Onerous list or Kingdom living?
Sermon given by the Rev. Christine Gowdy-Jaehnig on 20 February 2022
Text for Year C : 7th Sunday after the Epiphany
Genesis 45: 3-11, 15 * Psalm 37: 1-12, 41-42 * 1 Corinthians 15: 35-38 42-50 * Luke 6: 27-38
Leonard Wilson became the Bishop of Singapore in 1941. When Singapore fell to the Japanese in February of 1942, he was able to continue holding services in the Cathedral with the cooperation of a Christian Japanese officer. He and the other Cathedral staff ministered unstintingly to the Singaporean people, which increased the Cathedral’s popularity. This, however, along with the fact that they held the services in English, lead to their imprisonment in 1943. When notes about T. E. Lawrence were found in the Bishop’s home, he was then suspected of assisting Operation Jaywick in which Australian and British commandos sank several warships in the harbor. The Japanese then tortured him and 56 other civilians, seeking evidence that they had assisted the commandos. Wilson remained imprisoned until the end of the war in August, 1945.
Humans have tortured and killed each other since Cain and Abel; there is nothing new in that aspect of Bishop Wilson’s story. What is of interest to us is how his life shines a light on today’s gospel reading. Today’s verses directly follow Jesus’ words calling “fortunate” those who are poor, in mourning or hungry, and pronouncing “woe” to the rich, full and well regarded, which we heard last week. I imaging some in the crowd turning to another and asking, “What?! Did he really say … ? No, no, he couldn’t have; that’s just too ridiculous.“ Today’s lesson begins with Jesus saying that he speaks to “the listening ones.” This suggests to me that he knows that some of those present have closed their ears and that now he speaks to those who are on the verge of entering or who already belong to the Kingdom he comes announcing. The context of Jesus’ words and actions is always the unfolding Kingdom of God. This text is gospel, that is good news, for its citizens, but others will find it bad advice. This passage can be taken as advocating Jesus’ followers be doormats, suffering without defense or protest. Many have misused it over the centuries to silence powerless and exploited people, including victims of domestic violence.
There is, however, another way to understand Jesus’ directives, reflecting the realities of God’s Kingdom in which everyone is a valued and beloved child:
If someone (maybe your owner if you are a slave, your master if you are an apprentice, or one of the local bigwigs whom you have offended) is angry and wants to insult you, he drew back his right hand and struck you a backhanded blow on your right cheek. Well, then, says Jesus, offer him your left cheek, the one that can only be struck by equal to equal.
If someone takes you to court and you have nothing left that can be taken to pay the debt, let the debtor take your cloak, by all means; that is his legal right. But also give him your tunic, and walk away next to naked. In Jesus’ culture, it was the person who caused or looked upon nakedness that was shamed.
In these two examples, Jesus is telling his poor and struggling disciples, not to accept and internalize others’ view of them as worthless and exploitable. Jesus suggests subversive ways to keep from being crushed by powerful individuals and ridged social systems. These are humorous examples of how the poor and marginalized can take the initiative and be empowered, even when change is not likely. It is up to us to extrapolate from them to other situations.
But there is more in these verses. In the ancient world, reciprocal gift-giving was a way of creating and maintaining relationships. Friendships were forged between peers who could evenly reciprocate each other’s gifts. Wealthy people gave gifts to their friends, but they would also give gifts to those who could not reciprocate. Social norms said that receiving a gift obligated the recipient to give one, and so those who could not give in kind, usually gave a different kind of gift: loyalty or gratitude. This could set up a different kind of relationship, that of patron and client. Some of the actions Jesus is advocating --giving to anyone who begs from you, lending with no expectation of return-- are actions of a wealthy patron. Jesus is telling his disciples they must reject the I’ll-scratch-your-back-since-you-scratch-mine way of relating, the comparing-and-weighing way of giving and the bean-counting way of living. Jesus’s disciples can afford to act like a wealthy person because they are! Disciples –we!!-- are children of God and our actions should flow out of God’s bountiful Kingdom, to which we belong and which belongs to us. Particularly in the stories of the wedding in Cana and the feedings of the thousands, we can see that God’s Kingdom is one of gracious abundance.
When viewed in the context of the Kingdom, Jesus’ commands are changed from arts of complaisance and cooperation with one’s oppressors to resistance in the face of conflict and evil. Jesus re-frames his disciples view themselves, from the mindset of those who are helpless victims to those who have the wealth and power of the Kingdom. Jesus calls his followers to trust and act from their place in God’s growing Realm.
It may sound as though Jesus is telling his disciples we should do these things because then God will give us a great reward. If that is our only reason for doing these things, we end up negating Grace; we end up back in Job’s courtroom, asking, “Do we love God and do good only because that gets us good rewards?” Perhaps that is the only thing that will motivate some people to take those first steps towards God’s kingdom. As Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Secker said: “God has three sorts of servants in the world: some are slaves and serve him from fear; others are hirelings and serve for wages; and the last are … [children] who serve because they love.” Perhaps we can see these verses as a reminder that through our actions we are choosing which Kingdom we want to live in: the world’s or God’s. We can not use the world’s measure for our forgiveness of others and expect God to use His measure for His forgiveness of us. We only get one measuring cup, and it would be ridiculous if it wasn’t so tragic to refuse God’s, for it is larger than anything we can make. Everything is larger in God’s Kingdom.
While in prison in Singapore, Wilson continued his ministry to others, supporting and encouraging all the prisoners. But even sinners would do the same. Wilson, however, went further and truly took into his heart Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, for by the end of the war several of the men in the camp had become new disciples of Christ, including some of his Japanese captors. Does every follower of Jesus enjoy a “happy ending” like Wilson, who became a sought-after speaker with a citation in Wikipedia? Of course not. But had Wilson met his “enemies” with guns and chains, this never could have happened. Jesus tells us how to resist evil without using evil’s tools; he shows us how to resist evil without falling into soul-destroying despair and handing oppressors even more power –which isn’t good for them. And yes, that is so important, for God’s intention is for each and every person to be reconciled to Him, and He would work through us, His other children, already being liberated and transformed, to help Him –if we would let Him. When we live the way Jesus taught and modeled, we share the grace of God with those living destructive lives; we interrupt cycles of revenge, patterns of exploitation and greed, and maybe even someone’s downward spiral of hopelessness and rage. But unless these teachings are grounded in one’s identity as God’s child and a citizen of God’s kingdom, they are an onerous and repulsive list of ethical demands that do not further justice and healing.
Jesus doesn’t direct his followers to do anything he doesn’t eventually do; in this passage we can find things he experienced: he was struck and offered the other cheek; he allowed his cloak and tunic to be taken from him; he was merciful to and prayed for his enemies, and he gave everything, even his life, for all, friend and enemy alike. And he experienced Resurrection, the new life in God awaiting all his followers. Through the cross, God transforms hatred into love, curse into blessing and evil into good.
Let us pray:
Gracious God who calls us to make His Kingdom our one sure hope and home;
Thank you for showing us Your Way in all its pain and joy;
Wherever there is fear and hatred, help us to live love;
Whenever we have enemies, help us to do them good;
Wherever there are persecutors, help us to bring blessing.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, who turns the world upside down. Amen.