Division and Courage
12th Sunday after Pentecost
August 15 2010
Rev. Barry W. Szymanski, J.D.
First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa

READING
Luke 12:49-56
Jesus said this to his followers:
‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ Jesus also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? May we be blessed by these sacred words of scripture.

SERMON:

We are used to a gentle Jesus. A Jesus of peace. A Jesus of reconciliation – and forgiveness. Today's Gospel reading shows an impatient, almost angry, Jesus. You may be somewhat shocked by this reading. Picture, if you will, Jesus when he spoke these words. Was he shouting? Were his eyes ablaze? How did he gesture? His words can burn into you: ‘I came to bring fire to the earth . . .! ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! These are not gentle words.

If I said, from this pulpit, that I came to bring fire to this church, to this congregation, you may start to wonder about who I am, and what I am about to do. And if I included, how I wish it were already kindled! You might be baffled. Yet Jesus clearly said, “I came to bring fire to the earth," and he added, "and how I wish it were already kindled!"

If a preacher would follow in Jesus footsteps, should a preacher bring fire? and kindle a church? What happened to our nice Jesus? What kind of person speaks to his followers and says, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" Would some believe Jesus to be a terrorist? -- a radical? Or was he intent on following God's will?

Have we, in 2010, so watered down Jesus' Gospel that it is a shadow of what he meant it to be? Let us remember that Jesus died standing up for what he believed! Are we willing to face death for anything we believe in? Members of our armed forces are dying almost daily in the Mideast this very month. They are dying for us. So, should we dilute the Gospel? Should this passage have even been remembered and written down in the scriptures? Should it be preached on? Or, as some ministers do, pick another passage, which sits well on the shelf and certainly speaks better from the pulpit?

Let us move into this reading: From a historical context, we learn that family and tribe meant everything to the early peoples of history. If you insulted one member of a family or tribe, every member would retaliate on his or her behalf. If you declared one member of a family or tribe to be your enemy, you would have declared that every member of that family or tribe was your enemy. This type of tribal and extended family life is very similar to the ways that some gangs operate today. Hurt one, you hurt them all. Make one gang member an enemy, and all will get even with you. So one way of looking at Jesus' words is that he was trying to have us break out of that 'gang' mentality – that our family is right no matter what they do or say – simply because they are family.

Jesus is saying that his Gospel is more important than allegiance to a family, or tribe, or gang. The point is that the loyalty that we owe to Jesus demands adherence to his message of faithfulness to God – not faithfulness to another person – even if that other person is a spouse, father, mother, or any other member of your family.

What about at work? in business? You commit yourself to an employer – a company. Your professed duty is to your fellow workers. But what happens when the culture of your company shifts and theft becomes common? What happens if the company tells you to look away when fraud to customers occurs? What do you do when criminal offenses take place at your company? Is Jesus telling us that his Gospel is more important than allegiance to your company? and your fellow employees? and your boss? Does the loyalty that we owe to Jesus demand adherence to his message of faithfulness to God – -- not faithfulness to a company – even if the employer is our source of income?

What about friends? Peer pressure? What happens at the 19th and 20th holes after golf? What kind of peer pressure do we have to abuse alcohol? - or drugs? - to cheat? - to abuse relationships? Are peer pressures the same for all ages?

I am an old guy. But I look at the pressures on teenagers and people in their 20's. It is immense. We should, at some point in our lives, more or less settle on who we are. But at our earliest stages of life we want to conform to the subgroup, which comprises our friends. How far does that conforming go? How much pressure is on?

One city even advertises to all age groups: 'What happens here, stays here.' Is Jesus telling us that his Gospel is more important than allegiance to our companions? our friends? our peers? Does the loyalty that we owe to Jesus demand adherence to his message of faithfulness to God – not faithfulness to a group of people – even if they say that they are our friends? Did Jesus address our own lives? Did he speak to the division, which occurs within each of us?

We have all seen the old image of a devil in a red jump suit who is sitting on a person's shoulder whispering in that person's left ear while an angel in a white gown with wings is sitting on that person's right shoulder whispering counter messages on the other ear. That image of temptation and call to virtue may be passé. However, that image is still striking enough for us to take note that we have decisions to make. We have to daily decide questions of conscience. Decisions of what is right and what is wrong. When Jesus asked us, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" Jesus is asking us to realize that following him requires that we will often have no peace of conscience. Instead, even our own selves will be divided - between what we want, - and what is right. - between what we covet, - and what is moral. - between what is a vice, - and what is virtue. Modern psychiatry has new ways of looking at how we function as humans.

