Series: Leaning into the peace of God
Sermon: Ignore the Pharisees
A sermon by Fr. Rian Adams. Proper 21, Year A. Matthew 21:23-32
I heard a story about a marital conflict that started at a reunion.
A husband and wife were sitting at a table at the husband’s 25th high school reunion when the wife noticed a lady sitting alone at a table nursing her third drink.
The wife asked her husband, “Do you know her?”
“Yes,” he sighed,
“She’s my old girlfriend. Bless her heart, and I hear she started drinking right after we broke up, and I hear she hasn’t been sober since.”
“My God!” his wife said, “Who would think a person could go on
celebrating for that long?”
And that’s when the fight started…
Where we’ve been:
This is week four of preaching about conflict! Week one was the conflict with others, week two was conflict within the self, last week was the conflict with God, and today, we’re leaning into the peace of God by exploring conflict with… Pharisees.
How do we recognize it? How do we respond to it? And how do we ultimately let it go and live in peace? Those are the questions the peace of God asks us to answer today.
Resistance and the state of the soul:
Often you can measure the peace of someone’s soul based on how many things they feel the need to resist, fight against, protest, and boycott; if you die on every hill, well, you will die a lot sooner than if you pick a really good one.
The religious leaders in today’s Gospel resisted Jesus. They didn’t fight the oppressive Roman governor, the political pawn of a high-priest, the aggressive soldiers, or even their king who stole his brother’s wife.
They resisted Jesus because he stood for love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and religious justice.
Power & Preference?
At this point in Matthew’s Gospel, the chief priests and the most influential men in Jerusalem conspire to kill Jesus. He is a threat to their power.
Let’s name something this morning; on the surface, and it’s easy to judge Pharisees and religious leaders. But, in some ways, in many ways, I almost understand their positions. Were they not just trying to follow their God?
In their time, the law was the only way to please God. In their minds, God sent them into exile and slavery 500 years before because they failed to keep all the 613 rules outlined in the law of Moses.
It seems like they wanted to make sure the people followed the laws and remained safe from God’s judgment. In many ways, they saw themselves as public servants—people called to help the normal person understand the written law’s complexities and oral tradition.
It’s no surprise they set a trap for Jesus. In their minds, Jesus was out of control when he rode a donkey into the temple the day before acting like their Messiah. He even dared to let others refer to him as the anointed one, the son of David.
Then he went over to the tables where people purchased sacrifices to offer to God and flipped them over while he screamed about making his father’s house a den of thieves.
He was a danger to others! He would bring God’s judgment as well as Roman’s punishment.
Is their zeal justified?
Dismiss Foolishness:
How many of you know the expression, “OK, Boomer?”
It’s relatively new on the scene. It became big in November 2019. What does it mean? Well, allow me to read what it means to you from the Wikipedia page:
The phrase has been used as a retort for perceived resistance to technological change, climate change denial, marginalization of members of minority groups, or opposition to younger generations’ ideals…
They are saying that sometimes people, which has nothing to do with age, dismiss views just because if they adopted them, they would have to change their lives… and worse, their preferences.
Here’s a real example I watched in Publix two weeks ago. A woman who was probably late 20s told her mother how hard things were for her and how expensive housing and healthcare was. Her mother said, “Well, if you’d stop eating that avocado toast, or whatever it is, you could afford housing and healthcare.” The daughter looked at her mother, and playfully said… “Okay, boomer.” Then they looked at me because they caught me, in a clerical, laughing at them. I broke the silence and said, you guys just gave me a sermon.” They laughed.
I thought about titling that sermon, “Okay, Pharisee.”
Let’s jump back to these Pharisees in the temple and bring this whole thing home where we live.
Conflicts, especially with the self-righteous crowd, are inevitable. If you want to spot them, pay attention to how they demand authority over the little things in your life. I don’t mean offering you solicited advice; I mean telling you what you should do with your life as if they are the only moral authority.
When we confront self-righteousness and fakeness, we need to address it exactly as Jesus did. He told a story about a man with two sons. The man asks them to go help in the vineyard. His first son said, “No, forget it; I’m not going, it’s too hot outside.” But then he changed his mind and went to work anyway.
