Paul apparently wrote the book of Romans to address friction that existed between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Originally, the church in Rome was likely primarily made up of Jewish Christians. However, the Jewish expulsion from Rome meant that for all intents and purposes, the church was now a Gentile church. When Nero allowed the Jews to return in A.D. 54, the returning Jewish Christians came back to a very different church, one in which they were now the minority. Therefore, Paul wrote the letter to bring these two groups together into one coherent, unified community of faith. All of Paul’s thinking and all of his ethical instructions served one primary purpose – the establishment and maintenance of the Christian community. Paul believed that the success of the mission of the church is directly tied to the cohesiveness and unity of the church.
And so, in Romans, Paul sought to bring both Jews and Gentiles together by laying out his basic theology of salvation by grace through faith. One of the major themes of the first 11 chapters is that all Christians, regardless of ethnic or religious background, are united in the death of Christ and in their new status as a new creation in Christ. Believers' participation in this new creation calls for a distinction between life lived according to the ways of the present age and life lived by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:5-8). Romans 6:1-10 makes it clear that baptism into Christ means baptism into his death, in order to live with him and for him. Christians enter into fellowship with Christ in his total self-surrender to the will of the Father in order to find acceptance with the Father through his atoning work on their behalf. The moral implication of this is to live out the new obedience which baptism into Christ's death entails. We are consequently challenged to offer ourselves to God 'as those who have been brought from death to life,' recognizing that the purpose of this self-dedication is holiness.
In Romans 12, Paul begins his description of what it looks like for Christians to walk by the Spirit. Verses 1-2 initiate this discussion by using the language of worship and sacrifice – Christians are to offer their bodies as ‘living sacrifices,’ which is an act of daily worship. Paul's intent is not to separate "spiritual" worship from "earthly" or inner experience from outer. Rather, he aims to sacralize everyday conduct and thus to remove the barrier between worldly and "spiritual" behavior for those in Christ. For Paul, the way that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices is through a radical life of discipleship marked by high standards of moral and ethical behavior. There is a danger of accenting the inwardness of Christian worship and not taking sufficient account of the fact that we are to yield our bodies to God's service; and the service God calls for is the obedience of faith expressed by those whose minds are being transformed, so that they will no longer be conformed in lifestyle to the values, attitudes and behavior of 'this age,' but rather demonstrate the life of holiness that glorifies a holy God.
But what does Paul mean in vs. 2 that Christians are to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, and how does that relate to the ability to discern what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is?
The renewal of the church mind is a thorough reorientation of life in accordance with the truth learned in Christ. It is a call for community ethical discernment. Paul probably did not refer to the renewal of individual minds but to the way the church as a community perceives God and tests his will. (Elsewhere Paul calls on the church to be “united in the same mind” so they can judge together what is right, 1 Cor. 1:10; see also Phil. 2:1-4). Remember that the critical issue behind the writing of Romans was how Jewish and Gentile Christians could together discern God's will for their lives.
Interestingly, Paul relates the individual’s call to daily worship through a sacrificial life to the renewal of the mind of the church. In other words, if the church wants to discern God’s will and find its way in the world, it must first begin by making an intentional and deliberate decision to live sacrificial lives. When the community joins together in such an undertaking, it has the effect of transforming us as a group and making clear how God wants us to carry out God’s mission. I am not sure how all of this practically happens, but I affirm that it does, and I am grateful for the mystery of God’s continued action in the life of the church.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Reflections on Matthew 15:10-20
Matthew 15 begins with a dispute between Jesus, the scribes, and Pharisees over the correct method and ritual for washing one’s hands before eating. The obvious background of this passage are the Jewish food laws of the Old Testament and the traditions that the Pharisees had established to make sure that they could be clean and pure despite their necessary daily contact with the unclean and impure. The common thread that binds all of these laws and rituals together is the idea that they intensified the separation of Israelites from the neighboring Gentile peoples, allowing them to maintain their faith in God. In other words, if a holy God was going to live among you, then you needed to do your best to practice holy living.
Jesus’ disciples did not practice the ritual hand-washing before eating. To the Pharisees, this was not simply a breach of social etiquette. They perceived the disciples behavior as a blatant slap in the face at millennia of tradition dating back to the Levitical laws of Moses. Furthermore, they saw their behavior as a blatant disregard for God, the one who had stipulated the laws in the first place.
