Month: March 2018

Death Has Been Swallowed Up Forever – Lectionary Reflection for Easter B – Isaiah 25

Isaiah 25:6-9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
    of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain
    the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
    the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8     he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
    and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
    Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
    This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

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                Easter celebrates the victory of life over death. We gather on Easter morning to declare in song and prayer: “Christ the Lord is Risen today.” We joyfully sing: “The strife is o’er, the battle done, the victory of life is won, the song of triumph has begun. Alleluia!” Easter is a glorious moment in the Christian year, for it celebrates resurrection—God’s victory over death. As Paul reminds us, our resurrection is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus. (1 Corinthians15:20)
                The Gospel reading for this cycle of texts comes from either Mark 16 or John 20. Mark 16 gives us a rather abbreviated version of the Easter story. It may leave us wanting more, which is why many will turn instead to John 20, which invites us to encounter the risen Jesus through the witness of Mary Magdalene.

Continue reading “Death Has Been Swallowed Up Forever – Lectionary Reflection for Easter B – Isaiah 25” →

Talk About the Passion, Palm/Passion Sunday

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Narrative Lectionary Reflection

March 25, 2018

Read John 19:17-23 (CEB)

Introduction

 All glory, laud, and honor 
to you, Redeemer, King, 
to whom the lips of children 
made sweet hosannas ring. 
You are the King of Israel 
and David’s royal Son, 
now in the Lord’s name coming, 
the King and Blessed One. 

This hymn, “All Glory, Laud and Honor” is the song we sing on Palm Sunday. It’s kind of an odd hymn to sing on Palm Sunday because we know what’s going to happen a few days down the road.  But it is also revealing something about Jesus: Jesus as king. Of course, when we see Jesus on the cross it doesn’t feel like Jesus is the king.  But it is in weakness that Jesus truly reveals who Jesus really is.

Today’s text seems out of place for Palm Sunday (the narrative lectionary gives you the option of preaching from John 12: 12-27 where Jesus enters Jerusalem). Many churches use Palm Sunday to preach the texts of Jesus’ Passion (the time leading up to Jesus’ death).  Our text today continues the story of Jesus in John and places us in the middle of the passion.

To see Jesus suffer, gives us the thought that Jesus is out of control.  Jesus is just a victim of the Roman state.  But looks can be deceiving.  Jesus is suffering and Jesus is a victim, these shouldn’t be minimized, but what we are seeing here is a person in control of the narrative, of telling the story of the king, the suffering king who lives and dies for the sake of the world.

 

 

Engaging the Text

19 Pilate had a public notice written and posted on the cross. It read “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.21 Therefore, the Jewish chief priests complained to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The king of the Jews’ but ‘This man said, “I am the king of the Jews.”’”

22 Pilate answered, “What I’ve written, I’ve written.”

-John 19:19-22

For the last two weeks, we have been subject to an ongoing argument primarily between Pilate, the governor of Judea and the Jewish religious leaders with Jesus adding a few comments now and then. Today’s passage is mostly focused on Jesus, with one final argument between Pilate and the religious leaders.

Let’s take a look at the two part of today’s passage

All By Myself

The first thing to realize is that in the ancient world, to die on the cross was the worst way to die.  It was called, “the most cruel and horrifying death” by Cicero and a “despicable death” by Tacitus.  The Persians were the ones that started the practice. They viewed the earth as sacred and they didn’t want it defiled with the body of an evildoer.  The person was nailed on the cross and then left to die, with the vultures and other carrion birds disposing of the evildoer piece by piece.

The Romans have a certain way of crucifying a person.  It was very specific and very unnerving:

The condemned man was placed in the centre of a quaternion, a company of four Roman soldiers. His own cross was placed upon his shoulders. Scourging always preceded crucifixion, and it is to be remembered how terrible scourging was. Often the criminal had to be lashed and goaded along the road, to keep him on his feet, as he staggered to the place of crucifixion. Before him walked an officer with a placard on which was written the crime for which he was to die, and he was led through as many streets as possible on the way to execution. There was a double reason for that. There was the grim reason that as many as possible should see and take warning from his fate. But there was a merciful reason. The placard was carried before the condemned man and the long route was chosen, so that if anyone could still bear witness in his favour, he might come forward and do so. In such a case, the procession was halted and the case retried.1

As we have said throughout this gospel, John’s narration of the crucifixion is different from the telling of the Synoptic gospels. One example is found in verse 17 where it says, that Jesus carries the cross alone. In the other three gospels, we read that Simon of Cyrene is commandeered to carry Jesus’ cross.  Why is this not mentioned in John? There is probably a theological reason for this; it shows that Jesus is in command of what is going on here. John 10:17-18 reminds us that Jesus is the one that chooses to give up his life, he is not the victim of events.

Where and when Jesus was killed is listed as something very specific.  The fact that Jesus is crucified between two people.  In the other gospels, they are depicted as bandits. In John 3 Jesus says that being lifted up will bring salvation: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life,” (John 3:15-16). Above Jesus on the cross was as sign written in three languages, Hebrew, Latin and Greek; “King of the Jews.”  The writing in three languages reminds us that this act was for the whole world and not just a specific group. The universality of the sign reminds us who is the object of God’s love: the whole world. The crucifixion continues Jesus’ coronation as the King.

Vereses 23-25 tells us that the soldiers cast lots for Jesus garments. Will learn that one of Jesus clothes is seamless, which would indicate the clothing of a high priest, the one that would bring together God and humanity.

During the crucifixion, we see two groups of people, Pilate and the Jewish leaders and the women.

 

Responding to the Cross

As said earlier, Pilate and the Jewish leaders had been in an argument over what to do with Jesus. Now that Jesus is on the cross dying, the Jewish leaders are upset about the sign above Jesus on the cross. Pilate had written “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” which is translated to “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The chief priests complained to Pilate to not write King of the Jews, but instead “This man said, I am king of the Jews.” They wanted him to be viewed as either crazy or blasphemous. They wanted Jesus claim to be reduced to a claim, something they could easily refute.  They also had to keep up what they had pledged to Pilate, that it was Caesar and not Jesus, that was their king.  But Pilate, who gave into the religious leaders when it came to crucifying Jesus, held his ground.  “What I have written, I have written,” he says. In doing this, Pilate is announcing a reality, that Jesus is king, which is not an idle claim.

