the test.

Some years I work for Spillers as an Animal Technician at a Food and Nutritional Centre sited just outside Newmarket.

One of the units was the SPF Unit – Specific Pathogen Free.  In this Unit were housed mice and rats kept in strict laboratory conditions. To enter the Unit, you had to remove all your clothes, put on a special boiler suit, and then step over a barrier.

I am sure you will be able to think of lots of other examples where you must wear specific clothing to enter a certain place or environment.

Now recall the ways in which God’s presence is talked about, particularly in the Old Testament. God is a consuming fire, all powerful, mountains shake, thunderstorms and lighting crack.  This is not a God whom you can simply walk up to and say, hello how are you doing.

As an aside I wonder if we are too casual sometimes about our approach to God. 

The sacrificial system outlined in Leviticus was first and foremost offered as a way of enabling God’s covenant people to enter into communion with God.

It was not trying to appease an angry god, or a capricious god.

The Lord says, “I do not want all these sacrifices. I have had enough of your burnt sacrifices of male sheep and fat from fine animals. I am not pleased by the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. Isaiah 1.11

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. Hosea 6.6

Hold all of this in mind and listen again to the first couple of verses of our reading this morning…

 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

The first point to make is to remind ourselves that sacrifices in their Scriptural context are a mediation of grace – a gift from God so that we may enter into His presence.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2.8

Remember the story of Ruth. Elimelech because of a famine went to live amongst the Moabites with his wife Naomi. First Elimelech died, and then both of her sons who had married Moabite women also died.

Naomi decides to head back home to Judah. She encourages her two daughters-in-law to return to their home and perhaps they might find husbands. In very moving words Ruth begs to return to Judah with her mother-in-law.  

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

We don’t know what kind of love and support Ruth had received from Naomi, but it was enough for Ruth to offer herself as a living sacrifice.

And God honoured the living sacrifice of this Moabite woman whose name appears in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel. 

We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice not to gain love but out of love.

‘We love because God first loved us’  wrote John.

CT Studd the famous cricketer and founder of World Evangelisation Campaign summed up his motivation for turning his back on what the world considered successful and valuable: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

In my daily devotionals I am reading about Charles de Foucauld. He was a from a rich French family born in 1858. In his earlier life he was an explorer, a cavalry officer, and a playboy. After a dramatic conversion he gave it all up to become a monk but was unable to find an order that was strict enough in its practises. He was murdered by Muslim tribesmen during an uprising after being betrayed by his own servant. As a young man he was both handsome and dashing and lived a life enjoying all the best money could buy. He ended his days toothless and bald and living in abject poverty caring for others in a forgotten outpost in the Sarah desert.

I am sure you will also be able to recall many others who did not let the world squeeze them into its mould be offered themselves as a living sacrifice in response to God’s love, mercy, and grace.

That is of course a special calling.

I rather imagine for the most part our calling will be a tad less exacting.

But we do well to ponder on this call to be a living sacrifice as we go about our daily lives.

I am reminded of a little chorus we used to sing some years ago – JOY.

JOY, JOY surely this must mean, Jesus first, yourself last and others in-between, JOY!

Let that thought sit with you as you go about your daily business.

Let us ask ourselves regularly just whose agenda are we following, to whose tune are we dancing and singing?

Richard Stearns the president of World Vision United States, an international Christian relief and development organization wrote, ‘We are called to live a sacrificial faith - not a superficial faith. A sacrificial faith always seeks the welfare of others even when it is personally costly. A person with sacrificial faith does not always demand their rights, they fight first for the rights of others.’ 

‘As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ 1 Peter 2:4-5

And so we say…

Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring

To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King?

Saviour, what can be said, what can be sung

As a praise of Your name for the things You have done?