It is against this backdrop that Jesus said to the people around him that “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles” (Matt. 15:11). Jesus is not issuing what amounts to a critique of all Pharisees; nor is this a critique of all ‘‘outward forms of religion.’’ Jesus is not against maintaining ‘‘the traditions of the elders.’’ He finds nothing wrong with the ritual of washing hands. Rather, Jesus is against an improperly drawn boundary of acceptance.
Like Jesus, I am against drawing boundaries of inclusion or exclusion along a certain set of doctrines, practices, and traditions that have nothing to do with the heart of who God is and what God’s message of reconciliation and redemption is to God’s people. Praise God that we have been freed from such legalistic constraints and have been freed to talk about the true heart of the gospel, which is grace and mercy and love and accepting people for who they are and where they are and making sure they know of God’s love for them and of God’s desire to be in a relationship with them!
But Jesus didn’t leave it there. His problem with the Pharisees was not that they drew a clear boundary of pure and impure, clean and unclean, acceptable and unacceptable behavior for those who claim to be a part of the kingdom of God, but rather that they drew the wrong one.
In the conclusion of our gospel lection, verses17-20, Jesus drew a fairly clear boundary of what is pure and impure, clean and unclean, acceptable and unacceptable behavior for those who claim to be a part of the kingdom of God, but it was not based on anything external like the keeping of traditions, the eating of food, and the washing of hands. Jesus’ standard of purity has to do with ethical and moral behavior which flows out of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The larger claim to which the whole passage points is that it isn’t what we eat or drink that defiles us but what we say and do and intend. It is not our religious rituals that do us in; it is rather the intent of our heart and how we live because of it.
There is a delicate line here somewhere that I am not entirely sure how to walk. There are many questions based on this passage that I do not know how to answer. How do we preach a radical message of grace, mercy, and love while at the same time holding each other to a radical standard of discipleship that places us in a position to be formed by the Spirit into the image of Christ? How do we know when to supersede one tradition for the life of the spirit? How do we address the root cause of impure and unclean behavior like theft, murder, slander, greed, materialism, selfishness, etc by getting to the ‘‘heart’’ of a ‘‘defiled’’ person rather than simply focusing on his or her behavior?
I am not sure that I yet know the answers to these questions. I do know that the church needs a group of believers who are committed to spreading the message of God’s radical love and inclusiveness while at the same time holding itself to a radical standard of discipleship that bears witness as a holy people to a holy God.
Jesus’ disciples did not practice the ritual hand-washing before eating. To the Pharisees, this was not simply a breach of social etiquette. They perceived the disciples behavior as a blatant slap in the face at millennia of tradition dating back to the Levitical laws of Moses. Furthermore, they saw their behavior as a blatant disregard for God, the one who had stipulated the laws in the first place.
It is against this backdrop that Jesus said to the people around him that “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles” (Matt. 15:11). Jesus is not issuing what amounts to a critique of all Pharisees; nor is this a critique of all ‘‘outward forms of religion.’’ Jesus is not against maintaining ‘‘the traditions of the elders.’’ He finds nothing wrong with the ritual of washing hands. Rather, Jesus is against an improperly drawn boundary of acceptance.
Like Jesus, I am against drawing boundaries of inclusion or exclusion along a certain set of doctrines, practices, and traditions that have nothing to do with the heart of who God is and what God’s message of reconciliation and redemption is to God’s people. Praise God that we have been freed from such legalistic constraints and have been freed to talk about the true heart of the gospel, which is grace and mercy and love and accepting people for who they are and where they are and making sure they know of God’s love for them and of God’s desire to be in a relationship with them!
But Jesus didn’t leave it there. His problem with the Pharisees was not that they drew a clear boundary of pure and impure, clean and unclean, acceptable and unacceptable behavior for those who claim to be a part of the kingdom of God, but rather that they drew the wrong one.
In the conclusion of our gospel lection, verses17-20, Jesus drew a fairly clear boundary of what is pure and impure, clean and unclean, acceptable and unacceptable behavior for those who claim to be a part of the kingdom of God, but it was not based on anything external like the keeping of traditions, the eating of food, and the washing of hands. Jesus’ standard of purity has to do with ethical and moral behavior which flows out of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The larger claim to which the whole passage points is that it isn’t what we eat or drink that defiles us but what we say and do and intend. It is not our religious rituals that do us in; it is rather the intent of our heart and how we live because of it.
