What does it profit?

 

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

 

Self-denial takes humility.  In the face of empire and its sick addiction to wealth, power and status, Jesus demands that those who would follow Him not give into these worldly/empire values.  The arrogant hubris of empire is intoxicating, but to follow Jesus, we must not make it about self.

 Indeed, the definition of agaph is SELFLESS, even SELF-SACRIFICING, unconditional committed action on behalf of the OTHER, even Stranger, Enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us.  Empire with its sights always on Quid Pro Quo could never sign on for that.  Only those who follow one who teaches Kingdom values would do so.

 agaph is the central COMMAND of Jesus.  So, when Peter gets a little selfish and would deny Jesus’ mission to bring this agaph to fruition for the sake of the world, Jesus must point out that empire’s way, the world’s way is Satan’s way.  The way of selfishness, abuse, hubris is against agaph and therefore against God.

 If we want to be followers of Jesus, we must deny ourselves.  We must deny ourselves as folk who believe that we are the center of the universe, as ones who ruthlessly take what we want at the expense of others, as people who gain power to exploit and abuse others with it.  We must deny ourselves, humble ourselves and serve.

 If we gain the life of empire on the backs of others around us, we lose our life with Christ Jesus.  If we lose the life of selfishness, greed, egomania and the exploitation and abuse of others, then we gain Christ Jesus.

 I believe we as a nation, we in business, we in politics, we in the church are in some very deep trouble here with Jesus.  We have been trying to serve two masters for way too long.  We have twisted the Good News of Jesus to accommodate our greed, lust for power over others and desire for status above others.  We have re-created Jesus in an image that celebrates our false sense of entitlement because we claim His name.  We have ignored the Gospel of agaph and Grace to embrace cherry-picked passages that justify our adherence to empire values.

 There are folk calling themselves “Christians,” who believe that they are at liberty to insult, oppress and judge others.  There are folk called by Jesus’ name who believe that they are being persecuted if they are not allowed to persecute other human beings.  There are some who claim the name and have re-created an image of Jesus that in no way resembles the Jesus of the Gospels.  There are preachers, teachers and leaders who have twisted the Good News so much that Jesus would puke to hear what they claim as truth.  There are many who are leaving the church or never coming, because they hear what the Gospel says and see what the church and its leaders do in the world.  There are many folk who believe themselves to be the sheep, who more resemble goats.

 What will it profit us in the end?

We have lost our souls.

We will lose our life with God.

 I do not believe that we will see real justice in my lifetime in America or across the world.  Our descent into the abomination which is empire has rendered real justice a pipe dream. 

 My only hope is that when Jesus returns, there will be justice, equity, equality and Shalom for all, because the world is so corrupt with its own passions that I very much doubt we will see it turn around by our efforts.

 I believe we must strive to resist empire and its evils by how we live.  I believe that we must deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus, living agaph to provide whatever little compassion, comfort and encouragement that we can to those who have had their lives dismantled by empire’s evils.  I believe that we are commanded to actively live the opposite of empire values in this part of God’s Kingdom here and now.  THAT is the REAL FAITH of Jesus, in Jesus, with Jesus. That is REAL faithfulness to God.

Who do YOU say Jesus is?

 

Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Caesarea Philippi was renamed for Augustus.  He was in a region stolen even by name by the empire that occupied and oppressed God’s children there.

Here, Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was.  Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man – a hint for their answer – a name given for the one sent as a servant of God’s children by God.  The disciples reported that Jesus, this phenomenon well known by now was considered John the Baptist come back to life, or Elijah, come to usher in Messiah, or Jeremiah – a prophet who constantly had to deal with false prophets like Hananiah.

Peter, always very quick to jump in with both feet, claimed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.  Jesus, this ordinary guy who aspired to be the most faithful, often got things wrong, but this he got very right – Jesus called Peter blessed, and declared that this was revealed to Peter by God directly.  Jesus then claimed that Peter would be the one on whom the church would be built… and it was for a time… until Paul gained in influence because Peter failed to practice what he preached regarding considerations over clean and unclean foods and eating them (acts 10:9-16; Galatians 2:11-14).

In the end, Peter was faithful to Jesus to giving his life. 

Who is Jesus to us?

   For some in the church, Jesus is personal Lord and Savior but they ignore His teachings on life.

