Who's First?

Read Matthew 21: 23-32

“What Comes First”

Do any of these phrases sound familiar to you? 

I just want to fit in. Why don’t they like me? Why can’t I be like them? I want to be noticed. I just want people to recognize me. I want people to see me. What about me do people not like. Am I different? Are they different? Is it the clothes I wear? Is it the way I talk? Do I smell bad? I wish I had friends. I wish people would hear my voice. They might like me if they would get to know me. Is it something I said? Maybe I am different. Maybe God made me different. God, why did you make me different? Please just give me a chance. 

Or, can you recall using any of these phrases? 

You don’t fit in. People just don’t like you. If you would change and be a little different people might like you. Just go somewhere else. I would rather not see you. You don’t belong. You are not a likable person. You’re just different; you’re not one of us. You are weird. You are not like the rest of us. You smell bad. You don’t have friends for a reason. Nobody cares what you have to say. Nobody wants to get to know you. You are not right for this group, you’re not proper material. It’s not God’s fault; it’s your fault. Just leave because you are not wanted. 

Have you felt excluded or separated from everybody else? It's likely that you can recall some of these thoughts or feelings from grade school or high school. Some of you might have heard or had them as adults. Some of you might have heard these things in church or from a church. Believe it or not, that is far more common than it should be. There are churches in the world that believe some people just don’t belong in their sanctuaries and faith communities. Forgive me for twisting the knife a little more, but there are churches in our communities that believe some people just do not belong among them. Do you remember what it felt like in school when someone told you that you just didn’t fit in to a certain group? Now, can you imagine what it would feel like if God told you that you just didn’t fit in? If a person is excluded from a church, that is how they feel. Though, exclusion of any type is not the will of heaven, it is the will of human. 

The religious people knew one way and Jesus knew another. The religious leaders walked the streets looking down on people that were different from them. They completely disenfranchised themselves from the people that were not “blessed”. Surely, they noticed the poor, the sick, and the less fortunate subjected to the streets. Surely they noticed the beggars that could not drag themselves out of the slums they lived in. Surely, they saw them. But, they believed the “less blessed” were also cursed. They believed that God put them there because they did something to make God mad. Perhaps, it was something their families did and they were paying for it. The religious leaders did not see them to be fit for the temple worship. I mean, if they couldn’t tithe why should arrive. As far as the religious leaders were concerned, if they did not pay the temple dues they were disrespectful to God. To them, it was best that these disenfranchised people just kept their distance. They believed that if you didn’t have money, you were not welcome. So, the way these people saw it, the only people connected with God were the wealthy Jews. Of course, they kept a close relationship with the Roman Empire. This relationship was kind of under the table. They did not want other Jews to know about this relationship with the Romans because they were the enemy. But, the Roman coin allowed them to live luxuriously. The Romans filled their purses. They collaborated to further oppress God’s people. 

“What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” They asked Jesus when he not only invited numerous people into the temple, but he started teaching them and contradicting the Jewish leaders. Jesus had quite a following and when he went into the temple his followers saw him and they went with him. And he started teaching them this radical way that God loved all people: poor people, sick and diseased, marginalized, sinners, tax collectors, zealots, prostitutes, and they were all welcome in the temple to worship. The religious leaders were in a fit of rage! They thought Jesus was just another radical false prophet trying to challenge the status quo. So, what they needed to do was kill him. He did not belong. He was just a poor carpenter from the north. 

“I will tell you what kind of authority I have if you answer a question for me. Where did John the Baptist get his authority, heaven or human?” Many of the people that followed Jesus loved John the Baptist. Like Jesus, John accepted them. He not only accepted them but he cleansed them of their sins and invited them to be part of God’s kingdom. If these priests rejected John’s authority, Jesus’ followers would probably cause a riot. Let us not forget that the Jewish leaders had recently killed John. 

Jesus told a parable, a story, of two sons that worked in their father’s vineyard. The father called the sons to go work in the vineyard. One of the sons did not want to work; he fumbled around and complained. He knew the work was hard because the harvest was large. He knew he had his work cut out for him. But he eventually went to work because he loved his father and he was aware of the work that needed to be done in his father’s vineyard. 

The other son said, “Yes sir! I will go to work in the vineyard. You can count on me. I will harvest and make the vineyard great. I am a hard worker; you can count on me!” But he never did anything for the father. He just said he was going to do it. In this parable Jesus identifies two types of people. There are people that might seem like they are not fit to work in the vineyard. They are the people that might not appear to be God’s servants. They are people that might not be who you expect God to call. On the surface they are the sinners, the unpleasant folks that just don’t fit in and, simply put, the most unlikely people. But, they have compassion in their hearts. They recognize the need in vineyard. They are the people that see the need in the world and they serve God; they serve people. They are the people that follow Jesus, the father in the vineyard. 

