Matthew 22: 15-22 NRSV 10-19-14
Do you have a favorite Hymn? Is it because
you like the tune or the words? Does the hymn contain references to scripture
or highlight some aspect of God’s character, attributes, or promises? My
favorite Hymn is “Let us Break Bread Together.”
Thinking about favorite hymns brought back a
fond memory of Heidelberg Church in Marion for me. There was a member of the
Choir named Don who would, after we would practice sing a hymn, would make fake
tearing sounds and say, “take that out of here.”
Do you have hymns you don’t like or can’t
connect with? And of course if we do then we'll risk offending someone's sacred music. But I'm going to risk it.
My least favorite Hymn is “They’ll know we
are Christians by Our Love,” also known as “We Are One in the Spirit.” Overall
the hymn has a nice tune and the words with two exceptions, are okay.
But in verse 3 when the words say, “And we’ll
guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride,” grates in my heart and
head each time I hear it.I believe it was written to scratch itchy ears. Have I
got your attention?
The person who wrote this hymn in 1968 was a
Catholic priest, musician, social worker, teacher, community organizer,
therapist, author, and civil rights consultant in Chicago.
I don’t think the primary purpose of this
hymn was designed to worship God and even now it’s often used to
promote ecumenical “feel good” community stuff.
You see Jesus taught that human dignity and
pride are and will be barriers to His Kingdom. Why would we want to celebrate barriers
to salvation?
Ok pastor, what’s wrong with pride?
A busy executive named Dick Jones lived as if
everything in the community depended on him. One morning he woke up early with
a high fever, so his wife called a doctor friend.
He diagnosed Dick with viral pneumonia and
suggested that he stay in bed for several days, but Dick protested, “No, I’ve
got a breakfast meeting at the school, I’m president of the PTA. Then I’ve got
crucial business at the office, a luncheon date with an attorney, and then
three very important business appointments this afternoon. There’s no way I can
be sick today, doctor.”
“I’m sorry,” said his doctor friend, “But I
don’t know anyone who is indispensible, and I suggest you stay in bed.”At that
very moment, the story goes, Dick’s high fever sent him into a trance. And
there in that trance he saw himself looking in on heaven. The angels were
gathering around God’s throne, but everything seemed to be in disarray.
Some papers were being passed, and finally
after some discussion, the angels handed a significant looking paper to God.
God read it and was obviously upset.God got up off His throne and said, “Oh no!
Oh no! What will I do today? What will I do? The angels in chorus said, “What
is it, God? What is it?”
And God replied, “What will I do today? Dick
Jones is sick!”I’m sure Mr. Jones would say his illness was a blow to his
dignity, as well.
I think it was this type of thinking among our
Church and community leaders, politicians, and social progressives over the
last 50 years by focusing on human pride and dignity, that has brought us to
political and social correctness and our society’s relentless pursuit of
personal preference over God, Country, human decency, and absolute truth.
Let me give you a humorous example of what
guarding a person’s dignity and pride means in our screwy world: A young man
walked into a corner store with a shotgun and demanded all the cash from the
cash drawer. After the store clerk put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a
bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on a shelf.
He told the clerk to put the scotch in the
bag with the money and the clerk refused and explained, “I don’t believe you
are over 21.” The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give him
the bottle because he didn’t believe him.
The robber then took his driver’s license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was indeed over 21, and so he put the scotch in the bag. The robber ran from the store with his loot.
The clerk immediately called the police and
gave them the robbers name and address he had read off the license. The police
arrested the robber several hours later at his home.
If this was the end of the story we’d laugh
and say that was a pretty dumb criminal.
But guess what? His defense attorney got the
case thrown out because the robbers’ identity was obtained under the false
pretense of entrapment. His civil right of expecting his qualifying identification
to purchase alcohol being kept confidential, as the law of that state requires,
was violated.
His dignity hadn’t been protected, and
perhaps even his pride had been trampled down by the clerk and the police. He
in fact, was now the victim! Sound familiar? (Even though this story’s probably
an urban legend.)
Each day guarding the pride and dignity of
some group of people or an individual in our society results in a dumb story or
circumstance that seems to identify that another person or group has been
denied their civil and moral rights.
We’ve seen it many times in the last few
years and it’s destroying our culture, country, churches, and communities. It’s
also becoming more common with hate laws.
Have you heard about the problem in Houston
with the so-called “HERO” (transgendered rights ordinance allowing access to
whatever bathroom a person choose as their gender that day) action of the mayor
and city council? They have now subpoenaed sermons from pastors as evidence in
a lawsuit.
Now combine with the story of the two pastors in Idaho who threatened with SEVEN years in jail if they refuse to marry homosexual couples. This stuff is amazing and our country is getting scary!
Our work ethic is even being changed.