   For Some in the church Jesus is Lord of their lives and what He taught, commanded, modeled is faithfulness to God.

   For Some, Jesus is a prophet, a teacher.

What did it mean that Jesus was messiah/sent one by God to deliver God’s children from Sin and its death, to bring salvation by Grace through His redemption, and yes,

the Messenger of God regarding the New Covenant in that Grace - the fulfiller of Law and Prophets, the Lord of life in this part of God’s Kingdom here and now in Agape Love.

    Some would still hold onto the tradition of Pharisees, get all caught up in their own Purity and holiness, rather than faithfulness to the one of Grace and Agape Love, believing that their own purity and holiness brings them to self-righteousness

         and salvation.

This is a Dangerous consideration.  Who is Jesus?

For some, Jesus is wrapped in an American flag, spouts Capitalist Prosperity Theology and carries an AR-15.

   For some, Jesus is always straight, white, male and religiously biased…

   But that is NOT what I read of Jesus in the Gospels who opposed the tradition of the Pharisees…

       Reached out to Samaritan and Canaanite women

       Called people faithful who were not even of His faith

       Spoke of Eunuchs, excluded by the Law of Moses, as faithful servants of God

       Criticized the religious leaders who WERE of His own faith

           For being more dogmatic, more legalistic, more tradition-oriented than loving

           For judging, manipulating, misleading, hurting, exploiting others and not

                loving them.

 

If we ignore the Savior Jesus, we spit in the face of Grace

If we ignore Jesus as Lord, we fail to be faithful in following what Jesus commanded…

    And we run the risk of hearing the Jesus of Luke’s Gospel say,

    "I do not know where you come from," though we have eaten and drunk with HIm and were in the streets where Jesus taught..." Luke 13:22-30  

    or “I do not know you…” even though we prophesy in His name, cast out demons, heal, do other powerful deeds in His name… Matthew 7:21-23

    and “why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

 

So, there are counterfeit Jesus’ in our culture-

Images of Jesus that do not resemble the Jesus of the Gospels.

People who re-create Jesus in their own, judgmental, dogmatic, tradition of the Pharisees images.   You can tell them, because Jesus happens to hate the same people they hate.  Jesus represents precisely all that they value.

So, the question remains -

 

Who is Jesus to us?

Who is Jesus to you?

 

Another Prophet or Teacher?

A right-wing ideologue representative of American Civil Religion?

 Just one to give worship, praise, tithes, claim as personal Lord and Savior in order to gain our own salvation, and perhaps some wealth to boot?

Or Lord of our lives, who we strive to follow in transforming the world in Agape Love?

 

 

Matthew 15:10-28 Unclean

 There is so much concern among some "christian" peoples about purity and holiness, particularly that of others around them that they like to judge.

Jesus here fulfilled the "abomination" law and prophets.  It is not about what one eats or who one loves, what decisions one makes or what failings one might have that matters to Jesus.  What matters to Jesus is what is in one's heart and what comes out of one's mouth.  THAT Jesus considers clean or unclean. Dietary codes, sexuality and making decisions about one's own life do not make a person defiled, but rather if they have evil intent on trying to take what others have, killing others by whatever means or whatever reason, cheating on one's spouse and thus betraying them, using others for one's personal pleasure without affection, stealing by whatever means, and telling lies (or sharing "alternative facts") or accusing others of what you yourself are doing.

Jesus then highlighted this teaching by lifting up a Canaanite woman as an example of faithfulness.  For His disciples' benefit, Jesus went along with their misogyny and xenophobia, but only to give them a lesson.  Jesus healed her daughter and declared her a person of great faith (not his own).  This person considered to be only a woman, and a gentile dog at that, was used as an example of clean and unclean and how Jesus models how we are to engage with others.  

So, when you (or someone at your church) is spouting judgments against someone else for being "less than" or "beneath", not holy enough or "not one of us," especially "unclean," consider that Jesus' only concern is how we treat others, even or especially those who are different from ourselves.

A whole lotta folk who think they are the sheep, will find themselves on the goat side of the ledger when Jesus returns, depending upon how they treat "the least of these," that is, if you believe Jesus who is the judge who is to come.

What is coming out of your heart, mouth and actions with regard to others who are not like yourself is of critical importance regarding your faithfulness to Jesus, according to Jesus. 

