From the Pastor |
Have you noticed that our society seems to center around the concepts of self-protection and self-interest? We have built a culture focused on instant gratification… created out of greed and selfishness… a culture filled with winners and losers. The values of our society seem to leave no room for selflessness, self-sacrifice or service to others.
Let’s face it… our way of doing things is NOT very conducive to bringing peace and justice to the world. What this world needs are people to embrace a different set of values… to engage different priorities… people willing to challenge the status quo, and work for change. Yup… that’s what we need… so WHO is gonna do it? Well, our reading today answers that question. Who is to do that? Jesus’ disciples, that’s who. This chapter of Matthew is about Jesus sending his disciples out to work. It begins with Jesus empowering the 12… his closest, most dedicated disciples… He gives them the power to heal and drive out demons…. and then he tells them to go… “to the lost sheep of Israel.” To proclaim the news of the kingdom… to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” [10:6-7] Wow! I can just imagine how pumped those disciples were… Jesus gave them power and is trusting them to go out and do the work on their own. But Jesus wasn’t done yet… he tells them to go, but take no money… no bag or extra clothes… they are to rely solely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. Oh… and do not take any money for the work they do. [10:9-10] OK… That makes this task a little scarier… but they trust their teacher so no problem. Let’s go! BUT Jesus still wasn’t done… he tells them that they have to be careful… he is sending them “out like sheep among wolves”… they may face arrest and persecution and they “will be hated” because of him. [10:16, 22] Yeah… ok… this is not sounding like a good thing… right? And that brings us right up to our verses for today where Jesus says “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.” In other words… they should not expect to receive better treatment than he himself receives. It was a point he stressed multiple times in the Gospels… In fact he reiterates this exact message again in John 15 just prior to his arrest when he says: “Remember the word I said to you, ‘servants are not greater that their master.’ If they persecute me, they will persecute you.” [John 15: 20] It makes sense… if our Lord… the one we refer to as the Son of God was rejected, beaten and crucified, how could his disciples expect to be treated better? Why should they expect any less? Jesus knew something his disciples did not… Jesus knew his message would not be readily accepted by all people. He knew it would divisive, even among families. That is why he said “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” [10:34-36] This was pretty radical since family loyalty was viewed as the center of existence in the Jewish faith. But Jesus knew that following him would bring division… that discipleship with him would be costly… even dangerous. But even with the warnings and dire predictions, Jesus is adamant that his disciples not be afraid. In fact he says that THREE times in just 6 verses… Do Not Be Afraid! Do not be afraid of what others may say… of rejection or arguments… the truth of God WILL be revealed. God’s purpose WILL be revealed. Do not be afraid of being attacked or even killed for your faith. If you are going to be afraid of anything… fear the one who has REAL power… the God who has power over both body and soul. And do not be afraid because just as God knows and cares for every sparrow… God knows and cares for you… So do not be afraid! During WWII, in Nazi Germany, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer had every reason to be afraid of speaking out against the Nazi Regime. By doing so he faced imprisonment and death… but he took Jesus’s words to heart. He wrote: “Human beings should not be feared. They cannot do much to the disciples of Jesus. Their power stops with the disciples’ physical death. The disciples are to overcome fear of death with fear of God. Disciples are in danger, not from human judgement, but from God’s judgement, not from decay of their bodies, but from the eternal decay of their bodies and soul. Anyone who is still afraid of people is not afraid of God. Anyone who fears God is not afraid of people.” [Discipleship (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol 4), 196] So… Do not be afraid of anything this world can throw at you… rise up! Speak out! Jesus said “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” [10: 27] What that means is that whenever you hear the still, quiet voice of God… Whenever God speaks to you even through unexpected people or sources… in unlikely places… when the message of Christ resonates in your heart… share it! But share it in the light… Do not proclaim God’s word in the darkness… Do not whisper or speak it quietly in the shadows… boldly proclaim it… loudly from the rooftops. Confidently speaking the truth of God… the message of Christ for all to hear… bringing it out into the light. As Christians we want to do that. We want to be so secure in our faith that we live our lives with holiness and righteousness… fighting against evil. We long to rely fully on the grace of God… to put our whole trust in the Lord. We desire to let all the world know that our allegiance … our full allegiance is to our God. But we don’t! We let our fears stop us; our fear of rejection and ridicule. Our fear of being labeled a religious fanatic. Our fear of conflict and of losing all that we have… our name… our security… even our relationship with family or our friends. Our fear of disrupting the status quo. I mean, we have all faced times when we have had to choose whether to remain silent or risk ridicule or rejection over what we believe is right. Think about all those times we avoid talking about controversial issues like healthcare, refugees, the homeless or even politics in public to avoid getting into arguments with those who disagree with us. So instead… we keep quiet. And let’s face it… Our society makes that easy. Christianity in America does not seem to ask a lot of us… we are not often called out of our comfort zones. We are not encouraged to boldly proclaim our faith, in fact for years we have been encouraged to keep our faith private… at home or at church… avoiding conflicts... maintaining the status quo so that everyone can just go about their business and remain comfortable. But that is NOT the way of Jesus… it is NOT what it means to be a Disciple of Christ. Jesus makes it pretty clear that discipleship is NOT comfortable… it is not easy or even safe. Discipleship has great cost… but we are to NOT be afraid of that cost, because our reward will be greater. Today, Jesus has issued a call… a call to listen and to discern the voice of God… and then to proclaim God’s word… boldly… from the rooftops. It’s is not easy. Jesus knew that. By answering this call we might cause conflict… we might cause divisions… we might just disturb the status quo. But, you know… that just might be a good thing. Because what the world needs is fewer ‘Christians’ and MORE Disciples of Christ. People who not only hear the word of God, but boldly proclaim it… people who embrace the loving, forgiving values of God. Who challenge the status quo and actively speak out against injustice and oppression… wherever and whenever they find it. The word of God is the ‘sword’ Jesus brought… the ‘sword’ we are to wield… not to bring war or violence… not to destroy, but to bring love, truth and justice to a world that is sorely lacking. It is time to let go of our fears… to rise up… to speak out… to tell the world that the kingdom of God is near… to openly and loudly proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is time to let our voices be heard calling for equal justice for all people… fighting against oppression. The time is NOW… it is time to make known that we truly are Disciples of Christ… and that our full allegiance is to our Lord. It is time to show the world that Jesus is who we live for… Jesus is who we are willing to die for… Jesus is our hope, our joy and our peace. So do not be afraid… God knows you… God loves you… Christ has called you to be his disciple… so take up your cross and follow him.
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Yeon Shin
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