Finally, there are the women.  In the other gospels, the women were far off, but in John, they are front and center. The mother of Jesus (who is unnamed in John) and the Beloved Disciple are right there at the foot of the cross. Jesus’ mother was there are the beginning of his ministry in John 2 and she is here now at the end.  The Beloved Disciple has a prominent role throughout the Passion.  His being here shows his loyalty to Jesus.  The gathering of the women and the Beloved Disciple is symbolic of the community that will carry on Christ’s mission as Jesus leaves the scene.

 

Conclusion

The passage ends with Jesus saying “It is finished.” He then dies.

The concept of Passion Sunday came about for a reason.  Palm Sunday is usually a day of celebration, where we remember Jesus being entering Jerusalem like a triumphal king. It is the day in many churches where the children and youth will parade around the church, while the rest of the congregation waves their palms.  Beacause Maundy Thursday and Good Friday take place during the week and are low attended, there was a concern that the person who only comes on Sundays would only see celebration during  Holy Week.  We would welcome Jesus into Jerusalem and we would praise Jesus rising from the grave on Easter. It would give people a faith that went from strength to strength, with no sense of the pain and horror of Good Friday.

In the same way churches can bypass Good Friday, people can do the same thing when we get stuck on certain aspects of the event.  It is easy to debate what theory of atonement works or even  if atonement exists at all.

But it is important to read the crucifixion (no matter which version) and be left with some of the feelings of disgust and some of the questions that are left.  We should shudder at how horrible the method of crucifixion works because it was horrible. We have to ask why did Christ allow himself to be crucified and why does it matter?

In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul explains what Christ’s death means to outsiders and what it means for Christians and the meanings are different:

 

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach[b] to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Why is cross looked at as folly to some and as salvation to others? Why does cross remain a stumbling block and sheer folly?

Many have tried to explain the cross in a way that makes sense, but does it?  Does the cross make sense? What does the cross, which doesn’t make sense mean to you and me?

What we do know is that the cross is where Jesus is finally king.  After that, the cross is the beginning of our questions and discoveries and not the end.

1.Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of John (Vol. 2, p. 292). Louisville, KY: Edinburgh.

 

 

Dennis Sanders is the Pastor at First Christian Church of St. Paul in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. He’s written for various outlets including Christian Century and the Federalist.

God the Vindicator — Reflection for Passion Sunday (Isaiah 50)

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Isaiah 50:4-9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4 The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
6 I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.
7 The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8 he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
9a It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
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We have reached the penultimate moment in the Lenten journey. Christians, at least in the West, will be observing Palm Sunday, or perhaps Passion Sunday. I have always approached Palm Sunday with a bit of unease. After all, the triumphal nature of the day is fleeting. So, perhaps focusing on the Passion is more appropriate, even if we might regather on Friday to hear again the passion story. The reading from Isaiah 50, which forms the third Servant Song, has been read by Christians, along with the other Servant Songs, down the centuries as descriptions of the suffering Jesus experienced as he went to the cross. While the fourth Servant Song is the most revelatory when it comes to the Servant’s suffering (Isa. 52:13-53:12), this Song offers insight into his experience as one who was struck and bruised, but vindicated. In this reading for Passion Sunday, we hear this promise of vindication, making clear that the attacks on the servant are not the last word.
The prophet declares that God has given him the “tongue of a teacher.” That is his calling, but he is also a teacher who listens to the one who wakens him. The one who speaks is a teachable teacher, and this is important because the audience is not always receptive to the message. Therefore, the prophet tells us: “I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting” (vs. 5b-6). You can understand why the church has applied this passage, and other similar texts from Isaiah’s servant songs to Jesus. He was a teacher whose message was not well received by everyone. His opponents struck him, pulled at his beard, and faced insult and spitting.”
As we hear this message to the church in preparation for Holy Week, we should go behind the text to the original audience. That audience was likely the Judean exiles. Sometimes Judah itself is the Suffering Servant. In this case, it could be the prophet. The question is, should we focus on the suffering or the vindication? Christopher Seitz notes, following Claus Westermann, that this poem, and it is a poem/song, should not be read as a lament, but rather as a “psalm of confidence.” There is no complaint offered. Suffering is acknowledged, but it leads to a statement of confidence in the God who vindicates [“Isaiah 40-66,” New Interpreter’s Bible, (Abingdon Press), 6:436].
The prophet declares with confidence in verse 7: “The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” The prophet, who has been called to teach the people, and has listened to the voice of God, has faced challenges, but because God is the helper, the prophet will not be disgraced or put to shame. Rather than be disgraced or shamed, the prophet is vindicated by God.
When read within the context of Passion Sunday, the reading from Isaiah is a reminder that despite the suffering that Jesus experienced, God vindicated him through the resurrection. For Israel, despite the suffering it had experienced in the Exile, it would be reconstituted. Israel would be resurrected. Taken together, Israel/Jesus are vindicated by God. Teresa Lockhart Stricklen notes that the while the Servant Community looks weak and defeated, “the power of the unseen God is at work to reconstitute that community and thereby reveal the power and purposes of the God of Israel.” Christians look to “Jesus on the cross, like Israel in exile, appeared to be weak and defeated, but God raised Jesus from the dead, thus again affirming God’s power and life-giving purposes” [Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, (WJK Press), p. 185]. The resurrection, like the reconstitution of Israel is God’s vindication. So, who can contend with those whom God vindicates and helps? If God helps, then who can declare Israel/the Prophet/Jesus guilty?
We can take this passage a step further. Rather than focus on the question of the identity of the Suffering Servant, we can ask the question of what it means for us to be servants of God, even in the face of resistance and persecution. How might we be the teachers who are awakened by God, so that we might share the God News, knowing that God helps and vindicates? Jon Berquist points us in that direction. He notes that when reading this in our Lenten context, we hear a word concerning our own calling.
Lent has emphasized confession, repentance, humility, submission to God’s will, and the desire to recommit one’s self to the work of God in the world. With these concerns framing our approach to the text, we understand Isaiah’s call to be servants and teachers, to sustain others while realizing that we are still learners ourselves, to live out our own vulnerabilities, to recognize that only God will save us from the persecutions and rejections of the world that will inevitably result from our commitment to God’s purposes, and to know that God’s salvation will come only through our persistence in the work of serving and teaching in the face mounting opposition. [Feasting on the Word, (WJK Press), p. 163].
Jesus faced his own tormenters, putting his face forward like flint. Israel did the same. Shall we follow their lead? The good news here is that we can go forth into Holy Week with confidence, knowing that God is our help. God is our vindicator. No one can stand against God, so let us stand together and move forward with boldness on the path set before us by Jesus.

