August 16, 2020 What Did Jesus Do? He Asked People to Put Down Their Stones

 

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The gospels are full of so many beautiful, powerful stories, but there are some stories that have an even greater power.  They are stories that reach deep into our souls and take us by the heart. Such is the story we will study this morning.  It is one of the most well-known of all the stories from the ministry of Jesus – the story of the woman taken in adultery.  

     

There are so many levels to this story, and so much that goes on, and it is so beautifully constructed.  Reading the story, it is easy to feel a sense of righteous anger welling up within us, as this woman is treated so poorly by those who brought her to Jesus. Remarkably, Jesus seems so calm throughout the entire episode.  There seems to be none of the righteous anger that burned in him when he cast the moneychangers out of the temple.  And perhaps that is because his heart was heavy with grief over what happens. That a group of religious leaders, so arrogantly and so self-righteously drag this woman to Jesus, and they do so with no sense of compassion at all.  But while Jesus is so calm, anger surrounds him, as the threats and intimidations of the religious leaders were hurled at this mistreated woman.

     

Follow along as I read the passage, from John 8:2-11 – 

 

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.

³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 

⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 

⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 

⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 

⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 

¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.  “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

As we move through this passage this morning, I want to talk about three stones that I believe Jesus asks us to put down, and one element that he asks us to take up.

 

The Stone of Violence.

     

We often picture the accusers of this story as already having stones in their hands. John does not say whether or not they did; maybe they did, maybe they did not.  To think that they did certainly adds a weight to the story, so to speak.  But whether the stones were in their hands or not, the threat of violence was certainly heavy in the air.

     

The threat of violence seems to always be in the air.  Violence is, to me, one of the most puzzling aspects of humanity. It’s not puzzling to me that it exists, as that comes with the fallen nature of humanity.  What I find puzzling is the way we accept some violence while condemning other violence.  Consider this phrase for instance – senseless violence.  We often hear that phrase, and maybe we sometimes us it.   What a crazy phrase that is.  I would like for someone to explain to me what violence is not senseless.  All violence, I believe, is senseless.  I know we sometimes speak of “justified” violence, but in my opinion, any violence is ultimately “senseless,” as it means the relationships between people have broken down to such a point, and also because it is against God’s design for human relationships.  

     

What we do, however, is create categories of violence, such as official or unofficial violence.  If it is a government-sponsored or government-sanctioned violence, then in some way that makes it sensible.  If it is not government-sponsored or government-sanctioned, it becomes senseless.  I believe Jesus saw all violence as senseless.  I don’t believe it is in any way possible to read, interpret, or use Jesus in order to make any violence sensible.  

     The problem of official violence is that it leads to what we have experienced in our society in recent months.  Official violence can lead to abuse and the accompanying injustices that provoke an inevitable response, which is sometimes violent in its own right.  A violent response makes no sense, I believe, as the use of violence to combat violence is absurd.   As I wrote that sentence, I struggled to think of words to use in the sentence that were not, in and of themselves, violent. But it proved difficult even to avoid the use of violent words, such as combating violence, or fighting violence.  Even our language depends on violent words.

     

I am, I will add, sympathetic to the overall goal of the protests that have taken place in our society in recent months.  I believe in the need for racial equality, for justice, and the call to address other issues brought to light by these protests.  I oppose any power that leads to the use of official violence that abuses people.  I also, however, oppose the use of violence in response to that abuse.  It is not all of the protestors who use resort to violence, but there are some, and those who use violence hurt the overall cause.  I stand squarely with the long line of nonviolent advocates, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. in more recent history and going back, of course, to Jesus. When Dr. King led the protestors to march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama and suffered attacks, they did not defend themselves with violence, and by refusing to use violence they exposed the tragedy of the violence used upon them.  When Jesus was arrested by the Romans, he did not defend himself.  When Peter raised a sword and used it momentarily to defend Jesus, Jesus spoke those immortal words, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52).

 

The Stone of Hypocrisy.  

     

Let me mention a name this morning, as this person has been in the headlines a number of times in recent days, and in an especially unfortunate way – Jerry Falwell, Jr. 

