PENTECOST LAST 2007
November 25, 2007
(Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ps. 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43)
The Rev. Ken Kroohs
ARE WE DISAPPOINTED IN JESUS ?
St. Christopher’s,
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE
MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH
AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN
Today is one of those special days in the church year — the
implications of which we tend to ignore.
For me, this is always an interesting day because of all it says to us.
Notice this diagram of the church year. We begin with Advent, the time before
Christmas, the time before Jesus arrived — next comes the Christmas season –
which is why we don’t sing Christmas carols in early December – despite what
Wal-Mart wants you to believe it is not yet Christmas!!
Next comes epiphany — the word means “to be made known” — this is
the season in which we remember the 3 kings who came to worship Jesus and all
the other signs of who he was.
Next comes the Lent – the season before Easter. If Epiphany is about learning who Jesus is,
Lent is about learning who we are.
Good Friday and then Easter.
The Easter season is to remember why the crucifixion and resurrection
were happened.
After that comes the LONG green season we end today — the season
after Pentecost. I guess it is
appropriate that the longest season focuses more on our lives today ... our
lives after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
So today is the last day of the church year. What intrigues me every year is to ask what
we have learned about Jesus? What did
this previous year’s lessons and experiences teach us?
And specifically, how do the scripture lessons for today
highlight the year’s teachings?
In many ways the gospel for today is a bit of a strange choice
for those who developed our lectionary – our list of readings. You might think this one would be limited to
Good Friday, or at the very least to the Lenten season.
The strangeness of the pick should cause us to look at it a bit
more closely. It does say a lot to us
about who Jesus was, and is. More
importantly it says a lot to us about who we are ---- or at least asks some
important questions about who we are!
Notice first the criminal on the cross —the one who defends
Jesus. I love telling my Baptist friends
that the only person in scripture who is promised paradise was never fully
immersed!
From that we can draw the conclusion that what matters is not the
amount of water used in our baptism! ...... BUT – notice he was never even
sprinkled. So the lesson may be that
what matters is our relationship with Christ and not, to quote our Prayer Book,
the outward and visible signs of that relationship. In fact, this very brief passage should
challenge us, make us think, and even worry us a bit since it suggests that the
water does not matter. The presence of
the baptism water may not be as automatic a free ride as we want to think! It still is about our relationship with God.
We will come back to the criminal in a moment. But first lets look at the events on either
side of this passage. Jesus has been
tried and convicted. He has been taken
to “the place of the skull” he is hung on the cross between these two
criminals. To this Jesus responds:
“Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Notice that a crowd has followed Jesus. Luke simply says “the people stood by”. But a few verses later Luke adds that after
Jesus died the people went home beating their breasts — in other words crying
and wailing.
Now let’s look at the entire scene and see what it tells us and
how it challenges us.
I suspect the primary teaching is in the crowd. This is one of those times I am expanding
beyond what scripture says — I am making some assumptions so be aware of that.
That said, I was fascinated by a scene on in a novel I read. The author is using time travel as a tool to
examine some things and one of the scenes is an observer within this
crowd. The observer knows Jesus will
die, be resurrected and Christianity will grow.
But he is there to understand the crowd better.
What the observer hears, according to this novel, is primarily
disappointment. The crowd is
DISAPPOINTED in Jesus. The crowd was
hoping that Jesus was the messiah, the king, the savior sent by God and so at
the last moment would bring down the legions of angels to kill the Romans and
make
They wanted a leader who was strong and direct and powerful and
honest and all those good things and Jesus failed them.
Are you disappointed in Jesus? ..... I know, first reactions are:
“Of course not!!” .... And yet. ..... My goal today is to encourage us to
think. To challenge ourselves to ask
difficult questions of ourselves. I
suspect some people will get angry at me.
Please at least hear all I say and don’t make assumptions.
Are you disappointed in Jesus? .... In other words, is Jesus the
leader you want? .... I suspect most of us would, in the deep dark recesses of
our beings say “no” .... Jesus is not the leader I want. Like the members of the crowd we want a
leader who will be strong and direct.
But most importantly, like the crowd, we want a leader who lives up to OUR
expectations.
“Forgive them Father, they know not what they do?” .... If on
9/11 George Bush or Rudy Guliani had said “forgive them – they know not what
they do” .... would either man be a public figure today?
Aside — I frequently disagree with decisions make in
I don’t know all his thinking but give him credit for his actions
to reduce the cries of pure hatred that could easily spill across this country.
What would have happened if he said: “forgive them”? ---- “Oh,
but that was different!” .... Is it? The
Romans were enslaving the Israeli people.
They killed whoever they wished, took whatever property they wanted and
Jesus, rather than stopping them, asks they be forgiven?
After the Virginia Tech shootings, at some of the services of
remembrance some people wanted to include the shooter’s name, and that got many
people very upset. Notice that no one
was suggesting he be honored, simply prayed for.
Confession, if that had been my child, or my friend, or myself
being shot at Virginia Tech or in the twin towners, I would have had a very
difficult time not praying —
“condemn him!” “Burn him!” Rather than “forgive him”.
Are we disappointed in Jesus?
Notice again the criminal.
Maybe his victims were also in the crowd and they hear .... gasp ....
that this person was forgiven. Imagine
you were the victim. Imagine that as the
person lies on the table waiting for the electric circuit to execute him, you
hear he will be waiting in heaven for you. .... Assuming of course we make it.
..... How would that make you feel?
That this person who had done something so terrible that the law was
going to execute him was going to heaven.
Are we disappointed in Jesus?
Notice ... very important ... notice that even if the words on
9/11 were “forgive them they know not what they do” or “today you will be in
paradise” ... it does not suggest anyone be given an automatic rifle and sent
into the market place! Scripture does
not suggest, and I certainly do not suggest that Jesus attitude would include
allowing the people to continue to hurt others.
So on this last day of the church year, what have we
learned? What does this scripture lesson
tell us?
I suspect that primary lesson is that we don’t take Jesus’
teachings seriously enough. I suspect
the primary lesson is that being Jesus’ follower, being a Christian involves a
lot more than a bit of water on our head.
I believe, whether I am right or wrong specifically about Jesus’
reactions to 9/11 or Virginia Tech or criminal activity — I believe that when
Jesus preached the sermon on the mount He meant it. That Jesus deliberately put the final part of
that sermon last for emphasis: “blessed are you when people hate you, and
ridicule you, and persecute you for my sake”
You see, as we look back over this year I believe one of the
primary lessons is that we are not living in the
Are we disappointed in Jesus?
Disappointed that Jesus doesn’t seem all that interested in creating the
world we want?
The good news is on this banner.
No matter our attitude, next week we begin the process of welcoming
Jesus in our lives ... in our world again.
No matter our attitude, Jesus loves us enough to be with us – to hang on
the cross and say, about us, forgive
them, they know not what they do.
AMEN
We have
previous sermons on our website. To read
an earlier recent sermon just enter: www.st-christopher.org/sermon.html.
CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)