Fake
Jesus, True Jesus?
Fr.
Tony’s Midweek Message
July
29, 2020
Yahweh said:
These people draw near with their mouths
and with their lips honor me,
but their hearts are far from me,
and the worship they give me is mere human invention, learned by rote;
So I will again do
amazing things with this people,
shocking and amazing.
The wisdom of their wise shall perish,
and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.
(Isaiah 29:13-14)
Once
in a great while, I hear the complaint that our sermons are “too political”
with the comment, “and Jesus does not agree.”
Both Deacon Meredith and I try
hard to avoid letting our own partisan opinions leak into our homilies. But in the current climate of identity-group
mutual reproach, anything ministers might say on the matter of the sin of
racism, or of abusive behavior by anyone, including governmental officials and
security agents, is seen as “taking sides” in the partisan divide of our nation. The gospel
is not partisan, but by its very nature is indeed political—Jesus calls us to
new life not only in our individual piety and holiness, but also in our shared
life and community practice of fairness, compassion, and justice.
It
may be that people simply want “equal time” of pointing out the sins not only
of systemic racism and police brutality, but also of the “rioters,” haters of the
police, the military, and the President.
But I do not believe it is that cut and dried: lumping together large numbers of lawful, peaceful
protestors, and even people who show solidarity with the oppressed by “taking a
knee” during the National Anthem, and labeling them all as “rioters,” “haters,”
“thugs,” and “socialists” is a symptom of tribal division: anyone not observing
the rituals and niceties of “loyal American patriotism” is marked as the other,
as the enemy, as the problem, deserving of violent force and expulsion from the
chosen people.
Dolling this up
and parading it as “what Jesus wants” is a horrible misreading of Jesus:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’” (Matthew 7:15-23)
Look
at the fruits of people’s teaching and faith.
Do they build compassion, and
love, or alienation and hatred? Do they
defend the oppressed, or solidify the power of oppressors? Do they help us see and empathize with those
most at risk, or help us turn a blind eye to them?
The
Church, whenever it has been bound together with state power in the suppression
of human dignity, has betrayed Jesus and his teachings. Those arguing for such are indeed wolves in
sheep’s clothing. Whenever the Church has
sought to pursue justice, love compassion, and walk humbly, it has helped bring
near the Reign of God.
It
is a pretty good indication that your Jesus is an idol, an anti-Christ, if he
hates the same people you hate, and commands you to show no mercy in dealing
with them. On the other hand, a Jesus who
calls us to new insights, fresh conviction of error and lack of charity, and
bold and risky defense of the marginalized is almost certainly the same being
whom the Romans put to death for calling them and their Temple establishment quislings
out. This Lord, whom God raised from the dead,
calls us even now to follow him.
Grace
and Peace.
Fr.
Tony+
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