Divisions

 Luke 12:49-56   Pentecost 10

 The Old Testament Lesson from Jeremiah 23 is all about false prophets in Israel during the time of the Babylonian conquest.  Jesus talks about divisions.

He said he came to bring fire – judgment and purification.

He said that he had a baptism with which to be baptized – His dying – which He would hasten.

He said that He came to bring division instead of Peace

   Wait.  What?

   Yes, He said it, according to Luke.

 It is a literary technique.    Hyperbole of purpose.

He did not come to bring division instead of Peace, this Prince of Peace.

   He came to bring the truth – as the prophets did long ago.

   He came to bring God’s Will to bear on earth as in heaven.

   He came to bring in Kingdom values in the face of the worldly ones of empire.

   He came to bring Good News to the most downtrodden, vulnerable in society hurt by empire.

He KNEW it would mean division.

He KNEW IT from history, from human nature and from logic.

   Many people did not want to hear the truth of God.

   Their ears itched for hearing what they wanted to hear.

   Their minds were fixed on the things of empire.

   Their hearts were far from God and God’s Way for them.

   They blew with every wind of doctrine that sounded good to them.

        Like Prosperity Theology, Personal Salvation Theology, Church Growth Theology…

        Like that Christians are OK to hate, if it’s the right people.

        Like the precepts, protocols and doctrines of humans outweigh the teachings of Jesus in the Word.

        Like our, particular way of doing things is what this is all about,

           Or building up the institution

           Or pleasing people

                Rather than being faithful to God’s Will and being a movement of love in order to change the world.

   Their hearts and minds were far from God.

Jesus KNEW that sharing His Good News would not be popular with many…

      The traditionalists, the empire elites, those in power and with wealth…

      Jesus KNEW that it would divide the people

          And it still does!

The False Teachers are so slick, so smooth, so well-rehearsed and polished…

     That people have bought their false teachings and prophecies, hook line and sinker

     Like during the time of Jeremiah with Hananiah the false prophet, among others

         God’s Word was not a popular one, so the sheep, I mean people, elected what was comfortable to them

             Instead of the TRUTH of God.

And so it would be and still is the with Gospel of Jesus

    The message of Agape Love instead of wealth, power, status and hatred is a hard sell.

        We like to think we can be good with God and get wealthy at the expense of others.

        We like to believe that we can gain power in order to exploit others and hold them down

        We like to adopt a false belief that we are somehow superior to “those people”, whoever they are

        We like the idea that we can hate, if it is the right people, believing that God hates them too.

But that meddling Jesus and His Good News will not allow it, any of it.

   So, we come up with our own interpretations, our own false teachers, our own embedded theologies

        And we silence or eliminate anyone who dares to challenge them,

        All while claiming to be faithful to Jesus.

And there is, quite naturally, division.

Denominations, ideologies, parties, factions, dissent… all of it is true.  Inside the church and outside it.

Jesus knew what it would bring.

But it is the truth of God.

Sisters and brothers, we cannot follow Jesus AND the ways of Empire that divide, bring to despair, destroy.

    Jesus’ Way is the Way of Agape Love for ALL and Shalom for ALL.

It was and IS time to CHOOSE – the false teachings or the Way of Jesus.

    The false way leads us to comfort, false superiority, false security and a lot of worldly benefits.

   Jesus’ way leads to, to self-sacrifice, to lessening self for the sake of other, even to the Cross.

    But it leads us to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

 As Jesus also said, you see the signs coming, don’t you?

You see the dark skies and the scorching heat, right?

You see a storm brewing in the country and the world, right?

   There ARE divisions, because Jesus has dared to share the Truth in the face of the Lies.

So, the comfortable lies of empire or the uncomfortable truth of God?

Which will you choose?