Rev. Martha Koenig Stone March 20, 2011 – Second Sunday in Lent

Henrietta United Church of Christ

"Courage in the Struggle for Justice and Peace”

Proverbs 3:5-12; 27-32

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.

Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights…

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again; tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives trustingly beside you.
Do not quarrel with anyone without cause, when no harm has been done to you.
Do not envy the violent and do not choose any of their ways;
for the corrupt are a disgrace to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴But he answered, “It is written, ’One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Sermon:

This week in our Lenten study group we began a series of discussions about Jesus—who he was to the people of his time period, and who he is for us today. Using a video series called “Saving Jesus,” we’re hoping to find some new insights about who we are as people of faith, and how our faith can undergird our lives. Our first session included snippets of video lectures by biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan, which helped to set the scene for our reflections. In these videos, we heard a description of the world in which Jesus lived—the Roman Empire of the first century. Crossan talked about four kinds of power that were at work in that regime: military power, economic power, political power, and ideological power.

Let’s think about those kinds of power for a minute. First there’s military power. In the Roman Empire, that meant massive armies, under that direction of the emperor, Caesar Augustus. Caesar had conquered country after country and drafted their people into his service. Roman soldiers oversaw the building of miles and miles of paved roads, so that Caesar could move his armies and weapons quickly from place to place, and squelch any potential rebellions. Those who would oppose his military might were put down swiftly and brutally. Crucifixion was the favored method of torture and execution for criminals and trouble makers. It was a pretty terrifying regime.

Now, we know something about military power today, don’t we? We see the use and abuse of military power in the news almost every day, in various parts of the world. Our own country is known as the world’s “super power,” and our soldiers are stationed in locations all over the world. We’ve been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for years. And just this weekend, our government, with approval from the United Nations, launched a military attack on Libya. It’s a pretty sobering thought. For Jesus and for us, military power is a force with which to reckon.

And then there’s economic power. Under Caesar’s leadership, the Roman Empire saw lots of technological advances. The development of paved roads increased trade, and the building of aqueducts helped to channel water, which improved agriculture and hygiene. Some of Rome’s citizens amassed great wealth. Slaves, who were in large supply from among the peoples who had been conquered in the provinces around Rome, provided plenty of cheap labor. But the Empire depended on the tribute paid by the provinces to finance Caesar’s armies and projects. This system of heavy taxation kept most of the people in poverty, kept them in their “place.”

At first glance, this seems pretty different from the economics of modern America. Oh, we like to complain about taxes, but in comparison with Rome, our “tax burden” pales. And in our country, slavery was abolished over 150 years ago, thank goodness! But we do still rely on poorly paid migrant workers to put food on our tables, and sweat shop workers to make our clothing. More and more of our goods are produced in foreign lands by people who get paid next to nothing. And if an American loses a job and health insurance, and then becomes ill or disabled, it’s pretty easy to end up in poverty from medical costs. In our country, as in Rome, most of the economic power is held by just a few people. According to Wikipedia, in the year 2001, 10% of the population in America owned 71% of the wealth. In the ten years since then, the distribution of wealth in our country has become even more lopsided. And that’s not to mention the many countries around the world whose people live in abject poverty. In our world today, great opportunities are available to those with economic power; and great hardship weighs down the millions of people who have none.

How about political power? At one time, Rome had been a republic, with certain voting rights for citizens, and a three-branched government of senate, tribunes and consuls. But Caesar had abolished much of that, and by Jesus’ day the Empire had become a dictatorship. Citizens’ rights were vastly reduced, and in the conquered provinces, most of the people were not citizens at all. In some areas, like Judea, the local people were allowed to order their own affairs—as long as they paid their taxes and didn’t cause too much trouble. But they didn’t have any say in how the affairs of Rome were carried out.

In America, we’re blessed to have a say in who are leaders are, and a voice in how our society will be run. But we’ve become pretty jaded about political power, because but partisanship and corruption plague our institutions. Elected officials often use their influence to line their own pockets. Sadly, many politicians are more interested in personal gain than in public good. And many of the folks who help to make our economy work are undocumented workers who have no political rights at all.