The second son promised he would go to work, but he decided against it and didn’t bother to inform his father, hoping his father would assume he was working. In essence, he was a manipulator of perception (e.g., hypocrite).
So when we face Pharisees we shouldn’t let them ruin our peace of mind/soul. We need to recognize them for what they truly are: voices that do not speak to God.
I recall an event a large and fancy diocesan function, the kind you wear your Zegna suit to, where a lady sat at our table who was a negative and bitter person – you could just tell… I made mention that it gets expensive to fix a Mercedes once it passes 75k miles. She looked at me and said, “You should be ashamed; it’s ungodly to drive something like that when there are hungry people in the world.”
That’s when a retired bishop (she didn’t realize it…) spoke up. He said that sounds a lot like what Judas said to the woman who gave Jesus the anointing oil. He said, “that should have been sold and given to the poor.”
Recognize, Act, Let it Go:
So, how do we recognize the Pharisees? They need control of others to give them a sense of belonging and purpose. What do we do about it? We go to work in God’s vineyard, even during the times when we don’t feel like it.
I’m the first son, and I’m the second. We have each one inside. It’s up to us to choose who we want to be.
How do we get over Pharisees? Well… That’s what Jesus’s parable was about… How do you understand it?
Amen.
Sermon, Proper 21, Year A. “Ignore the Pharisees”
Sermon for Proper 17 year A by Fr. Rian Adams
Text: Matthew 16:21-28
Since February of this year, the People’s Republic of China has removed and destroyed over 900 crosses from Christian churches. If that wasn’t enough, to display a cross on a place of worship is a crime against the government. If congregants disobey, the government can try them as insurrections.
The cross is offensive.
I read an article in an academic journal a few months ago at Sewanee that informs this sermon. The author called for the historic Christian churches in New York City to remove the crosses because they were invasive and not in the spirit of inclusion. She said crosses might offend the non-Christian tourists who visit the beautiful churches.
The cross is offensive.
In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus says the cross is the way to God… “Anyone who wants to come after me, let them take up the cross and follow me.” When his most loyal and exuberant disciple heard such, he had to correct his Rabbi’s ignorance. It caused a rift between them that even made it into the Gospels.
The cross is offensive. The apostle Paul called it a stumbling block. That’s true for the Chinese government, a clergy person in New York City, and Simon Peter, the fisherman.
Because this a heavy subject, I’ve used some satire… today’s sermon is about Why Peter Was an Idiot. Why do I say that Peter is an idiot in this passage?
Because Peter Denies Difficulties.
Last week Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the son of God.”
Peter hit a home run! That was the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that the disciples came out and said that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus praised Peter, gave him a new name, Petros, rock, and gave him the “keys to God’s kingdom.”
It gives us a sigh of relief. The tension subsides, and we no longer have to wonder if Peter will ever “get it.” Finally, after 15 chapters, the disciples realize that Jesus is the Christ.
Immediately following those verses, Jesus reveals what it means to be the Messiah, “I’m going to Jerusalem to die on a cross.”
That was too much for Peter!… “Jesus doesn’t know what he’s talking about… I agree with him on everything else, but this idea is absurd.” So Peter decides to enlighten him, set him straight, as it were.
Have you ever had to deal with a know-it-all? Few things are as succulent as when you can prove them wrong! I heard that the best way to handle a know-it-all is to tell them that “Know-it-alls should know that nobody likes a know-it-all.”
Peter musters his best professorial voice, “Jesus, I’m not saying that you are ignorant of interpretive method, but your ideas are incongruent with conservative and informed interpretations.”
Here’s the bottom line, Peter acts the fool in this Gospel passage because he has no room for other opinions, interpretations, and especially no room for Messianic difficulties.
Why is he an idiot? Secondly,
Because he doesn’t trust Jesus.
Jesus isn’t in the mood for Peter’s foolishness and his dedication to an easy way out; he says to him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.”
