Lifted Up

Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

The writer of Hebrews suggests that Jesus is of the order of Melchizedek.  It is an obscure reference, to the  priest who blessed Abram.  Psalm 110 picks this up as well, and it seems to be a way to demonstrate an old old way as if it is new again.  Which is what I am interested in doing here, for we are looking at the cross today, and there are many theologies of atonement, but the one I will explore I believe is one of the earliest, with its simplicity, that has come to a greater understanding these days.

I do not believe that any of the theologies of atonement or the cross are wrong, but rather a unique view of a great mystery that cannot be completely understood.  Prof. Mark Heim explains it by saying the actual cross is three dimensional and thus when you look at it at one angle the other side is not visible, but that does not mean it doesn’t exist, it is part of this great mystery.

As the Hebrews writer suggests, not only is Jesus designated by God from an old line, he went as a perfect sacrifice via submission and obedience.  The writer even suggests that He “learned obedience through what he suffered,” which is hard to phantom.  However, that demonstrates to me that Jesus was fully human and thus understood something divine on the cross when he was lifted up.

Lifted up for John seems to have a double meaning for he does not separate the resurrection from the cross. In this pericope, John makes it clear he is referring to Jesus being lifted-up on the cross, yet we only are aware of this cross moment because of the resurrection.

In the news, Trayvon Martin is much of the discussion.  He was no perfect boy, but he was certainly innocent of deserving death.  I do believe there are demons of racism and anxiety, and I am certain that one civilian following another is not standing one’s ground.  It is so very tragic.  If Trayvon survived we would be able to have his witness.

Jesus the perfectly innocent man, who was tempted to enter our desires of a worldly kingdom.  Who told Peter to put the sword away despite being scared of the tree he was to be hung on.  Jesus was not just a good man, but acted and taught that participation in rivalry was not the divine way.  He desired people to love the neighbor as they would love themselves. And be perfect as the heavenly Father is, raining on the righteous and unrighteous. 

He did nothing but teach love, healed all who wanted healing, and taught peace, and the authorities of the state and the religion condemned him to death.  He followers fled.  Alone though on that cross he drew us all to Him.  For we would have the witness of the victim.  The witness that did not come back with the heavenly hosts (army), did not command his Disciples to guerilla warfare, or even with a judgment.  He came back and said, Peace be with you, demonstrating the scars and thus the love and forgiveness the Divine has for us all. 

It is sad and awfully tragic we do not have Trayvon’s witness, as he certainly did not deserve death for being a  black youth with a hoodie.  It reminds me that I have been drawn to the salvation of Jesus, for His perspective as victim, questions the individual and corporate sins that pave the earthly realm through rivalry.

The victim saved us and forgave us, so we would have no more death. 

God, Self, and Neighbor

Matthew 25:31-46

If you saw someone with a backpack on you may assume they are backpacking, but they also could be homeless.  Sure it may be easy to guess which by the quality of the items or where you see the individual, but you might be wrong.  The real difference between the two is there is a planned end to the hike and no certain end to one who is homeless.  However, when I hiked I did not take each step with the end in mind, it was assumed. 

Jesus reminds us that we are to think eschatologically; that is about the end.  In this passage He tells us the end will be like separated goats and sheep.  Well when I have been on farms where there are these animals, and I spooked them they would run in their respective groups.  At the end it will be easy to separate the two, but the judgment is less about then than it is about now.  For we have received unconditional boundless grace which we do not deserve, so I believe Jesus is not making salvation based on one’s action, yet rather is reminding those that do believe this would be their reaction.  They will run with the sheep.

For when Jesus adds himself as being part of the least of these, He is reminding us that love we do is to God, Self, and Neighbor.  We realize we receive this grace we do not deserve and feel very unworthy, but Jesus wants us to take care of those that are considered unworthy'; the least of these.  We are therefore to respond with love to ourselves, God and Neighbor as He states in  Matthew 22:37-40:

He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

This is the Law, according to Jesus and thus is where one would place judgment.  However, it is all wrapped in grace, so it is not what we do that saves us, but we respond as if we would be running with the goats.  We live as Christians doing what God commands for we do not live wandering, we live with the purpose of God.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

We know there is a final victory over all evil, and we live that way not simply with the feeling of “love,” but acting on love to God, Self, and Neighbor, for we know what fold we run with. 

Sound the Trumpet

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

There are five parables in this scripture.  The last one about fish talks about the end of the age, and how there will be a judgment.  However, these parables are not about the Kingdom of Heaven coming only at the end of the age, rather that it has come near, now.  While it is true that it is all set with the knowledge of the escahton, that is not the key to the Kingdom.

The first two parables demonstrates the power of the Kingdom of God and how it only needs a little to create is large dominion.  The parable of the leaven that is put into three measures of flour (about 50 pounds), demonstrates the power of God.  The end result is bread, which is what sustains us here on earth.  According to this parable the Kingdom of Heaven is a large quantity of bread, created with a small amount of yeast.  It is a miracle that feeds.  The mustard seed is sowed in the field and grows into a tree that reflects the following Hebrew Scriptures:

The tree that you saw, which grew great and strong, so that its top reached to heaven and was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and which provided food for all, under which animals of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air had nests (Dan 4:20-21)

On the mountain height of Israel
   I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
   and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
   in the shade of its branches will nest
   winged creatures of every kind. (Ezekiel 17:23)
All the birds of the air
   made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the animals of the field
   gave birth to their young;
and in its shade
   all great nations lived. (Ezekiel 31:6)

The large tree that represents the Kingdom of Heaven is a home to many.  And even beyond the realm of Israel.  It is a home for everyone now.

