Here I Stand
Listen.June 22nd, 2008
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
Our passage this morning from the gospel of Matthew has the aura of an espionage thriller. We read about words spoken in secret, bodies being killed, oaths of loyalty expected, denial and intrigue in families. What a passage!
As I read through the reading, I began to think about some of my favorite movie thrillers. Alfred Hitchcock is perhaps my favorite when it comes to espionage. Remember the movie North by Northwest? It starred Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill the business man who by sheer circumstance was mistaken for the non-existent secret agent George Kaplan. The intrigue surrounding his efforts at trying to elude the bad guys in the person of James Mason who played the foreign agent Philip VanDamm and his henchmen kept me riveted to my seat. It has all the aspect of the espionage thriller that we love: a mysterious woman named Eve Kendell played by Eva Marie Saint. The chase scenes are epic as the bad guys chase the hapless Thornhill throughout the United States as he tries to unravel what is happening and why.
Of course I love the movie because we find Thornhill traveling across country in a train. There is tension and excitement from the moment Thornhill begins his adventure until we find the principles fighting on the famous monument Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
As we read the text for this morning we begin to feel the same anticipation, excitement and intrigue that we feel when watching one of these thrilling movies.
A thrilling passage
Last week our reading focused on Jesus sending out his twelve inner circle disciples to proclaim the good news to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to travel light and expect opposition in certain areas. When people did not welcome the disciples, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on to the next village. Their message was important and urgent.
This morning we begin by Jesus reminding his disciples that the disciple, or student, is not above his teacher. It is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher. Why should the disciple expect any different response to their mission that the response that the teacher elicited from the people; after all some had referred to Jesus as Beelzebul? Originally, Beelzebul referred to the “lord of the temple” in Baal worship. Baal was a Canaanite god. In Jesus’ day Beelzebul was considered the “ruler of the demons.” It shows that opposition to Jesus was strong and fierce. Should it be any different for his followers?
Why was this opposition so strong and vehement? Perhaps this was because the disciples proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. Calling him Messiah had political overtones; both in terms of Jewish belief and in terms of Roman belief. The Jewish population did not readily believe that Jesus was the Messiah who would come and overthrow the Roman rulers. But the claim of the disciples would point to that. If he was the Messiah then the power of the religious leaders would be upset. Rome would have been prepared to kill this radical person bent on overthrowing the government. But equally problematic for Jesus and his followers was the title, “Son of God.” This was used in reference to Jesus, but in Rome only the emperor was called “Son of god.” In addition to this political intrigue Jesus’ followers lived out their vision of a society driven by values consistent with the reign of God. They would challenge certain social structures, public rituals, etc. Opposition was great in reaction to Jesus and his itinerant radical young disciples.
Words of comfort come from Jesus and would help lift and encourage the disciples in their mission. He remarks that they should not fear those who are in opposition to the good news of the Kingdom. They are to proclaim the message boldly. What he has told them secretly they are to proclaim publically; in other words that he is the Messiah, the Christ. The word ‘them’ referred to anyone who had the power and authority to suppress them. After all, the opposition can only kill the body but not the soul. Fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell; God!
By the way, when Matthew wrote this gospel, the Christian community was experiencing local persecution, not the grand scale persecution that occurred later in the 2nd century. The Romans were rather tolerant of people’s faith during the 1st century.
With these words of encouragement and the challenge before them the disciples and all who believed in Jesus as the Messiah were to go out and engage in fearless and public proclamation. The reality would set in. People would not all believe. There would be created division among people even people in the same house and family, but the mission was vitally important and so very urgent. Trusting in God’s promise and with the words of encouragement and eternal life, the disciples charged into the world bringing God’s love and grace and mercy into the hearts and lives of people throughout Israel.
Thrills and spills
As we have heard many times, “Christianity is one generation away from extinction.” This means that it is up to each one of us in our age and generation to share the good news with others so that the Spirit will bring others to faith and abundant life in Christ Jesus. We are called and challenged to be Jesus’ disciples in the world today proclaiming God’s word and living our lives with different values than the world understands. Have we responded to the spirit’s pull to be disciples?
The term disciple means to be a student of someone. Are we students of Jesus? Do we devote time and energy to God’s word so that we know what Jesus wants us to do and to be? Do we search through scripture to find words of encouragement and hope? Do we find in scripture the values that shape our lives?
Being a disciple of Jesus, however, is more than simply being a student of the Word, a disciple also wants to be like the teacher. The disciples want to imitate the teacher. Is this getting a bit more difficult? If our lives are lived imitating the one who sends us into the world, does our life reflect the teachings, the values, the ethics, the love for others that was exhibited by our Lord?
As we ask ourselves these questions, perhaps we can see the glaring areas where we have failed to live lives in imitation of Jesus. Certainly society is different, but shouldn’t our lives reflect our teacher and Lord rather than any society?
At a certain age, it seems as if every child becomes clingy to one or both of the parents. The child will not let go, he or she simply wants the security of being held. It’s a tough job for parents to let go and let their child go. To what are we clinging that may keep us from proclaiming Jesus and living as his disciples in our world today? What are our fears? What is holding us back?
What is it that keeps us clinging to the wrong things? Fear of failure? Fear of rejection? Fear of letting go of our security? Fear of letting go of our prejudices or our selfish desires? Each of us may have different reasons, compelling to us, but insignificant to the mission. Prayerfully let us open our lives and allow the Spirit of God to move us deeper into lives of disciples. I pray that the Spirit will enable us to live boldly as God’s people today with all the thrills and spills that come with being Jesus’ disciple.
A question of loyalty
As a disciple, one of the greatest challenges we have is to love Jesus above everything else. This is an issue of loyalty. Where do we place our loyalty? From our experience we understand that many secular organizations demand loyalty and commitment. When we join and organization there are expectations placed upon us; perhaps in the area of financial support, attendance at functions; willingness to help where needed and being energetic is getting other people to join.
We see this in social organizations, in sports programs and other areas. Often their level of expectation exceeds what the church expects, because the church has been part of the culture so long that the special and eternal aspect has been lost.
But today, our passage reminds us that a disciple is to be loyal to the Lord above everything else; whether society or family, the Lord comes first. Difficult and hard as this saying is, we understand that our Lord is first. We fear the one who has authority to destroy body and soul. This is the one who has also shown us his love and grace and mercy in Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. Placing our faith and trust in him, we receive forgiveness and true abundant life forever.
That is the good news, the news we are called to share with others. Living in Christ as his disciple is a thrilling experience and brings us such a full life energized by the spirit that we need to share it in spite of consequence. As we live our lives in this day and age, may our loyalty be to Christ Jesus above and beyond anything else.
Conclusion
On April 18, 1521, Martin Luther stood before Emperor Charles V of Germany. He defended his writings, based on Scripture, against the church of his day and in opposition to the government. At the end of his statement, Luther defended his writing and theology and confessed by saying, “Unless I am convinced by scripture or plain reason … I can not and I will not recant. God help me.” Later additions included the words, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.” In loyalty to our Lord above all else, may we confess, “Here I stand. God help me. Amen.”