Then there are the people that just pretend like they get it because they think they are pleasing the father of the vineyard. They are actually blind to the needs of the people. They are far more interested in what the vineyard looks like and not the need to harvest from it. They are the people that boast about the idea of being obedient, but never take action. They make people believe they are obedient by lying to them. They say they serve but never follow through. 

Jesus used this parable to illustrate to the religious leaders that those who are obedient to God, even if they are sinners come before those who pretend to be obedient to God. Essentially, the prostitutes and tax collectors that believed in John the Baptist are far more obedient than the religious leaders. Jesus’ mission was a bold, upside-down move that empowered the people that were not accepted by the church.  

There is a clear parallel between the culture during Jesus’ day and the culture of our day. Some things change in time; but some things do not. John and Jesus’ followers did not fit in the temple because they were different. They did not meet the standard for worship, they could not tithe or pay the taxes, but they were compassionate with a love for God. The religious leaders rejected them because they were different and they did not fit in. 

Many churches and religious institutions require people to meet a standard before they can be part of the congregation. If a person does not fit, they are not allowed. If a person doesn’t look a certain way, live a certain way, or tithe a certain amount they do not meet the standard; they are rejected. However, on the surface those churches and religious institutions just lead an audience to believe they upholding the mission of Christ. They are blind to the needs of the world or the needs in their own backyards. They are so interested in their institution and their purses that they miss the need. They are the son in the vineyard that God called to work and they replied, “Yes, sir.” But, didn’t go. 

In God’s will there is no exclusivity. All people are included. There is no separation, there are not people that don’t fit in, and all people are invited to work in the world’s vineyard. God was satisfied with those that served even if they were sinners. They were obedient to God despite how the world treated them. Those are the ones that will be first in the kingdom. Then there are those who are blind to the needs of the world. The ones that pretend and fail to be obedient to God’s will. Who are you? The father calls his sons and daughters to work and serve in the vineyard of the world. God calls us to go out and reap a harvest for God, to show people God’s work through our hands.

Jesus made a difference. He changed the course of time and history because he stood against the people that were not obedient to God. For that reason, the religious people of his day killed him. But, they did what he knew they would do. He made a sacrifice for the world. Not only did he make a sacrifice for the people that believed in him but also for the people that did not. At that moment, time stopped and everything was made new. All things were made new. His sacrifice is still making a difference and renewing everything in the world. It is still being shown through people. Are you one of those people? In all that you do, let the love, compassion, and mission of Christ be seen in you.

Peace

      

Brick and Mortar

Read:

Romans 13:8-14

Debt can be a terrible thing. Now, there are many kinds of debt but when I say the word “debt” I think most of us think of the same thing. We think of credit cards, home loans, student loans, car loans, business loans, or such types. Some of us might think of the money we owe a friend or family member. Some us might think of the money someone else owes us. We might consider the damage that we did with our first credit card and the lessons we learned with that little devil (no pun intended). Maybe it has nothing to do with money. Perhaps there is a debt you owe a friend for doing a great favor. Perhaps someone owes you a debt that can’t be paid with money; it can only be paid the same way that it was made. Perhaps you have incurred debt because of something someone else has done. You might have used or heard the phrase, “You owe me because of what (he/she) has done.” Or, “I owe you because of what (he/she) has done.” At any rate, I think we all have some kind of understanding of debt. 

The early Christ followers in Rome knew a very similar debt as we do, but Paul challenged it. Paul flipped it over and made it something very different. The Roman church was quite different from some of the other Christian groups. Before Paul’s great reversal of life with Christ, he was an employ of Rome and he was very familiar with them. He knew the way they lived and the influence of sin that hovered over this city. It was very Hellenized, meaning that it was immersed in Greek culture. There was a large influence of pagan worship. The use of gymnasiums and public bathing houses were very common in Rome. This was a contrast to the Jewish lifestyle but many Jews were being influenced by this Greek way of living. Criminal activity was common by both sides of poor peasant criminals and systematic criminals. This was the environment of the church in Rome and it was the environment that Paul presented his letter. This letter was an urge to protest against the evil influences of the Roman people. Despite what the empire was offering, Paul was trying to quietly influence the people that had dedicated themselves to a Christ-like lifestyle. 

Among this culture, debt was very common. It was a weapon commonly used for oppression. It was a tool for the Romans and the Jewish aristocracy to manipulate and enslave the lives of the poor. Much of the sin that Jesus preached against can be contributed back to debt collection and high interest rates. Much of the oppression that Jesus preached against can be contributed back to debt collection. Many of the authorities, including the Roman and the religious governments, would use debt collection to control much of the poor population. Doesn’t that sound suspiciously familiar? There are so many well-known organizations in this world today that use debt to enslave people. The primary source of income for major credit companies does not come from the fees they charge for businesses to use their machines. It comes from the interest rates and over limit fees they charge cardholders. I digress. Jesus preached against this and Paul echoes the Lord’s sentiments. But, he uses this form of evil to teach his listeners in Rome about one of the greatest contrasts to evil. He uses their knowledge about debt and its oppressing aptitudes to teach his listeners about love. Now, if you are thinking what I am thinking, you are saying to yourself, “This oughta be good.” 