The second two parables are about how one comes about experiencing this Kingdom of Heaven that has come near.  The first happens upon it in a field, the second is searching for the greatest pearl, either way, both give their whole financial selves to the field or pearl respectively.  One gives there whole selves when they either stumble on or find what they were searching. 

I have a wonderful story from my life about finding the Kingdom of Heaven, on earth.  This leavened bread, this tree, this treasure, this great pearl, but I don’t know if I was searching or if I stumbled upon it.  I will share the story with you.

I was talking to my dad on the phone when he told me that me nephew was interested in playing the trumpet.  Well I knew there was a trumpet of my dad’s in the attic of his house, I put it there.  See 30 plus years ago my dad brought the trumpet home from his childhood home when I was 7 or 8.  I was excited about it and learned how to blow it some.  Well as a young boy I also found that a marble could be kept rolling around the horn with centrifugal  force.  Often the marble would shot out across the room, but twice it went into the horn.  However, only once did it come out.  I tapped on the trumpet, blew on it, used a long stick, and put a lot of valve oil down all in an effort to free the little white marble from the trumpet.  I did not go to my parents, especially my dad, but I did know how to open the attic and I placed it in the attic.

A few years later I was in fifth grade and all the students were encouraged to be part of the band.  They had older students come and demonstrate the different instruments and we were to write down the three we were interested in.  I put down trumpet, for it what I wanted to play, but I was scared.  I did write down drums as well for I was interested in percussion as well.  The third I put down was sousaphone, because the school provided the instrument, and I could keep the attic door shut.   Well the next week the band leader called me in and asked if I was serious about the sousaphone, apparently it is not popular.  He got me excited about playing that large horn, and I could keep the attic closed. 

Back to the phone conversation with my dad.  He told me he got the trumpet down from the attic and it did not seem to work.  So I said to him, look inside you should find a white marble.  He said “white marble” with me as he must have turned the horn around and then asked, how did you know it was white?  I then shared the story I have shared and we laughed and laughed.  See I was scared of my father when I was young.  I was not abused but I was scared.  He was not always around and I projected his judgment and he certainly provided some.  It was even how I thought of God, for a while.  My relationship with my dad matured greatly, from work we both did. 

Finding that great marble was stumbling on something I knew, that the Kingdom of God is found in the relationships, not our wealth and success.  During the week I was preparing this sermon, a congregant sent me this link:  http://churchwhisperer.com/2011/04/19/41911/

The writer, Blake Coffee, uses the metaphor of the church as a quilt.  A wonderful metaphor that seems to emphasize Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:12 “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”  I have used that metaphor as well but what Blake adds is about the stitching.  For a quilt is not simply many pieces laid out in as an image, they are connected by thread.  Those represent our relationships.  What I really enjoyed was the analysis that when an issue hits the church we worry more about the weight of the issue rather than the strength of our relationships.  I should have had confidence in my relationship with my father when I was young, apologized and asked for forgiveness.  I am sure I would have been sounding the trumpet. 

The Kingdom of Heaven is found in those relationships.  We search and stumble upon those relationships and give our whole selves.  Forgiving and being forgiven or in a work Love.  For it is not simply about the end time, or a future time, it is now.  Even if you lost 30 years you can still find the Great Pearl (Marble) in your attic.

Confession

Psalm 32

If Jesus died for our sins why do we or should we confess our sins?  Is the question before us today.

To begin with we should look at forgiveness and I believe the best story of Jesus’ forgiveness and His authority to forgive sins is contained in Mark 2:1-12.  I will share you the scripture with some commentary. 

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. (vv. 1-4)

Now this paralyzed man we assume wanted to be healed, and we are not sure if the man asked these four friends to bring him or if it was their idea.  I can even imagine that when they discovered the crowd, the paralyzed man was not the one to suggest trying the roof.  He probably asked to wait, but these four wanted to bring their friend to the great healer, and the surprise for them, When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?was that Jesus forgave his sins

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? (vv. 5-8)

And this was especially shocking to the scribes, not because Jesus did not heal the man but because only God has the authority to forgive sins.  To be clear, Jesus does not relate the healing to his forgiveness of sins, for He separates the forgiveness from the healing.  Jesus even uses this separation to make His major point, He has the authority to forgive sins.  Which the scribes understood as an authority of God’s alone, but of course Jesus is of the Divine.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’ (vv 9-12)

Jesus asks a great rhetorical question of the scribes.  Can you heal someone or say someone’s sins are forgiven.  And He demonstrates the healing to acknowledge His authority to forgive.  Jesus does hint that we can also say to someone your sins are forgiven, for we know God does.  God had in the Jewish religion as a yearly act, and Jesus does with His death and resurrection.

So we have established that God forgives, and since we are as the church the Body of Christ, we are to say on behalf of God that others are forgiven, but we still have not explored why we need to confess if Jesus died for all our sins.  I will share with you a chaplaincy experience that I believe helped me to understand the need of confession.  I was visiting a man who was hospitalized for days, and on the second visit he was sharing more about himself and his family.  He told me he had three children and the youngest was a “surprise.”  This youngest also has Downs Syndrome and he shared with me that this child had taught him so much about life, love, and living.  He emphasized how great it is to have her as a daughter for him.  He could have have simply shared it this way as a positive and hinting at his change of heart.  However, he started by telling me how much he had sinned as a man, as a father, prior to this child.  He was confessing to this to me as a representative of the church and thus God.  It was clearly a confession.  He though was already closer to all his children and his wife, active in his church, he was living a righteous life.  The confession was not needed to change his life, it was to accept greater the grace of forgiveness he already knew.

Jesus saved us all from sin, and forgave us all from the cross as He states, “Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  We don’t confess to receive forgiving grace, we confess because it allows us to accept the grace as the Psalmist writes:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)