     

Here’s what I have to say about Mr. Falwell.  When you spend years lecturing people about how they should live, and then flaunt the very values and morality you purport to uphold, that is hypocrisy.  And what is going to happen, when you lecture and point a finger at people in a judgmental fashion for years?  You are going to get called out when you fail to uphold your purported values, and rightfully so.  Unfortunately, in the public comments he has offered in response to the release of a compromising picture, he did not sound very remorseful.  In fact, he sounded flippant and arrogant.  When you lead a university of almost 50,000 students who are required to adhere to a particular code of morality, but you do not abide by that code, as the president of that university, that is flagrant hypocrisy and does not honor the cause of Christ.  When you hold such a position, you absolutely must take seriously what you represent and the faith people that place in you, which can never be taken lightly.  

     

I should also ask the question that is raised from this story – where was the man? I’m trying to be delicate here, but the plain reality is, you don’t commit adultery by yourself.  This is hypocrisy on any number of levels, and certainly the hypocrisy of inequality.  The puffed-up religious leaders who were so concerned about the law, and yet showed, remarkably, they had no interest in the man’s transgression – only the woman’s – proved their hypocrisy.  Further, verse 3 says, they made her stand before the group.  Isn’t that a terrible image?  Dragging this woman in front of Jesus – again, just the woman – and parading her before everyone in order to use her for their own ends was a travesty.  This woman had been used enough and didn’t deserve to be used any more. 

     

What’s interesting about this passage is that it serves as an early example of “cancel culture.”  The phrase “cancel culture” has come into our cultural conversation a good deal in recent years, as though it is something new, but it is not.  Cancel culture has been around for millennia.  What’s different now is that the people who have traditionally held power and done the cancelling are now the ones being canceled. Those who brought this woman to Jesus were, in essence, seeking to “cancel” her.  Women have been the victims of “cancel culture” basically, since the beginning of time.  You’re a woman.  Canceled. You’re poor.  Canceled.  You are on the margins of society.  Canceled. You’re a person of color.  Canceled.  You’re a person with a different sexual orientation.  Canceled.

     

It has long been speculated that perhaps Jesus was writing down the transgressions of those who brought the woman to Jesus.  There is Biblical evidence that Jesus did write something that challenged and convicted those who wanted to stone this woman.  The Greek word for write is grapho, from which we get the word graphite.  One of the uses of graphite it to make the lead in pencils.  The verb to write is graphein, but graphein is not the word used here.  John uses, instead, the word katagraphein.  The prefix kata means against.  In this verse, it means to write down a record against someone.  Isn’t that interesting?  Jesus was writing, evidently, a list of some kind of charges against the ones who bring the charge against this woman.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:26 that there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known, and here he is bringing to light their hypocrisy.

 

The Stone of Judgment.

     

There are a few verses of the Bible that almost everyone knows, and one of them is Matthew 7:1, where Jesus says, do not judge, or you too will be judged.  Most everyone knows at least those first three words – do not judge.  Jesus goes on to say, in verses 2 – 5, ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

     

And yet, the truth is, judgment is so deeply engrained in us that it is often a default reaction, and we judge before we even realize we are doing so.  I have told two very similar stories over the years about my own rush to judgment.  The stories were almost identical.  In both instances, I was sitting at a traffic light when a group of bikers pulled up next to me.  As I looked over at them, with all their leather and tattoos, my mind immediately began making assumptions and judgments about them.  And both times, as they drove off, I saw the insignia of Christian motorcycle clubs on the backs of their vests.  Well, guess what I’m here to tell you this morning?  No, I haven’t done it a third time, and that’s probably only because I’ve not had the opportunity to do so!  

     

But I still find myself judging people so often.

     

A harsh, judgmental spirit is what turns so many people against faith, sadly.  The angry, finger-pointing hand of judgment, has, sadly, become a too-accurate caricature of faith.  From the teachers of the law and Pharisees in this morning’s Scripture text to today, the judgment that is so often meted out in the name of Jesus is a tragedy.