O my words could not tell, not even in part

Of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart.

https://youtu.be/kQkzHwz2eLE

 

 

 

'Breathe on me breath of God' - transcript of sermon St Oswald's Rugby 26/04/22

 St Oswald’s Rugby Tuesday Morning Worship 26^th April 2022

 

Reading John 20:19-31

The last contestant in Tipping Point answers the final question correctly. The bonus disc hangs over the edge of the second shelf. Can she drop in a piece and tip the bonus piece over the edge and win £10,00?  Down goes the piece, rattling down the chute and drops into the slider, and there goes the bonus piece, she has won £10,000 and she is ecstatic and cries out, O my God, O my God, O my God!

How far removed is this from Thomas who said to the risen Jesus, ‘my Lord and my God.’

Not only in time but also in sentiment.

I think it would be a reasonable guess that the God being invoked by the winning contestant is not the Judeo-Christian God.

But again, without being too quick to judge, I think it would be safe to say that those who frequently say, O my God, are rarely, if ever, invoking the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If only they were, then their words might be properly addressed and an acceptable call upon God, or as an acclamation of a revealed divine truth such as Thomas encountered.   

And almost hidden in this passage we have just read is a clue of how a person might move from merely mouthing a meaningless and empty phrase that has become common place, to standing with Thomas, looking at Jesus, and declaring, my Lord and my God.

Verses 21 & 22…

^‘Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.’

When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, no grass or plants were growing anywhere. God had not yet sent any rain, and there was no one to work the land. But streams came up from the ground and watered the earth.

The Lord God took some soil from the ground and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing. Genesis 2: 4-7

God’s breath, breathing life into the man. 

Could it be that to become all that God intended we need not only the breath of life to animate us but a second breath?

I know as a runner I often reach a point of exhaustion and then find my second wind, fresh energy draw from within. Occasionally if it is half marathon I am running in, then it is drawing close to the finish line and the crowds cheering me on. 

You may well have noticed this in some team sports. The team gets to half time, and it all looks a bit pathetic. But then on returning to the match they seemed to have found fresh energy and a second wind.

.”  And with that Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.’

The first breath brings life to our bodies and the second breath brings life to our spirits.

That I would suggest marks the difference from someone who uses a phrase such as, O my God without any due reference to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, or indeed any god whatsoever. It is merely a phrase that has sadly passed into common parlance. And the person who stands, or better, kneels with Thomas and declares, ‘my Lord and my God.’

The transition of moving from doubt to faith and the ensuing transformation that would include our vocabulary.

What therefore might be our take away from this Gospel reading?

Well first as people of faith we acknowledge that God is the source and sustainer of all life.

Acts 17. 28

For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Job 12.10

For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.

Secondly, we acknowledge that we need the infilling and indwelling Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5.18

‘Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,’

And when Paul says to us, ‘Be filled with the Spirit’, he uses a present imperative, implying that we are to go on being filled. For the fullness of the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience which we can never lose, but a privilege to be renewed continuously by continuous believing and obedient appropriation. 

Think of it like carrying a glass of water. When people 'bump' into you what spills out? If we are filled with the Spirit of God then it will be the Spirit of God that spills out, manifest in the Fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control. Having 'spilled out; we need to ensure we are always being 'refilled.' 

Thirdly dealing with doubt.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...

Romans 15.4

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

And then in a peculiarly encouraging way we read this at the end of Matthew’s Gospel 28.17

^‘When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.’

Doubts will come partly because as we read in 2 Corinthians 5.7 ‘For we live by faith, not by sight’ and therefore doubts will arise as they did for Thomas.

And as we heard in our Gospel reading…

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Do you know yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit this morning?

Do you believe and are you living a life that is blessed by God?

Or are you sitting with some doubts today, and if so, do you know how to handle those doubts, so they take you to stand before Jesus declaring, my Lord and my God? 

O my God indeed.

Let us now invite the Spirit to come and breathe the second breath of new life into our spirit.

Come breath on us breath of God....

https://youtu.be/CDSX345spS8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tabernacles & Temples & Today's Disciples - transcript of sermon St Oswald's 24th April 2022

 

Acts 2:1-21

Today we return to our Essential 100 Readings, and we are now post Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension and reflecting on the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

There is an ongoing discussion as to whether we should call this the establishing of the Church, or perhaps the birthday of the Church, but I don’t want to get into that discussion today.

