John 18:33-37
Reign of Christ Sunday
Pilate was in a fix. Torn as it were. Now don’t feel too sorry for him—he is known to have been a cruel and heartless ruler. He was the face of the Roman government in Judea; the envoy of Caesar, reporting directly to Caesar. And he ruled with a particularly heavy and fierce hand.
But on this day, the day we heard about in our gospel reading from John, Pilate faced two realms. He stood there between the realm of Jesus and the kingdom of Caesar. If you read the proceedings of the whole trial, as John puts it in his gospel starting at verse 28 up to verse 16 in the next chapter, you’ll notice that Pilate goes back and forth several times between the crowd outside and Jesus, whom he is interrogating.
He faces the two realms: the world, as played by the crowd, and the realm of God, as exemplified by Jesus. The world is particularly severe in their blood thirst that day. They cry out for Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate in the meantime is trying to discover what it is about Jesus that warrants death.
Pilate is indeed caught in between the two. On one hand, he doesn’t want a riot on his hands from the crowd. Nor does he want angry letters from the Jewish leadership going back to his boss in Rome. But, on the other hand, he has a man here who seems innocent. And, maybe, just maybe, Pilate caught an ever-so-brief glimpse of Jesus’ realm; that realm of love and peace. Can a man like Pilate catch a glimpse such as that? I suppose so; the question is whether he cares enough about that glimpse to act.
But Pilate continued that day to face the two realms: the one of Caesar, the other of Jesus. Between these two realms, he hovered, sometimes touching down in the world, at other times facing the realm of God as represented by this itinerant Jewish teacher.
Between two worlds. How often do we find ourselves in that position? Facing the world and its enticements on the one hand while recognizing that God’s realm is beckoning us on the other. We stand, astride the two, like the ancient Colossus of Rhodes stood astride the Mediterranean in ancient Greece.
The kingdom of this world uses all its powers to lure us into its web. We just have to watch an hour of tv to find out that we’re not driving the right car, buying our kids the right toys or drinking the right beers. If only we’d buy the right car, all would be well in our world. Our kids would grow up to be the brightest and best with the correct toys. And of course, drinking the right beer gets us the most beautiful babes; or hunks, depending on what you’re looking for.
This world will beguile you with its methods. It’s easy to fall under the spell of this realm. We do it every day, when we ignore a homeless person at our feet; or when we react with contempt and perhaps rage when another driver somehow wrongs us. We are under the spell of this world’s realm when we buy more things to soothe our pain, or when we seek solace through material possessions.
This world’s realm was signified by Caesar in Pilate’s day but now I think that Fifth Avenue is a more likely candidate to represent the realm of our world today. We crave things because we’re bombarded constantly by messages that you’re not good enough until you own more.
I believe it was John D. Rockefeller who was asked how much money is enough and he was quoted as saying, “One more dollar.” We’re never quite there to enough.
We’re entering the time of our most rampant consumption for our culture. Indeed, with “Shopping Friday” already behind us, the time has come, in our culture and society, for us to buy, buy, buy. That is clearly a sign of our world’s realm.
Another sign of our world’s realm would be the wars and fighting that are going on. Christ’s realm doesn’t include war or fighting. Throughout the earth we have battles going on: in the Sudan, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Iraq and so many others. The world’s realm continues to be one of greed and fighting: fighting often in the name of greed.
As terrible as I’ve drawn it, we are more comfortable in this world’s realm. We walk a tightrope between the two realms, sometimes favoring one side, sometimes glancing at the other. But clearly we are part and parcel of the world’s realm, catching glimpses, maybe like Pilate, of the other realm; the realm of Jesus.
We, as professed Christians, need to keep Christ’s realm before us always. We need to keep in sight this kingdom of peace and joy. It’s available to us. But it is a decision that we have to make. We have to cast off this world and work for the coming of God’s realm in our time. A time when wars cease and no one, child or adult, goes to bed hungry or without a roof over their head. A time when our elected government doesn’t matter anymore and we are ruled by one whose word is trustworthy and immutable.
It is a balancing act: living in this world but keeping an eye on Christ’s realm. But viewing the beauty of that kingdom will leave us wanting more; it will leave us with an urge to work to bring it to full fruition; work that will take us to the places where God is needed most.
