Living in the resurrection

Today is the third Sunday in the season of Easter. The season of Easter is important, as it reminds us that the resurrection isn’t just about one day in the Christian 

calendar, nor is it about endlessly praising God for raising Jesus week after week. This season is about the new life that resurrection opens up for all who are part of the body of Christ. It is about the ongoing mission which the risen Jesus sends us as his disciples. Mission wasn’t just for the people in the stories we are hearing at the moment. Mission is for all of us here and now, in the communities where we live, work and worship. Mission is about transforming everywhere and everyone that our influence and resources can reach, including ourselves.

Our readings for this Sunday have this at their hearts. In the gospel, there are two stories – a miraculous catch of fish leading to a breakfast by the Sea of Galilee, and the commissioning of Peter.

Peter, not knowing what else to do after the miraculous appearance of Jesus after his crucifixion, has gone fishing. Maybe Peter was yearning for a time when his world was simpler, a time before Jesus called him out of his ordinary life and to a journey he could not have imagined for himself. After all, in times of trouble, we tend to default to old habits and ways. He and the other disciples have been fishing through the night, but as the dawn breaks, they have nothing to show for their efforts. An apparent stranger appears on the shore. He shouts at them to fish differently, to throw their nets on the other, unconventional side of the boat. Despite the fact they do not recognise this stranger, they do as he suggests, and that's when they find what they are looking for. There are two things to note here. The first is the disciples, the close companions of the earthly Jesus, do not recognise him. This is theme common to all the gospels in regard to the resurrection. Earlier in John, we find Mary mistaking Jesus for the gardener. In Luke, the two disciples on the Emmaus road fail to recognise their companion. In what is known as the longer ending of Mark, Jesus appears in different forms to various disciples. In Matthew, some of the disciples doubt it is the risen Jesus before them. There is actually a lot of doubting going on in all the gospels, and Thomas is not alone in his refusal to believe. The questions this raises for me are: do we recognise the risen Jesus when he is front of us, or beckoning to us from a place nearby? Or are we like the disciples, and fail to discern his presence? Are we more inclined to doubt than we are to believe that God is calling us to do something? What is it we need to do to be more receptive, more discerning, to the call of God on our lives? Perhaps the first thing we need to do is actually be actively looking for where new life is happening in our communities. Like Mary, we need to go searching for the Lord, and be prepared to be surprised where and in what form we find him. Secondly, John’s gospel is suggesting that we need to make adjustments to our practices in order to be the disciples we are called to be. When Jesus called to his disciples to “cast your net to the right side of the boat,” he is calling them to try something that on the face of it, has little prospect of success. It would have been a risk, and not the normal and accepted way of fishing. Have we become accustomed to fishing in accepted ways that no longer result in us catching much? Do we keep doing the same things because we think they work best, even if they no longer serve us well, because we believe they are the accepted normality? So maybe the next thing we need to consider when we are seeking the risen Christ is making some small adjustments in the way we do things, which can then lead to a different way of seeing. The act of pulling up the net, then moving it a few feet across the boat, and throwing it back in the same waters, on the other side not only made a difference to the catch of fish, it opened the eyes of the beloved disciple and Peter to see who the figure standing on the shore really was. What are the small adjustments that we can make to our lives, our thinking, our worship, our spiritual practices, our relating to family, friends, neighbours and the world, that might change an empty ‘catch’ to one that overflows? Can we accept Jesus’ call to keep fishing, even in ways that seem odd for us, in order to discover new growth and new life?

The characters in the story have learnt that Jesus will be found in unexpected places and in unexpected people, and that changing their normal routine leads to abundance of life lived out by serving and working in community.

God’s love, set loose in the world through the resurrection, needs our hands, our feet, our voices and our hearts to make it known and understood and transformative in our place and time. Like Peter, God is issuing us an invitation to change our perspective and cast our nets in different and unexpected places in order to feed the flock.

Are we are willing to have our lives changed, transformed, especially if it means disrupting familiar and comfortable patterns?

Can we embrace the resurrected way of life, and discover that our lives are not random, but that how we live and what we do matters? Do our actions, our attitude, words, and thoughts contribute to revealing God’s Reign in our world? Or do they keep God’s Reign hidden?

How are we to continue to encounter the risen Jesus?

When we make resurrection nothing more than a past miracle, or mythological story, or a hope for a future life after death, we take from it its power to impact our lives, and the lives of others, now. When we embrace resurrection as a calling to live daily in the power of God’s life, we discover that everything we do is filled with a sense of meaning, purpose and life. That is where we can begin to transform ourselves, our churches, our communities

and our world.

Revealing Revelation

For the next few weeks, the lectionary will be highlighting passages from the book of Revelation.  

The book of Revelation is one of the most misunderstood books of the New Testament. Its vivid imagery of the future judgement of humanity has led it to also being one of the most misused books of the New Testament, interpreted by apocalyptic groups throughout the centuries as evidence that the end of the world was at hand. It is much more likely, however, that this complex book was composed in response to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire, its various characters symbolising a contemporary entity – the whore of Babylon signifying Rome, and the beast its emperor Nero.  