But, even the decades old concepts of Sigmund Freud of ego, super-ego, and id give us an insight into the partition that can, and often does, occur within us -- our inner separation of how we make decisions, especially in matters of conscience. Jesus tells us that to follow him results in division. The division is between his Gospel - and what is corrupt in the world, what is morally wrong in the world, and what is depraved in the world.

It is clear in the Gospel that Jesus is a peaceful man. He shows mercy and compassion. He is justice. But Jesus was also a realist. His head was not in the clouds – and his feet were certainly on the ground. He knew that there are people who are peace loving; but others who are violent. There are people who show mercy; but others whose cruelty is beyond description. Jesus knew that some people have a great sense of sympathy, and others even a wonderful empathy; but there are some whose hearts are as cold as ice.

Jesus experienced the fairness of people in his village, in the marketplace, and in dealing with others, but also observed the injustices which daily occurred around him. Just listen to Jesus' stories about abused servants in his parables – and people investing unwisely – and some not using common sense - and of murderers killing a rich man's son in order to take over a vineyard. Jesus was not an idealist, but practical. He tells us that courage is essential to follow him. That is where the division comes.

For us to be courageous means to stand up for the Gospel. To stand up for God. But to be a pragmatist in doing so. Jesus' example was clear: “He said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens."

Look at the country of Israel. When the clouds form over the Mediterranean Sea and the wind is blowing over the sea toward Israel, and when those moisture-laden clouds come over the dry land, it will rain. Again, look at the country of Israel. South of there are the extremely hot deserts of Arabia. When the wind blows over those burning deserts toward Israel, they will bring scorching heat with them. Jesus confirmed to the crowds that they were well able to read clouds and wind. So he questioned them as to why they did not know “. . . how to interpret the present time?" Jesus told them to simply look around them. See society as it is. Then act with courage to do God's will. Jesus tells us to simply look around us. See society as it is. Then act with courage to do God's will.

This morning's reading from Hebrews [11:29-12:2] spoke of the faith of some of the heroes of Israel, but, perhaps it also spoke to those who, with tremendous courage, ". . .administered justice, . . . shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, . . . [and that] Others were tortured, . . . Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; . . ." The author of Hebrews then told us, his readers, that “. . .since we are surrounded by . . . great . . . witnesses, let us . . . run with perseverance . . . looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, . . . and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus showed incredible courage. In those years after Jesus died, his followers showed awesome courage. Courage is what we need. Courage is what we pray for when we ask God that His ". . . will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

The lack of courage to live God's intent was the message of the prophet Isaiah [ISAIAH 5:1-7] to the people of Israel when he wrote about God as a wine grower. He told his listeners that his beloved was a wine grower who planted choice vines on fertile soil.

While the vines and grapes were growing the wine grower built a wine vat, anticipating good wine. When the time came to pick the grapes, the vines yielded bitter wild grapes, which were not fit for wine. So the wine grower let the vines be trampled by animals. He even told the clouds not to rain on the vineyard.

Then Isaiah told his listeners that in his story the wine grower is God. The vineyard ". . . is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his planting; [that God] expected justice, . . ." from the people of Israel, but instead saw violence and atrocities; [that God expected] virtue and moral living from his chosen people, but heard cries from the many victims of bias, unfairness and fraud.

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 80, which we prayed this morning, picked up Isaiah's story, and rewrote it as a Psalm. The Psalmist obviously felt it was so important to retell it; and he added a prayer to God: Let us end with his prayer, and a prayer for courage:

LET US PRAY:
Lord ". . .give us life, and we will call on your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved." Lord Jesus, give us the courage to follow you. We know that to live life as you taught us, that our commitment must be to you. We pray that we be on fire as you were on fire. We pray that we live our baptism to be children of God, kindled with your passion to do God's will. We pray that we strive to be people of justice, compassion, mercy, and peace, yet knowing that there are times when we must make a choice of loyalty and faithfulness to you, rather than to those who do not follow the Gospel. Lord Jesus, give us the courage to follow you. Amen.

ALL READINGS:
Luke 12:49-56
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Psalm80
Isaiah 5:1-7
Hebrews 11:29-12:2

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

ISAIAH 5:1-7

Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between my vineyard and me. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord ofhosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!