Sermon 3/24/2019 “The ‘Why Me?’ question”
Preacher: Jo J. Belser
Locations: Church of the Resurrection at Immanuel Chapel, Virginia Theological Seminary
Text: Luke 13:1-9
Day: 3Lent, Year C (March 24, 2019)
I wonder. Did Special Counsel Robert Mueller choose last Friday to submit his report because of today’s gospel lesson? Is this pivotal moment just coincidentally occurring when our lesson is about the “Why me?” question, why bad things happen to good people?
Let me reassure you, I’m not preaching about the 22-month special investigation or anyone who may—or may not—be vindicated by the report. Ut uh; not going there!
If Mr. Mueller had submitted his report a week earlier, though, we could have thought about the timing in relation to a king (Herod) hunting for Jesus to kill him. And if Mr. Mueller had waited a week, we could consider his report in the context of The Two Prodigal Sons. Instead, we have the “Why me?” question to think about today.
I was startled this week to discover that the people didn’t actually ASK Jesus the “Why me?” question, the question he answered. The people told Jesus about Roman soldiers having killed some fellow Galileans in the Temple during worship. We can picture this event. Rebels or thieves or WHOEVER hiding in the Temple, thinking they had sanctuary there when Roman troops entered and killed them. The Jews would have considered this a “desecrating sacrilege,” an appalling affront to God. So, they did what we do today, they took their outrage and fear to Jesus.
You remember what Jesus said about how to deal with our enemies, don’t you?
- Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (Lk 6:27-28)
- Turn the other cheek (Lk 6:29, which also says) Give your shirt also if they take your cloak.
- Go an extra mile carrying their burden. (Luke didn’t record this, but Matthew did in 5:41.)
- In short, love your neighbor as yourself. (Lk 10:27)
Maybe Jesus was channeling Proverbs 24:17, which says, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice…”
I wonder if what was happening when today’s gospel lesson begins is the people’s response to Jesus’ teaching how to treat our enemies. If so, the people might have said, “But they are KILLING us, not just anywhere, but in GOD’S HOUSE! Surely you aren’t asking us to ACCEPT this untenable situation? WE are the “good guys,” good people and very bad things are happening to us. Are you saying that those who died DESERVED their fate?”
Jesus turned their report back on them by the “Why me?” question. Then he answered his own question. “No,” Jesus said, these weren’t worse sinners than all other Galileans.” BUT, Jesus said in effect, this is the wrong question. It’s not about who’s bad and who’s good, who’s indicted and who’s not. We are ALL sinners, and unless we repent, we will all perish as those killed in the Temple did.
Here Jesus was saying that those killed in the Temple were sinners who had perished without repenting their sins. They weren’t exactly “good people.” But Jesus didn’t condemn them, either, any more than he condemned the Romans who had killed them. Instead, Jesus warns US that WE need to repent, or we, too, will “perish” as they had, not just die, but perish in dying.
So, we need to repent, and we set aside time in Lent to make sure we do repent. But “repent” is one of those words whose meaning has changed since Jesus’ time. Today the verb “to repent” means something like, “feel sorry for doing the no-no things we understand God says not to do, make amends where necessary, then vow to not do those actions anymore.” Problem is, we often don’t’ feel very sorry for doing those “no-no” actions such as the ones we heard in our epistle lesson, so we do them again and again. More guilt, more saying “I’m sorry.” More trying to be good. This isn’t repentance, it is guilt tending guilt.
Then, too, repentance isn’t dealing with bad consequences for our actions. For example, if I get caught sexting and plead on the nightly news to be able to keep my position of public trust, this is damage control, not repentance.
Instead, repentance is more about discovering and living into our inherent potential.
I’m not denying the need to ask forgiveness when we’ve hurt someone. What I am trying to do is to put us in touch with the Good News of repentance. To repent isn’t a negative action, it’s a life-giving one. Repentance acknowledges when and how we have fallen short of Jesus’ example of how to live. Repentance turns our failure over and, with God’s help and each other’s non-judgmental encouragement, we live more and more like Christ.
Repentance feels good, not bad. Repentance involves opening something we have kept locked in ourselves, kept locked out of fear or greed. Repentance is about discovering what we are alive to do and opening ourselves up to living a bigger life, not hiding our “superpower” but using it in extravagant ways.
This is what Moses did after he conversed with God near a burning bush. He REPENTED there at that bush by agreeing to do something more with his life than tending his father-in-law’s sheep.
Have you repented in this way? If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to “repent!” Not because you will perish otherwise, but because the reward is abundant life, a richer, a more complete life both here and in our life to come.
Back to what the coming week will bring: Do you think that anyone who is indicted and anyone who is vindicated, are worse offenders or more vindicated than everyone else here in our world, here in our country, here in this room?