While the Nations Rage, Lent 5

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Narrative Lectionary Reflection

March 18, 2018

Read John 19:1-16 (CEB)

Introduction

“London Bridge is down.”

When the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom hears this phrase, he or she will know what has happened: Queen Elizabeth II has died.

Operation London Bridge is the code name for the plan that will come into action in the days following the death of Elizabeth.  This is a plan that has been in the works since the 1960s with changes taking place every few years.  It involves several agencies including the Church of England, the media, the British Armed Forces and London Park service.  There are plans as to what will be played on the radio, how presenters will dress on television and when and where the successor (at this time it’s Prince Charles) will be made the new ruler of the UK.  There are plans in how to communicate the message to the 51 nations that make up the British Commonwealth. Parliament will be recalled and the Prime Minister will address the House of Common and probably the entire nation. The plans even include the Royal Mint, that will immediately start printing money with the new monarch’s face, so that they will be ready once the successor is coronated.

Why such intricate planning? Mostly because the British had a bad history of royal funerals.  The undertakers were drunk during the burial of  princess Charlotte in 1817 and the death of King George IV funeral in 1830 was mismanaged. Queen Victoria didn’t want this to be her fate, so she started planning her funeral in 1875, 26 years before her death.

Royalty and other leaders get the…royal treatment because they are important figures. Societies believe that these leaders deserve a funeral that is dignified and respectful of the office they hold.

Today’s text is the second text featuring Pilate.  The Roman governor is still debating with Jesus and tackling what is to be done with him.  In the middle of all this, the soldiers roughed him up and placed a crown of thorns on his head.  He was mocked as the “king of the Jews.

But what they didn’t know, what Pilate didn’t know, what the Jewish leaders didn’t know is that they were in the midst of royalty and in giving him a coronation of sorts.

Today, we see this odd coronation that crowns Jesus as the king of all.

Engaging the Text

10 So Pilate said, “You won’t speak to me? Don’t you know that I have authority to release you and also to crucify you?”

11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority over me if it had not been given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From that moment on, Pilate wanted to release Jesus.

-John 19:10-12a

Last week, we had the first part of the encounter between Jesus and Pilate.  Pilate questions Jesus who is as unscrutable as ever. Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not from this world, meaning it operates in a way that is different to how the rulers in this world act. Pilate just wants to get Jesus off his hands, but he finds no real reason to put this man to death no matter the insistence of the Jewish leaders.

Today’s text opens up the argument between Pilate and the Jewish leaders continues.  There are two stories that are taking place in this passage, so let’s take a look at both of them.

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

The soldiers take Jesus and is tortured by them. Scripture says “The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe.Over and over they went up to him and said, “Greetings, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.” (John 19:2-3) He is beaten, and then has a crown of thorns paced on his head. Some accounts say that the thorns were pushed into his head, breaking the skin. It is a gruesome scene.

What the guards don’t realize is that through their mockery, they are revealing the true nature of Jesus. Throughout John, Jesus was “hiding in plain sight.” Now, the soldiers have said in no uncertain terms who Jesus is: king.

There is another example where Rome inadvertently sets up Jesus as king. Verse 13 states “When Pilate heard these words, he led Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench at the place called Stone Pavement.” The writer of John is actually ambiguous as to who was sitting at the judge’s bench. Was it Pilate, the person who was able to sit there, or was it Jesus? Which one was king? John seems to be saying that Jesus might be sitting there and that Pilate is installing Jesus as the new king. When Pilate says in verse 14 “Here is your king,” Pilate might be mocking Jesus and the Jewish leaders, but he is also proclaiming who Jesus is.

Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Caesar

Pilate and the Jewish leaders are still bickering over Jesus. Pilate doesn’t see why Jesus needs to be executed. He hasn’t done anything worth being crucified (though it didn’t stop Pilate from allowing his guards to torture Jesus).

Pilate tries to get the Jewish leaders to execute Jesus themselves, but they come back with a strong retort: “We have a Law, and according to this Law he ought to die because he made himself out to be God’s Son.” (John 19:7) When he hears the leaders saying his person claims to be God’s Son, Pilate is nervous. The phrase “Son of God” had a lot of meaning in the ancient world and for Pilate it meant he could be dealing with a divine or semi-divine being. When he asks “Where are you from?” he wants to know if Jesus is of human or divine origin. Pilate is a ruthless leader, but in this context, he is rather indecisive when it came to facing the Jewish leaders. He could not put his foot down, but instead is getting rolled by the leaders. Even Jesus shows Pilate how truly weak he is in this situation, when he responds to Pilate by saying the governor has no authority over him that isn’t given by God. Pilate might think he holds Jesus’ life in his hands, but Jesus announces that it is really he that holds Pilate’s life in his hands.