Well… that escalated quickly! Everyone is having a good time, then Jesus has to talk about the government killing him. Peter just can’t stand that much ignorance, so he tells Jesus just how stupid the idea is, then Jesus fires back by calling Peter the one name that’s the ultimate insult, Satan.
Do these two need a training seminar on family systems and pastoral relationships? “Lesson # 1, No name-calling, especially ‘stupid,’ and ‘Satan.’” Lesson # 2, don’t fight in front of disciples who are middle management.”
Before we excommunicate Jesus, it would be helpful to know what the word Satan means. It means tempter, adversary, stumbling block.
The word is scandalon in Greek; it’s where we derive our English word scandal. “Peter, your suggestion that I can bypass the religious and governmental powers that revolt against a message of love, hope, healing, mercy, and inclusion is scandalous.”
Remember what the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthian Church, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but for the ones who follow Jesus it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Peter wanted a Messiah without a cross… Such a Christianity does not exist. When we preach that love and inclusion hold hands, we can expect resistance and retaliation.
Then we reach a turning point in the text. What Jesus says next is ground-breaking…, and it changes the theological scope of Jesus’s ministry, and should inform our own.
He says that he must go to Jerusalem, be crucified, die, and rise again. He says that it’s God’s will for this to happen.
There are a couple of different ways to understand this: 1) God willed Jesus’s torture and death to satisfy himself. That view tells you how people understand the nature of God. There is another interpretation; 2) That Jesus’s suffering and crucifixion were an inevitable result of a God-filled ministry that called the systems, “the principalities and powers of this world,” into accountability.
Because Peter doesn’t trust Jesus, he’s trying to subvert the Holy Spirit’s work of convicting the world of sin. Peter wants to take over the world’s system so he can be a beneficiary of it, Jesus wants him to increase the value of people.
The Backward Kingdom
People around the world know of the book, Alice in Wonderland. In that classic work, Lewis Carrol took us inside ourselves to see our journey out of childhood.
But Carroll followed the book with one of his most brilliant pieces, Alice Through the Looking Glass. The story takes us through the journey, the adventure, of growing into our own souls.
In the book, everything is backward. To find her destiny, she goes backward to go forward, and she goes left to get right. It’s an upside-down kingdom!
The kingdom of God is upside down… its an upside down kingdom where the cross is right-side-up.
Amen.
Sermon for Proper 17, Year A
Get Out of the Boat: Finding Faith in Fearful Times
Watch the sermon on YouTube:
By Fr. Rian Adams, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
August 9th, 2020.
This story is one of those few times in the Gospels, where the disciples are not with Jesus. Matthew says that Jesus told the disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the sea of Galilee while he went to pray and rest.
That sounds simple, but it’s not. The sea is 8 miles wide and 13 miles long. Eight miles is a long way with oars.
Then the story changes and a storm comes out of nowhere. This wasn’t just any storm, it was enough to scare men who were seasoned veterans of the sea. They endured hundreds of rainstorms, the idea of clouds, wind, rain, or even waves did not deter them! But this one… is different.
Matthew often reveals the flaws and struggles of the disciples. He’s not afraid to put them in difficult positions and watch them struggle for their faith. Nor is Matthew hesitant to show their shortcomings when they choose fear instead of faith.
When I look at this passage, I see a spiritual struggle. But it’s not between the wind and the boat, nor between the disciples and the “devil.” The battle is a theme we often see in Matthew’s Gospel; fear vs. faith. Jesus even says at one point in today’s Gospel reading that some people are “little faith.”
This passage hits home! It invites us to confront our fears during our “dark” moments. That’s precisely what Jesus does; he takes a dangerous event and uses it—redeems it even—so it teaches a lesson about faith.
There are three lessons about faith that I see in this passage:
First, Faith requires Persistence.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus did not instantly rescue the disciples? That’s a legitimate question because we know he could see a massive storm over the sea. Yet he chooses to leave them in danger. He allows them to persist in their struggle. The NRSV says it lasted until “early in the morning.” The actual Greek is “the third watch of the night,” meaning 3:00 A.M.