 

Pick Up Grace.

     

I’ve mentioned three stones to put down this morning, so allow me to close by mentioning something to pick up.

     

Pick up grace.

     

The image of this angry crowd of religious people is quite disturbing, and it is an image that has persisted for many years.  It is one thing to express righteous anger at the wrongs of the day; it is quite another to direct that anger at people who, like us, have been created in God’s image and are equally loved by God.  The angry, stone-holding religious crowds have driven far too many people away from God, and we all grieve over that terrible reality. The angry, stone-wielding crowds, however, are not the face of Jesus.  Jesus confronted and condemned the harsh, angry religion of his day, and set the example for us to condemn it in our own day.  A core tenet of Jesus was grace, and in this story, he demonstrated grace in abundance.

     

I have heard it said many times that the gospel is about second chances.  But that is wrong.  It is wrong because it is too limiting.  The gospel is about the third chance.  And the fourth chance.  And the fifth chance, and however many chances are necessary.

     

What the teachers of the law and the Pharisees could not see was how much Jesus loved this woman.  Their contempt for her blinded them to this reality – the person they so disliked, the person they so despised, was loved by Jesus more than they could ever imagine. It is a reminder to me to never forget that the person I dislike the most, is also loved by God more than I could ever imagine.

     

Let us take up grace.  Grace really is amazing!  Amen, and amen!

August 9, 2020 - What Did Jesus Do? To Get the Right Answers, Ask the Right Questions.

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Newsweek magazine published an interesting article recently about Covid-19.  The subject of the article was a survey of religious Americans and whether or not they believed the pandemic was a sign from God. According the poll, sixty-three percent of religious Americans say that the pandemic is a sign from God, telling humanity to change its ways of living.  Additionally, the poll also found that a majority of religious Americans, 55 percent, believe that God will protect them from being infected with the coronavirus. The poll, which was conducted by the Associated Press/NORC, surveyed 1,002 U.S. adults who say they believe in God.  The poll was conducted from April 30 to May 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage point.  

https://www.newsweek.com/63-percent-religious-americans-say-coronavirus-sign-god-telling-humanity-change-its-ways-poll-1504492

     

As to believing God will provide protection from the virus, I believe God might say, yes, I will protect you.  My protection comes in the form of common sense and masks!

     

Here is my question about that survey – how do we know if Covid is a sign from God?  How do we know?  Well, we don’t.  We can speculate all we want, but is there any way to have a definitive answer as to whether or not Covid is a sign from God?  I don’t believe so.  We can interpret Covid and God’s role in the disease and the pandemic all we wish, but really, all we can do is speculate.  It’s a question that is without a definitive answer, and as it is without a definitive answer, I would say that it is the wrong question to ask.  

     

We ask a lot of questions in life, and rightly so, because asking questions is one of the most important ways we learn.  In the learning process, however, what becomes important is learning to ask the right questions, because if we want to get the right answers, we have to ask the right questions.

     

I am speaking this morning about questions and about answers; specifically I am speaking about the importance of asking the right questions.  This morning’s Scripture text, which teaches us about the importance of asking the right questions, comes from John’s gospel.  Follow along with me now, as I read this morning’s Scripture text, John 9:1-12 – 

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 

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

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 

⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 

⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 

⁹ Some claimed that he was.  Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”  But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.  “I don’t know,” he said.

This morning, I will contrast a wrong question with the right question, the first of which is – 

Wrong question – why does suffering exist?

Right question – what will we do to alleviate suffering?

     

If I had a dollar for every time that I have been asked the question why does suffering exist, I could have retired to the beach long ago. It’s a great question.  Who doesn’t want an answer to the most perplexing of questions?  It’s a tough question and is one we have all asked or struggled to understand.  It is also, I think, the wrong question.

