Proper 8C (1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62)6/27/2018 1. I want to ask if there’s anyone who feels that today’s gospel is quite bothersome. For me, it is disturbing and confusing. First let’s take a look at the disciples. The disciples are ready to command fire from heaven and consume the Samaritans who refuse to accept the gospel. How cruel, unforgiving, and impatient they are. They just want to burn the entire town for their rejection.
Another troubling part comes in three instances. Jesus rejects the one who desires to follow him. Then Jesus seems to condemn those who say they would follow only after they bury their father, and say goodbyes to their family. This time, Jesus sounds harsh, mean, and impatient. A similar story shows up in the lesson from the First Book of Kings. Juanita read it for us. In that lesson, we see Elijah and Elisha. This story is similar to the one from the gospel. Elijah throws his mantle over Elisha. It’s a symbol that Elisha is called to be God’s prophet. Elisha follows after Elijah. And he says, “Let me say goodbyes to my parents.” Elijah’s response is similar to that of Jesus. Go back again. Why bother to follow me? Today’s lessons in overall do not comfort us at all. They somehow unsettle us. They cause more confusion than clarity. And I don’t want to confuse you more. 2. Today’s gospel reading is something that requires us to read the whole chapter 9 of St. Luke’s gospel. It’s in relation with other parts of Chapter 9. This chapter has some foreshadowing images: Jesus’ identity, his feeding of the 5000, transfiguration, and his death. It’s not too difficult for us to imagine that these images point to the Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. The foreshadowing images of Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday come up first in chapter 9. Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 reminds us of the Eucharist. Maundy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist. On the other hand, Chapter 9 describes the transfiguration of Jesus. This is the foreshadowing image of the risen Christ. Easter Sunday is foreseen. In chapter 9, the foreshadowing images of Good Friday come with the appearance of Herod, and the disputes over his true identity. Jesus explicitly foretells his death. 3. Today’s gospel reading fits in this foreshadowing image of Good Friday. Jesus is rejected by the Samaritans who do not share the same ideals with the Jews. Jesus is actually rejected because of his Jewish identity. And we all know that he will be rejected by the local Jewish authorities. His responses to those potential disciples also point to Good Friday. Jesus has nowhere to lay his head. Instead he’s hung on the cross. He leaves his home and family to proclaim the kingdom of God. He puts a hand to the plow, and never looks back. Jesus never looks back from the cross where he’s hung, but proclaims, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) 4. Good Friday in today’s gospel is being thrown at us. It stirs us up. The passion of Christ unsettles our lives. We are called Christians, simply because we follow Jesus, his way to the crucifixion and resurrection. We become “the other Christs.” We’ll be rejected when we proclaim the kingdom of God in the world where every human being wants to proclaim the kingdom of their own. And in this world, Jesus expects us to have nowhere to lay our heads. In this world that worships violence, terror, and hatred, we will be homeless. In this kind of world, Jesus is on the move so are we. We are called to leave our family and never look back. I don’t think Jesus means that we should care less about our family. The father in the gospel represents one’s roots, one’s ancestors, one’s tradition. We’re called to expand our family. Jesus calls us to get out of our comfort zone. Don’t ditch your family, but create your new family. Whether we recognize it or not, we already have a new family. We are embodied into this new household of God called Church. Last Saturday, I was blessed and loved by so many family members. I think I have about more than 5 mothers I can count. I have many fathers. I have so many brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. Are these people blood-related with me? Yes, of course. The blood of Christ binds us all together. The Eucharist constantly creates and binds us all as the family of God as God’s children. 5. Good Friday might scare us. It terrifies us only if we live in this time of Good Friday. But let’s not forget that the Paschal Mystery is not just about the passion of Jesus. The Paschal Mystery includes the crucifixion and resurrection. Chapter 9 of St. Luke’s gospel doesn’t leave us in darkness. There’s the Eucharist. There’s the Transfigured Jesus who mirrors our own images. There’s the resurrection. When we partake the Eucharist, we are once again reminded that we are new beings, that we are called to imitate Christ, that we are other Christs. The Eucharist makes us who we are. The Eucharist creates in us a new kind of family. All Saints is the evidence of God’s work through the Eucharist. I want all of us to look around. What in the world are we doing here? We don’t look alike. We are so different. But we are one body. Let us not be afraid to be rejected for proclaiming the kingdom of God, the love of Christ. Let us never seek a home in this world that worships hatred, but find ourselves at the cross. Let us never look back. Instead, let us ask for grace to risk something big for something good, grace to remember that the world is too dangerous now for anything but truth, and too small for something but love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
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