So, how impure, unholy or unclean are we?  What are we saying and doing about others who are not like us?  It really is that simple. 

Matthew 14:22-36 FEAR

 I believe that fear creates hatred and enmity between people, and therefore enmity with God.  The disciples were afraid.  It is counter to faith in God (see I John 4).   

I have been in boats in storms, mostly as a young child and teen.  It is a helpless feeling on Lake Erie as the waves crash and no matter how hard you pull the oars, it seems the lake is going to win - and we know what that means.

I have had dreams and what I believed at the time to be encounters with paranormal powers.  That is no fun either.

I now believe in God's Presence and Love and Grace as being that which is constant and is sufficient for me.

What I mean by that is that I do not look for supernatural interventions to save me.  I believe that I have been preserved from death numerous times in my life, but I do not believe that God either pulls chords or pushes buttons to bring me harm or deliver me from it.

I believe that when Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit descended, we were promised not to be left alone.  The Pentecost experience was God's dramatic way of saying, "I am still with you."

I believe in Jesus' ultimate act of Grace on the Cross to give salvation through His redemption to ALL people.

I believe in Jesus' Way for us - the way of living Agape Love in order to transform the world.

It is not as if God has said, "You are now on your own."  It is like God saying, "I am with you, and I have given you the Good News of Agape Love to guide you on how you live with one another in faithfulness to me."  

To count on supernatural interventions is to believe that I/we can do whatever we want in this life and God will save us from the consequences.  That is cheap Grace.  

Whether it is the stewardship of the creation, individual decisions, collective ideologies and words and actions or stupid words and actions, I do not believe that God is beholden to rescue us from ourselves or each other.  I believe that we have been given the teaching, commands and examples of Jesus to guide us on how to live in this part of God's Kingdom here and now, and I believe that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit to give us comfort and a sense of accountability to God and Neighbor.

I do not believe in the power of prayer.  I believe in the power of the ONE who answers prayer, and in my experience that answer is often NO or NOT YET, or YOU CAN DO BETTER YOURSELF.  I pray in thankfulness for God's Grace and the Gospel.  Period.

I am a person of the Way of Jesus.  I believe that living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us to live is faithfulness to God.

I do not look for God to rescue me supernaturally from the consequences of my actions.  I believe in God's Love, God's Grace, God's Forgiveness, God's Guidance and God's Presence in my life, and I believe that THAT is enough.

I also believe that I am accountable to God for how I live with God's children, my sisters and brothers, even strangers and enemies, and especially the most vulnerable among us.  I believe that I am accountable to counter the empire values, ideologies and systems that hurt God's children who are my sisters and brothers.

That is my creed.  On those principles I live and move and have my being within God.

"You give them something to eat."

 Matthew 14:13-21

14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14:14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
14:15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
14:16 Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
14:17 They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."
14:18 And he said, "Bring them here to me."
14:19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
14:20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.  14:21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus was grieving the death of John and wanted to be alone.

The crowd would not allow that.  They dogged Jesus with their needs, which were substantial.  Perhaps the text means that they just wanted to be near Jesus or even that they wanted to be supportive of Him, or even that they were shocked and grieving and needed Jesus to help them process this tragic loss.

Jesus had compassion for them and cured them, which may indicate that the first mentioned reason was the logical choice.  The needs never stop.  People were sick of being occupied and oppressed, of not having enough on which to live and be healthy.  They were sick of the violence and bigotry, the entitlement of others over them and that they had no agency of their own as they once had to thrive in the world.  They were sick of living under empire, and Jesus cured them of the manifestations of what this kind of stressful marginalization, disenfranchisement, exploitation, abuse and deprivation can do to people.

So, when the disciples would send them away to fend for themselves as empire would do, Jesus could not allow it.  Empire is an "every person for him/her/their self" ideology.  It is about taking care of number one, even at the expense of others.  Empire is about taking more than you will ever need in order to find your security, even as you watch others go without what they need because you have taken so much.  Empire does not live on trust in God to provide enough and it does not value everyone having enough.  The Kingdom values everyone in community having enough.  They did not have the means by which to take care of themselves or they would have done so.  No.  Jesus brought in Kingdom values, and taking care of needs is huge in the Kingdom of God, so He COMMANDED THEM, "You give them something to eat."  Even after their protestations, Jesus commanded them to go about serving God's children.  Even though they did not have the means by which to do this ministry, Jesus commanded them to live Agape Love and to the committed action of sharing what little one has for another in need.  And they all ate, and they were filled, and there were more leftovers than what they started with from the disciples.