     

To explain that statement, allow me to turn to the beginning of the story in our Scripture text.  The story begins with the disciples of Jesus asking a rather odd question.  Upon seeing the blind man, the disciples asked Jesus, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Do you find that to be an odd question?  I do.  Personally, when I encounter someone who is blind, my first thought is not to wonder who is to blame for their condition.  I might wonder how long they have been blind and I might wonder about the cause of their blindness, but assigning blame for their blindness would not enter into my mind, because I understand blindness to be a medical problem.

     

The disciples, however, did not see the man’s blindness as a medical condition, or as the result of an accident; they saw his condition as being the result of someone’s sin; therefore, there was someone to blame, they just did not know who was to blame.  In the minds of the disciples, suffering and sin were always connected.  The answer Jesus gave, in response to their question, was that no one was to blame for the man’s blindness, which was in keeping with what Jesus taught.  In the Sermon On the Mount, Matthew 5:45, Jesus said that God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  God is not doling out punishments and rewards based upon our behavior.  That is not to say there are not consequences to our behaviors; there are.  But when the disciples asked who was to blame for the man’s blindness, they were asking the wrong question, and they asked the wrong question because their assumption was faulty.  Their assumption is that someone is to blame for suffering.  Sometimes that is true, but not always.  When we talk about suffering, we can divide suffering into different categories.  There is suffering that is caused by other people.  A government can adopt policies that benefit some, while causing suffering and difficulty for others.  Someone can harm me in a manner than causes me great suffering.  Other sufferings fit into the category of we don’t know the cause.  I might contract a disease that has no apparent cause.  I didn’t do anything to cause the disease; I just happened to be unfortunate enough to contract the disease.

     

The right question – the question the disciples should have asked, is this – what can we do for this man?  When people are looking for blame, when they are searching for causes, they often miss the more important question of what are we going to do about suffering? The question of why do good people suffer, why does evil exist, and so on – is one that is, for the most part, unanswerable.  Why, then, do we continue to ask it?  Do we expect to suddenly find an answer to a question that has been unanswerable from the beginning of time?  

     

I do not know why people suffer.  I have some theories and I have a few words to offer about suffering, but I can’t say that I am able to offer a definitive answer.  I can’t answer, for instance, the larger question of why we are experiencing this pandemic.  I understand that diseases are contagious and that living in a connected world is why diseases spread more quickly, and that it was only a matter of time before a disease took us into a pandemic.  I cannot, however, answer the question of why diseases exist.  What I can say in response, however, is that we ought to do what we can to help alleviate the sufferings of others that have been brought about because of the pandemic.  

     

The disciples were, unfortunately, busy with placing blame for the circumstances in which this man found himself.  Perhaps they did not believe there was much they could do to alleviate his suffering, but there must have been something they could have done.  Alleviating his suffering would certainly have been better than trying to determine who was to blame for his circumstances.

     

In contrast, Jesus demonstrated no interest in a theological discussion about the cause of the man’s blindness.  Instead, he sprang into action and healed the man.  And while the disciples did not have the healing power of Jesus, they could have done something, for sure.

     

I think that asking, as many people have, if Covid is a sign from God is the wrong question.  I think it’s the wrong question because we cannot know the answer, first of all, and second, there is a question that matters much more, and it is this – what are we going to do about it?  

Wrong question – why is it my concern?

Right question – how can I show compassion?

     

It is important to note that the disciples noticed the presence of this man; Jesus did not point him out to the disciples. That the disciples noted his presence is important, I believe.  It is important, first of all, because the disciples probably expected Jesus to point the man out to them, and so their question was a way of shifting the conversation away from a difficult topic, which would be, how are you going to help this man?  Jesus, you see, had a way of not only noticing need, but of bringing the disciples into that need.  The disciples, then, asked a theological question to move the question away from a conversation that perhaps they did not want to have.  It was also, secondly, a way to shift responsibility. If the disciples could place the blame on the man, or even upon his parents, it takes away from them any sense of responsibility to help the man.  Perhaps this is why society often seeks to blame people for their difficult circumstances. If we can find a way to blame people for their difficult circumstances, we can convince ourselves we have no responsibility to help them.