There is a delicate line here somewhere that I am not entirely sure how to walk. There are many questions based on this passage that I do not know how to answer. How do we preach a radical message of grace, mercy, and love while at the same time holding each other to a radical standard of discipleship that places us in a position to be formed by the Spirit into the image of Christ? How do we know when to supersede one tradition for the life of the spirit? How do we address the root cause of impure and unclean behavior like theft, murder, slander, greed, materialism, selfishness, etc by getting to the ‘‘heart’’ of a ‘‘defiled’’ person rather than simply focusing on his or her behavior?
I am not sure that I yet know the answers to these questions. I do know that the church needs a group of believers who are committed to spreading the message of God’s radical love and inclusiveness while at the same time holding itself to a radical standard of discipleship that bears witness as a holy people to a holy God.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A Reflection on Matthew 14:22-33
The gospel reading from last Sunday comes from Matthew 14:22-33. As the story picks up in vs. 22, we find Jesus attempting to find some solace in prayer. So, he sent his disciples ahead of him across the lake while he remained behind to dismiss the crowds that he had fed with the loaves and the fishes and then spend some time alone. The text tells us that before the disciples could complete their journey across the lake they got trapped in the midst of a storm.
You know the rest of the story. Jesus comes to them walking on the water, Peter hops out and does his thing, sinks, gets rebuked by Jesus, the seas calm once they get in the boat, and then in vs. 33 the disciples exclaim to Jesus that “truly you are the son of God!”
Preachers tend to preach this passage by focusing either on Peter’s faith (or lack thereof), or by focusing on the conclusion that the disciples come to at the end of the story when Jesus calms the storm. However, neither one of these perspectives answers the question that I have simply overlooked – why was Jesus walking on the water?
I believe that Jesus walked on the water because it was the fastest way of getting to his disciples who needed him. His closest friends, his dearest companions, the disciples whom he loved very much were in trouble and their trouble, their need overcame his need to be alone and he went to them in the quickest way he could, he walked to them on the water. Jesus went to great lengths to rescue his disciples from what had to be certain death.
And now I can at least guess at why this story is in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew is writing to a church that is struggling to survive without the physical presence of its savior. And it is not easy. There are people who are against them. In some cases, even their own family is against them. The church, throughout the centuries, has frequently found itself in the position not unlike those 12 disciples – struggling to move forward when the world is against it. The church has often existed and lived within a storm.
I know that it can often look like we here at Cahaba Valley are in the midst of a storm. How can we get our message out to a society that appears to not want to listen? How can our message be relevant to our culture, when our voice is just one of a multitude of voices, and when we do not put on the best show, have the best programs, or the resources to meet everyone’s ever present needs? How are we going to get new people into this church so that we do not die a slow death as our current membership gets older? I have heard many of you ask these questions, and I have asked these questions.
Matthew included this story in his gospel to speak to us, Christ’s church, and tell us that we should take courage and not be afraid, because Jesus is coming and he will meet our needs.
Unfortunately, the story does not end with Jesus walking on the water. Many people overlook the response of the disciples to this miracle. The disciples, upon seeing Jesus coming to them across the lake assume that he is a ghost and are frozen with terror.
Isn’t this the way of things? Our fear can be so paralyzing that we fail to see the fact that Jesus is responding to the needs of his people. There is much to be afraid of. We can be afraid of the church stagnating and dieing, we can be afraid of the unknown, we can even be afraid of the change that will come from trying to pursue God’s will for this church. But let us not be so paralyzed with fear that we fail to see Jesus coming to rescue us and meet our needs.
You know the rest of the story. Jesus comes to them walking on the water, Peter hops out and does his thing, sinks, gets rebuked by Jesus, the seas calm once they get in the boat, and then in vs. 33 the disciples exclaim to Jesus that “truly you are the son of God!”
Preachers tend to preach this passage by focusing either on Peter’s faith (or lack thereof), or by focusing on the conclusion that the disciples come to at the end of the story when Jesus calms the storm. However, neither one of these perspectives answers the question that I have simply overlooked – why was Jesus walking on the water?