The book begins with a matching set of seven letters to seven angels of a church. Each letter follows a standard pattern, and while each addresses specific matters, most refer to ‘patient endurance’, or ‘standing firm in the faith’, a reference to the persecution church members were experiencing. The reward for “holding fast” to their faith is the promise of eternal life and protection from the tribulations to come. 

The opening address of the letters identifies the words as coming from “the holy one, the true one”, a reference to the Son of Man (see 1:13–16), who states in verse 22:11 “I am coming soon”, echoing early Christian belief that Jesus would soon return to redeem the world. While the imagery of Revelation may seem strange and archaic to us today, in a world torn by war, poverty and greed, its message of keeping the faith and working for the kingdom must remain relevant.

There is no doubt Revelation is an odd book, full of mystery and eastern symbols and visions, an exotic glimpse of heaven by an unknown visionary in the genre known as apocalyptic literature. It is unlike any of the other New Testament books as we have them. It does not tend to be as well known as many other biblical books, except by people who claim to have unlocked its riddles and can confidently predict the end of the world. It is comforting to recall that none of them have been right to date. But how to make sense of it?

Strangely for me, it was a victorian English chapel when I lived in England quite some years ago that contributed a lot to my understanding of the intent of Revelation. John and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to explore our temporary country while we had the opportunity, so we organised our study to include time for touristing around. On one of these tourist excursions, we visited part of south Yorkshire, where many fine ruins remained of various abbeys and castles. The particular place that we visited this day was a large Victorian estate, which included the picturesque ruins of a very large abbey. Also on this estate was the family chapel. From medieval times, the wealthy families considered it was proper to worship in their own family chapel, rather than mingle with the lower classes in the village churches.

This particular chapel was very striking. It had cost many 100s of 1000s of pounds, an extremely expensive building even by the lavish Victorian standards. It was built to honour the dead brother of the lady of the estate, who died in a Greek war. It was also built to echo the book of Revelation.

When we entered this little chapel at its front door, opposite end to the sanctuary area, it was like many other small English chapels that we had seen. It had a high ceiling, lots of wooden carvings, a stone floor and wooden pews. There were glass windows in the stone walls, typical pointed arch shapes.

As we moved towards the middle of the chapel, the woodcarvings became more elaborate, and a very ornate stone tomb, complete with life-sized effigies of the master and mistress of the estate, was placed conspicuously in the centre.

Once we passed this middle section, we found ourselves in the sanctuary area. And the chapel had dramatically changed. The sombre stone walls had been replaced by colourful frescoes, all depicting angels and the various scenes of Revelation. Each picture was decorated in real gold leaf. The wooden rafters had given way to a magnificent gold dome, elaborately painted and jewelled, decorated as well with real gold leaf.

Marble archangels peered down from various niches. The altar stood enveloped in rich clothes, gold leaf and beautiful images. The triumphant lamb, carrying its banner, marched across the walls. A gold tree of life grew across the walls. It was space of splendour, beautifully made, a magnificent space designed to create feelings of reverence and awe.

The whole chapel was meant to represent our human journey, from the plain and earth-coloured entry into life on earth, through the heavenly portals at death, and into the glorious realm of heaven.

We of course were suitably impressed with the beautiful art work and architecture, though I confess the lavish cost bothered me, especially when I remembered the plight of the poor at that time. And I also started wondering about whether it was realistic regarding life, death and heaven, and whether it gave the right impressions to the Christian people who ostensibly used it.

Revelation not only takes us right to the end of the bible, to the very edge of the collection of our holy scripture, it also takes us to the very edge of the system of beliefs that we call Christianity.

The chapel I have described to you is based on one understanding of Revelation. This understanding has as its starting point a very old belief of Christians in the early centuries. This belief holds that everything earthly is bad and drab, and everything heavenly is good and shining, and the quicker we can access the good and the shining, then the better it is for us. Inherent in this belief was the idea that only a very few, very good Christian people would inherit the shining city, with many others being shut out.  I want to challenge this understanding of Revelation; it actually has a very grounded theology despite the elevated imagery present in it, and also it is a very inclusive book, one that embraces many people.

While I am not sure how actually most of us live our lives, I am quite sure that most of us do not see our time on earth as merely ‘marking time’ till we get to the better realm of heaven. And in fact, this chapter of Revelation  describes something very different from this traditional understanding.

John, the writer of Revelation, knows that human language is incapable of expressing the reality of things in the eternal world. So he casts his book as a vision, a series of pictures. But he does not mean us to begin and end with these pictures. The pictures are symbols that point to the reality of God and the world. Let us examine the meaning behind the pictures.

The first thing we can note that all of Revelation’s statements about the end are really statements about God. As God’s word is the begining of the creation in Genesis, so God’s word here is the end itself. God does not bring the end, he is the end. And he is the beginning. God is around us and with us, from beginning to the end. Here John is saying something very important about human beings, God and Heaven. Here is no aerial city of the upper realms, peopled with spiritual beings. No, God has descended to the earth to ‘dwell with humanity, and it is declared that “God will be with them, and they will be my people.” God will be with us here, on the earth, at the end. Not up in heaven, but on the earth with the people. 