When Pilate wants to release Jesus, the Jewish leaders say something that is absolutely stunning. They say ““If you release this man, you aren’t a friend of the emperor! Anyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes the emperor!” (John 19:12) Later, when Pilate asks if they want Jesus their king put to death, they respond, “We have no king except the emperor,” (John 19:16) What makes this so stunning, is that even when Israel had kings, the belief was that there was no greater king than God. In fact, the commemoration of Passover was a reminder that God was the one in charge, not the Pharaoh. The writer of John shows the irony of the leaders who can’t enter Pilate’s quarters for fear of contamination that would keep them from taking part in a holiday that reminded them that God was their king, telling Pilate that they have no other king save Caesar.

Theologian Karoline Lewis thinks Pilate was in many ways a plot device to bring out the Jewish leaders’ true natures, one that showed them rejecting God.

This is as much a commentary by the fourth evangelist on the community that rejected the audience to whom he writes. The inside/ outside motif is less about Pilate’s waffling decision than about firmly situating the Jewish leaders on the outside of the presence of God, outside of the sheep pen, outside of the fold, deeply and decidedly in the darkness, in sin. The final verdict, or judgment, for the Jewish leaders they end up bringing upon themselves. Their words are not only a rejection of Jesus but simultaneously a rejection of God. Their descent into the dark side is complete, with God pushed away as far as possible. 1

The passage ends showing us what we have known all along: that the people who saw themselves as insiders, as the ones favored by God, were the outsiders after all.

 

Conclusion

Where are the nails that pierced His hands? 
Well the nails have turned to rust 
But not so the Man 
He is risen 
And He reigns 
In the hearts of the children 
Rising up in His name 
Where are the thorns that drew His blood? 
Well, the thorns have turned to dust 
But behold the love 
He has given 
It remains 
In the hearts of the children 
Who will love while the nations rage 
While the nations rage

-Rich Mullins

The quote is from the 1989 song, “While the Nations Rage” from the late Christian pop singer Rich Mullins. The song seems fitting here, reminding us that the thorns that Jesus wore, the nails driven into his body those symbols intended to show the power of mighty Rome are no more. Pilate believed he had the powers of life and death, but within a short time following this trial, Pilate was recalled by Rome.  The power of Rome would wane and finally disappear. The plans that the United Kingdom have put to prepare for Queen Elizabeth’s passing are necessary, but they also show the power of the state and the power of the kings, queens and presidents of our age. But again, like every other leader, these people pass from the stage, because in the end they are mortal, pretenders to the throne. Today’s text reminds us that true power comes from God, God is the the true king and we must keep that in our minds as we are tempted like the Jewish leaders to pledge fealty to Caesar.

At the same time, this trail in John19 is not just one that puts Pilate on the hot seat. We are also on that seat.  Who is King or who is Lord in our own lives?  When do we say we have no king but, name-your-modern-day-emperor?

The hymn Ah, Holy Jesus, How Has Thou Offended can seem a little over the top to people. But it many ways it gets to the point of our being on trial.

1 Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!
2 Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee. 2

The hymn reminds us that we, all of humanity have judge Jesus. We were the ones asking for Christ to be crucified. It’s a downer of a hymn that seems to want us whipping ourselves for our offense. But the reality is that we, like Pilate and the leaders have at times in our lives missed the true king staring us in the face.  And it is only through the life, death and ressurrection of Jesus that we are forgiven and freed.

1. Lewis, Karoline M.. John (Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries) (p. 227). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

2. A stirring version of Ah, Holy Jesus was recorded by the artist Sufjan Stevens and a choir in 2012. You can listen to it here.

 

Dennis Sanders is the Pastor at First Christian Church of St. Paul in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. He’s written for various outlets including Christian Century and the Federalist.

Covenant of the Heart – Lectionary Reflection for Lent 5B

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Jeremiah 31:31-34 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

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                Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant that God will make with Israel and Judah. It won’t be a covenant written on stone. It will be a covenant written on the heart. Christians have embraced Jeremiah’s message of the New Covenant, believing that this promise was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In Paul’s account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper (the earliest version of that institution), we hear Jesus declare: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25; see Lk. 22:20).  In the Book of Hebrews, which interprets the ministry of Jesus in the light of Jewish precedent, we see several references to the New Covenant, with the emphasis being on the way in which this new covenant replaces the earlier covenant. So, consider this word: “For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.  Where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established” (Heb. 9:15-16). It is this reference in 1 Corinthians and the accompanying references in Hebrews that lead to the labeling of the Christian-specific portion of the Bible as the “New Testament.” It is within the pages of the Christian portion of the Bible, that Christians have seen themselves encountering the one who writes the new covenant on hearts rather than stone.

Continue reading “Covenant of the Heart – Lectionary Reflection for Lent 5B” →

Showdown!, Lent 4

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Narrative Lectionary Reflection

March 11, 2018

Read John 18:28-40

Introduction

In the spring of 1989, the world was transfixed at the budding democracy protests that took root in Tianenemen Square in Beijing, China.  Most of the protesters were students that were asking for a more democratic society.  For those who remember the protests, we can remember the statute which was said to be patterned after the Statue of Liberty, the Goddess of Democracy.

Then came June 4.

The Chinese government finally decided to brutally crack down on the protests.  Scores were killed. The quest for democracy in China seemed over.

In the midst of the crackdown, there was an image that has become iconic.  A line of tanks is going down a main street in Beijing and they are stopped by one man. The man goes as far as climbing on the lead tank all the while protesting the crackdown.

It seemed rather foolish for one man to be challenging soldiers in tanks.  On the other hand, there is a sense of awe at this man’s bravery and boldness to face the might of the Chinese military.

We never know what happened to that man. We don’t know his name or where he came from.  What we do know is that he became a symbol of fighting against injustice.

As we continue our slow walk of the Passion, we are now to Jesus coming face to face with Pilate, the governor of Judea. This conversation between Jesus and Pilate will be the main text this week and next.  Jesus and Pilate represented two forms of power.  We are familiar with Pilate’s power; because it is the power of the world.  Jesus shows another kind of power, one that befuddles people like Pilate.

Today we look at part one of the showdown between two rulers: Jesus and Pilate.