Perhaps the miracle is in the blessing, breaking and multiplying of the food.

Perhaps the miracle is in the sharing of what they had and the contagious sharing of those in the crowd, truly exhibiting the Kingdom values that Jesus embodied.

Perhaps the miracle was in finding their agency in gathering an army of 5,000 men in a day, more than the cohort of Roman soldiers who ran roughshod over God's children in that region at the time.  Perhaps it was in the power of the Kingdom to de-weaponize food in the face of the Romans who took all that they wanted and left people with little of what they needed in order to live.

Perhaps the miracle that is conveyed in this Gospel is in all of it.

But it started with Jesus' command, continued with the obedience of those who claimed to be followers of Jesus, and ended in all of the people having Shalom on that day.  Imagine that.

When stockholders refuse to take less profit for the sake of workers who are in need, they are not heeding Jesus' command.

When CEO's are taking exorbitant raises for themselves as workers go without a living wage and/or health benefits, they are living Empire and not Kingdom values.

When politicians write laws that hurt the most vulnerable to the benefit of the already wealthy, they are not heeding Jesus' command.

When nations value their predatory economic system more than their citizens' well-being and need for healthcare, affordable housing, equal education and opportunities, living wages and security, they are empire.

When these folk are sitting in pews on Sundays, soaking in the sanctuary air and planting their asses on the pews or padded theater seats, they are the goats or wolves pretending to be the sheep.

And when churches justify the systems that create poverty for many while benefitting the few, and then refuse to use their resources to help those in need, they are giving their devotion to a god, but it is not Jesus.  

Everything that the Jesus of the Gospels taught, commanded and modeled in the living of Agape Love was counter to empire.  Jesus did not allow His followers to exhibit Empire values but commanded them to live that Agape Love in committed action on behalf of others, even strangers and enemies, and especially for the most vulnerable who are victimized by empire.  Jesus still commands us to choose the values of the Kingdom and not of empire in how we live in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.

In order to be faithful to God as followers of Jesus, we must live Agape Love.  It is all about Agape Love.  To quote the famous Rabbi Hillel the Elder, of whom Jesus (and the Gospel writers were) was certainly aware, "all else is commentary."

Until the transformative teaching of Agape Love that we share by word and example changes the hearts and minds of the people in this nation, so that the systems of this nation are finally just, equitable and thus faithful to God, we must bridge the gaps of need created by empire which are all around us, out of compassion and in Agape Love.  It is Jesus' command to any of us who would follow Him.

In the Kingdom...

 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

We live in THIS PART of the Kingdom, here and now, so we are subject to God's reign in our lives here and now.  Too many times we believe that the world (empire) owns this world here and now, but it is still the realm of God, and Jesus taught us about living Kingdom of God values here and now, so that we are in alignment with God's Will.  To be faithful to God's Will, for me, is living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us on how to live Agape Love (active commitment/committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy, and especially the most vulnerable in the world.)

Given that truth, when Jesus taught us Kingdom values through parables, it was intended to bring us in alignment with God's Will on how we live in God's Realm, here and now, so that we are not only heaven minded, but committed to being beloved community to transform the world in love.

The mustard seed is counter-empire culture teaching. Empire is concerned with the biggest and best, the most ostentatious, brash and over the top.  When it comes to wealth, status and power, empire wants everyone to know who is number one.  The little mustard seed is nothing.  But, as Jesus teaches us, it grows into something that sustains life.  While the things of empire drain and destroy communal life for the sake of "elite" individuals, the Kingdom of God builds up and sustains life in community.  The mustard seed grows to be a habitat for community that sustains communal life for some of God's small, but beloved creation.  The Kingdom takes seemingly small, insignificant people, words, actions and gestures, and makes them life-building and sustaining tools for community.