For John, God is always here among us now. So we can see that the notion of earthliness being dull, material and sinful is not what John menas at all. Rather, he is saying that God is amongest us on the earth, his divine presence is available to us directly, here and now, not just when we die and go to heaven. Life itself is a divine thing for John. What awaits the believer and the world at the beginning and the end is God, the first and last word. Beneath the imagery of pillars, gates, walls and ornament is John’s conviction that holiness lies with the people on the very account of God dwelling in their midst. John’s visionary city does not abolish or belittle that which is human, but fulfills humanity, completes it.

The second thing we can note is the inclusiveness of who is accepted into eternal life at the end of time. The new city on the new earth is a city where right and justice will prevail. It will be a world freed from the sins that infect the present world. So in 22:15, we find John’s ‘vice list’, which is governed by his historical situation of Christian persecution. Lack of courage in Christians under threat of persecution from the Roman overlords does not impress John, nor does giving in and acknowledging the emperor to be divine, as Christians were often pressured to do. John ranks such failures along with murderers and other social deviants. However, what is noteworthy about Revelation at this point is that John is not saying that everyone who has been guilty of these things are excluded fron the holy city; only that noone will bring these sinful practices with him or her into the holy city. The list serves to characterise life in the city of God, and is not a limitation on who will be finally there.

For John, everyone who can leave their failing behind is welcome in his city of God. And God is directly present to all those here in the city on earth, because all of it is holy. John feels all life is holy and God is present to all people at all times, not only at special times and places, and all of God’s people are priests. It is clear that John finds holiness in human community, and this community extends to all  people. This holy community is not populated by the chosen people, but all nations and people of the earth, even the ones that oppressed the church and opposed God’s rule are here pictures as redeemed citizens of the holy city.

So Revelation is not just about a beautiful and ornamental, shining heaven where only the very good or the very rich can enter freely. It does not present a picture that considers the earthly and the mundane to be inferior to the heavenly and the ethereal. Unlike the chapel on the estate in England, John does not intend us to see our goal only as the bright and glittering ideal of heaven. Rather, John wants us to see that life is holy now, that God is here in our midst, descended to earth as Jesus Christ, as the word that became flesh and came to dwell among us.

Unlike our chapel, which was clearly designed for a select and elite group, Revelation envisages a world where all who drop their profane ways will be welcome as God’s children in the holy city. Rich and poor, rulers and beggars, Christian and pagan. all are welcome into the paradise on the earth that God has created for his people.

Holiness is not just about envisioning or aiming for heaven. Holiness is about community, acceptance and the ever-present spirit of God around us. Holiness is in the here and now, a gift to be treasured in this lifetime. Holiness is about living our life on earth, treasuring our relationships, working with our neighbours, and reflecting the grace and love of God in our lives.

In the book of Revelation, it is important to remember that fear is the penultimate word, not the final one. The final word is one of hope and promise, full of the love and grace that Jesus embodied.

Good Friday

Good Friday was the day when life was raw,
quivering, terrifying:
A day of numbed emotions,
a day of blunt nails
and splintered wood,
of bruised flesh and red blood.
The day when hopes were crushed
and the price of freedom seemed too high.
What we contemplate this day is beyond words,
and beyond understanding.
We pray for the strength to stand
with Christ today,
in the midst of the horrors of betrayal and death.

Good Friday – what does it mean? How is it good when it tells the story of a terrifying and tragic death through crucifixion? The temptation is strong, to rush straight to the resurrection; and concentrating on the good news, jump straight from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. To do this is to skip over the more difficult details of unjust suffering and death that Good Friday raises. Christians also tend to soften the potential grief of the Good Friday experience with the good news of Christ’s victorious triumph over death – something that was forced to my attention when trying to find Good Friday hymns that didn’t mention the resurrection.

God is not just found where there is joy, but also where there is suffering of the worst kind. On Good Friday, the world of Jesus and his followers became broken, both literally and symbolically. The story narrates that the world was literally broken by an earthquake, the tearing of the temple veil, and the broken body of Jesus. It also became broken symbolically, by the apparent disintegration of the movement that Jesus had started and scattering of the disciples.

Good Friday is the one day in the Christian calendar that deliberately brings us face to face with a God who is implicit in Jesus’ suffering, and who suffers with us. For most Christians this is anathema, as we rather like to believe that that God is all love and has no part of suffering. This not only ignores the fact that Jesus was allegedly destined to die in this rather nasty way by God, but actually ignores what the bible says on the matter. The book of Isaiah in verse 45:7 challenges the typical Christian conclusions about the true source of good and evil: “I ... the LORD ... form light and create darkness; I make weal and I create woe”.

Rather than a God overflowing with goodwill to all humankind, we find instead one who creates both light and darkness, good and evil, and who promises us “the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places” (Isaiah 45:3).

What does this mean?

Good Friday is the day that acknowledges both ‘weal and woe’ and ‘light and darkness’ as being created by God. It simultaneously faces the terrors of the cosmos whilst defiantly claiming God is a God of personal love. It resolves the paradox of suffering not by deciding that God is indifferent to our fate, but by proclaiming that the same God willingly suffers that fate. It offers a new metaphor of brokenness as a gift, not a liability. In one of the great paradoxes of Christianity, God’s presence and divine consolation is found in the cross, in a story that has indeed become redemptive.

