Gone too far Jesus (Proper 16b)

Gone too Far Jesus

Proper 16B
26 August 2018; 8:00 a.m. Said Mass and 10:00 a.m. Sung Mass

Homily Delivered by the Very Rev. Fr. Tony Hutchinson, SCP, Ph.D.

at Trinity Parish Church, Ashland, Oregon

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34:15-22; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69

God, take away our hearts of stone, and give us hearts of flesh. Amen.

In all the accolades for Senator John McCain, who died yesterday, I was reminded of how he said he survived intact seven years of harsh imprisonment in Hanoi: “I had faith in God, and I had faith in my fellow prisoners.”  Note the polarity here:  God and our fellows.  We often find in life that the golden mean, the via media, the one way through troubles is to take the path between Scylla and Charybdis, or the way between two extremes. 

We see it in the tension in today’s lessons:  The Hebrew Scriptures have Joshua proclaiming absolute monotheism and blasting those who would go astray from this.  The Gospel has people rejecting Jesus because he has talked crazily about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and weakened such a monotheism. 

Jesus often offended and outraged those about him.  He often heard, “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far!” 

In Mark 3, Jesus’ family thinks he has gone insane.  When he comes back from his baptism and the 40 day retreat, instead of returning to them as a dutiful son and brother, he begins his wandering ministry.  “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far!” 

In Matthew 19, Jesus forbids divorce in most if not all circumstances.  His own disciples reply, “Well if that’s the case, it’s better never to have married.”   “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far!” 

Several times Jesus’ opponents criticize him for keeping open table fellowship with known sinners, and unclean people.  They blast him for spending all his time with drunks, sex workers, and profiteering traitors.  He replies that God himself is gracious to sinner and righteous alike, and that it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a doctor.  “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far!” 

In John 8, a crowd tries to stone Jesus to death because he has said that he was older and greater than Abraham.  In John 10, another crowd tries to do the same after he says, “the Father and I are one.”  In the passion narratives, Jesus’ accusers tear their hair and rend their clothes, saying “he has blasphemed!”  “Jesus, now you’ve really gone too far!” 

So also in today’s Gospel reading—Jesus says people must eat his body and drink his blood in order to have everlasting life.  Many disciples say, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”   As they leave Jesus replies, “Does this offend you? How will you react when you see just who I really am?”  He asks the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”  The best Peter can answer is “And just where else can we go at this point?”  

All of these stories suggest that there comes a point in all people’s interaction with Jesus where they reach a tipping point, where a single word or action by Jesus is just so outrageous that they can no longer put up with him.  Some leave Jesus.  Others plot to silence him. In the end, others nail Jesus to the cross.   

Modern biblical criticism has pointed out well that only part of this reflects the historical Jesus before his death, while much reflects the Christ of faith of Jesus’s followers, talking and writing after mature reflection on the Easter events.

Jesus in his earthly life did not have a clear vision of what would happen at Calvary and on Easter Sunday.  His preaching and ministry focused on God’s Reign, not on himself.  The Romans killed Jesus for insurrection, not blasphemy.  Much of Jesus’ emphasis on his own person in John’s Gospel actually reflects the later insights of the Church.  

That said, the Historical Jesus almost certainly believed that the Kingdom of God was breaking into human history in his own person, and that this would lead to his own death.  Trusting in God to save his servants and redeem even their deadly sufferings, he persevered and took his challenge to the powers that be in Jerusalem. 

There, Jesus celebrated one last meal with his close followers at the time of the Passover festival.  Jesus likely pointed to the usual Passover meal symbols, the “bread of affliction” and the wine of the “cup of blessing,” and gave them new meaning. “This surely will end with my death, with my body over here (pointing to bread of affliction) and my blood over here (pointing to cup of blessing). What I will now suffer is true affliction and true blessing.  Share this bread and wine with me.  Eat my flesh and drink my blood.” 

After the Easter events, this took on completely new meanings. 

This push-the-envelope practice of open table fellowship, this personalization of the redemption of Israel, and near insane talk about cannibalism as communion was revolting to some people around Jesus.  “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far!”