Engaging the Text

 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”

-John 18:33-34

In the previous lesson, we talked about two trials taking place at the same time: Jesus in front of the former high priest Annas and Peter in the courtyard among the guards and servants.  Peter ends up denying Jesus three times before a rooster crows.  Jesus calls out Annas on how this trial was extrajudicial and is punished by a guard for daring the question the high priest.  Who isn’t the high priest.

When Annas was done, Jesus was then taken to see Caiaphas who then passed him on to Pilate.  What we know about Pilate in the Bible is that he is the representative of Rome and is known for being the guy that literally washes his hands after sentencing Jesus to death even though he was sure Jesus was innocent.

But there is a more about Pilate that you should know to help frame today’s text.  So let’s briefly look at the rule of Pontious Pilate.

Pilate the Ruthless

Pilate is the fifth governor of Judea appointed by Emperor Tiberius and served in that capacity from 26-36 BCE. The Biblical texts tend to have a thin description of him, but other extrabiblical texts have a fuller picture and by modern standards it is not pretty. Jewish sources present him in a very negative light, insensitive to the Jewish faith and quick on the trigger to use force to punish dissent.

The historian Jospehus reports that when Pilate became governor, he allowed the military to place busts of emperor all around Jerusalem which went against Jewish faith. To add insult to injury, this was done in the dead of night. The Jews responded using non violent tactics that made Pilate back down.  On another occassion Pilate appropriated funds for the Temple to build an aqueduct for Jerusalem.  This brought about protests. This time he had soldiers dressed as Jewish protestors that attacked when a signal was given. Many Jews died in that sneak attack and Jerusalem was horrified. 

The final event that finally got Pilate recalled to Rome was when a Samaritan false prophet promised to show sacred documents of Moses on Mt. Gerazim, a place sacred to Samaritans.  Pilate sent a heavily armed contingent of soldiers that intercepted the pilgrims and slaughtered most of them.  For Rome, this was too much.  He was recalled and a man named Marcellus became the new governor.

Who’s on Trial Here?

Jesus is sent from Caiaphas to Pilate. The discussion between Jesus and Pilate is one that shows two different kinds of power. It is also one of belief, Pilate could not see Jesus as anything more than an annoyance.  As it was last week, Pilate doesn’t realize that he is the one that is on trial not Jesus.

The passage opens up with the Jewish religious leaders bringing Jesus to Pilate. However, they don’t enter the headquarters. Since in John, the Passover has not yet happened, the leaders were concerned with defilement. Under Jewish law, one could not enter a Gentile’s home because that would make them unclean and ineligibile to eat the Passover meal. So, because of this, the leaders did not go into Pilate’s residence. The writer of Jihn is showing the hypocrisy of the leaders.  They didn’t want to be defiled and they wanted to show difference from the Romans like Pilate.  But in their desire to get rid of Jesus, they were closer to Pilate than they wanted to be. In reality, they are guilty of the greatest defilement, killing the lamb of God.

Pilate is curious why the leaders sent Jesus to him.  The leaders give him a nonanswer. Pilate then asks them to consider judging them themselves, but they say that their law doesn’t permit them to put someone to death. The Jews know that the charge of blasphemy might make Pilate interested since someone that claims they are a king would threaten Pilate’s rule.

Pilate then starts a conversation with Jesus that exists on two different levels. For Pilate, the claim that Jesus is king is a political question, one that threatens his own leadership. When Pilate asks if he is the king of the Jews, Jesus responds by asking the same question at him. By doing this, Jesus is turning the tables on Pilate.  Pilate is now the one that is on trial. Is Pilate the king of the Jews?  Jesus answers in that question, no, he really isn’t. Pilate might be worrying that he will lose his power, but Jesus is saying he already has since it is God that holds power.

Now it’s Jesus time to respond. He tells Pilate that his kingdom is not found on earth. Jesus talks about his followers in verse 36, which is the same word used for police at the beginning of chapter 18.  But unlike the police that are at Pilate’s command, Jesus followers don’t use force. Jesus draws his powers from God, not from human institution. Jesus is saying his power comes from a different source, one that Pilate doesn’t understand.

Pilate then speaks again with the Jewish leaders and tells them he finds nothing that would make him want to sentence Jesus to death. Pilate isn’t interested injudging this case, but he does come up with an idea: the custom every year was to release a prisioner for Passover.  He asks if he could release Jesus, but instead they choose Barrabas.

Verse 40 informs us that Barabbas was a bandit.  To understand why this wording was used, you have to see how this passage relates to John 10 and the story of the Good Shepherd. Bandit is only used one other time before this usage and that’s in John 10 when Jesus talks about a bandit that comes to take the sheep.  In choosing a known law-breaker over Jesus, it shows the leaders would rather have a thief be released than one that is innocent.

Finally, Pilate responds in verse 38 with a bit of snark, by asking “What is Truth?”  This isn’t the question of someone that is seeking truth.  In fact, he doesn’t realize that the truth is as plain as the nose on his face because Jesus is the truth!

 

Conclusion

Pilate is a leader, the governor in Judea.  He is appointed by the emperor himself.  In front of him is the true King, but he doesn’t look like a normal king. He is not what Pilate expected.

Twenty years ago, I was in China with a group from my seminary. We went to visit churches in the mountains of southwestern China.  The Christians we met were ready to greet us and they were excited to worship with us.

But we were not alone on our visits.  Everywhere we went, we had people from the government with us.  One day, an elderly man who was from the government sat in the front of the church with his arms crossed as the villagers worshipped.  There were worried looks on their faces.  What would the government do to them?  They were worshipping God, claiming Jesus as Lord- with the watchful eye of the state looking on.

To claim that Jesus is our King, that Jesus is Lord, can get you into trouble. Lutheran pastor Barbara Lundblad reminds us that claiming that God is king can anger those who are in power:

 

One of my students is an Anglican priest from South Africa. Not long ago he shared a story about what it was like to believe Jesus was King during the days of apartheid. “Our whole congregation was arrested,” he said, “for refusing to obey the government.” I thought I misheard him, but he went on to say that all 240 members of the congregation were arrested and put in jail — from babies to a 90-year-old man. “At least babies and mothers were kept together,” he added. The pastor himself was imprisoned for a year. To claim that Jesus is King can be dangerous.