I also do not want to talk about the Feast of Pentecost itself, apart from noting that Pentecost was a Jewish Feast 50 days after Passover.

That is seven times seven plus one, and that number is not insignificant and references back to the seven days of creation.

50 years is also the Year of Jubilee. A time when the clock was reset, and with a fresh start you could start over again.

When reading Scripture, we need to pay attention to numbers as they may be giving us important links and clues.

Being an agrarian society, many Jewish festivals were based around crops and Pentecost (Greek Pentekostos 50) is a Festival of First Fruits in the Spring season.

Among Jews the most popular name for this festival is the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, in Hebrew. When celebrating this festival, many Jewish people recall one of the greatest events in their history, God's revealing of the law at Mount Sinai.

However, …

‘For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’  John 1.17

What I would like us to reflect on is the ‘Coming of the Holy Spirit,’ God’s breath, God’s wind - in Hebrew Ruach.

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’

Or in the apocryphal story of the child who said God’s Spirit was hoovering over the water. Not too bad an idea as God is tidying and cleaning and bringing order out of chaos.

The story of creation continues with, ‘And God said…’

Consider this, to speak a word you need to exhale, to breathe out, it is nigh on impossible to speak while inhaling.

God breathed out the Word of Creation.

From John’s Gospel….

‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’  

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighbourhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

A reading of John 1:14 from ‘The Message.’

This verse has been variously rendered over the years, but most sit close to this idea of the Word coming to dwell with us or among us.

Recently I have come to prefer a rendition that sits closer to the original.

And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

For while the concept of Jesus dwelling amongst us or even moving into the neighbourhood speaks of incarnation and intimacy, the use of the word ‘tabernacle’ reveals something very important.

It does mean we do have to do a little more work to get behind this word ‘tabernacle’, but it is well worth the effort.

Tabernacle is also referred to as ‘The Tent of Meeting’ – first used in the desert wanderings of God’s people during the Exodus.

A place where dispute were to be settled and the place where God met with Moses.

In short, a heaven and earth place, much the same as in the Garden of Eden, the ‘tabernacle’ was a small portable Eden.

Tabernacle and Temple both carry the same basic concepts, except that the Tabernacle is portable, and the Temple is in a fixed location.

And this raises a set of interesting questions that we do not have time to fully explore today.

In the ancient world local deities were often worshipped. (As they are in some places today). However, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob revealed himself as God Most High, a God who called the universe into being and continues to sustain and uphold it. In other words, a far bigger concept than a local deity.

Psalm 24.1 declares ‘The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who live in it.’

This raises questions such as, where was God when the First Temple was destroyed and why did Daniel turn his face towards Jerusalem as he offered his prayers?

During the Exodus wanderings in the desert Moses receives exacting measurements and adornments for the tabernacle and it interesting to note that this is arguably the first time anyone is referred to as being filled with the Spirit of God.

‘Then the Lord said to Moses,  “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—  to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.’  Exodus 31.1-5

Moving from Tent to Temple was a desire of King David; however, it wasn’t David who was to build God a house but his son Solomon.

And he built well and lavishly. 180 feet long, 90 feet wide and at its highest point 207 feet high. (That’s approximately 20 stories high)

The porch was equally massive and overlaid with gold.

You can read the account in 1 Kings 8 of the dedication by Solomon and for our purposes this morning, I want us to take especial note of verses 10 &11.

^‘When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.  And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.

The cloud that led them out of Egypt, the cloud that came down upon the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. The cloud, sign and symbol of God’s presence, so filled the Temple that the priest were unable to function.

Sadly, despite such an auspicious start and with such a magnificent building the temple was to be destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

By 538 BC. Babylon had passed into history and the Medo-Persian Empire took its place. Cyrus the Persian issued a decree to allow the Jews to go back to their land, and with the blessing of The Persian Empire.

The first move back to Palestine was led by Zerubbabel, of the house of David. In 536 BC. he laid the foundations for a new temple, built an altar, and worshipped the Lord.