29 October 2006
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
We’ve been following the story of Job for the past three weeks in the lectionary. Today’s reading culminates the lectionary’s selections from Job. Job is part of the wisdom writings in the Hebrew Bible, which are those writings, like the Psalms, Proverbs and others, that don’t fit into the categories of the law and the prophets. Job is a story to remind us of God’s greatness and power. Today’s reading concludes the book of Job and gives it the happy ending we all want.
At the beginning of the book, we first heard how Job was a blameless and upright man: a man with whom God was pleased. But in a sort of bet with God, Satan gets to inflict sores all over Job’s body. Job’s wife wanted Job to just curse God and get it over with. But Job remained a good and righteous man—even through the itching and the scratching. In the process Job loses everything he has, including his family. Over the following two weeks we hear short selections of the 42 books of Job.
The parts that the lectionary left out are long discourses by friends of Job, who show up when they hear of Job’s suffering.. They come and sit in silence for seven days with Job. Just sitting there as he’s rubbing his sores. Maybe they’re stunned by Job’s misfortune. Perhaps they are planning what they’re going to say—because each of them has a lot to say.
The friends of Job basically have three things to say (since there’s three of them it makes sense). According to Anna Grant-Henderson, an Old Testament scholar in Australia, the friends come with three basic premises:
1 “Eliphaz comes with the basic premise that the innocent never suffer permanently. He believes that Job is essentially innocent and consequently his suffering will be over soon (Clines:1989, xl). But even the most innocent of humans must expect to suffer deservedly.
2 Bildad is even more convinced about the doctrine of retribution after seeing the demise of Job's family- they must have been very wicked. However, Job is still alive and there must be some hope for him
3 Zophar has no intention of trying to lessen the sin for Job. He is guilty because he is suffering and even worse, Job refuses to acknowledge it, therefore he is a far worse sinner than anyone could have imagined. Zophar offers little hope.” (http://oldtestamentlectionary.unitingchurch.org.au/2006/October/Pent21Job42_06.htm)
But none of them seem to hit the nail on the head as far as Job is concerned. They all far short. Job hasn’t sinned and Job doesn’t deserve any punishment.
Then, Job raises his voice in question to God, Godself. But he claims he doesn’t know where to find God. God seems to be absent in the midst of all this, Job says. “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face,” Job says (23:17). I don’t think anyone us fault Job in the midst of all this. Who wouldn’t take his side? Where is God?
Well, God has a few things to say to Job, finally. We heard some of God’s words last week: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” (38:4-7) In other words, do you really think you’re significant enough to question me? God doesn’t really provide an answer to Job or the friends about Job’s suffering.
In today’s reading, as I said, we get the happy ending. Job answers back to God and basically says that he didn’t know what he was talking about and that God’s majesty is beyond human understanding. And then God restored the fortunes of Job, to twice what they were before.
An interesting side note that has scholars and others wondering is that oddly enough, Job’s daughters are named in the book: Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-happuch. But his sons are not named. And the author of Job further goes on to point out that Job included his daughters in his inheritance. This would truly be an unheard of thing during this time period. Did the author of Job want to emphasize how tremendously gracious God had been to Job and that Job was passing that on? We may never know.
The book of Job is all about suffering and God’s place in that suffering. I’m reminded, through all of this, of what I consider to be the worst funeral sermon I’ve ever heard in my life. It was at the funeral of my Uncle Gerald, who had died after a long, difficult and painful struggle with cancer. The preacher at the funeral said, trying to explain why my uncle’s life at the end had to be so difficult, that perhaps it was because of some small sin that he had committed in his childhood. That was not a satisfactory answer to most of my family there that day.
We try to explain suffering. We try to understand why some people suffer and others don’t. We try to attach suffering to actions or behaviors. But none of it makes the sufferer any less unhappy with his or her suffering. But what do we believe about suffering and where do we believe God is in the midst of suffering?
I don’t believe that some evil form personified, such as the devil, goes around and attacks people just to see how faithful they are to God. Nor does God inflict suffering so that God can see how faithful the sufferer remains. Nor do I believe that God metes out suffering to us according to our sinfulness.
We are just mere humans, as Job learned, who have no idea about God’s ultimate majesty. But I do believe that God suffers with us. As each human goes through suffering of whatever kind, God is there with them.
The book of Job is instructive to us. Not because it answers the big questions about suffering, but because it reminds us of God’s power and God’s majesty in the midst of suffering. This is not about justice—it is about God’s mercy. And God’s mercy is wider than we can imagine.