     

Jesus often placed responsibility upon his disciples to help those who were in need, even when the disciples could not understand how they could help.  In Mark 6, for example, when Jesus fed the 5,000, the disciples noted the large crowd of people and said to Jesus, ³⁵… “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s alreadyvery late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”  They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

     

My intent is not to be critical of the disciples or imply they were hard hearted. I will, however, note that they sometimes had the common reaction of why is it our concern?  That was their attitude towards the crowd they wanted to send away.  How could it be their concern to feed thousands of people? It was a natural reaction, of course, to wonder how in the world it would be possible to feed such a crowd.  What kind of resources did they have on hand? All they came up with were five loaves of bread and two fish.  They could certainly be forgiven for their level of skepticism about what they could do in the face of such need.

     

But they were still called to help.  They weren’t, however, expected to do it alone; they had the help of Jesus, and that’s some really big, serious help, isn’t it?  When God asks us to demonstrate compassion, there is no expectation we must provide all the resources.  What God asks of us is to provide the compassion.  Compassion was one of the central elements of the ministry of Jesus.  Mark tells us that when Jesus looked upon the crowd, before feeding them, he felt compassion for them.

     

We could sure use more compassion in our world, can’t we?  There is a lot of talk about compassion, certainly, and we do see examples, but there are too few examples of compassion that will reach across the many divides that separate people.  The lack of compassion has been with us from the beginning of time.  When Cane killed his brother Abel, God asked Cane, where is your brother Abel?  Cane’s response was, as we all know, am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9).  

     

Verse 4 says, as long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Do the work, Jesus was telling his disciples. Do the work of helping those who suffer and are in need.  Don’t spend all your time in the ivory tower of theological discussions, talking about questions you cannot answer, when the more effective use of your time and energy is doing something about the problems of the world.  Jesus was not interested in engaging in a theological discussion; he was moved by his compassion for the man.  Compassion is at the heart of faith, not theological treatises and discussions.  

Wrong question – how can we stay safe?

Right question – who controls our destiny?

     

Now, let me say that we should most certainly be safe.  I believe we have taken all the necessary precautions here at church to keep people safe. We have followed all the suggested recommendations and even gone beyond.  We want people to be safe.  And I am most certainly not recommending that you get rid of your masks or engage in any other risky behavior.  What we learn from this pandemic, however, is we are not as secure as we have believed – pandemics were on other continents, but could never reach us, or so we believed.  And now it is here, and is going to remain here for a while yet.

     

But let us remember – no one can guarantee your safety, or mine.  I’m not making that statement because I want to scare you or keep you up at night with worry.  I’m not engaging in scare tactics.  I’m simply telling you the truth.  Modern medicine can do a lot to care for us, and we all thank God for what it can do, but it has its limits.  Thankfully, not everyone who contracts Covid will become seriously ill, but many will, and not all will survive.  The pandemic, like other dangers in our world, is a great equalizer.  Covid does not care if we are rich or poor.  It doesn’t care where we are on the social ladder. Disease, and other sufferings, are equal opportunity predators.  We can take every precaution of which we know, but are we guaranteed to be safe?

     

No.  

     

And again, my intent is not to try and scare you as much as it is to point out that every safety precaution that we can institute in our lives will not always be enough.  What happens when medicine has done all it can do? What happens when the doctor says, I’m sorry.  It is out of our hands at this point.  That is the point when we need to know where our destiny truly lies.  

     

Stay safe.  Do what you can to remain healthy.  But never forget that the question is much deeper than how to stay safe; it is who holds our destiny?  This has not been an easy time, and life was already difficult enough for many, many people.  Adding in a pandemic has added so much to people who were already wondering how to hold up under the weight of all their sorrows and difficulties.  But know this – when a situation is out of the hands of the doctor, it does not mean it is not in someone’s hands.