I believe that Jesus walked on the water because it was the fastest way of getting to his disciples who needed him. His closest friends, his dearest companions, the disciples whom he loved very much were in trouble and their trouble, their need overcame his need to be alone and he went to them in the quickest way he could, he walked to them on the water. Jesus went to great lengths to rescue his disciples from what had to be certain death.
And now I can at least guess at why this story is in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew is writing to a church that is struggling to survive without the physical presence of its savior. And it is not easy. There are people who are against them. In some cases, even their own family is against them. The church, throughout the centuries, has frequently found itself in the position not unlike those 12 disciples – struggling to move forward when the world is against it. The church has often existed and lived within a storm.
I know that it can often look like we here at Cahaba Valley are in the midst of a storm. How can we get our message out to a society that appears to not want to listen? How can our message be relevant to our culture, when our voice is just one of a multitude of voices, and when we do not put on the best show, have the best programs, or the resources to meet everyone’s ever present needs? How are we going to get new people into this church so that we do not die a slow death as our current membership gets older? I have heard many of you ask these questions, and I have asked these questions.
Matthew included this story in his gospel to speak to us, Christ’s church, and tell us that we should take courage and not be afraid, because Jesus is coming and he will meet our needs.
Unfortunately, the story does not end with Jesus walking on the water. Many people overlook the response of the disciples to this miracle. The disciples, upon seeing Jesus coming to them across the lake assume that he is a ghost and are frozen with terror.
Isn’t this the way of things? Our fear can be so paralyzing that we fail to see the fact that Jesus is responding to the needs of his people. There is much to be afraid of. We can be afraid of the church stagnating and dieing, we can be afraid of the unknown, we can even be afraid of the change that will come from trying to pursue God’s will for this church. But let us not be so paralyzed with fear that we fail to see Jesus coming to rescue us and meet our needs.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A Reflection on Genesis 32:22-32
The Old Testament reading last Sunday was a story from the life of the patriarch Jacob. After swindling his brother Esau out of his birthright, he deceived his father into giving him the blessing that rightfully belonged to Esau. This made Esau mad, so Jacob ran off to find a wife from his mother’s relatives. After being tricked by his twice over father-in-law, he managed to turn the tide and obtain a large family and great wealth through business practices that were opportunistic at best and downright deceitful at worst. Jacob is a thoroughly self-centered and self-serving opportunist. Not exactly hero of faith material.
I imagine Jacob experienced at least a smidgeon of fear when God told him to take his questionably gotten family and wealth and return to his home country, which meant that an inevitable meeting with his brother Esau. Not knowing how Esau would respond to his estranged brother, Jacob devised a plan to assuage Esau’s anger before it could find expression. The plan involved flattery, bribery, bargaining with God, and using his own family as a human shield behind which he could make his escape. However, before he could bring his plan to fruition, he encountered a mysterious man at the Jabbok River, with whom he wrestled until dawn.
The ambiguity of Sunday’s lection has left me with two prominent questions: who did Jacob wrestle, and why?
I think the wrestling match occurred to stop Jacob from escaping behind the shield of his wealth and family. Interestingly, though, it is Jacob who pursued the fight even after he was permanently injured. It was the mysterious man who, at the approach of day, pled with Jacob to let him go, prompting me to ask the question – why is Jacob holding on?
I think it is because he was afraid. Despite all of his elaborate plans, daybreak and his failure to escape meant that he was still going to have to face his greatest fear – his brother.
There is much that could be said about this encounter with the faceless, nameless stranger, the least of which is that it was profoundly shaping in Jacob’s life. His identity was changed because of it. Somehow, through this wrestling match, Jacob came face to face with himself, his doubts, his fears, and his guilt. He would carry a limp from this fight for the rest of his life. But that was a small price to pay for the victory of conquering his fear and humbling himself before his brother.
What is the message of Jacob’s wrestling match for us today? We could talk about the transformative value of encountering God, or the value and power that comes in facing our greatest fears. We could talk about the transformative affect of humbling ourselves before a brother or sister whom we have wronged. We could say one of a number of different things about this story. Or we could simply say that Jacob’s life was a lot like ours – complex, messy, filled with fear and self-doubt, faith at times hanging by a thread, and yet proof that all the while God is faithful; even when we are at our worst, God is at work fulfilling his purpose in us.