We’ve been following the story of Job for the past three weeks in the lectionary. Today’s reading culminates the lectionary’s selections from Job. Job is part of the wisdom writings in the Hebrew Bible, which are those writings, like the Psalms, Proverbs and others, that don’t fit into the categories of the law and the prophets. Job is a story to remind us of God’s greatness and power. Today’s reading concludes the book of Job and gives it the happy ending we all want.
At the beginning of the book, we first heard how Job was a blameless and upright man: a man with whom God was pleased. But in a sort of bet with God, Satan gets to inflict sores all over Job’s body. Job’s wife wanted Job to just curse God and get it over with. But Job remained a good and righteous man—even through the itching and the scratching. In the process Job loses everything he has, including his family. Over the following two weeks we hear short selections of the 42 books of Job.
The parts that the lectionary left out are long discourses by friends of Job, who show up when they hear of Job’s suffering.. They come and sit in silence for seven days with Job. Just sitting there as he’s rubbing his sores. Maybe they’re stunned by Job’s misfortune. Perhaps they are planning what they’re going to say—because each of them has a lot to say.
The friends of Job basically have three things to say (since there’s three of them it makes sense). According to Anna Grant-Henderson, an Old Testament scholar in Australia, the friends come with three basic premises:
1 “Eliphaz comes with the basic premise that the innocent never suffer permanently. He believes that Job is essentially innocent and consequently his suffering will be over soon (Clines:1989, xl). But even the most innocent of humans must expect to suffer deservedly.
2 Bildad is even more convinced about the doctrine of retribution after seeing the demise of Job's family- they must have been very wicked. However, Job is still alive and there must be some hope for him
3 Zophar has no intention of trying to lessen the sin for Job. He is guilty because he is suffering and even worse, Job refuses to acknowledge it, therefore he is a far worse sinner than anyone could have imagined. Zophar offers little hope.” (http://oldtestamentlectionary.unitingchurch.org.au/2006/October/Pent21Job42_06.htm)
But none of them seem to hit the nail on the head as far as Job is concerned. They all far short. Job hasn’t sinned and Job doesn’t deserve any punishment.
Then, Job raises his voice in question to God, Godself. But he claims he doesn’t know where to find God. God seems to be absent in the midst of all this, Job says. “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face,” Job says (23:17). I don’t think anyone us fault Job in the midst of all this. Who wouldn’t take his side? Where is God?
Well, God has a few things to say to Job, finally. We heard some of God’s words last week: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” (38:4-7) In other words, do you really think you’re significant enough to question me? God doesn’t really provide an answer to Job or the friends about Job’s suffering.
In today’s reading, as I said, we get the happy ending. Job answers back to God and basically says that he didn’t know what he was talking about and that God’s majesty is beyond human understanding. And then God restored the fortunes of Job, to twice what they were before.
An interesting side note that has scholars and others wondering is that oddly enough, Job’s daughters are named in the book: Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-happuch. But his sons are not named. And the author of Job further goes on to point out that Job included his daughters in his inheritance. This would truly be an unheard of thing during this time period. Did the author of Job want to emphasize how tremendously gracious God had been to Job and that Job was passing that on? We may never know.
The book of Job is all about suffering and God’s place in that suffering. I’m reminded, through all of this, of what I consider to be the worst funeral sermon I’ve ever heard in my life. It was at the funeral of my Uncle Gerald, who had died after a long, difficult and painful struggle with cancer. The preacher at the funeral said, trying to explain why my uncle’s life at the end had to be so difficult, that perhaps it was because of some small sin that he had committed in his childhood. That was not a satisfactory answer to most of my family there that day.
We try to explain suffering. We try to understand why some people suffer and others don’t. We try to attach suffering to actions or behaviors. But none of it makes the sufferer any less unhappy with his or her suffering. But what do we believe about suffering and where do we believe God is in the midst of suffering?
I don’t believe that some evil form personified, such as the devil, goes around and attacks people just to see how faithful they are to God. Nor does God inflict suffering so that God can see how faithful the sufferer remains. Nor do I believe that God metes out suffering to us according to our sinfulness.
We are just mere humans, as Job learned, who have no idea about God’s ultimate majesty. But I do believe that God suffers with us. As each human goes through suffering of whatever kind, God is there with them.
The book of Job is instructive to us. Not because it answers the big questions about suffering, but because it reminds us of God’s power and God’s majesty in the midst of suffering. This is not about justice—it is about God’s mercy. And God’s mercy is wider than we can imagine.
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