From sundown until 3:00 A.M…. It makes you wonder… Did any of them get mad at God? Did they blame God? Did they pray God? Did they talk to God like we do? I talk to God… often. He’s a good listener. My prayer would sound something like, “I’ve done everything I can to be a good person, but I’m still struggling, and none of my prayers are answered.”
What we’re saying is… “God, it’s 3:00 A.M., I’ve been in a storm all night long, and I’m exhausted. I’ve prayed for hope, healing, and restoration of relationships, but my arms are tired. It doesn’t seem like some of the others in this boat are carrying their weight. I’ve been living in a constant state of anxiety since the storm moved it… but I’m afraid to tell anyone around me about it because I don’t want the other disciples to think less of me.”
We understand those questions all too well! We endured a Cat 5 hurricane! But what did we do? We kept working. I kept running a chain saw, you kept hammering nails, we kept working… like the disciples, we didn’t give up, we continued to row our boats… we persisted.
Faith requires persistence, but it also requires trust.
Terrifying word! Trust is to surrender in the hope that our vulnerabilities and fears will not be exploited by others.
If we look back in the boat, we see trust. The disciples notice a silhouette, but they can’t make out what it was through the rain. It might be a man, but how could a man be out here? Or is it a ghost? There is an old tradition among 1st century sailors that right before you die in a storm, you see ghosts of other sailors to guide you into the afterlife. If that’s the case, no wonder the disciples are terrified.
Peter is a disciple who is willing to take action—even if it’s often the wrong action. I appreciate him because he is ready to put his faith on the poker table and push his chips to the center. He’s all in!
We watched him when he left home to follow Jesus, and we see it again right here. Peter says, “Jesus, if that’s you, I’m putting my fears behind me, and I’m stepping out of this boat trusting you to save me.”
I’ve played some cards before… it’s terrifying to go all-in on a bluff, but you don’t need to be a statistical favorite to win the hand. If Peter sinks into the waves at night, they will never see him again! Peter goes all in… he climbs out into the space between his safety and Christ.
It makes me wonder… what are our boats?
What are the things that we assume keep of safe that, in fact, hold us back? Where is your space between your boat and Jesus? Can you step into the place of unknowing and anxiety?
Remember, Jesus didn’t lift Peter out of the boat! That’s a powerful metaphor! Can you trust when you don’t understand? Persistence, trust, and third,
Third, Faith requires Focus.
Peter’s courage gets him out of the boat, but his eyes are not informed by faith, and he doesn’t keep his focus on Jesus. Ge begins to sink when he notices the danger that surrounds him. His fear overcomes him, and his faith is at risk.
It’s one of Matthew’s theme, faith vs. fear.
When we’re anxious about what we see around us… oh, you know, like the 24-hour news cycle… it’s easy to lose focus on what matters most!
When Jesus sees Peter sinking, he says, “Oh, you of little faith.” – You know Jesus…That seems kind of harsh. After all, the man just walked on water, trying to come to you. He got out of a boat in the middle of a storm.
What if that’s not as harsh as it sounds? Could it be like saying, “Peter, you had faith and persistence in the storm, you had enough faith to trust me and step out of the boat, and now you’re letting your eyes control you?
Don’t give all your energy to your eyes just because you don’t like what you see.
Faith in God and Faith in Others
Sometimes we don’t have enough faith in God… and sometimes we are “of little faith” toward others.
I read a story last week that gives me hope in humanity!
July 24th, 2020, Central Wisconsin
Two friends made a promise in 1992: If one of them won the Powerball jackpot, they’d split the winnings. Nearly 30 years later, one of the men did win! Here’s the miracle, he made good on his word and his handshake!
Last month Thomas Cook bought a Powerball ticket and ended up hitting the jackpot for 22 million dollars. Cook called his friend Joe Feeney and told him the news, Joe thought Tom was kidding! He wasn’t…
Despite the odds, which were 1 in 292,201,338.725, it happened. Now, let me ask… what are the odds he would actually give away half? …oh ye of little faith.
Amen.
Peace!