I imagine Jacob experienced at least a smidgeon of fear when God told him to take his questionably gotten family and wealth and return to his home country, which meant that an inevitable meeting with his brother Esau. Not knowing how Esau would respond to his estranged brother, Jacob devised a plan to assuage Esau’s anger before it could find expression. The plan involved flattery, bribery, bargaining with God, and using his own family as a human shield behind which he could make his escape. However, before he could bring his plan to fruition, he encountered a mysterious man at the Jabbok River, with whom he wrestled until dawn.
The ambiguity of Sunday’s lection has left me with two prominent questions: who did Jacob wrestle, and why?
I think the wrestling match occurred to stop Jacob from escaping behind the shield of his wealth and family. Interestingly, though, it is Jacob who pursued the fight even after he was permanently injured. It was the mysterious man who, at the approach of day, pled with Jacob to let him go, prompting me to ask the question – why is Jacob holding on?
I think it is because he was afraid. Despite all of his elaborate plans, daybreak and his failure to escape meant that he was still going to have to face his greatest fear – his brother.
There is much that could be said about this encounter with the faceless, nameless stranger, the least of which is that it was profoundly shaping in Jacob’s life. His identity was changed because of it. Somehow, through this wrestling match, Jacob came face to face with himself, his doubts, his fears, and his guilt. He would carry a limp from this fight for the rest of his life. But that was a small price to pay for the victory of conquering his fear and humbling himself before his brother.
What is the message of Jacob’s wrestling match for us today? We could talk about the transformative value of encountering God, or the value and power that comes in facing our greatest fears. We could talk about the transformative affect of humbling ourselves before a brother or sister whom we have wronged. We could say one of a number of different things about this story. Or we could simply say that Jacob’s life was a lot like ours – complex, messy, filled with fear and self-doubt, faith at times hanging by a thread, and yet proof that all the while God is faithful; even when we are at our worst, God is at work fulfilling his purpose in us.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
A Reflection on Romans 8:26-39
In Romans 8:28, Paul wrote: “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” What does Paul mean by this verse? Does he mean that every cloud has a silver lining; that there is a pot at the end of every rainbow; that good guys (Christians) will not finish last in this life, as I have heard it quoted to mean? Or does Paul mean something deeper, more meaningful and significant?
In chapter 8, Paul has been reassuring the Roman Christians of their status before God. He has told them that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1), the Spirit of God bears witness that we are children of God (8:16), we look forward to a heavenly glory with Christ (8:18), and the “Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (8:27). Furthermore, the passage certainly ends with a reassuring tone – “for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:38-39).
In light of the context of reassurance, it is clear that Paul means for vs. 28 to be reassuring as well. However, in what way does it provide reassurance? I think we need to begin with vs. 30 and work backwards. Those who have received God’s justification will receive God’s glorification. We will be glorified with Christ, who is our glorified Lord. The reason that we are glorified is because, according to vs. 29, God’s purpose for those who are justified is that they will be conformed to the image of Christ. So, “those who are called according to God’s purpose” (vs. 28) are the same ones who are to be “conformed to the image of his Son” (vs.29).
It seems to me, then, that the “good” that is being worked out for those who love God has something to do with the purpose for which they were called, i.e. formation to the image of Christ. In other words, vs. 28 does not mean that everything is going to work out in a way that we would define as good – no suffering, no problems, material comfort, healthy families – but rather that God will work through all that happens to us to accomplish his purpose of conforming us to the image of Christ.
Being transformed into the image of Christ sounds all well and good, but let us remember that Christ’s glorification came after his humiliation on the cross. Does that mean that we will suffer the same fate? Yes and no. It is very likely that we will not be subjected to physical torture and crucifixion. However, being conformed to the image of Jesus means that we live increasingly self-sacrificial lives of service to others. This is a life that will not necessarily make us happy or comfortable. It is a life, though, that will bring us fulfillment, peace, and the calm assurance that we will be glorified with Christ when he comes again.
In chapter 8, Paul has been reassuring the Roman Christians of their status before God. He has told them that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1), the Spirit of God bears witness that we are children of God (8:16), we look forward to a heavenly glory with Christ (8:18), and the “Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (8:27). Furthermore, the passage certainly ends with a reassuring tone – “for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:38-39).