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah helped urge the Jews on. They finished the work on the Temple in 516 BC. Exactly 70 years after the destruction of the first temple.   (Note the number.)

Here however we see no evidence of God’s glory descending at the dedication of this Second Temple.  A faithful and joyful celebration indeed, but nothing to indicate God’s presence settling like a cloud or any other such manifestation. 

Question then – is this a true Eden place, a heaven and earth place, a God and humans place?

Enter Herod the Great and another of his famous building projects.

This time to expand and enhance the Second Temple.

This work began around 20/19 BC and would not be fully completed until 62 AD – eight years before being destroyed by the Romans.

This size and scale of this project was a true wonder of the ancient world.

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote this about the Temple and mentions some spectacular artistic touches which adorned the massive double doors which opened through the 180-foot-high façade into the shrine building itself. He writes, “The temple had doors also at the entrance, and lintels over them, of the same height with the temple itself. They were adorned with embroidered veils, with their flowers of purple, and pillars interwoven, and over these, but under the crownwork, was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down from a great height, the largeness and fine workmanship of which was a surprising sight to the spectators, to see what vast materials there were, and with what great skill the workmanship was done.” “Its height extended all along to ninety cubits [135 feet] in height, and its length was fifty cubits [75 feet], and its breadth twenty [30 feet]; but that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man’s height;”

‘As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

Massive indeed, with the biggest stones weighing in at an estimated 250 – 300 metric tonnes.

However, this was not done to the glory of God but for the vainglory of Herod.

And according to Jesus it had become a den of thieves rather than a house of prayer.

Jesus presents himself as the ‘temple’ – the earth heaven place, where sins are forgiven, new life begins for all, no exclusive courts keeping people out, but an open invitation to all and especially to the weak, the poor and the marginalized.

^‘Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.’

And then we come to read today’s passage which we will be visiting again at the Feast of Pentecost.

It sits here with us today as part of our E100 readings.

The disciples, about 120 of them according to Acts 1.15, were all together in one place.    

And God’s shekinah glory falls upon them, the Holy Spirit, the Ruach, the divine breath of God that breathed life into being is poured out upon those gathered.

They have now become living temples. 

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22

And we, you and I have that very same calling upon our lives.

We too can be filled with the Holy Spirit.

We too are called to be living temples.

Consider all that the tabernacle and temple represented.

All of that now resides in you and in me.

We are now God’s tabernacle that has moved into the neighbourhood.

And as we reflect upon the tabernacle and temple there is much to learn.

Firstly, we need to recognise that there are still many temples around the world.

There are those temples dedicated to other god’s or deities.

Then there are modern temples, like MacDonald’s.

Or a super shopping centre, although we prefer to worship online these days.

There are temples to football, cricket, and other sports.

There are temples dedicated to the body beautiful.

There are tabernacles that offer a seasonal worship session of your favourite music artist.

Temples abound everywhere as much as they did in Paul’s day when he wandered around Athens.

Therefore, what lessons can we learn both from history and contemporary culture about tabernacles and temples.

Negatively we can learn that we may have all the outward show and look rather splendid, and yet remain cold and disconnected from God in our hearts.

We can parade our piety or our good works – but do so for vainglory and not God’s glory.

Positively we can become that heaven earth place, the place where God speaks into the world of his creation.

We can become the place of prayer and the place we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.

And like the tabernacle we are mobile and wherever we go God is tabernacled with us, we are in partnership, a covenantal relationship.

1 Corinthians 6.19 ^‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;’

If our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, then it behoves us to take care of them. Ensure they are looked after as much as we are able. Enough rest and exercise and the right food and drink. We should also respect other people’s bodies as well.

We are the enfleshed representatives of God to the world.

We, like the first human couple, are called to be kings and priest, image bearers of God. 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2.9

As Teresa of Avila put it “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” 

Therefore we are the answer to the question of, 'where on earth is heaven.'

We are the answer to the question, ‘where on earth is heaven.’