Surely the hidden treasures that God offers us are the new understandings we can find as we journey through darkness of Good Friday, where we are more vulnerable, and more open to both questioning and receiving wisdom than when we are pre-occupied with the busyness and seductive glare of our daylight selves.

Good Friday invites us to walk on a less travelled road, a darkened road where there is pain and doubt and suffering, a road that invites questions and encourages us to search, but that also invites us to consider that the our human longing for spring and new life is somehow fulfilled on a bare hill where a bare tree holds the body of a crucified God.  As Peter said, “Where else could we go?”

Palm Sunday (Ps 118:1-2, 19-29, Luke 19:28-40)

A dialogue sermon by Rev. Elizabeth Raine and Rev. Dr John Squires

Luke 19:28-40
28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 They said, "The Lord needs it." 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,
"Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!"
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." 40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

Luke tells us the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The details of this exciting acclamation of Jesus are well known: Jesus, the humble king on a donkey, the innocent man of God, enters the holy city of Jerusalem. We can picture the excitement of the crowd, the waving of the palm branches, the road lined with cloaks, and hear the cries of the crowd as they called out:
“God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

It is one of the stories of Jesus that has been told and re-told, and we have heard it from our earliest days. We all know who was to blame for Jesus’ death, we all know that Pilate was afraid of the Jews and thought Jesus was innocent, we all know that it was crowd that turned on Jesus after celebrating his arrival. We all know that Jesus did not set himself up as an earthly king, that he was intentionally humble by riding a donkey, and that he died what was considered to be an ignoble death on the cross.

We think we know all this, but do we? Can we be sure this is the real story? Or is there another side to all of this? It may surprise you to learn that the Roman governor had an extensive intelligence network, and kept tabs on all activity within his jurisdiction. It may also surprise you to learn that the Romans had some significant things to say about Jesus and the early Christians in their own letters and documents.

Today, we want you to join us on an imaginative journey. We invite you to imagine that Pilate’s intelligence dossier on Yehoshua ben Joseph has just been discovered by some diligent archaeologists. It contains the full record of an interview between Gaius Scipio, a Roman centurion, and Amon, a Jewish priest. And so we invite you to listen to this interview…

*********************

Scipio: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Amon. We have received some quite alarming reports about Yehoshua ben Joseph. Until recently, we saw him as just another one of the fanatics that you Jews seem so fond of producing. Sure, there were crowds following him around but while he confined his activity to the countryside we were not too concerned. The incidents of the last week, however, are of a serious nature. I need answers for Pilate, the procurator. He is concerned, as it is your festival of Passover, which always causes problems for us Romans. As you know, the city is more than treble its normal population, the zealots are ready to stir up trouble, and as usual we have had to call in extra legions from Syria. The watchtower over the temple courtyard has to be manned 24 hours a day. So we want some answers.

What happened yesterday on the roadway leading from Bethphage into Jerusalem? Yehoshua ben Joseph led some sort of triumphal march into the city, didn’t he?

Ammon: I certainly have heard of it. It’s been the talk of the Temple since late yesterday evening.

Well, what were the people calling out? I heard he was recognised and hailed as “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” What did they mean by that?

They were quoting one of our special festival hymns, Psalm 118, the last of our special set of Hallel psalms. We sing them every year at the special festivals. But originally, it was used as a hymn to celebrate the arrival of the king in the temple. Long ago, the king used to ride up to the Temple on the top of Mount Zion, for a ceremony to re-enact his enthronement. Yehoshua was wanting to remind the people about the good times in the past, how our people used to celebrate. But I don’t think you should read too much into it, really.

But why did they cry out these words, from this particular psalm? It sounds like it was a political psalm. Yehoshua was riding up to the Temple to be crowned as King.

Well, we haven’t had a king for a long time, now; and the Herods don’t count. After all, they are in your pay – and they are not really true Jews. But I’m not so sure that Yehoshua was wanting to make any kind of political statement with the way that he entered the city. He didn’t want to be King.

How can you be so sure? Wasn’t it his own followers who were stirring up the crowd to cry out these words? Didn’t he want people to acknowledge him as someone special?

Well, it is true that it was some of his followers who started this chant. But others picked it up. They just liked the atmosphere of celebration and rejoicing. They were heading into the city for a festival, for goodness sake! It is coming near to Passover, you know. It’s a happy time.

As far as we are concerned, your festival of Passover is not a happy time – it always causes headaches for us Romans. Do you not recall the time at the end of the rule of King Herod the Great (a most worthy client king of Rome) when Roman soldiers massacred 3,000 Jews as they celebrated the Passover in the Temple in Jerusalem? And this was just for pelting the soldiers with stones. The disruption of temple activities by Yehoshua ben Joseph , and the claims he made at the time were all seen and heard by the Roman guard in his tower. And our current emperor, Tiberius, is no friend of the Jews either. Tiberias had the Jews expelled from Rome, and 4,000 Jewish freedmen were deported to Sardinia.

I am not sure that Caesar would see this as just a fun time. From what you have said, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” sounds like a challenge to our Roman rule. Are you sure that the followers of Yehoshua weren’t trying to claim that he is king, now?

Well, to do that, he would have to try to provoke some kind of military action. And he didn’t. All he did was ride into the city while people sang psalms of celebration.