In light of the context of reassurance, it is clear that Paul means for vs. 28 to be reassuring as well. However, in what way does it provide reassurance? I think we need to begin with vs. 30 and work backwards. Those who have received God’s justification will receive God’s glorification. We will be glorified with Christ, who is our glorified Lord. The reason that we are glorified is because, according to vs. 29, God’s purpose for those who are justified is that they will be conformed to the image of Christ. So, “those who are called according to God’s purpose” (vs. 28) are the same ones who are to be “conformed to the image of his Son” (vs.29).
It seems to me, then, that the “good” that is being worked out for those who love God has something to do with the purpose for which they were called, i.e. formation to the image of Christ. In other words, vs. 28 does not mean that everything is going to work out in a way that we would define as good – no suffering, no problems, material comfort, healthy families – but rather that God will work through all that happens to us to accomplish his purpose of conforming us to the image of Christ.
Being transformed into the image of Christ sounds all well and good, but let us remember that Christ’s glorification came after his humiliation on the cross. Does that mean that we will suffer the same fate? Yes and no. It is very likely that we will not be subjected to physical torture and crucifixion. However, being conformed to the image of Jesus means that we live increasingly self-sacrificial lives of service to others. This is a life that will not necessarily make us happy or comfortable. It is a life, though, that will bring us fulfillment, peace, and the calm assurance that we will be glorified with Christ when he comes again.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A Reflection on Matthew 13:24-30 &36-43
The gospel reading for this past Sunday, taken from Matthew 13:24-30, is commonly referred to as the parable of the wheat and the weeds. You know the story.
A landowner planted wheat in his field but weeds got sown in amongst it by an enemy. The zealous and well-intentioned slaves wanted to weed out all the weeds but the master forbids any pre-harvest weeding for fear that they slaves will unknowingly root out the wheat with the weeds (apparently, this fear was prompted by the fact that the weeds could not be correctly distinguished from the wheat until the time of the harvest, when the difference was obvious by their fruit, a point worthy of further consideration).
What are we to make of this story, particularly of the master’s anti-weeding command, which, for me, is the major point of the parable?
Peter, James, John and the crew were a lot like us. They were excited about the new kingdom that Jesus was heralding, excited about the new way of life that he was espousing, and excited about their place in the new order that he was creating. But also like us, they got excited about judging who was worthy to be in Jesus’ new world order. I can imagine them sitting around and trying to decide who gets to be a part of their crew and who doesn’t. “Don’t let that Samaritan woman in,” I imagine them saying to Jesus, “she is a sinner.” “That guy can’t be a part of our group, he’s an adulterer.” I can even imagine what they would say if they were with us today. “They can’t be a part of our church, they are too different. They are sinful, don’t have the right doctrine…they don’t even know what 728b really means!”
Jesus, however, was not about to be hemmed in by his disciples expectations about who was worthy of his love and acceptance. In fact, I imagine that some of Jesus’ choices for who got to be in the crew were a bit discombobulating for old Peter and the gang; I know it was for his other religious contemporaries – they contemptuously dismissed him as a man who ate with tax collectors and sinners.
But isn’t this the point? The kingdom is not our kingdom, it is God’s kingdom. It is not for us to decide who is a wheat and who is a weed. Sometimes wheat can look like weeds, and sometimes weeds can look like wheat. Jesus seeks to remind us that it is not our job to go weeding in God’s garden. Let God be responsible for making the decision of who is in or out – after all, God is God and he reserves that right for himself. Instead, our job is to simply love all comers.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners – he ate with those who looked awful weedy because he knew how special they were in God’s sight. So let the word ring forth that Cahaba Valley is a place that welcomes all people – we will love them all because we were once blind, but now we see…we were once outcast, but now we are home…we once had the smell of weeds about us, but now we are wheat.
Let those who have ears hear.
A landowner planted wheat in his field but weeds got sown in amongst it by an enemy. The zealous and well-intentioned slaves wanted to weed out all the weeds but the master forbids any pre-harvest weeding for fear that they slaves will unknowingly root out the wheat with the weeds (apparently, this fear was prompted by the fact that the weeds could not be correctly distinguished from the wheat until the time of the harvest, when the difference was obvious by their fruit, a point worthy of further consideration).
What are we to make of this story, particularly of the master’s anti-weeding command, which, for me, is the major point of the parable?