King Jesus is not like other kings and will always cause the rulers of this world to scratch their heads.

Dennis Sanders is the Pastor at First Christian Church of St. Paul in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. He’s written for various outlets including Christian Century and the Federalist.

Patience—Or a Loss of It – Lectionary Reflection for Lent 4B

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Numbers 21:4-9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

*******

By the fourth week, the Lenten journey could be getting old, especially if you’re fasting (I’m not). Many churches try out things they don’t normally do during the season (we’re using a prayer of confession and words of assurance in worship), which means that some in the church might be ready to get back to the status quo or move on to the next thing. After all, by now the stores are filling up with Easter paraphernalia.

In the previous three Lenten readings from the Hebrew Bible, we have explored God’s covenants—first with Noah, then Abraham and Sarah, and finally with Moses and Israel at Sinai. Now we’re moving on from the initiation of covenants to living in the covenant. The reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent places us on the road toward the Promised Land. The people of Israel have arrived at Mount Hor, a mountain in the desert near the border of Edom, one of Israel’s traditional enemies. Although the journey from Egypt to the Promise Land should only take a few weeks at most, the people of Israel have been wandering in the desert for months and maybe years, making little progress. It is true that they have received the keys to the covenant and established the priesthood, with Aaron as the first chief priest, but they’re still wandering in the wilderness.

Having arrived at Mount Hor, change is setting in. When they arrive at this point in the journey, Aaron dies, and the priesthood passed on to his son Eleazar (Num. 20:22-29). Moses has lost his closest confidant, and a person whom the people gravitate toward. Aaron is a buffer, but he’s gone. The journey has been long. The people are tired. There is no end in sight. Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like you are wandering in the desert with no end in sight?

Having buried Aaron at Mount Hor, the people of Israel head out again on their ever-lengthening journey. They again begin complaining about God’s provision and Moses’ leadership. They’re anxious and afraid. They fear dying in the desert of thirst and starvation. While there is manna, it is detestable. Now, they are told they will take another detour, even if it is a smart decision, so they can avoid traveling through Edom. More wandering. More time. More suffering. It’s no wonder that the people of Israel got anxious and impatient! In their frustration they challenged Moses’ authority, and even that of God. After all, hadn’t Moses promised them that Yahweh would liberate them. Instead of liberation, all they seemed to experience was death (symbolized by that of Aaron).

As we all know, either from our own childhood memories or as a parent, a long trip can wear on you. The longer the trip, the more likely that our patience grows thin and we begin to complain about everything. In this case it’s the lack of food and water, and the detestable nature of the food they have (I’m assuming we’re talking manna here). In other words, Israel is ungrateful. Of course, this is the first time we read of Israel murmuring. This is the fifth and final such episode. Now, we’re supposed to side with Moses and God in this matter, but I can sympathize with Israel. If I had been on a journey like this, one that was filled with obstacles and never seemed to end (did they know there was a shorter road to the Promised Land than the one they were taking?). Even Egypt might start looking good if they didn’t get to their destination soon.

This is all a backstory to God’s decision to punish Israel because their continued complaints. Perhaps in a fit of divine impatience, God sends poisonous snakes into the camp to kill off members of the community. Yes, many were bit, and many died. It sounds horrific, but apparently it got the people’s attention, because they went to Moses and confessed their sins against God and Moses. They asked Moses to intervene and ask God to get rid of the snakes. So, Moses prayed for them, and God provided a remedy. God told Moses to create a totem of sorts that featured a poisonous snake. So, Moses fashioned a bronze serpent and placed on a pole, and if a snake bit a person, Moses would have the person look at the bronze serpent and the person would live.

This is quite interesting. After all, images were prohibited in the commandments (though Numbers doesn’t have the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments. Still, this is odd. Of course, this passage might raise other questions in our minds. First, there is the question of whether this is magic. Then there is the picture of God it presents. Once again, we see God act somewhat petulantly. The people complain, and God sends snakes to kill them. What kind of God is this? Moses seems to have more patience with the people than Yahweh. But then God does seem at times to be short-tempered. Remember how Abraham had to talk God down from destroying Sodom with Lot still present? Is this the God we worship? We could try an age-old tactic and separate Jesus from the Old Testament God, but that leads in a dangerous direction. Yahweh becomes Marcion’s demiurge, the evil creator god who is overcome by the loving God of Jesus. We should stay away from such views, but this is a good reminder why we should not read Scripture flatly, as if everything is the same. Both testaments speak of God in ways that we likely will find problematic, at the very least.

A deeper question has to do with the message of this passage for our Lenten journey. The reading from the Gospel of John designated for this Sunday equates Moses’ serpent to Jesus on the cross: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believed in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-16). In John’s Gospel the serpent of Numbers 21 is a precursor to Jesus. By looking at the serpent, the people lived. They were healed. They were saved. By believing in Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross, we receive eternal life. It is not magic. The cross is not a totem, but both the bronze serpent and the cross of Jesus are signs of healing. Note that in both cases, life is the result. In one case it’s physical and the other is eternal, but both bring healing, wholeness, and life itself. So, we lift our eyes to the cross, and we see our salvation. In him, we are healed. In him, we find the source of patience in the midst of challenging times.

Robert D. Cornwall is pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Troy, MI. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. The author of a number of books, his most recent books include Out of the Office: A Theology of Ministry (Energion Publications, 2017), Marriage in Interesting Times (Energion, 2016), and Freedom in Covenant (Wipf and Stock, 2015).  He blogs at Ponderings on a Faith Journey. 