I’ve heard that the people were crying out “Hosanna”. What does “Hosanna” mean?

Well, it’s just an old Hebrew word for praise. They were crying out to Adonai, to our Lord, to thank him. It was a prayer of thanks.

A prayer of thanks—I see. But what were they giving thanks for? What had he done, this invisible Adonai god of yours?

The people were just happy. They were calling out to our Lord, crying out their “thank you”, so that everyone could hear how happy they were.

But I can’t understand what they were thankful for. You lot are always complaining about being oppressed by Roman laws, taxes and our religious traditions. Did the crowd forget that this day? Come on, what does the word really mean? You wouldn’t be hiding anything from me, would you?

Oh, well, I suppose I have to tell you, it comes from the word hosa, to save. So “hosanna” literally means something like, “save us, now”.

Save us! Save us! That doesn’t sound like it was just a prayer of thanks. It sounds like a call to arms! Save us – from those horrible Romans!

Oh, no, I don’t think that was what they meant at all. Save us from doing the wrong thing. That’s all.

Well, that doesn’t sound like a very happy thing to be saying. Are you sure they were saying prayers of thanks? Weren’t they really asking Yehoshua to save them from us Romans?

Well, I don’t think I can help you any more on that question.

I am not convinced by your explanations as yet. What about his mode of transport? Why was he riding on a colt?

Oh, he had a long way to go. People often ride on animals when they are going long distances.

But he wasn’t really going very far, was he? Just from Jericho to Jerusalem – that’s only 17 miles, isn’t it – not really a long distance.

Well no, I suppose not.

So why a colt? Why wasn’t he walking like everyone else?

I guess his people wanted to make him comfortable.

Are you sure? Wasn’t there a reason for him to choose a colt to ride on?

Hmm, I’m not sure. In our scriptures, one of the prophets, Zechariah, does refer to riding on a donkey and says that it would be a humble person who would ride on a donkey. “Humble and riding on a donkey”, it says.

Listen, whether he was on a donkey, an ass or a colt, he is clearly making a statement. Humble people walk into the city. Humble people don’t draw attention to themselves. People with an agenda ride in triumphantly on beasts and let the “happy” crowd sing political songs at them.

Well, I think you are making a bigger thing of this than it is.

Tell me more about what this prophet of yours says.

Well, it is part of another hymn of praise. “Rejoice”, it goes, “rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter, Jerusalem!”

So, it is like your psalm, is it? A psalm of praise, which is really a call for political salvation!

Oh no, not at all. “Rejoice”, it goes, “shout aloud, for lo, your king comes to you, triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey”.

Oh really – “triumphant and victorious”, indeed! Only a Jew would try to be simultaneously triumphant and humble! And what was that reference to a king?

A king? Oh yes, a king. Oh well, I suppose you could argue that there was some small hint about that in his decision to ride into Jerusalem, mounted on an animal.

You must know how we Romans feel about kings. We do not have a king ourselves, you will note. History has shown that kings are always associated with arrogance, and misuse of power. Even the great Julius Caesar – as soon as he set himself up as a king he was assassinated. The only kings we Romans tolerate are our client kings, who do exactly as they are told. The governor will take a very dim view of anyone setting themselves up as a king, you know.

So, onto another matter. The people that were watching your Yehoshua ride along the road – why did they take off their cloaks and throw them down?

Well that was just a sign of respect, I am sure.

No, I don’t believe it. Isn’t there more to it that than this? If it was a common sign of respect, then we would witness it daily. I want to know where your scriptures refer to this particular sign of respect.

Oh, I think it is in the books of the history of the kings of Israel.

I see, the books of the Kings – indeed this is a surprise!

Well, yes. But this was back in the days when we had our own kings, before your Caesar ruled over us. Anyway, in the second book of the Kings, in chapter 9, there is the story about when the prophet Elisha anointed the young commander, Jehu, as the new king of Israel. When he came back to his troops in their barracks and announced thus to them, all the men took their cloaks off and spread them on the bare steps.

And what did they say to him, I wonder?

Why, the trumpeters blew their trumpets and all the people cried out, “Jehu is king! Jehu is king!”

Well, isn’t that interesting. And so I suppose you don’t expect me to think that yesterday, the people were about to call out, “Yehoshua is king! Yehoshua is king!”? Do you take me for a fool? I can see that their shouts were disguised cries acknowledging Yehoshua as king.

Oh no, not at all!

We hear that some people were waving leafy branches as he rode into the city. Why was this? Was this another royal symbol?
Of course not. It had an entirely different meaning. The branches relate to the Temple. They are part of our celebration, each year, when we remember how the Temple was purified and restored so that we could worship our Lord once again.

And when was this?

A long time ago, many years ago, when Antiochus brought shame to our people, and polluted our Temple, and we had to stop offering sacrifices at the altar. The time when the blessed Matthias and his seven sons were victorious over the foreigners and restored the Temple worship. That’s when the people waved their branches and shouted in praise to our Lord. You can read about it in the second book of our Maccabees heroes (2 Maccabees 10).

Indeed – a time when armed insurrection took place, when brigands and scoundrels fought against the armed might of the emperor, when they sought to appoint another King!