And then there’s ideological power—that is, the ideas that inform and shape and direct a society. For most folks in the Roman Empire, ideological power was all mixed up with those other kinds of power. Those who had military, economic and political power were respected and revered—and feared. As Caesar conquered more and more territory, his claims of authority became more and more grandiose. In fact, we know from historical texts and inscriptions that he was known as the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of the people, the Son of God, and even God. Now, in the eyes of some people, there was good reason to be thankful and obedient to Caesar. Caesar had achieved a kind of peace in the land – the Pax Romana, as it was called—bringing together lots of little countries that had been fighting with each other and imposing order through military rule. But it wasn’t a peace that was based on equity and fairness; it was based on the sheer might of Caesar’s regime. Everywhere you looked there were reminders of Roman power and authority: on the coins, in the laws, in the soldiers. All of these added to the sense that Caesar’s power was unassailable. So, even if you didn’t like it, you might as well go along with it, because there was no hope of overcoming it. That was the prevailing ideology that shaped Roman civilization.

Can you think of the kinds of ideological power that are circulating in American society today? What are the ideas that hold power over us? Where do we look for our well-being? Do the phrases “homeland security” or “law and order” ring a bell? Have you ever described America as the “best country on earth?” Does the phrase “freedom fighters” have any meaning for you? Is “bipartisan-ship” an idea with meaning for us? It’s clear to me that several different ideologies are competing with each other in American society. Are you a Rush Limbaugh American, or a Rachel Madow American, or an “I don’t take sides” American? Ideas and rhetoric can influence the way we think, the way we act, they way we shop, the places we choose to work and live in, and how we feel about dropping bombs on Tripoli! Ideological power is alive and well in 21^st century America.

Jesus was well acquainted with all of these kinds of power. He saw the positive achievements of Rome. But he also saw the downside of a society that is based on gratification of personal desire and oppressive power. He saw people trampled by Caesar’s insatiable thirst for conquest and weighed down by excessive taxation. He saw the effects of a social order that privileges some and abuses others. He saw cruelty and brutality beyond belief. Perhaps most distressing, he saw how most people around him just assumed that this was how the world had to be.

This kind of situation is pretty hard to resist. What can you do, what can you hope to achieve, if you have no money, no status, no legal rights, no political standing, no weapons, no way to defend yourself against tyranny and violence, no means of swaying public opinion or building a coalition? If you were Jesus, where would you start? Today’s gospel reading tells us that Jesus started by getting’ out of Dodge. He high-tailed it out of town for some time away, some time to reflect. Can you blame him? It must have felt overwhelming. He knew he had to do something, but what? Something had to give—this just wasn’t right! So he headed out to then wilderness for a kind of retreat. While he was there, he spent time on an ancient religious practice—the practice of fasting—to help clear out the cobwebs and give him some clarity.

I can’t imagine fasting for 40 days—can you? I’ve fasted for 24 hours, but after 40 days, wow! Jesus must have been a little light-headed, to say the least. He must have felt pretty weak and vulnerable. It’s at this point that some crazy ideas come into his head: he starts thinking about power—being “tempted by the devil” as the story goes. Food, freedom, safety, authority—all those things are looking pretty attractive to Jesus right at that moment. No one would have blamed him if he had given into temptation and thrown himself off the roof of the temple—just to end the torment, if nothing else!

Well, we’re not living in the Roman Empire, thank God. But we face our own kinds of temptation. Want to turn stones into bread? Maybe not, but we are tempted—all the time—by the desire for instant gratification and personal fulfillment. We love to eat—and eat, and eat and eat. We like to accumulate money in our retirement accounts, through no effort of our own, but simply through the “magic” of the market. Promises of getting something for nothing easily grab our attention—think: lottery ticket…That sounds a lot easier and more fun than earning a living by hard work, day after day. Oh yes, we know temptation.

Want some excitement? “Go ahead, jump off the temple!” says the devil. “See if God will catch you!” Uh, no thanks, I’m really not into bungee jumping. But it is often tempting to ignore the real consequences of our actions, as we drive too fast and shop too much and gobble up fossil fuels and accumulate junk in our soil and air and oceans, without any thought for future generations. We find all sorts of ways to run away from the difficulties in life and simply live for today.

Well then, how about authority over all the nations of the world? Uh…not so much. Sounds like way too much work for me! And yet, we do like to say that our country is the best and the strongest in the world, a “world leader.” And we do tend to admire people in high places, and look for advancement in our careers. And we do tend to want to exercise control over our homes and our families and our communities. Everyone likes to get their own way if possible. Having power over others can definitely seem like a plus.

