Sermon Text: SubversiveI am not a rebel.
I am not a subversive. I am not a rabble-rouser. I am usually on the safe side of the street. I am usually on the sane side of the street. I am usually on the quiet side of the street. But then there’s Jesus. I can’t get over him. I can’t ignore him. And sometimes, I can’t believe him! He’s a rebel. He’s subversive. And he’s a rabble-rouser. Take today’s story from Mark’s Gospel. This poor widow gives all her money to the Temple. And lots of preachers hold her up as a great example. We should all give like she did, they say. Well, I’ve come to realize that Jesus the rebel isn’t really saying that. Jesus the subversive is actually lamenting how she is the victim of the greed of the religious system! She has been taught by the religious leaders to give this way. But I think Jesus looks at this as exploitation. Jesus is opposed to the system that motivates her action. He condemns the people who conditioned her to do it. They devour widow’s houses, Jesus says. They love their titles, their robes, their front seats...but they devour widow’s houses. It happened back then, and it happens now. Some TV preachers tell people that even if they have only a few dollars left, they should send them in to the ministry. Then, the preachers claim, God will send more money their way. Jesus opposes a religious system like that. Our story today says that Jesus sat down “opposite” the Temple treasury. I think St. Mark the gospel writer used that word “opposite” on purpose. Jesus is opposed to making people buy access to God. Jesus is opposed to buying and selling heaven’s favors. Jesus is opposed to any exploitive religious system. Why else would he overturn the tables of the Temple money changers? God’s house is free to all, and God’s grace is free to all. So Jesus is on the widow’s side. It’s no surprise. The God of Israel has always been on the side of the orphan and widow. We had a reading today from the Book of Ruth, and that book has the same message. Jesus loves everybody, but has a special place in his heart for the neediest and the underdogs. It’s one reason I love him. Jesus sees through the religious exploitation, and Jesus speaks against it. And this gets Jesus killed in the end. I read about another widow, this one closer to our own time. It was back in the 1940s. A widow in Chicago lived with her young son in a poor neighborhood. She somehow manages to pay for him to go to a parochial school. One day, the priest tells the boy that he needs five dollars to say mass for the boy’s deceased father. If mass is not said for him, the priest tells the boy, his father will never see God’s face. The boy is very upset, of course. He goes home. With tears in his eyes, he begs his mother. “Dad will never see God’s face if we don’t have a mass said for him!” The widow gives her son the five dollars. The boy gives it to the priest. The priest says the mass. A couple of weeks later, the priest tells the boy the same thing. His deceased father will never see God’s face unless more masses are said. The boy is upset again, and goes home to beg his mother for another five dollars. He tells his mom, “If we don’t do it, Dad will never see God’s face!” But this time, the widow holds her ground. She says, “Well, then let him look at God’s backside!” I love that story! That woman is a rebel! That woman is a subversive! That woman is like Jesus! She says what Jesus says. God is on the side of the poor. God lifts up the lowly. Access to God is not for sale...not by any temple, not by any priest, not by anybody. I think this is just so great! But I’m not like Jesus, nor am I like that widow. I’m a religious leader who wears robes and has a special seat for worship. But by God’s name, I better not be someone who devours widows’ houses! If there is a conflict, I want to be on the side of Jesus, not the side of the religious institution. But still, I did tell the truth when I began my comments today. I am not a rebel. I am not a subversive. I am not a rabble-rouser. I am usually on the safe side of the street. I am usually on the sane side of the street. I am usually on the quiet side of the street. But then there’s Jesus! I can’t get over him. I can’t ignore him. And sometimes, I can’t believe him. But I want to. I hope I can get to his side of the street. I hope I can follow his policies. I hope I can follow him on the way. And I hope the same thing for you. Let’s be rabble Jesus rouses. Let’s follow this subversive rabbi who loves everybody, but has an extra-special place in his heart for the least ones, the littlest ones, and the loneliest ones. That’s the Jesus kind of subversion. And it’s who we should become. |
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11/14/2018
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