No, no, no…it was a glorious time because we remember how wonderful it was that we could worship again in our Temple. And that is what we can do now – worship in our Temple, thanks to your wonderful ruler and your brave Roman troops.

Enough – don’t make me sick. I know that’s not what you really think about us Romans. And anyway, since you bring up the topic of the Temple, after Yehoshua ben Joseph arrived in Jerusalem, he went straight to the Temple and caused havoc in the courtyard of the Gentiles. What was he trying to do? It’s a good thing that he settled down and disappeared before our soldiers got there, or he would be gone by now.

I tell you, the governor and the Herodians are not going to stand for this nonsense. The last time general unrest broke out in Palestine, the rebellions were easily put down. It is amazing how the crucifixion of 2,000 Jewish insurgents and the selling of another 20,000 into slavery can quieten a restless population. And I did hear rumours also that Yehoshua disciples’ carry swords.

Well, travel is dangerous – and the road from Jericho to Jerusalem is particularly dangerous for travel, especially at this time of the year, when lots of people are making their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. It is easy for robbers to hide behind rocks and bushes and spring out onto the road and rob the pilgrims and businessmen on their way to Jerusalem. I reckon that if you stopped every traveler and checked them to see if they were carrying a dagger or a small sword, then most of the adult males would be. Self-protection is pretty important, you know – and making sure that you could protect your wife and children, if you were traveling as a family, would be sensible, too.

But Yehoshua and his friends weren’t traveling as a family group, were they?

Well, no, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be carrying arms. I mean, business people carry swords, too. You just never know when someone might attack you.

Hmm…you make it sound so matter-of-fact and normal for people to be wandering along the road armed to the teeth with swords and daggers.

No, not at all. It’s not like we are talking about a full-scale armed rebellion. We would not dare to contemplate such a treacherous activity! But you have to realize that the Pax Romana doesn’t guarantee full safety for everybody. There is still an element of trouble-makers in our midst.

Precisely my point. And how do we tell if someone is a potential trouble-maker? Why, we listen to what the crowds are saying about him, and we keep out ears open for news of political activity. We will be watching your Yehoshua very carefully. He’s just been acting too suspiciously. And anyone who claims to be a King is setting himself against the Emperor. Amon, tell me, in confidence, what do you make of him? Do you think that his friends really do believe that he is the King of the Jews?

Oh, I think that is stretching things too far. This man cannot be the Messiah, the Anointed One, chosen by God. He doesn’t have any of the qualities of the Messiah. I know that some of my fellow Jews think he is a special person. But then again, we have a track record of making this kind of claim. I mean, there was that Egyptian some years ago, and that fellow from Samaria, and the prophet called Hezekiah who gathered quite a following, and there were others; but none of them came to anything. Their movements just fizzled out. They weren’t the Messiah, despite what their followers said.

Yes, but none of them went into the temple courtyard and overturned the tables and caused such a commotion, did they? Most of them went out into the desert, much like that strange man, Johannan, the one who wanted everyone to be baptised and to repent and follow him. Yes, they were all strange figures – but they were not political threats. Yehoshua is different. There is something about him that worries us.

I wouldn’t want to comment on this. What Yehoshua should be doing is coming to the Temple and making his sacrifices, like an obedient and pious Jew.

But that is precisely the problem – when he came into the city, with people shouting out and waving branches and singing in praise of him, he wasn’t acting in a humble and obedient way – he was acting like the King of the Jews! And when he went into the Temple, he didn’t make his sacrifices like you require. He caused a commotion! And some of his friends carry swords! And this is the man who says, again and again, that he is here to bring in the Kingdom of God. What does that mean? Surely a man who plans a kingdom plans to be King of it. It doesn’t sound to me like he has an obedient attitude towards the Caesar of Rome.

Look, Scipio, calm down, will you. You are getting over-excited here. I’m sure he is no threat to Caesar. I’m positive.

No, I’m not convinced. I think he is more of a threat than you are making out. And if you don’t help us to act, you will find yourself in trouble. Do I have to remind you, that you priests are appointed by us Romans? The members of your Jewish priestly aristocracy retain their powers only by Rome’s grace. If you know what is good for you, you will co-operate with us, and you will find a way to silence him.

Well, just let me ask around and see what we can do to have him silenced. Rest assured, we don’t want to upset you. We will do whatever it takes to keep the peace with our Roman overlords. I promise. I’ll work out some sort of plan. Don’t you worry.

No, it is you that has to worry, my friend. If you don’t do something about Yehoshua, then we will make sure that he is dealt with. We can deal with your problem people. You well know that Pilate has a serious lack of sympathy for Jewish sensibilities. Remember that Pilate, displeased by the attitude of a number of Galileans, had them killed and their blood mixed with the sacrifices. And your Yehoshua is Galilean.
Do you seriously think that the governor is going to give him a fair trial? With all this evidence against him?

We will not let things get out of hand! We will act!! And you will be sorry!!!
Alright, Scipio, I get the point. I’ll get the other priests together and work on them. It might take a few days, but let me assure you that we will sort this. You won’t have to intervene. After all, it is surely better that one man die for the people, than to have the whole of our nation destroyed.

*********************

As we come back to the twenty-first century, and leave behind our imaginary interview concerning Yehoshua ben Joseph, we are left with lots of questions.