But Jesus was determined not to give in to any of these temptations. He pulled himself together and headed back home, ready to deal with the problems he saw. We tend to think of him as being kind and gentle, and he was indeed that way when dealing with the poor and the marginalized. But he was also a rabble rouser, a revolutionary, who confronted the military, economic, political and ideological powers of his day. It was a dangerous thing to do. In fact, he ended up losing his life in the process. Some would say that he failed. After all, the world still struggles with the same kinds of problems today. And yet, as we look on his life, we know that his choice to speak truth to power made all the difference for us, offering a vision of a different kind of world, a different kind of purpose and meaning for our lives.

When the Lenten study group met on Thursday night, Pastor Dave kicked off the discussion by asking, “If Jesus were here today, what would you ask him?” One person’s response was, “I would want to ask how he had the courage to teach something different.”

In a sense, what Jesus taught wasn’t new at all; he simply applied the wisdom that had been present among his people for generations—the wisdom that says, “offer hospitality to strangers, make friends out of your enemies, love your neighbor as yourself”—the wisdom that we read from Proverbs this morning:” Don’t plan harm to others, don’t quarrel, don’t be violent!” These ideas aren’t new; they lie deep within our tradition, and deep within the human soul. But it does take a bit of work to apply them in new situations and new ways. Each generation has to practice putting them to work. And it took a special kind of courage for Jesus to stand up for this kind of wisdom in the midst of a culture that denied it. It took courage to resist the military and economic and ideological and political systems of the day. Jesus found that courage by putting his trust in God. He drew on an altogether different kind of power—the power of truth, and right, and goodness—the power of God—to resist the temptation of ignoring or giving in to injustice. And we can do the same.

It’s a scary thought, a daunting thought, when we look at the powers at work in the world right now. On most days, I’m not sure whether I want to be that trusting! But in my heart of hearts, I know that that’s what the world needs most. And I think we see an amazing example of how ordinary people can tap into that same kind of courage when we look at what’s happening in the Middle East right now. First in Tunisia, then in Egypt, then in Libya and Bahrain and Yemen and Iraq and Iran and Jordan, and Algeria and Saudi Arabia, people have stood up by the thousands to say that tyranny is not right. Oppression is not of God. Military power is not ultimate. Ordinary people like you and me have faced guns and tanks and bombs—and camels!—and put their lives on the line. They don’t know if they will survive to see their governments change, but they know that the cause of human dignity is worth the risk.

Western journalists have repeatedly called this revolution a “secular” movement—perhaps because it includes people of various nationalities and sects—or perhaps because it is difficult for writers in our “Christian” nation to imagine that the Muslim world might be doing something worthy of praise. I saw one article that quoted an Egyptian citizen saying, “This has nothing to do with religion. This is about bread and freedom and justice.” But I say that bread and freedom and justice are profoundly religious issues. And I think that this movement is deeply spiritual at its core.

Not all of the protestors are religious, to be sure. But they seem to share a belief in the power of truth to expose falsehood, a sense of respect for human rights, and an understanding that resources must be shared and people must have a voice. And those are values that Jesus would affirm. When I see photos of the people, kneeling down in unison, lined up row by row, shoulder to shoulder, bowing down to pray together in spite of the military might all around them, I tend to think that this movement is indeed a profoundly spiritual movement. When I read about Christians standing watch while Muslims pray, and Muslims standing watch while Christians worship, I see God in the wings, cheering them on. When the Egyptian army defies its leaders by refusing to fire on protesters, I say, “Thank God!” And when I hear about a crowd of Egyptians, holding on their shoulders a Muslim cleric and a Coptic Christian priest in full religious regalia, who are holding hands and celebrating together, I hear Jesus saying “Yes!” I believe that the world is poised to learn a lot about a very different kind of power, if only we are willing.

This is our calling as people of faith: to trust in God with all our hearts, and lean not to our own understandings, but in all our ways acknowledge God and let God direct our paths. I don’t see military and economic and political and ideological power going away any time soon. But I pray for the day when those powers will bow down to the power of the true and the good and the right. And I hear God calling me to rely a little less on force, on money, on control, on my own ideas, and to lean instead on community, on sharing, on mutuality, on kindness, on the day-to-day work and play that builds the realm of God.

Let us pray:

We believe in you, O God, and we turn to you in hope and trust.

You promise to all who trust in you:

forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace,

courage in the struggle for justice and peace,

your presence in trial and rejoicing,

and eternal life in your realm, which has no end.

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen.