1 John 4:16-18
Mark 4:35-41
Matthew 14:22-33
Today we heard the
passage from 1st John that tells us that perfect love casts out
fear. As people of faith we believe this.
That the God of love will be the one who tames our fears, casts away all doubt,
all insecurity and surrounds us with the blanket of love and comfort. We
believe that love will win, that good triumphs over evil and that in the end,
all will be well.
But this week, no
matter how you voted or what you believe, we cannot get away from the fact that
people are scared by the results of the election. Again, no matter how you voted or what you
believe, we cannot get away from the fact that violence is being acted out both
towards people who feel they have been given free rein to put down and injure
people who are different from “us” in this way, and from people who are
terrified and feel they are fighting for their lives. My news box has been filled with stories in
the last few days. According to USA
Today, hate crimes including harassment, threats, vandalism, assault and even
killing have been numerous. From my own friends I have seen posts such as this: “My 12 year old daughter is African
American. A boy approached her and said,
“now that Trump is president, I’m going to shoot you and all the blacks I can
find.” “Kids at my kids school have been
told to “get out” because of their skin color.
They’ve been told they will be sent out or be killed or even imprisoned
because of their heritage.” One post of
a friend said that a man had walked up to her grabbed her crotch and told her
it was now legal to “grab p___” whenever he wanted. A lesbian acquaintance in
New York city was told on the subway, “I hope you enjoy the concentration
camp!” and far too many people are expressing deep concern about their health
care coverage. According to several
studies, the worst of it has been happening in our elementary schools. On one school wall the words “make America white
again” were written along with a swastika.
A friend’s sister, who is Muslim girl, had a knife pulled on her on the
bus. And one person reported students
yelling “Hiel Trump-Hitler” on the campus during recess. Another post came from a woman who was born in
Minnesota but who was wearing a scarf and was told at the gas station that she
had better “go home” or face the consequences as he actually showed her his
gun. Again, I understand that people
voted for different folk and for different reasons. But you cannot get away from the hateful reactions
that have been going on this week. And you cannot get away from the protests
(most peaceful, though those aren’t being reported as much because they aren’t
as big news) as well as riots from people who are scared. No matter what you think or feel, we cannot
escape the reality that this has given people permission at some level to be
open with their hatred towards others. And
we cannot get away from the fact that people are demonstrating their fear and
anger through many ways, including a returned violence.
In the face of all of
this, what are we called to do? Where is
Jesus when all of this is going on? Does
he tell those who are suffering or who are hurting to ‘calm down’? Does he tell them “Don’t worry, God’s got
this!”? Does he promise them everything
will be okay? That God is in charge so
it will all be alright? Does he say,
“just relax and sit back. Everything
happens for a reason.” Or “your faith
will protect you.” Does he encourage violence as a solution? Does he say, “hate for hate” or even “an eye
for an eye”. No. Jesus said none of that. Instead, Jesus did four things. First, he goes out there and heals
people. He heals the people who others
have called “unclean”. He heals the
people others have dismissed and don’t want to have around. He heals, talks to, acknowledges and eats
with the people others call “sinners” and those the elite, the powerful, rejects. He heals those others don’t want to see or
touch or be around.
Second, he empowers people. Again, he does this in a variety of
ways. First, he talks to people he is
not supposed to talk to: women, tax collectors, Samaritans, Syrophoenicians,
children, prostitutes. He talks to
people others want gone, want out. He listens
to them, is present with them. He stops
the stoning of the woman caught in adultery.
He talks to the woman living with a man who is not her husband and
offers her his life-giving water. He
argues against violence, encouraging us to instead take a non-violent
stand. But I want to be clear with you
about this. When he says “turn the other
cheek” this is not an argument for passivity.
It is also not an argument for acceptance. He does not say “run away when someone hits
you”, he says “turn the other cheek”. This
is an act of civil protest which can only be understood by understanding
something of the culture at the time.