Most of the time, Jesus has gone too far because he is too open, too broad in his understanding, too inclusive.  They accuse him of blasphemy because calling God Abba, Jesus has brought God too close, and challenged monotheism.  As John 5:18 puts it, he was “thereby making himself equal to God.”

I was raised in a tradition that often quoted the Joshua text and said it meant that there was only one true way, and you had to follow the Lord or be damned. “Choose this day whom you shall serve:  Yahweh, or the pagan idols, life or death!” 

But the fact is, Biblical faith is pluralistic faith, despite its moments of monism.  I love the fact that our scripture is called the Holy Bible, ta biblia ta hagia, which means the Sacred library, the Holy little books, and NOT the ONE, TRUE, HARMONIOUS, AND INFALLIBLE-IN-ALL-ITS-DETAILS BOOK. 

I like the fact that we have four gospels, all very much in glorious disharmony and at odds with each other on some very basic points, and that this diversity is the very starting point of our discussions about the historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith.  

I stand in awe of the glorious doctrine of the Holy Trinity, where the one and only God, monistic by definition, is tempered and modulated by a society of three persons in one being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternally dancing and processing, eternally relating, and calling us into the dance.  

 Christian faith is pluralistic faith. 

And I am very, very pleased that today’s gospel tells us to keep an open mind and heart about new things we learn from God.  We must not draw red lines that, once crossed, will force us to say, “Now you’ve gone too far, Jesus.” 

I remember my reaction when my children first mentioned around the dinner table, 20 years ago, the need to honor the loving and monogamous relationships of same sex couples by celebrating marriages for them.  It was a few months after our daughter had come out of the closet.  I thought I was being very open minded and liberal by not rejecting her.  But when she talked about same sex marriage, I thought (and probably, alas, said,) “Now you’ve gone too far!”  I felt that holy matrimony was somehow being demeaned and cheapened by spreading it or something like it to what I had been taught all my youth was deficient, unnatural, perverted, and sinful.   But thank God I remained open minded and open hearted.  I have been blessed to celebrate at the weddings of several friends and family members—gay and lesbian couples.  These have been great spiritual high points for me.  Thanks be to God, who moves in wondrous and mysterious ways to bless his children. 

It is important not to forget the value and truth of Joshua’s words as well.  Without a clear sense of monotheism, of the unity and uniqueness of God, the doctrines of the Holy Trinity and of the Incarnation make no sense.   Without a sense of sanctity of matrimony and of the union of two people, of human love, and the importance of exclusive, monogamous, dedicated relationships, marriage of any kind doesn’t make much sense either. 

Those of us who pray the rosary recognize the spirituality of navigating between two poles:  our hands count the prayers on the beads, our mouth says the prayers.  But our minds are directed to the mysteries--joyous, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious-- all scenes from our Lord’s life.  This technique of pursuing two tracks at once very quickly breaks open a space in our hearts and minds that lets the spirit in and takes us to the presence of God. 

 

Even in the horrible scandal of priestly abuse now seeming to overwhelm the church, a simple polarity could have prevented it.  Jesus taught us to be smart as snakes and harmless as doves.  Those abusing priests and malicious covering-up prelates were harmful, and the well intending prelates covering up to prevent scandal and hurt to the church, well, they were not smart at all, ignorant of even the basic issues and ethics of preventing and eliminating sexual misconduct.

Similarly, the Hebrew Scriptures have two great competing traditions:  the priests on the one side focus on purity, law, and sacrifice, while on the other side the prophets talk about social justice.  As Walter Bruggeman had pointed out, the priests without the prophets are empty ritualism and legalism.  The prophets without the priests’ focus on holiness drawing us beyond ourselves rapidly devolved into tawdry interest groups politics.  It takes both poles to create a field where we can grow and come closer to God.     The one thing we must remember is never to simply toss out one or the other, to say, this does not suit me.  I’m out of here.  

“Now you’ve gone too far!”  When do you say this to those you love?  When have you said it to God, to Jesus? 

This week in your prayer and quiet time, think about this, and ask whether this is part of a healthy monism or an unhealthy one, and whether you should broaden your mind and open your heart. 

In the name of Christ, Amen.  

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