Dr. David D. Young
March 11, 2007
Amos 5: 14-24
Matthew 10: 26-39
"Sticks and Stones…"

Today marks the third in our Lenten Sermon Series: "Who Is Jesus, Really?" As we move through this season toward Holy Week and Easter, we are trying to figure out more fully who Jesus was and is – with his many and varied roles.

Today’s identity focus would be just as easy not to take all that seriously. I mean, Jesus as prophet is an interesting idea as long as it pertains to a couple of thousand years ago – but to consider it for our times could be very demanding. That’s why it’s easier to become numb to so many of the ills and problems around us.

When I concentrate on my own little world and forget about everything else – I know I’ll not overly tax my energy and caring. During these days of ours a million teenage girls bear children – and barely an eyebrow is raised. People go hungry and homeless in almost every city of the world – including ours – and statistics on such problems generally go in one ear and out the other. Children die from abuse and neglect, youth from drug overdose, drunk driving and suicide – and unless it touches us personally – it might get a "too bad, so sad" response otherwise hardly an eye is batted.

In short, we are losing our sense of right and wrong – or at least - are not being outraged by the wrong. And when that happens – losing a true sense of justice is not far behind. There is a significant portion of our society that has little sense of right and wrong – because they are anesthetized and numb – and friends, that condition is contagious.

Walking along rather aloof – Snoopy is carrying a briefcase and says to himself,

"Here’s the world famous attorney on his way to the court house."

Linus walks up to him and says,

"Fiat Justitia Ruat Coslum! Let justice be done though the heavens fall!"

And Snoopy thinks,

"That could ruin my whole case."

Isn’t it amazing that seeing that justice is served has become secondary to serving one’s own self-interest. Could it be that while it is always more comfortable to take the easy way out we need to reclaim the identity of Jesus as prophet today as much as ever before?

Before we turn specifically to Jesus – let’s look at the tradition of our older texts as we look at the passage Betsy Kreuter read for us from Amos chapter 5. Now, those of you who were in worship back on February 18th will recall a portion of this passage was used on that Sunday. It was the Sunday we were struggling with the tough question – the question was "What About Justice." And so it was no accident that I wanted to use it again – the same text – to remind us of the connection to the prophetic tradition – that was a part of Jesus’ cultural growing up as a good Jew. He knew well the word and the harsh message of the prophets of old and especially Mica and Amos.

"Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you."

That’s pretty straight forward.

"Hate evil and love good," Amos goes on to say, "and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

Again, it’s pretty straight forward.

"I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.

In other words, celebrations and offerings to God are meaningless unless our lives are connected to doing justice and righteousness.

In Palestine the ordinary brook (or wadi) is a raging torrent in the rainy season. In the summer heat, it dwindles to a trickle or becomes completely dry. On the other hand, a brook fed by a spring is perennial or ‘everflowing’. God requires that justice flow like a swollen torrent and righteousness like an everflowing stream (5: 24). The dealings of people with one another in every sphere of life, personal, economic, social, political, must be just and right. Why? Because the God of Israel, made known in righteous acts and saving deed, requires it. In the Exodus from Egypt, God had delivered the people from slavery, and at Sinai had established a covenant with them. This bond between Israel and the Lord was the basis of her existence as a people. It had ethical and moral conditions, which Israel was under obligation to fulfill.

And so, Amos by demanding justice and righteousness was not doing something new – he was dealing specifically with his time and place. He was red flagging bad business practices – where false measures and weights were used to charge inflated prices. Greedy and ruthless people were taking advantage of others and rather than bury his head in the sand, Amos spoke up and out. He spoke out against the idle rich and unjust judges. Amos rejected corrupt religion – and the false security that went with it. The more one thinks of it – Amos was not ancient at all – he sounds pretty contemporary.

Let me try to paraphrase Amos for us today. When your values and life-style interfere with or ignore basic human compassion, you’ve got the wrong religion. We are to create justice.

Here’s how Jesus put it, "If you do not love the neighbor whom you see – you cannot love the God you do not see." Now, Jesus as a prophet was not totally new. He simply was fulfilling and reminding people of what God wanted of them.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel in his book, The Prophets, shares this insight,

"The prophet’s ear perceives the silent sigh…above all the prophets remind us of the moral state of a people. Some are guilty, but all are responsible."

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

That’s a tough guy's response to a bully. Personally, since becoming an adult – I’ve never liked that saying. Fact is "sticks and stones can break bones" and in time they heal – but words can stick, hurt, abuse, and cut to the quick.