When Paul mentions debt to these Christ followers in Rome, the thoughts that come to mind are tools of oppression. Debt was like a plague. But he says, “Do not hold debt over people and do not accumulate debt with others. The only debt you should owe or ask of people is love. The only thing you should owe people and the only thing people should owe you is love.” Whoa... For the people in this culture, this was completely upside down. How would love make anyone any money? It doesn’t. At least it does not allow people to accumulate riches. Christ presented the idea of not accumulating riches but the wealthy class providing for the poor class with love. What a radical idea. Paul wanted this radical idea to resonate with the church in Rome. He wanted them to simply love one another selflessly. Paul preached this message because his people in Rome were not living up to a love standard. They were showing false love for one another. This false love was culminating hate. These people were trying to live up to the Jewish commandments but in the process, they were not considering the one commandment all of the others were summed up with, the commandment to love your neighbor as you would yourself. These people lived by the Law in the Torah but Paul teaches that love is the essential ethic in the Torah. This ethic must be very carefully and critically applied to the life of the Christ follower. 

Paul follows up this lesson on love with encouragement for his listeners. He tells them that the time has come to make Christ apparent. These people were citizens of Rome. They were people that were influenced by Hellenistic culture. They were known to stay drunk all the time, sleep around, obsess over each other, treat each other badly, fighting and bullying one another, and the influence of the sovereign God was not very present. He tells them to not partake in these common Hellenistic activities. But rather, partake in the activities that present Christ. He instructs them to find, show, invite, introduce, present, and be an ambassador for Christ and do this with selfless love for one another. 

I think it is safe to say that we, as Christ followers, are familiar with the instructions to love one another without biases and selfishness. If you have heard or read only a few of my sermons (and you are still listening) you should know that by now. But, I think we sometimes don’t consider what it means to love your neighbor as you would yourself. Do we actually consider those implications? Or, do we just carry on with our lives thinking, “Oh yeah yeah, I do enough of that.” If you think you do enough of it, you might be missing something. That would imply that there is an end to it; this love has no end. The love that Paul is urging these Christ followers is the same kind of love that we can use to present Christ to one another. That is the ultimate mission: to present Christ with our lives. We do that with this radical type of love. This type of love is far more than just an emotional state. This love is active all the time and promotes the good of someone else. It illuminates the good in other people. It works to present the good in a person and to never harm them. It is present for the good and well-being of a community of people. It is completely selfless. It holds people together and it doesn’t separate people. To quote Pink Floyd, “All in all we are all just bricks in the wall.” Love is the mortar or the cement that holds us all together. If there is no mortar we will fall apart. If the wall is weak it will fall down. But if our love is strong and we all stick together, there is no wind, storm, evil, hate, or catastrophe that will pull us apart. 

Another way that you can identify this type of love is that it is difficult and challenging. It is a no brainer that I love my family, church, and my friends. But, loving the people that have betrayed me is difficult. Loving the people that have shown a reflection of hate in the world is challenging. This type of love takes time and patience to develop. This kind of love loves what the world might call “unlovable”. But, that is the kind of debt that Paul is talking about. It is a debt that is hard to pay. It is a love debt. I am sure there are times that God has a hard time loving the world, even loving you and me. But, we are left with the reminder that God so loved the world that God made a very significant sacrifice.

Since we are Christ followers, we all owe a certain kind of debt to one another and to people that are different from us. We owe them selfless love. Why? Because that is part of the life we live; that is what God commands of us. But, the more we show disgust or hate for each other, the more we force ourselves into debt, the more love we owe. 

We strive to live by God’s commandments. Of course, God’s commandments can be manipulated and used against people or to hurt people. This has been done for centuries. For ages church-going Christians have used God’s commandments to force people away from God. This is one thing about our faith that hurts my inner being. Our bible has been used to separate and destroy communities. It has been used to kill millions of people. It has been used as a tool for self-righteousness. It has been used to make money. It has even been used to justify hate. So, one might ask the question, if this thing has been used to say one thing by one person but something completely different by another, how do I determine what is right or wrong? There is one way to determine if our bible, God’s commandments, and the gospel message are being used correctly. We can find this written throughout the text. Paul recites it in our text today. Love God with everything you have. Then, love your neighbor as you would want to be love. All of God's commandments can be summed up with those two. If something is in opposition of those two commandments, it is not God’s will.  

We are the bricks in this world and love is the mortar that holds us together. How can you strengthen the love between us all? How can you show the world with your selfless love that God is here with us, holding us together?