     

This passage begins and ends with questions, none of which is given a fully adequate answer.  The end of the passage has a series of questions that are asked after the man is healed.  Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg, asked his neighbors and others who had seen him begging (verse 8).  How then were your eyes opened, they asked next (verse 10).  And finally, where is this man, they asked him (verse 12).  In answer to the final question, the man, replied, I don’t know.  That is an incomplete answer.  I know the man did not know the physical whereabouts of where Jesus was at that moment, but I say the answer is incomplete because there is a complete answer to the question.  You know what the answer is, don’t you?  Where was Jesus?  Right there with the man, as he always would be.  Where is Jesus now?  Right here with us.  I know there are some who will question if God is anywhere to be found in this pandemic, or in all the other struggles of the world, for that matter.  To answer their question – where is God? – I would affirm that God is where he has always been.  God is right here with us.  No matter what happens in the world, no matter what happens in our lives, no matter how scary things become, and no matter how vulnerable we feel, God is here with us.  And to that we say, amen, and amen.

August 2, 2020 Series Title: What Did Jesus Do? Message Title: What Does Faith Require?

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In 1980-81 I lived in a foreign country – Alabama (it’s just a joke, Alabama friends).  I lived in Dothan, in the southeast corner of the state.  While living there, an Albertson’s store came to town.  I don’t think we have any Albertson’s near us, but they were one of the early “big box” stores, combining a drug store, grocery, and other items.  Management wanted the store to be open on Sundays, but Dothan had “blue laws,” which prohibited many businesses from opening on Sundays.  “Blue laws,” as you probably know, were laws stemming from the 4^th commandment – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy– and prohibited businesses from operating on Sundays.  I remember there was quite a bit of discussion at church about the store asking to be open on Sundays.  In Sunday School classes, in between worship services, and at Sunday lunch – at restaurants – it was the big topic of discussion.  It didn’t seem to matter to people that the restaurants where they were having Sunday lunch were open on Sundays, and people had to work so they could enjoy their lunch.

     

This morning, we are continuing the series of messages What Did Jesus Do? Today’s message is, What Does Faith Require?  If we want, for instance, to honor the 4^th commandment, what is required of us?

     

Our Scripture text continues where we left off last week.  The text tells of two times when Jesus was criticized.  The first criticism was that he and his disciples did not fast and the second criticism was that Jesus and his disciples had violated the Sabbath day.  We will also read one verse from the prophet Micah.

     

Follow along as I read Mark 2:18-28 and Micah 6:8 –

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 

²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 

²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 

²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 

²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 

²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

⁸He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

So then, what does faith require?

Faith requires belief, but it does not enforce a creed.       

     

What, to you, is an essential belief?  Imagine, for a moment, that you were asked to make a list of the top 10 beliefs; what would they be?  What would be on your list?  What are, in your opinion, the essential beliefs about God, the Bible, the church, and other topics?  And, should those beliefs be required?  

     

Those are not simple questions, are they?  It’s not easy to come up with a list of essential beliefs, and it is an even more difficult question when we consider whether or not any beliefs should be required.  I worry at times, are my beliefs correct?  Am I understanding and interpreting the Scriptures correctly, and does my understanding and interpreting lead me to belief what I should believe?  I want to believe what God wants me to believe, though I’m not always sure what those beliefs should be, to be honest.

     

Here’s what is important to remember about beliefs – on their own, they are not enough.  Listen to what James 2:19 tell us – You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that – and shudder. James is saying, essentially, what good are beliefs, in and of themselves?  Even demons believe, but what does it matter that they believe?  James then goes on to have quite a discussion about the importance adding actions to our beliefs, and we’ll get to actions in a few minutes.

     

Over the course of history, there have been far too many examples of how particular beliefs have been imposed on people rather than allowing people to be free to make their own determination on what to believe.  In Disciples’ churches, we come out of a movement that rebelled against creeds and any other belief requirements.  Thomas and Alexander Campbell, and the other founders of the movement that led to our churches, reminded us that most doctrines are founded upon human opinions rather than God’s eternal truth.  It was those opinions – and the forcing of those opinions upon others – that led to the division and factitiousness of the church, causing it to splinter into scores of denominations.  This led the Campbells and others to reject the development and application of creeds, saying instead that we should adopt the practice of in essentials unity, opinions liberty, and all things love.  I think the Campbells and their allies were exactly correct.  I have a friend who has been critical of Disciples churches in some of our conversations, telling me that Disciples churches don’t have any particular beliefs; there is no theological center.  I remind him we have many beliefs, but we do not require them of others or impose them upon anyone.

