Finding the Hidden
Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message
July 19, 2017
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming joyfully God’s arrival in these words, ‘The long-awaited time has come: God’s Reign has come close. Change your way of thinking and feeling, and trust in this joyful news!’” (Mark 1:14-15)“[Jesus] answered, ‘God’s Reign is not coming with outward observable signs: people are not going to say ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ No—the Reign of God is already in your midst.’” (Luke 17:20-21)
We often miss the point of scriptures we have heard from our
youth on: familiarity breeds not so much
contempt as inattention. This is
unfortunate, and it means that a major part of a minister’s calling is to bring
out the lively and joyful power of words that have become old and dull for
many.
The King James Bible renders the first passage above as: “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.” But
in many ways this rendering, at least to our non-Elizabethan ears, gives a
washed out and vapid sense of the verses’ meaning. It sounds like it’s all about propagandizing
for a particularly dogmatic form of Christian religiosity and subscribing to a
set of evangelical doctrines. But that
is not what the passage is about at all.
The Greek word euangelion
“good news” or “gospel” refers to a joyful proclamation of the formal visit by
the Emperor. Basileia “kingdom” actually refers not to the domain of or territory controlled by a King, but to his kingship, the fact that he reigns, is in charge of
things. Metanoeo “repent” actually refers to turning around (meta) one’s mind or heart (nous), rather than specifically turning
aside from sin per se. Pisteuo “believe” or “have faith”
actually is related to the word pistis “true
to,” or “trustworthy” and is best rendered as “trust” or “give one’s heart
to.”
Jesus' proclamation of the arrival of
God’s Reign was a joyful celebration of the fact that God is in charge of
things, right here, right now. And this
is the case despite appearances to the contrary. That is what the beatitudes argue: God is at work among the starving, the
thirsty, the grieving, and the persecuted.
What it takes to perceive God at work in this world about us—and God is at
work, says Jesus—is a revolution of perspectives, a turning of the heart, a
change of mind. Losing fear and a sense
of zero-sums is part of this process.
Cultivating gratitude and thankfulness, trust, generosity, and compassion for others
is at its heart.
It's all about joy and trust, and moves
us to great sacrifice: “The Reign of God
is like a treasure buried in a field: someone finds it, hides it again, and in
joy goes and sells everything she owns to go and buy the field” (Matt. 13:34).
Grace and Peace. --Fr. Tony+
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