Freedom amid Divine Expectations – Reflection for Lent 3B

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Exodus 20:1-17 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

20 Then God spoke all these words:

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

*****

We serve a covenant-making God. In the reading from Exodus 20, we encounter the third covenant-making event in this our Lenten journey. In the reading from Genesis 9 for the for the First Sunday of Lent, we read of God’s covenant promise to Noah. Never again, will God cleanse the earth with water. In the reading for the Second Sunday of Lent from Genesis 17, we hear again God’s covenant promise to Abraham and Sarah. They’re promised a multitude of descendants, who will inhabit the Land as part of an everlasting covenant. Now, we come to the third covenant, the one God makes Israel through the mediation of Moses. God has called Moses up to the mountain top so Moses might receive a set of covenant stipulations that will define relationship between Israel and its God.

We call the covenant stipulations revealed to Moses in Sinai the Ten Commandments. They are, we’re told, inscribed by God on stone tablets (Exodus 31:18-19). It should be noted that when Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets laying out the covenant and discovered that the people were dancing around the golden calf, he threw them on the ground, breaking them (Exod. 32:19). Now, God did provide a second copy, so the people would have guidelines. With this second set, God renewed the covenant in preparation from the move from Sinai into the Promised Land (Exod. 34).

These stipulations that were intended to mark God’s covenant with Israel, have entered the public domain. We treat them today as if they were a legal code for American cultural life. Attempts have been made to put them in schools and court houses. In other words, we have secularized them, forgetting that they define a relationship with God. To forget their origin and turn them into rules diminishes their power to engender true freedom as a gift of God.

It is easy to miss, but these ten words begin with God’s declaration: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This is an important word, because it defines God and God’s relationship with God’s people. In Jewish tradition, this is the first command. The second command prohibits worship of other gods and of making images of those gods. Thus, the opening statement is not a self-introduction. It is a command or word from God. Regarding this self-revelation of God’s identity, Rabbi Barry Schwartz writes: “

Note that while God could have been introduced as the creator of the world, God is instead presented as liberator of the people. The Torah is surely reminding us that the demanding and commanding God is first and foremost the liberating God. Concurrently, the text is also teaching us that there cannot be revelation without liberation. [Barry Schwartz, Path of the Prophets, ( Jewish Publication Society, 2017), p. 33].

What might appear to be rules and regulations are the foundations of freedom. True freedom comes from being in relationship with the one God, of whom no image can be created, a God who invites us to rest from one’s labors. While Sabbath laws often became burdensome, consider their origins. A people was enslaved. They had no rest from their labors, but now, they were free, and so Sabbath rest was theirs as a gift of God. Where once they had been in servitude to Pharaoh (who considered himself a god), now they are servants of Yahweh, and in this service, they find freedom.

We tend to equate freedom with an absence of rules, but to live in relationship with the covenant-making God, who is also the liberating God, is to recognize that true freedom is not anarchy. Again, I turn to Rabbi Barry Schwartz, who writes that “freedom is not simply the opportunity to act with impunity—it requires responsibility. The Exodus, after all, is not an end in and of itself. The Exodus culminates in Sinai—liberation is capped by Revelation. The mission is predicated on a covenant, and covenant implies obligation.” In this view, “responsible freedom leads to blessing” [Schwartz, Path of the Prophets, p. 36]. If we look back from this covenant to the one God initiated with Abraham and Sarah, it’s purpose is one of blessing. That promise of blessing continues through this covenant relationship.

While it may be true that these Commands form a basis for Western legal traditions, and that these words hold value for human life, it is important that we first see them in the context of God’s covenant purposes. These are, after all, not just any laws, these are a gift of God.

The commands provide a foundation for the relationships within the community for relationships with God and with neighbor. The first Table speaks specifically to one’s relationship with God. That is, love God with your entire being (Deut. 6:4-5). So, don’t worship other gods, don’t create images, don’t take oaths, and observe sacred time (Sabbath). When it comes to the second command, to love one’s neighbor, the remaining statements come into view (Lev.  19:18). Words that address such basic principles of life as not killing and stealing, seem uncontroversial, though we can obfuscate on the meaning of such words. But what about bearing false witness and coveting. How often do we break these two commands, which can often lead to breaking the others? In many ways the final command about coveting stands at the foundation of the entire law concerning one’s neighbor. Stealing, lying, killing, they all start with coveting.

When we speak of the two commands to love God and neighbor, we speak of a calling more fully delineated in the Ten Words, and further delineated in the 613 Mitzvot that make up the Law. If we fulfill the two, we fulfill the 613. Thus, Jesus affirms and fulfills these covenant stipulations, in calling for his followers to love God and love neighbor (Matt. 22:34-35).

We hear these words anew in the context of our Lenten journey find true freedom in service to God. Since this is a season of contemplation and reflection, may the Ten Teachings, as laid out in Exodus 17, help us discern our place in God’s covenant people. As we use these words to look at our lives and how we are living them, if there are some areas needing adjustment, may we take the opportunity to do just that. As we take time to repent, we get back in the groove, for it is followed by words of assurance of forgiveness.

Dr. Robert Cornwall, Pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church of Troy, MI and author of several books including Out of the Office (Energion, 2017) and Freedom in Covenant (Wipf and Stock, 2015).

In the Dock- Narrative Lectionary, Lent 3

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Narrative Lectionary Reflection

March 4, 2018

Read John 18:12-27

Introduction

If you are called to serve on a jury, you get to see American jurisprudence (or wherever you live) in action. Both sides present evidence to the jury and when both sides rest their case, the jury goes over the evidence and decides the fate of the accused: guilty or innocent?

In today’s text we continue our slow walk of the Passion. Last week we talked about the Washing of the Disciple’s feet and the betrayal of Judas.  This week, Jesus has been arrested and is facing a trial.  But the trial Jesus faces is not fair.  It becomes little more than the show trials we hear of in authoritarian regimes.

But Jesus isn’t the only person facing a trial.  While Jesus is being judge by the religious leaders, Peter, one of Jesus disciples is also facing a trial of sorts. He was being asked by people outside of the house of Caiaphas if he is associated with Jesus.  A test was set up for Peter and he failed.

Today we look at the two trials of Jesus and Peter.

Engaging the Text

The servant woman stationed at the gate asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?”

“I’m not,” he replied. 