     

It is very noteworthy, I would say, that Jesus did not have a creed or impose a creed upon anyone. When he called Peter, Andrew, James, and John, for instance, he did not say to them, now that you have agreed to follow me, I need you to acknowledge and sign this statement of faith.  One day there is going to be something called the Apostle’s Creed, and it will be required of many people.  I want to require it of you, so as soon as you drop your fishing nets, how about signing this piece of paper promising that you will believe everything in this creed?  Jesus did not have an Abstract of Principles, he did not have an Apostles’ Faith and Message, he did not have a Nicene Creed, or any of the many other creeds that have developed over time.  Jesus, in fact, said very, very little about what we should believe.  Very little.  Read through the gospels and take note of how rarely he told his followers what to believe.

     

Again, I am not rejecting doctrines and beliefs; I am, however, rejecting any requirements that were not put in place by Jesus.  Jesus did not put into place a list of required beliefs; humanity did.  Putting them in place and making them “official” was about control more than it was about theology.  It was a way of having enforcement, where someone in power could say, remember, you signed this piece of paper.  Do what we say, or we will take action against you.  If you don’t ascribe to what we tell you to believe, you can’t receive communion in our church, you can’t get married in our church, you can’t teach a class in our church, you can’t serve in a position of leadership, and on and on it goes.

     

Faith requires belief, but it does not enforce a creed.    

Faith requires action, but faith is not legalistic about our actions.

     

In this morning’s passage, Jesus was “questioned” about why he and his disciples were not fasting.  Not all questions are asked to gain information. Some questions, such as the one asked of Jesus, are a way of making a criticism.  Fasting was an important spiritual practice of the day, and it was a way that some people demonstrated their spirituality.  In the eyes of the Pharisees and others, Jesus and his disciples could not be serious about their spirituality if they were not serious about fasting.  But much of the fasting of the day was done more for the benefit of others, as Jesus noted in Matthew 6:16-18 – ¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  With those words, Jesus unraveled the reason why many of the Pharisees chose to fast, which was to let everyone “see” how righteous they were. If you’re righteous, you don’t have to go out of your way for people to see that that you are; it will be obvious.

     

When he was criticized for violating the rules about the Sabbath, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the time when David and his men were so hungry that they ate the consecrated bread in the tabernacle.  The consecrated bread was 12 loaves of bread that were placed on a table in the tabernacle, in front of the Holy of Holies, as an offering before God.  Once a week the bread was changed and it belonged to the priests and only the priests were allowed to eat the bread (see Leviticus 24:1-9).  But David and his men took the bread and ate it in their time of need.  While many would have seen that as an egregious violation of the law, Jesus noted it was entirely correct for David and his men to eat the bread.  They were hungry, and human need took precedence over man-made laws and regulations (note – it was not that honoring the Sabbath was a man-made law, but the many interpretations of how the Sabbath was to be honored that were man-made laws).

     

The 4^thcommandment is eight words – remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.  Very simple, isn’t it?  But what does it mean to remember the Sabbath day, and to keep it holy?  Suddenly, when we try to define what it means to keep the Sabbath holy, things get much more complicated.  I do not fault, then, the Pharisees for their impulse to bring a greater sense of personal holiness and righteousness to everyday life.  That’s a good impulse.  That’s a great impulse.  In fact, the Pharisees came about as a group for precisely that reason – to bring a greater sense of personal righteousness to life during a time when personal righteousness was widely viewed as lacking.  Developing a greater sense of personal righteousness is something everyone should desire to do.

     

However…

     

The actions of the Pharisees became legalistic, and demanding, and rule-oriented, and actually discouraged people more than encouraged people.