People were not allowed to use their left hands for contact with others,
including hitting others. If you hit
with your left hand, you were shamed. We have a hard time understanding this in our culture, but shame was a huge deal in this society. So if someone struck you they would have used
their right hand. Additionally, if it
was someone trying to shame you or say that you were an inferior, he would have
to have used the back of his hand. That
was considered a statement that the other was an inferior. But when you turn the other cheek, if the
other were to try to hit you again, he would have no choice but to use his
unclean hand, which would be a deeply shameful act for the one doing the
action, or he would have to use a fist or the open palm, both of which were
statements that the other was an equal rather than an inferior. Standing there and turning the other cheek
therefore was a way of saying, “I am not your inferior and I will no longer be
treated as such.” But Jesus
continued. “If anyone wants to sue you
and take your coat, give him your cloak as well. And if any one forces you to
go one mile, go also the second mile.”
These too were acts of civil disobedience. Roman law allowed that soldiers could demand
others to carry their stuff for them for one mile. They were not allowed to demand more than a
mile. So if a person insisted on
carrying the stuff for a second mile, the soldier would have been doing
something that had the consequence of severe punishment for the soldier. Likewise, the only two garments usually worn
by peasants were a coat and an inner garment called a cloak. You were allowed to gain in exchange for a
debt someone’s coat. By saying, “if they
take your coat, give them your cloak as well," Jesus was basically encouraging
his followers to strip naked. In that
system, nakedness shamed the person who observed it, not the one naked. He gives those who were being oppressed non-violent
but active tools for standing up and reclaiming his power. *
Third, he teaches.
He teaches about loving God, loving ourselves, and loving each
other. And again and again he says this
is it: this is what it’s about. No matter how you feel about someone else, no
matter if you disagree with them or if they scare you or if they are
threatening, we are called to love them.
And there is an especially here – especially if they are “the least of
these”, especially if they are suffering.
Jesus is clear: when you feed people, when you visit people, when you
care for people, especially “the least of these” you are caring for Jesus.
And the last thing Jesus did was to tell us to follow
him, to do as he did, even to the cross in order to teach love and to bring
healing and empowerment to those others have harmed, to love those who are
feeling scared and threatened and have been cast out. We usually in our gospel lessons are seeing
Jesus talking to people or interacting again with those we would consider “the
least of these” – the unclean, rejected, outcast. But in today’s gospel lessons we see Jesus
talking to the insiders, to the disciples, to US. In the passage from Mark we hear him being
reassuring, but also castigating. Have
faith. But by faith he is not talking about belief. He is talking about a faith that is active.
He quiets the storm because his faith is active, not simply expecting
God to do things for him, but taking action himself to quiet the storm. He calls them to do the same. The second passage, the passage from Matthew,
it is an even stronger statement. Peter
is not just instructed to have faith, to believe. He is instructed to act on that belief. To have the courage and faith to step out of
the boat, out of his comfort zone, to do what others claim is impossible and to
walk on the water towards Jesus; walking on the water towards Jesus, towards
faith, towards LOVE because that is what Jesus is and who Jesus is and what
Jesus calls us to do.
These are the things
Jesus does. And these are the things we
are called to do as well, even in our fear.
The thing is, fear doesn’t leave room for anything else: like beauty or
truth or love. From a physiological place we know this. Fear literally leaves no room in our psyches
for anything else, including rational thinking.
In this way, the only thing about fear that is helpful is that it
informs us that there is danger, and that something needs to be done. The message of perfect love casting out fear
is not, therefore, a message of “it’s okay, everything will be fine.” It’s a
message that calls us to strive to live out perfect love, to be kind and
gracious and loving so that fear will no longer have a place, a need, a
reason. Our job in this is not one of
telling others to not be afraid. Our job
is not to tell others it’s not a big deal.
No, our job is to be part of creating a world in which people do not
have to BE afraid because they know they are loved, actively, by us, and that
we will stand with them, and keep them safe, and hold them up no matter what
happens.
I think for all of
us, for all of us who are afraid in one way or another by what is happening,
again, no matter what side of the political coin you are on, our actions have
to start with the reminder that we are all connected. We are clearly not unified. And we may not even be united, but we are
still connected. We are all God’s children.
And therefore we are brothers and sisters to one another. Therefore what hurts any of us, hurts all of
us. When one person feels threatened, we
are all threatened.
I am reminded once again of Niemoller’s poem:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
All of our actions
for love over fear have to start with our faith. So I found myself reminded of this prayer by
Thomas Merton:
"My Lord God, I have no idea where
I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where
it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am
following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe
that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that
desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from
that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I
may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are
ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."
*This is one of the many articles that talks about this. See Walter Wink and Marcus Borg for more info on this. http://www.beliefnet.com/
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