 

There must be a reason! Transcript of sermon 22nd March 2022

 

Tuesday Morning Worship at St Oswald’s 22^nd March 2022

Luke 13. 1-9

Luke in writing his Gospel uses journeys around which to frame his account.

And there is no more important journey than the one we are travelling along now in our readings. Jesus’ journeying to Jerusalem with his disciples.

Last week we heard Jesus being warned that Herod wanted to kill him.

(It is a tad confusing that last week’s readings are at the end of chapter 13, verses 31-35 and this week we are considering the beginning verses of the chapter, 1-9)

So, chapter 13 and the opening verse and another warning, this time about the Roman Governor, Pilate.

Jesus will meet both Herod and Pilate in due course, but for now the journey towards Jerusalem continues.

And Jesus uses the warning about Pilate’s bloodletting to teach an important lesson. In fact, there are a few lessons to be learned here and in the ensuing parable about the fig tree.

With the call to repent or you will perish, we see that Jesus is yet again offering a different way than many of his fellow countrymen wanted to take, armed rebellion against their Roman overlords. (Repent - metanoia, means a change of heart and mind)

If we have being paying attention, we will have noticed the alternative way Jesus is offering. A way, Jesus boldly declares, that is the Kingdom of God way.  A narrow path, a small gate, not a broad path and a large gate. A way of forgiveness, a way of pursuing peace, a way of giving everybody an intrinsic value as bearing the image of God. And yes, that includes the Romans and Samaritans, and woman and children and leper’s and tax collectors and anybody else you would care to name who ordinarily stood outside as an outcast or an alien.

Keep on the path you are heading, and the Romans will do what the Romans do, shed your blood, and tear down your city.

If you do not repent you will also have your blood mixed with the sacrifices and the walls will also fall on top of you.

Within this story there is another level of teaching as well.

Remember the story of the man who was born blind and the question that was asked?

² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Something many of the Psalms seek to address, why do bad things happen to good people and sometimes good things happen to bad people?

The general thought at the time of Jesus was that if someone was ill or sick it was a punishment for something they had done wrong. God was punishing them, much the same as God would bless those who did right.

No, Jesus seems to be saying, bad things just happen as in this case to the Galilean pilgrims and to those who were hurt in the collapse of the tower of Siloam.

Put this alongside Jesus’ answer with a multileveled fig tree story and you can see that Jesus is saying that this is really a non-question. 

Why hadn’t the fig tree bore any fruit?

Well, we could sit and analyse that, try and discuss soil types, fig types, the weather, and a host of other possible contributory factors.

Meanwhile the fig tree continues to remain fruitless.

Action is what is required when faced with suffering and pain. There will time enough later to discuss how this came about. ‘Let me dig around it and put on some fertilizer.’

Consider also that the owner of the vineyard wanted to cut it down.

Think about those people who are too sick, too smelly, too old, too handicapped, too bad, for us to try and help.  Besides which, they have probably done something to deserve it. They are not bearing any fruit and making any kind of contribution, let’s get rid of them.

A question to ponder. Is anyone beyond redemption and simply needs to be cut down and destroyed?

Back to the level of the Jewish nation. Could the owner of the vineyard be God who has looked and looked for his chosen people to bear fruit, to be the light to the Gentiles. To live as authentic humans in God’s world.

In this understanding, Jesus would be the gardener asking for one last chance before judgment falls.

History we know records that the Jewish nation did revolt against Rome and the Temple was destroyed in AD 70. Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina and a temple to Jupiter at the site of the former temple was built.  This may have been one of the causes for the outbreak of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132. Again, this further revolt was crushed by Rome.  This time many Jews were dispersed around the world and banned from living in the city.  

The account in John’s Gospel of Jesus before Pilate bristles with the clash of two kingdoms. The kingdom of Rome, Caesar, the world, and the Kingdom of God as outlined, lived, and taught by Jesus.

The choice of whom we are going to follow still lies before today.

                                           Jesus or Caesar

And choosing to follow Jesus does not mean we will not have bad things happen to us, however…

St Paul knew something about that, and he wrote this…

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.