The yeast that looks like dry powder (or wet glop), when mixed with flour and water, spreads throughout and makes those substances, brought together, to expand and create the most marvelous of life sustaining treasures - bread.  Bread is a staple of life.  The yeast makes the bread more palatable.  It creates a whole other substance.  The sacrifice of eating unleavened bread is to remind us of how much of a gift the leavened stuff is to us.  The Kingdom of God is like that.  When the stuff of the Kingdom is spread, it enhances life.  Unlike empire that drains us of joyous delights, the Kingdom provides us with delight in life itself.  Unlike empire that spreads the things that kill our pleasure in the end so that a few can have pleasure at our expense, the Kingdom of God provides us with delight in the things that sustain our lives.

The treasure in the field was unexpectedly found.  It was hidden away, and when it has been found, the finder does whatever is necessary to get the whole field.  In the Kingdom, people have the means by which to do such a thing.  In the Kingdom, people find unexpected treasures and do whatever is necessary to hold onto them because they deeply value them.  Under empire, treasures are taken away from those who find them, or people are exploited in order that they may spend their lives getting such treasures for someone else's pleasure.  In the Kingdom, they are there for not just the finding, but the obtaining and keeping.  The treasures found in the Kingdom are far more valuable than those things treasured under empire, and wise people do whatever they can to keep them once they have been found.  In the Kingdom, the love we share, the well-being of sisters and brothers and all humanity, the goodwill and security of life in community and the simple needs of all people being met are truly treasures for which to be grateful.

The fine pearl is a treasure sought, and when it is found the finder does whatever is necessary to hold onto it.  Nothing else is as valuable, so the finder will get rid of all other things to hold onto this one thing.  What is that one thing that is most valuable that we all seek?  Is that not to love and be loved?  In the Kingdom, it is possible to find that pearl and hold it throughout our lives.  Empire would make us believe that love can be bought or that it is not real or not important, for empire lifts up values that are counter to the Love Jesus taught.  The Kingdom makes available to all of us the love that we have sought for our whole lives and gives us the means by which to live within it forever.

Like the weeds and wheat parable, the net and fish parable teaches us that there are many different fish in the sea, and that God decides in the end which ones are kept and which are discarded.  We are not the fish brokers in this parable.  We are the fishers of people who gather in the catch with love.  God sorts out the fish and decides their fate.  We are not the Judge.  In fact, Jesus commanded us, "Do not judge." We are to live that Love that Jesus commanded and find our treasure in this part of the Kingdom, here and now.  Other people, even those who are difficult, may be what we treasure, if we are faithful to Jesus.  Judging others puts us at enmity with them and with Jesus.  Believing ourselves to be superior in faith or any other way is an expression of Empire values and not Kingdom values.  The Kingdom is about gathering and letting God sort it all out in the end.  In the meantime, it is all about us living the Agape Love that Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us to live. 

We are children of the Kingdom, or we are children of Empire.  We live Kingdom values or we live Empire values in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.    

Every time...

 

Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Every time someone uses their freedom of speech to spread hatred, 

I think of this parable.

Every time someone takes a wonderful movement of love and turns 

it into a brutal world of judgement and exclusion, punitive control and 

hypocrisy, I think of this parable.

Every time a preacher or bishop twists the Good News of generosity in 

community into a get rich quick scheme at the expense of those who trust 

them, I think of this parable.

Every time people falsely believe themselves superior to others racially, 

sexually, economically, mentally or in any other way, I think of this parable.

Every time people claim to love the one who told this parable while doing 

just the opposite of what the teller taught, commanded and modeled on how 

to be faithful to God and Neighbor, I think of this parable.

Every time I see people struggling to survive because others have made their 

lives that hard for their own gain, I think of this parable.

Every time I see people being treated shamefully and the ones doing it feel no

shame, I think of this parable.

I think of this parable an aweful lot.  There is a lot of aweful.

But there will be a turn around.  It will come.  There are people who bear good 

fruit in the world and who sustain life instead of destroy it with others.  There 

will be a turn around when the movement of love does not die but thrives, and 

people come together because they see the wisdom, the hope and the sustainability 

of living that love.  There will be a turn around when people recognize the weeds 

for being weeds again, and leave them alone while they thrive, because the good 

fruit shall not be overcome by the weeds in the end, but will grow and thrive and 

produce in the lives of all those God loves.  There will be a turn around.

And the wheat...

And the weeds...