I took some knocks from neighborhood bullies when I was a kid – but I want to tell you – kids can be a lot more cruel to one another – by what they say. Words can be incredibly powerful, tho’ they tend to be pretty cheap these days. The word of the prophet can cut to the quick – and at first it may hurt – but it is spoken out of deep caring.

The only reason Jesus said some of the hard things he said was because he cared. If he hadn’t cared – he would have buried his head in the sand. Let’s hear again a portion of the passage from Matthew which Betsy read,

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

That’s a hard saying. And I don’t know about you – but I kind of wish Jesus hadn’t said it. But he did – and unless we want to bury our heads in the sand – we need to deal with it.

First, he said he brought a sword. It’s unlikely he meant a physical weapon. Listen to the writer of Hebrews 4: 12,

"Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Might that not be what Jesus meant?

And that individuals within families will be set against each other – because some will only travel the path of complacency and comfort and others will hear the prophet’s word that afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted – and thus get off their duffs and live a life of concern and compassion. And let me tell you those who are self-serving and seek total comfort are threatened by and in conflict with those whose lives are shared deeply in compassion.

"Those who seek their life – will lose it and those who lose their life will find it."

The beauty of Jesus is that he lived what he spoke. He showed a decisive solidarity with marginal people. He ate with sinners and talked and walked with outcasts. He forgave sins instead of holding grudges. Those who were numb to the injustices of their society were shaken by his words,

"As you have done it to the least of these you have done it unto me. If someone has need of a coat and you have two or three or four or ten or twelve – give one to them."

And those who were too comfortable in his day were shaken by his actions. He went into the temple – into the holy place and drove out the money changers who were exacting too much of a profit from the poor who were coming simply to make offering and sacrifice to God.

Justice is love working out its problems.

Love is justice.

Justice is love.

Love makes justice – just.

Speaking out of a life of service in Brazil, Archbishop Dom Helder Camara once told a group in Los Angeles,

"A man can give aid to an individual and be called a saint, but let him appeal for justice and he may be called subversive. The greatest charity of this century is to help create justice."

And that’s the reason prophets never fare well. They call for justice. And the arrangement of things is not set up to help everyone. The prophet gives pain and oppression a voice. And those who have "made it" have to be bothered by the needs of others. I think that’s the tough message for us this morning. In a world where "making it" is so important. We need to be bothered by the needs of others.

There is a true story of a guest minister who was invited to preach and I think it may have been around a similar Lenten time when the church was getting ready to be involved in outreach projects and other things. He had been invited to speak about the importance of really getting involved in life and making a difference. So, here’s what he did - he got up and greeted the congregation with some nice words of welcome and encouragement and his gratitude for being present. And he said, "I simply have three points to make this morning and I’ll be rather brief." Everyone was delighted to hear that.

In his first point he said, "During the first thirty seconds of this sermon – fifteen people in the world will die of hunger." That was the end of his first point and people were rather pleased that had gone so quickly.

He said in his second point, "And you don’t give a damn." And that was the end of his second point. It was going very fast.

And his third point was this, "You’re more upset that I said the word damn then your are about those fifteen people," and with that he sat down.

Wow!

"Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream," says the prophet.

William Sloan Coffin died this past year. He was in my opinion and I think for many, one of the most articulate prophetic voices of our time. He had been a Chaplain at Yale, he spoke out against the war in Vietnam and did a lot to bring about nuclear disarmament and the treaties that came into being. There was one time when he and then Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, were discussing the Vietnam War and Coffin, of course, was promoting the withdrawal of troops. And Kissinger asked somewhat rhetorically,

"How would you get the boys out of Vietnam?" William Sloan Coffin was not one to let an opportunity slip by, rhetorical or not. He responded, "Mr. Kissinger, our job is to proclaim that ‘justice must roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ Your job, Mr. Kissinger, is to work out the detail of the irrigation system."

Jesus as a prophet – mighty in word and deed shows us that the will of God – whether we like it or not is discovered in the territory of justice and love. Beware then of any religious direction which leads you down a road of no compassion. So, "Who Is Jesus, Really?"

If Jesus says something that challenges, confront or even hurts – that’s OK - he does not do it because he doesn’t care, but because he does!

It’s tough love!

"Sticks and stones can break my bones" – but words – oh words – Jesus words – are terribly important!

Amen!