Matthew 17:1-9
To Whom Shall We Listen?
James Sledge March
2, 2014
Because
Lent arrives later than usual this year, we’ve had the chance to hear to a
great deal more of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount than is often the case. We’ve
gotten to hear him tell us to love our enemies and put anger in the same camp
as murder. We’ve heard him tell us to be salt and light to the world, life
givers who we show the world a new way. We’ve heard Jesus say that those who
mourn, who are meek, who long for a better world, who work for peace, and who
are looked down on for doing as he says are those who are closest to God.
Because
Lent arrives later than usual this year, we’ve had the chance to hear much of
Jesus’ core teachings between Epiphany and Lent, but it’s not as though they
are big secrets. Many of us have heard them before. Some of us are also
familiar with the events leading up to Jesus transfigured on the mountain. We
know that Peter confessed Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and
that Jesus then began to teach his followers that he would go to Jerusalem and
be killed. That got Peter so upset he confronted Jesus, and Jesus in turn called
him Satan. And Jesus then taught his disciples that any who wanted to follow
him must deny themselves, take up the cross, and be willing to lose their lives
for Jesus’ sake.
And of course we know that Jesus does go
to Jerusalem where he is arrested, tortured, and executed. If we’ve been long
in the church and paid attention at all, we know much of Jesus’ story and we’ve
heard many of his teachings. But as many parents have said to children, there’s
often a difference between hearing and listening.
I’ve
been reading Brian McLaren’s latest book, Why
Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity
in a Multi-Faith World. It’s a book about
the need for Christians to develop a strong Christian identity that is also
benevolent, welcoming, and respectful to outsiders. In it, McLaren describes
having lunch with a Muslim friend who is an imam. In the course of their
conversation, he asked his friend to tell him about how he became and imam and
what he loved most about Islam. In turn, his friend asked him about how he
became a pastor and what he loved most about Christianity.
McLaren
began by telling him what he loved about Jesus. The imam confessed that all he
knew about Christianity was what he’d heard from other Muslims, and he was
thrilled to hear McLaren speak about Jesus. “When you say that you love Jesus,
it fills my heart with joy,” he said. “We Muslims love Jesus, too. We believe
Jesus is a great prophet and we love him dearly. So you and I— we have this in
common. We both love Jesus.”
McLaren
noted that he could, at that point, have engaged in an argument over the need
to believe that Jesus was more than a prophet, but instead, he asked his friend
what it meant for a Muslim to think Jesus was a great prophet. His friend said
that Jesus’ teachings and example must be followed and God would judge us by
that measure. As his friend spoke, McLaren was struck by an irony, and he
writes,
We Christians
believe that Jesus was more than a prophet, but that means, all too often for
all too many of us, that his life and teaching can be largely ignored. As long
as we believe certain things about his divinity, death, and resurrection, maybe
with some auxiliary beliefs about (depending on our denomination) Mary, Peter,
or the Bible, we’re Christians in good standing, no questions asked. Then I
thought of Jesus’ own words, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do
the things I say?”[1]
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well
pleased; listen to him!” When God speaks out of the cloud on that
mountain top, the words are an echo from Jesus’ baptism. Jesus’ identity is
once again clearly stated for the disciples’ benefit and ours. But God adds
something. Listen to him! …Listen to him!
In
some ways, this seems unnecessary, superfluous. If Jesus is God’s beloved Son,
then of course we should listen to him. And yet the history of Christian faith is
filled with examples of symbols that are appropriated and teachings that are
ignored. Once Jesus and his cross become divine symbols, they get enlisted for
the sake of empire and others while Jesus’ words are cast aside. The emperor
Constantine puts crosses on his soldiers’ shields to insure victory, as do
later Crusaders. Western nations colonized the Americas, Africa, and Asia “in
the name of Christ.” Some conservatives insist that the Second Amendment right
to bear arms is a fundamental Christian value even though Jesus teaches
non-violence. Some liberal Democrats label every Republican who disagrees with
them as greedy, vile, and slimy corporate shills without a shred of concern for
the poor, even though Jesus says insulting another makes us liable for judgment
and calling another “You fool” is deserving of hell.
I think that a majority of people both
in and out of the church long for a connection to the divine, to God. Trouble
is, we often want to enlist God in our purposes and projects rather than be
enlisted in God’s.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Listen to him!” In Christ, God’
love and hope for humanity take on flesh, reaching out with a healing and a
reassuring touch. Jesus shows us clearly that God’s love is not restricted to a
few, to those who are good enough or faithful enough. It is available to all. But
as with any good, loving parent, God does not simply love and accept us. God
also seeks something better for us and our world, and so God cannot simply leave
us where we are.
Our
world is full of voices that call to us, promising wonderful things if only we
will listen and follow. But for us to become fully human, who we are meant to
be; for the world to become the place God dreams for it to be, things must
change, and new ways of living must be learned. Jesus cannot simply be a symbol
or one who is believed in. We must listen to him and let him show us the way.
As
we enter into Lent later this week, I hope you will take up some Lenten
disciplines that help deepen your faith. Perhaps one might some time each day listening
for and to Jesus, and reflecting on how we as a congregation might listen as
well.
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well
pleased; listen to him!”
[1] McLaren, Brian
D. (2012-09-11). Why Did Jesus, Moses,
the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith
World (p. 135). FaithWords. Kindle Edition.
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