We take for granted so many things about this story.
Was Jesus acting humbly? Or was he acting in a provocative fashion?
Did he deliberately set out to become a target of the Romans, when he rode into the city?
Can we afford to keep on talking about “humble Jesus, meek and mild”, if what he really wanted to achieve was a radical re-ordering within society?
Could he have been seen to be a terrorist – another one of the Zealots, out to overturn the Romans?
At what point would the Messiah have been seen as a serious threat to the Roman Empire and its stability and order?
Is the “job description” of the Messiah actually a threat to the way that society operates today?
Is it better that one man die rather than a whole nation be destroyed?

This week’s lectionary reading from John presents another complex, multilayered text from the fourth gospel writer. Here we find another woman in the Gospel of John behaving dubiously yet being praised by Jesus for her action. I think this is worth exploring, even celebrating as we see few named women in our scripture.

I have attempted to bring this text to life via a dialogue between two servants in the house of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, who have been serving the guests, including Jesus, at dinner. I thought perhaps by coming at this passage slightly differently, it might peel back the layers of meaning and nuance in the text.

This text raises many theological issues, and it is easy to be sidetracked by characters such as Judas, who really is there to act as a foil to Mary. He should not be allowed to distract us from the deeper theological implications of this passage.
Those present in the narrative have not understood Jesus’ words or Mary’s extravagant demonstration of love and the apparent neglect of the poor because they have not understood the meaning of the incarnation as John understands it.
In chapter one, John began his gospel with the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, including the poor and needy of the world. Despite what Judas says, Jesus did not come to try and make the world of his time a more equitable place by simply giving a few denarii away to the poor and hungry.

No, for author of John, Jesus came for a much greater purpose. He came to give the bread of life to all. He came to gladden hearts with good wine. He came to bring sight to blind beggars. He came to bring new life to tax collectors. He came to give the water of life to an ambiguous woman at a Samaritan well. He came to bring healing to a lame man. And he came to raise a dead Lazarus back to life. With these actions, it would also seem that he came to inspire common people to greatness.

In the midst of the hostility being plotted toward Jesus and their brother Lazarus by the chief priests, Mary and Martha defy the potential implications of their actions to show hospitality to Jesus. The hostility of the Sanhedrin, who symbolise the darkness and brokenness of the world, does not prevent Mary and Martha from showing their devotion to Jesus. How much do we remain faithful and committed to an ideal when it is inappropriate or dangerous in our present culture?

The Word became flesh and dwelt in this fallen world with all its woes, sin, and darkness. Like Martha and Mary, we too, need to find the courage to respond this revelation of God, and in doing so, we, like them, become the incarnation of God’s love in this world.

A dialogue based on John 12:1-8
Characters: two slaves at the house of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Miriam is a strict Jew and has a firm idea of custom and law. Phoebe is of Jewish Hellenistic origin, more liberal in her views and very interested in the message of Jesus. They have been serving dinner to the guests, including Jesus, after Lazarus’ was mysteriously raised from the dead.

Miriam: It still find it creepy, I confess, being at the home of a dead man who somehow isn’t dead any more. Oh, I can understand the gratitude that Martha and Mary must have felt, and why they wanted to thank Jesus for restoring their brother to them. But you have to admit, the whole thing was pretty weird. And that Jesus fellow, he is pretty strange as well. I am not sure I want to be so close to someone apparently as holy as he is.

Phoebe: I thought it very kind of Martha and Mary to honour Jesus. I don’t find it strange at all. Everyone knows he has wonderful powers that could only come from God. There is nothing creepy about the raising of Lazarus when you look at it that way. It is a miracle, a blessing from God. How can you think holiness in someone is a problem?

Lots of reasons. Holy men have a habit of coming to sticky ends. And I thought Mary’s gratitude was a little excessive. Fancy wasting all that expensive perfume. Where did she get the money from?

Well, I thought Mary’s anointing Jesus with that perfume was a beautiful demonstration of gratitude, and devotion. And surely you are not suggesting that she came by the perfume dishonestly.

No, of course not. But with a household to run, it seems an unnecessary expense to incur. And you must have heard the argument between Jesus and one of his disciples about it. You know, the one who keeps their accounts. Judas, I believe his name is. Judas wasn’t impressed by Mary’s action.

I don’t think it is any business of Judas, or ours, or anyone else’s if Mary wished to thank Jesus in this way. How she spends her money is surely her concern and her business only.

Well, that is true, I suppose. But Judas had a good point. A whole jar of that perfume would be worth a year’s wages for a man. Imagine how much good all that money could do for the poor. After all, we were commanded as Jews to give relief to the poor. Deuteronomy specifically states that “since there will never cease to be some one in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land’”. And look at the teachings of Jesus himself. He is always on about helping the poor. I heard he even advised one wealthy young man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. Yet here he is accepting perfume worth a king’s ransom be wasted on his feet!

I can see what you are saying. But Jesus and the disciples have given lots of money to the poor over the last few years. You know they have. And inspired others to do the same. And Mary has a right to spend her money as she wishes. She clearly offered this gift out of her gratitude and great love for Jesus. It was a sacrifice on her part to honour him. After all, what price her brother’s life?