Peter, James, John and the crew were a lot like us. They were excited about the new kingdom that Jesus was heralding, excited about the new way of life that he was espousing, and excited about their place in the new order that he was creating. But also like us, they got excited about judging who was worthy to be in Jesus’ new world order. I can imagine them sitting around and trying to decide who gets to be a part of their crew and who doesn’t. “Don’t let that Samaritan woman in,” I imagine them saying to Jesus, “she is a sinner.” “That guy can’t be a part of our group, he’s an adulterer.” I can even imagine what they would say if they were with us today. “They can’t be a part of our church, they are too different. They are sinful, don’t have the right doctrine…they don’t even know what 728b really means!”
Jesus, however, was not about to be hemmed in by his disciples expectations about who was worthy of his love and acceptance. In fact, I imagine that some of Jesus’ choices for who got to be in the crew were a bit discombobulating for old Peter and the gang; I know it was for his other religious contemporaries – they contemptuously dismissed him as a man who ate with tax collectors and sinners.
But isn’t this the point? The kingdom is not our kingdom, it is God’s kingdom. It is not for us to decide who is a wheat and who is a weed. Sometimes wheat can look like weeds, and sometimes weeds can look like wheat. Jesus seeks to remind us that it is not our job to go weeding in God’s garden. Let God be responsible for making the decision of who is in or out – after all, God is God and he reserves that right for himself. Instead, our job is to simply love all comers.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners – he ate with those who looked awful weedy because he knew how special they were in God’s sight. So let the word ring forth that Cahaba Valley is a place that welcomes all people – we will love them all because we were once blind, but now we see…we were once outcast, but now we are home…we once had the smell of weeds about us, but now we are wheat.
Let those who have ears hear.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
A Reflection on Romans 8:1-11
This past Sunday’s epistolary reading, which began by asserting that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), seems to begin a discussion about justification. However, after vs. 1, Paul moves from the language of justification (salvation) to the language of sanctification (the process by which we begin to increasingly display Christ’s image in our). I am left with the clear impression in reading the passage (Rom. 8:1-17) that my salvation is somehow tied to how I live. When we walk according to the Spirit, which we are able to do because of Christ’s death on the cross (8:3-4), we fulfill the righteous requirement of the law that we had previously been unable to do. Paul then tells us that we can either live according to the flesh or according to the Spirit – fleshly living brings death, spiritly living brings life and peace (8:6; see also 8:13, “if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”).
So how do we live by the Spirit? 8:5 says that we do it by setting our mind on the things of the Spirit. But how does one set one’s mind? Is this simply an act of the will? May it never be! Rather, setting the mind on the Spirit involves becoming in tune with the Spirit; it is about engaging in spiritual practices – fasting, prayer, meditation, hospitality, reflecting on scripture, etc. – that put us in the position of being increasingly open to the leadings of the Spirit within us (8:9-11). In other words, they help us get “us” out of the way so that we can live more like Christ. To put it bluntly, obedience and holy living have been and always will be hallmarks of Christian discipleship.
I still affirm justification by grace through faith and that salvation is the free gift of God. But I also believe that God expects us to “work out” our salvation (Phil. 2:12) in a way that honors the work of Christ and the Spirit on our behalf. We would like for grace by faith and good works to be two distinctly different categories. But the message of Romans 8:1-17 is that they are inseparably linked in a way that is as mysterious as our God.
Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!
So how do we live by the Spirit? 8:5 says that we do it by setting our mind on the things of the Spirit. But how does one set one’s mind? Is this simply an act of the will? May it never be! Rather, setting the mind on the Spirit involves becoming in tune with the Spirit; it is about engaging in spiritual practices – fasting, prayer, meditation, hospitality, reflecting on scripture, etc. – that put us in the position of being increasingly open to the leadings of the Spirit within us (8:9-11). In other words, they help us get “us” out of the way so that we can live more like Christ. To put it bluntly, obedience and holy living have been and always will be hallmarks of Christian discipleship.
I still affirm justification by grace through faith and that salvation is the free gift of God. But I also believe that God expects us to “work out” our salvation (Phil. 2:12) in a way that honors the work of Christ and the Spirit on our behalf. We would like for grace by faith and good works to be two distinctly different categories. But the message of Romans 8:1-17 is that they are inseparably linked in a way that is as mysterious as our God.
Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!
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