Recently a gold prospector came upon a friend who had just lost his job. The
prospector told the man that while he wasn’t getting rich he was making enough
to feed his family and save a little money. He told his friend to get a shovel
and join him on his land the next day and that he could keep whatever gold he
found.
The next week the prospector ran into his
friend again and asked him why he hadn’t taken him up on his offer. His friend
replied that the welfare and money he had on hand wasn’t enough and that the
job training program he was involved in didn’t consider gold mining worthwhile
enough to buy him a shovel. I guess the man couldn’t risk the cost of a shovel
out of his public assistance as it would hurt his pride and/or dignity.
There are certain groups parading around our
communities engaged in a new form of neighborhood watch: political, social, and
non-religious correctness aimed at the dignity and pride of marginalized
persons.
We can’t even close down transportation
between disease epidemic centers and healthy areas because it may be
discriminatory and harm the dignity of those who are sick.
It reminds me every day of the Gospel lesson
for today: Human law may demand precedent over God, but that will still never
make it right! Hear Matthew 22: 15-22:
Then
the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their
disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that
you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show
deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful
to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
But
Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test,
you hypocrites? Show me the coin used
for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.
Then he
said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered,
"The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the
emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are
God's." When they heard this, they
were amazed; and they left him and went away.
In this passage Jesus is suggesting that
human government and earthly values have a place in the world but that God’s
will and word must still be reckoned with as well.
The Greek word (prosōpon) translated in
the phrase “you do not regard people with
partiality” literally means “pay no
attention to who they are.” Jesus doesn’t care who and what we are, the
color of our skin and eyes, what body type or how short or tall we are.
God loves us equally, and hates any sinful behavior
we commit equally as well. But He also created us in His image and we are to
honor that image, because we are His.
God will have His day soon. Until then, evil
will seemingly go unchecked. The Apostle Paul, writing to the believers at
Thessalonica, said, “For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until
he is out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2: 7)
This verse is one of the evidences and
arguments we have for what’s called the “pre” tribulation rapture of Church
depicted in such movies as “Left Behind”
and written and preached about so frequently.
Before the Antichrist can be revealed, Paul
said that the Holy Spirit would stop restraining evil on earth. This may mean
that the Holy Spirit’s presence might leave and/or be sent away from the earth.
It would be a very significant event for believers.
Since it was promised that the Holy Spirit
would never leave the Church, then the removal of the Church, which is indwelt
by the Holy Spirit, would seem only logical as this prophesy comes about.
While I do believe the working of the Holy
Spirit will go on during the tribulation, because people will still be born
again believers, His influence would be muted or reduced because of the missing
Church. This lack of corporate intercessory prayer will hurt.
Can you imagine how evil things are going to
be with the removal of the Spirit’s dampening effect on it?
We know that the place called Hell is evil
because there will be nothing of God present, but the earth during these days,
called the tribulation period, will be dark and nasty as well, as everyone and
everything will be forced live under the devil, temporarily.
In the final analysis, this passage is a
strong reminder that each of us must come to the understanding that God has
been, is, and always will be in charge of things that have been, are, and will
come to pass.
The church, since the ascension of Jesus to
heaven, has preached him crucified, risen, and very much alive and celebrated as
a spiritual presence in our world. We preach that sinful man must confess their
sins, declare Him the Son of God, and live as He taught.
If we do that we are promised eternal life.
Each person has the personal responsibility, regardless of wealth, health, and
parentage, to repent and build a personal relationship with Jesus.
A rabbi was teaching his students a lesson on
preparation for death, eternal life, and repentance. One of the students asked,
“Rabbi, when should a man repent?” The
rabbi responded, “Repent a day before your death.” His students were
confused.“How can a man know the day of his death?” they asked. His answer: “He
cannot and since he may die tomorrow, it is all the more necessary for him to
repent today.”
Individual pride and dignity may keep a
person from admitting his sins and iniquities and humbling himself before even
God. That’s why Jesus told his followers that they must be born again, become
as small children, with little pride or dignity to get in the way.
We must never allow the idea that God and
Jesus are unfairly punishing anyone. Jesus’ message is that He came to offer
dying people forgiveness, healing, and hope.
These words are more consistent with Jesus’
teachings and mission than celebrating human dignity and pride.
He offers everlasting water for those who are
thirsty and bread for those who are hungry, but it’s not a soup line set up by
community activists and do-gooders feeding poor people physically without encouraging them to know
better!
You see, pride and dignity can be preserved
in the soup line, but it gets in the way when you humble yourself before God.
Back to the Hymn: in verse 3 when the words
say, “And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride,” we should
pencil in the following change: “And we’ll guard each man’s charity and save
each man’s faith.”
When we have faith in Jesus we discover the
hope of new life and the promise of eternal salvation. We also learn to love God and our neighbor. Amen.
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