I am not sure Jesus should have allowed a whole year’s wages to simply evaporate into thin air like that. Yes, it was a nice gesture and it did make the house very fragrant and pleasant. But what business has Jesus got to ask other people to be giving away or selling their things in aid of the poor when he allows such waste on himself? I still think Judas had a good point. All those denarii could feed a lot of hungry people. How can you be sure that Mary was doing the right thing?

I say if you are going to be generous, then do it properly. And this is also an important part of all our traditions, to be generous in hospitality to our guests and to take care to show our appreciation for the favours of others. After all, the proverb says, “Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.” Mary has given freely and didn’t withhold the appropriate thanks due to Jesus.

You sound just like that Rabbi Hillel with your liberal notions. I am sure this was not the intent of that proverb. But it wasn’t just the waste and the expense. It was what Jesus said in response to Judas, you know, about the poor always being around. You must admit that it was a very odd response for someone who says they are all for the poor and alleviating their suffering. He said that the poor would always be with us, but that he would not. This is not the attitude of a holy man. A holy man would think first of the poor.

I just told you that no one can accuse Jesus of ignoring the poor. Look at his recent actions. Apparently he managed to feed a whole crowd recently with only five loaves and two fish. In addition, I have heard some of the other followers of Jesus speak poorly of Judas. They say that Judas was not really concerned about the poor at all but was a thief who used to steal money from their common purse. Surely we cannot take his remarks seriously. Surely Mary’s generous gesture is motivated by love and gratitude, and Judas’ concern is to do with selfishly wanting the money for himself. What generous gift has Judas given Jesus, eh? Mary, however, has surely given away a most precious possession with total selflessness.

Oh, you make it all sound very noble indeed. But just think about the way she went about it. Anointing his feet instead of his head. This isn’t customary. And letting her hair down in public like that, just like she was a prostitute. What possessed her to do such a thing? She acted like she was repenting of something, not thanking the saviour of her brother. Or worse, making an offer of herself.

Oh, surely not. But I agree, it wasn’t the best image she presented of herself. I was a little shocked myself to see her kneeling at the feet of a man who wasn’t related to her, hair all over the place, wiping herself on his feet. I know they are good friends and all, but still – yes, there certainly was a breach of proprietary there. I just assumed she had forgotten herself in her great outburst of gratitude.

Well, though there is some truth in what you say, I wouldn’t want to make such an exhibition of myself. Wouldn’t a simple and heartfelt thank you in addition to the dinner be enough?

But you are forgetting just how great a miracle had been performed here – no wonder she knelt in worship at his feet. Jesus speaks about being humble and serving others. I am sure he wouldn’t be above anointing or washing feet himself. And only prophets anoint the heads of the great.

Hang on a minute. You are making it sound like Mary was recognising Jesus as the Messiah or king! Surely you are not suggesting this. Such ideas could be seen as blasphemous in certain circles. There have been whispers about this very thing.

Yes, I have heard the rumours as well. Apparently the chief priests are not happy at all with all the attention that Jesus has drawn to himself since the raising of Lazarus from the dead. I heard that they were trying to say that Lazarus wasn’t really dead; it was a stunt to suggest to the common folk that Jesus was the Messiah. You know, to drum up support from the peasants and get a movement going.

Yes, after Lazarus came alive, I did hear that the chief priests had called an emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin. They wanted to discuss what had happened, I suppose. After all, everyone is talking about the many signs that Jesus has performed. I guess they would be thinking that if they let him keep going on like this, that soon everyone will be believing he is the promised king and messiah. And any mention of ‘king’ and the Romans would be sure to come and destroy both the temple and us. I also heard that many of Jesus’ followers have left him. Maybe this is why.

I did hear that Caiaphas, the high priest, had made some sort of plan. Someone did whisper to me that he got fed up with all the debate, and told the Sanhedrin they were all fools. I heard that they decided it was better to sacrifice Jesus. You know, better to just have one man killed to appease the Romans rather than the whole nation be destroyed.

Hmmmmm, do you think Jesus has heard about this? Might explain the very strange remark he made at the time Mary was wiping his feet. He said to Judas that the perfume was for his burial. I thought to myself at the time, ‘Who is he to be planning such an expensive burial ritual? And he is only young. Why would Mary be getting ready for his burial now?’ But if he had heard the rumours too, then that remark suddenly makes sense.

Do you really think that the priests have made up their mind to actually have Jesus put to death?

I think it likely, and what’s more, I heard that they had let it slip that anyone who might know where Jesus was should let them know, so that they could arrest him. Even heard there was a reward. If you are right about Judas being a money grubbing thief, then maybe he will try and claim it.

Oh, surely not. He and Jesus are so close. Don’t even think that. But Jesus wants to be careful. I thought I heard him say at the dinner that he was going to Jerusalem soon, and Jerusalem is a hotbed of unrest with Passover coming up. There seem to be plots everywhere. There was also some talk that the priests were planning to kill Lazarus as well, because everyone keeps coming to have a look at him. It isn’t every day that you can look at someone who has come back from the dead.

Well, Jesus wants to hope that the priests don’t hear of this latest extravagance and interpret Mary’s gesture and Jesus’ acceptance of it as some sort of symbolic anointing of Jesus as a royal Messiah. Otherwise he will be looking for a tomb, not a throne.