What He Came to Do

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Jesus Christ and our relationship to him is perplexing. I mean, at one moment we sing "Jesus loves me, this I know . . ." and then the next moment Jesus is making such demands on our lives that we wonder how it is possible that we could ever sing the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

That is what the people of Jesus' day experienced about Jesus. Our gospel lesson starts out by telling us that as Jesus started his ministry, news about him spread throughout the countryside. We're told that he taught in the synagogues and everybody praised him. And then he went to Nazareth, the town where he grew up, and taught in the synagogue and got folks so upset that they wanted to throw him over a cliff.

How is it possible that we can have such feelings about the same person? First, we love him and then we turn our back on him. He is loved in one town and hated in the next. He is cared for and nurtured in his youth by a community of people and then those same persons want to destroy him. He is welcomed into Jerusalem by a happy crowd waving palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna," and then condemned to death a few days later by the people shouting, "Crucify him!"

And the answer to that question lies in our true commitment to Jesus. It is one thing to be a fair weather friend. It is another thing to be a tried and true follower of Jesus Christ.

Our Old Testament lesson is a parallel of today's gospel lesson in several ways, only the story turns out differently. In that story the people of Israel have just returned from exile in Babylon and are in the process of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. These are the tried and true people of God. And one day, in the midst of their rebuilding Nehemiah, the governor of the province of Israel, decides that it is time for the people to rededicate themselves to the service of God. So, in our lesson for this morning, he gathers all of the people, along with the religious leader, Ezra. And Ezra takes the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers and begins to read from these books, interpreting them to the people as he reads them. The response from the people who hear these words being read is to weep because they are so touched to the heart by what they are hearing. And after they have heard God's word, they enjoy a great celebration wherein the poor and the great, those who have much and those who have little, join together for a feast.

Now, compare this to our gospel lesson for this morning: a story that has Jesus coming to the people of Nazareth, going to their synagogue and reading scripture to them. In much the same way that Ezra did, Jesus opening the scriptures and read to them, interpreting what the text was saying as he went along. But, instead of weeping because they are touched in their hearts, they become angry and take steps to have Jesus thrown over the cliff at the edge of their town. And the question is why. And the answer is obvious: The people of Nazareth, as much as they would like to be thought of as "religious" people, are not tried and true children of God. They have grown accustomed to their place in life, their customs, and have even grown to confuse their cherished traditions with what it really means to be God's people. So, when Jesus reads the scriptures to them, their response is one of anger and rejection. Unlike those who heard and accepted what Ezra read to them, these persons don't want to hear and they can't accept the message of Jesus.

Often, this is what happens to Christians, even today. We want to think of ourselves as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. We may even attend church regularly and belong to Christian organizations. But what do we do when the word of God comes to us and calls us to make some real changes in our lifestyle? Do we want to hear? Do we accept what it is that is coming at us? Or, do we reject God's message?

Over the past few days, we may have been getting a taste of God's word coming at us as a country. In fact, this message has been coming at us for some time. But the question is how many of us have been willing to listen.

We live in a country where sex is promoted in the media, in advertising, movies, on television, and in magazines. For the past 40 years or so, the youth of our nation have been exposed to the idea that sex sells. Sub-consciously, we even want our leaders to be viral, openly conveying an almost flagrant sexuality. And, yet, at the same time, oddly enough, we want our leaders to be above reproach, ethically and morally.

The problem is that we can't have it both ways. Either we are going to have to de- emphasize the importance of sex appeal or we will have to de-emphasize the importance we put on ethics and morality. And you know where I stand on that one. If we dare to give way on ethics and morality then we begin a slide that will ultimately lead us all into a dangerous jungle of moral anarchy.

Most of us read in the newspapers the other day about the group of students who went down to Guatemala and had their bus hijacked by bandits. Evidently, this is a real problem in many places in the world. There are places all around the world where it is unsafe for people to live because of the corruption. And this corruption is due to a failure of morals and ethics. And I don't think it is a coincidence that as we see these problems taking place in various places in the world we are, at the very same time and in those same places, seeing a decrease in the influence of the church.

But the question is whether we are willing as a society to accept this word from God that is coming at us at this time. Is it morally acceptable for a boss to sexually abuse his female employees as long as the his wife doesn't seem to mind? Most of us would say that it is not.

Indeed, it is important for us to maintain our standards of morality and ethics. But, if we are going to be applying those standards to our leaders, we need to be applying those same high standards to ourselves, and to our communities, and to our own workplaces and families, as well. And yet, even raising this issue in most towns and cities across America is a difficult thing to do. For maintaining those high standards is directly dependent upon what kind of magazines that are sold in the drug stores, the quality of movies that are rented out in the "adult" section of Blockbuster Video, and seen on HBO and Cinemax. If we are truly concerned with the moral and ethical qualities of our national leaders, then we need to be concerned about what is going on with the youth in our own neighborhoods and churches and schools. But if we aren't concerned about these things, if we aren't involved in some way, if we really don't care – then why should any of us care if our leaders spend some of their free time fooling around?

It may very well be that this scandal is one way by which God is calling us to reevaluate our society's emphasis on sex and fidelity between husbands and wives, just as in a very similar way, the AIDS epidemic may be a way by which God is calling us to reevaluate our attitudes towards casual sex and drug use.

There have been many times in our nation's history when we have been likened to that city set upon a hill, talked about in the bible. For many years we have called ourselves a nation guided by Christian ideals. We have sung "God Bless America" and really meant it when we sang it. But, can God continue to bless America if we fail to stand up and defend the Christian ideals that we have proudly claimed? Can God continue to bless America if we go the way of the people of Nazareth who preferred the status quo over the teachings of Jesus?

Or can we listen to the voice of God and work to be a re-formed nation? Like the people of Israel who stood with Nehemiah and Ezra and heard the word of God, do we yearn to live lives and have communities and churches and schools and a nation that will glorify God?

I am reminded of a poem that I wrote several years ago that was published on the back of the United Methodist Publication – Engage/Social Action. It goes like this:

The master stood

and read the book.

The words were good.

He saw them look

with empty stare

until he said,

"These words so rare,

the ones I read,

have all come true!"

When he was done

they asked, "Aren't you

that Joseph's son?"

The Lord said more:

"By Abraham

you slight the poor,

the stranger damn.

But, don't you know

that God loves them,

the poor, the low,

those you condemn?

They stood as one

at hearing this

and took the Son

to an abyss

where they might throw

and do away

with this, their foe.

But on that day,

by strength of will,

he walked straight through,

saved from the ill

they meant to do.

The Master stands

among us, too,

with Love's demands.

But, do we go

and work his will,

or try to throw

him off a hill?

Amen.