-John 18:17

A lot has happened between chapter 13 and today in chapter 18.  Starting with chapter 13 and going all the way through Chapter 17 is what has been called the “Farewell Discourse.”  This is where Jesus gives his final words to the disciples before his arrest. In the first part of Chapter 18, we see Jesus being arrested and his disciples scatter.  That leads us to this point.  As the text starts, Jesus is sent to the home of the former high priest Annas, while Peter stood outside of the gate of Annas’ courtyard.  An unnamed disciple was with Peter, and because he knew the high priest, he was able to come into the court. He is able to talk Peter into the courtyard where Peter could warm himself by the fire.

Inside, is when an “unofficial”(and maybe unlawful) trial begins.  It’s important to note that Annas had no formal legal standing because he wasn’t the high priest.  He was the high priest at a time in the past, but the current high priest was his son-in-law Caiaphas.

There is some evidence that in Jewish trials, the defendant was never required to testify or answer questions. Instead witnesses were called on the behalf of the accused to testify to their integrity. After this, the witnesses against the accused spoke.

This was how it was supposed to be done, but Annas dispense with procedure and started questioning Jesus by telling Annas all of the people who saw him preach out in the open and wondering why they weren’t called to testify.  This causes a response from a nearby guard. “Do you answer the high priest like that?” the guard said, which is a way of saying “Who do you think you are?” Jesus is then led to Caiaphas for trial, but we already know the verdict: in John 11:47-52, we see the high priests coming together after the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  They all wonder what they can do and Caiaphas says  “You don’t know anything!  You don’t see that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed.” He has already made up his mind that Jesus would be sentenced to die in order to please the Romans and save the Jewish community.  Even though Jesus is going to trial, it is yet another show trial- Jesus fate was sealed before long before Christ enters the Caiaphas’ house. 

What Annas, the guards, Caiaphas and Pilate don’t realize is that it really isn’t Jesus that’s on trial, but them.  When Jesus calls them on the show trial, it reveals that the high priests and Roman leaders have been judged and found wanting by Jesus. 

Meanwhile, Peter is entering the courtyard.  The woman at the gate asks him,“Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?”  Peter immediately responds “I am not.”  Peter is set up as the opposite of Jesus here. Throughout John, Jesus announces himself using the words, “I AM” (think of in John 6 where Jesus says he is the Bread of Life). Here in John18, Peter says “I am not.” Peter’s denial is really one of identification. When Peter starts to deny Jesus, he is denying his relationship with Jesus; it is a rejection of his discipleship. He not only denies Jesus, he denies being a disciple.

Peter denies Jesus two more times. Earlier in John, Peter brags that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37).  This is in stark contrast to Jesus, who before the authorities is willing to speak boldly even to the point of death. In this passage, like in similar passages in the other gospels, we learn of the cock crowing three times, just as Jesus predicted. Here in John, the story ends there which is different from the other gospels that have Peter weeping loudly for having let Christ down.

While it is true that the act of washing heals the man’s blindness, the washing also enables him to see where Jesus comes from, and, in the end, he is brought into the fold of the Good Shepherd. The healing of the man born blind is also a sign that exposes those who do not believe. The foot washing in chapter 13 has similar connotations. It is a washing to be made clean if the sense is washing away that which would prevent full recognition of who Jesus is and what is about to happen. It exposes Judas. The washing makes possible having a share with Jesus, being in relationship with him, in his community, in the fold, as opposed to being cast out, like the blind man or going out, like Judas.

Judas is not clean because he doesn’t believe. Why? We don’t know. What we do know is that as Jesus shows what it is to be a follower, Judas misses the point.

Conclusion

There is an old saying that goes, “If you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to arrest you?” The point behind the statement is to ask if our lives, our witness is so evident that people know who we are and whose we are.

In the passage today, we are given two examples, one positive and one negative.  Jesus got into trouble with the high priests because he raised Lazarus from the dead. There were willing to do what it took to make sure Jesus was put to death.  Jesus’ witness was in the open and it was considered so shocking by those in power, that they charged him with death.

On the other side is Peter.  Peter who made bold promises to give up his own life for Jesus. The Peter who earlier in chapter 18 is willing to start a fight with the authorities and cuts off the ear of a servant. This same Peter now didn’t want to admit he had anything to do with Jesus.  He stands with the guards instead of standing with Jesus. When push came to shove, Jesus didn’t want to be identified with the One that would soon be crucified.

The hope in this passage, is that Peter ultimately finds grace.  He is given a second chance and reading the book of Acts, we see a more bold Peter witnessing to the love of Jesus.

The 1987 movie Cry Freedom tells the story of Steven Biko, an anti-apartheid activist who died in police detention in 1977.  A scene from the film portrays a trial that took place in 1976, a year before Biko’s death. Nine young men are on trial for subversion.  Biko is being questioned by the prosecuting attorney, and while he himself is not on trial, his beliefs were.  The late Donald Woods, a white South African journalist who wrote a book that the movie is based on, described the trial (the movie clip is available here):

In 1976 [the year before Biko’s death] Steve Biko played a leading role in one of the most remarkable trials in South African history.

A group of nine young blacks was prosecuted in the Supreme Court for alleged subversion by intent.  That is to say, in a sense their thoughts were placed on trial.  That Steve sought to establish that their philosophy, the Black Consciousness philosophy … was a danger to public safety in that it was likely to lead to a mobilization of black opinion against the established white order in a manner calculated to cause “racial confrontation.”

…The defense took the line that blacks needed no inculcation of resentment against white racism; that such resentment was already widespread among blacks; that even within the country’s statutory curbs on anti-apartheid expression blacks had the right to mobilize opinion to seek redress of their grievances and that Black Consciousness was a constructive rather than a destructive philosophy.

The lesson here is two-fold: are we bold enough to identify with Christ even when it costs us something, even if it costs our lives?  And are we bold enough to accept the grace from God when we fall short?

Dennis Sanders is the Pastor at First Christian Church of St. Paul in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. He’s written for various outlets including Christian Century and the Federalist.