     

Turning to the command to honor the Sabbath day, the Pharisees had a good impulse.  The 4^th commandment, after all, only says to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  That doesn’t provide a lot of guidance, does it?  How would you define what it means to keep the Sabbath holy? Would it include closing stores and businesses? Would it forbid particular activities?  For the Pharisees, the question became, then,what does it look like to keep the Sabbath, and before long, there were literally hundreds of commands regulating what actions could or could not be performed on the Sabbath day.  I think it’s safe to say, that was a bit of overkill. Who could keep up with almost 1,000 laws regarding the Sabbath?  I can’t go to Kroger without a list when I only need two items!  How could I remember almost 1,000 laws and regulations governing the Sabbath?  The Pharisees took a benefit – a time of rest – and in turned it into a long, long list of requirements, which took away the benefits of the Sabbath and turned it into a burden.

     

Here is the problem we have, when it comes to requiring particular actions, such as fasting or how we observe the Sabbath, once you start down that road of creating “guidelines,” where do you stop? How many actions will we require? How many practices will become mandatory?  Before we know it, we end up where the Pharisees were.  

     

Human need takes precedence. The Sabbath was not to be a burden; again, human need takes precedence.  Faith would be very simple if it consisted only of elements such as going to church, reading the Bible, and not working on Sunday.  I think that would be very easy to fulfill, which is exactly the problem with legalism. It is so much easier to devise a set of rules and regulations that can be easily fulfilled rather than adhering to the more challenging calls of, for instance, loving our enemies.  We can create a list of rules and obligations and fulfill them faithfully, but we can also fail to ever offer a kind word to another, never offer or ask forgiveness, never provide help to the hungry, or any of the other actions that are a part of a life of faith.  

What does faith require?  Faith doesn’t require; faith asks, and faith asks for love.  

     

Faith asks for love; it does not require it, because if you require love, it’s not really love.  Beliefs can be enforced, and actions can be enforced, but you cannot enforce love.

     

I became a member of another denomination back in 1980, when I was living in Dothan, Alabama.  I remained in that denomination for about 25 years.  When I returned to seminary, I attended one of their denominational seminaries. Twice.  I joined that denomination right as they began tearing themselves apart over questions of doctrine, theology, and correct beliefs.  I went to class many days to find people visiting from churches who were worried about what was being taught, and they tape recorded the lectures in case something objectionable was said.  Sometimes, those who were tape recording asked me if the professor ever said anything that I found objectionable or that challenged my faith. One of the points of a seminary education isto challenge faith, to make sure we know what we believe, that we can defend what we believe, and that we are prepared for the rigors of the ministry.  The purpose of a seminary education certainly should not be to affirm what we already think.  The first time I attended one of that denomination’s national conventions was in 1984, in Dallas, Texas.  It was disturbing to witness the level of anger and dissension that was wrapped up in that convention.  Everywhere I turned were pointed fingers and angry words.  One afternoon, as I walked around the display area, where the various denominational agencies had their displays, I watched one person get right up in the face of a denominational employee and exclaim, we’re going to get you, and I can’t wait to watch you go down!  For people who claimed to be acting in the name of Jesus, they seemed very much devoid of the love of Jesus, in my opinion.  In fact, in all the years of fighting and arguing and tearing down that took place in that denomination, in the midst of all the arguing over right belief and right doctrine, I never once heard this question asked – do you think we’re loving people enough?  Maybe they didn’t ask that question because they already knew the answer, and it wasn’t a good answer.

     

What does faith require? Yes, it requires belief and action, but faith first and foremost asks for love.  Love is the heart of God and it permeates the Scriptures.  We all learned, for instance, John 3:16 at some point in life.  I don’t remember if I learned that verse in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, but I’ve known that verse for many years – for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. There are so many beloved passages of Scripture that speak beautifully of love, such as I Corinthians 13.  There are other passages as well, such as the third and fourth chapters of I John, which speak powerfully of love.  There is Philippians 2:1-11, and I could go on and on, but these examples make my point.

     

Churches have fought amongst themselves for years and years over what constitutes correct belief. Churches have lectured and judged people for years and years over how they should act.  What people want, and need, however, is love.  Love, after all, is the very heart of faith.