Galatians 6:1-5, 11-16 (The Message)
Our reading for today, like last week’s, comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galatia was located in the center of modern-day Turkey, a location Paul visited more than once. It is commonly accepted that new Christian communities were started there by Paul himself – mostly comprised of former pagans – Gentiles – converted to this gospel taught by Paul – a good news based in love and trust, rather than in law. Paul’s letter gives us an excellent view of one of the primary controversies raging in the earliest years of Christianity.
Paul preached the loving, welcoming gospel of Jesus, and gathered believers to this radical gospel, but as soon as he would pass on to a new location, other so-called Christian missionaries would follow along behind him and undercut his teachings – teaching instead that the following of the way of Jesus required a rigid adherence to Mosaic Law. Paul taught Jesus’ message of freedom and these others sought to replace that with their own tyranny of laws. Paul would have nothing to do with such thinking and wrote to correct the “corrections” of these self-appointed teachers.
Our reading for today, like last week’s, comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galatia was located in the center of modern-day Turkey, a location Paul visited more than once. It is commonly accepted that new Christian communities were started there by Paul himself – mostly comprised of former pagans – Gentiles – converted to this gospel taught by Paul – a good news based in love and trust, rather than in law. Paul’s letter gives us an excellent view of one of the primary controversies raging in the earliest years of Christianity.
Paul preached the loving, welcoming gospel of Jesus, and gathered believers to this radical gospel, but as soon as he would pass on to a new location, other so-called Christian missionaries would follow along behind him and undercut his teachings – teaching instead that the following of the way of Jesus required a rigid adherence to Mosaic Law. Paul taught Jesus’ message of freedom and these others sought to replace that with their own tyranny of laws. Paul would have nothing to do with such thinking and wrote to correct the “corrections” of these self-appointed teachers.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.....
In other words, do not fall into the error of thinking that you have been called into the life of Christ because of any inherent wonderfulness on your part. We are not here, called as church, called to serve because we are the best of the best – we are here by the grace of the perfection which resides in Jesus alone – called in spite of ourselves.
Keep a realistic eye on yourself, Paul reminds us. Don’t think yourself better than anyone else around you. Be willing to forgive the failings of others because you are almost surely in need of forgiveness, yourself. If you see someone struggling with their weakness, help them lift their burden and put off their chains – don’t add to the weight they carry by making it clear that you see yourself as superior to them. If you think you are, Paul goes on to remind us, you are “badly deceived.”
Keep a realistic eye on yourself, Paul reminds us. Don’t think yourself better than anyone else around you. Be willing to forgive the failings of others because you are almost surely in need of forgiveness, yourself. If you see someone struggling with their weakness, help them lift their burden and put off their chains – don’t add to the weight they carry by making it clear that you see yourself as superior to them. If you think you are, Paul goes on to remind us, you are “badly deceived.”
Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ’s suffering and death. All their talk about the law is hot air. They themselves don’t keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!
This last paragraph sounds to me like a modern-day description of much of what passes as Christianity today and the battles raging in our Christian culture. So many people, so many churches have so many rules about how a “good person” should look and act. So many little boxes to check-off before a body can be accepted as “one of us.” I wonder if they ever remember that Jesus had only two rules: Love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor.
That’s it. Love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor. Not a single peep about how you look, who you love, where you live, your level of education or the size of your bank account. Nothing about your legal immigrant status or even whether you are currently drug or alcohol free. Nothing about holding down a steady job or paying your bills. All the things that matter so very much to us when we judge a person – are singularly absent from Jesus’ rules.
Are we kind to one another? That matters to Jesus. Are we feeding the hungry and clothing the naked - whether they are well behaved or not? That matters to Jesus. Are we ready and willing to accept the invitation Jesus holds out to us? To drop all our bulky baggage and leave it and walk right in the door without a backward glance – unencumbered? That matters to Jesus, I’m pretty certain.
This is the invitation – the Good News -- Paul tried to share with the Gentile world but every time he walked away and left a door open behind him, in rushed the Judaizers to slam the door shut before someone they deemed “unworthy” might slip in. Someone who didn’t meet their requirements. After all they knew what Jesus really meant – even if he didn’t ever say it. Jesus must have really meant that everyone was welcome who thought and acted just like them!
Honestly? I suspect Jesus meant just exactly what he said – and, you know? -- he made it pretty clear that he didn’t much like the keepers of the rules – the minders of the check lists. He had some pretty unflattering things to say about them.
My mind is still reeling from as on-going discussion happening on an internet discussion group called “Disciples Exchange.” It’s a site, primarily but not exclusively for Disciples pastors nation-wide. There is a wide diversity of opinion to seen here. That’s to be expected. There is one church pastor who shall remain unnamed – he’s not in our region – who is deeply anti-gay. OK, there’s still lots of people out there who are still stuck in that rut.
He’s one of those who insists that he’s is not being judgmental himself, it’s Jesus who forces him to say and feel as he does. He challenges every judgmental fiber of my being and I really struggle with my reaction to him and his dogmatic statements. And, yes, I am well aware that I am 'judging' him -- as I said, I struggle with this.
One day he almost brought the whole site to a halt by casually announcing that because the “right” people in his congregation are unwilling (he calls it ‘unable’ – again, it’s all Jesus’ fault) to share communion with the ‘wrong’ people, the good people don’t have communion at Sunday service. They share at table during the week at a private service only they know about – so they don’t have to share. This is a Disciples pastor, limiting communion to the people he personally approves of. One of our most valued beliefs is in an open table -- and he manipulates this to his own ends.
You could hear the jaws dropping all over the country and the collective gasps of outrage. Some folks tried to reason with him on this, so he immediately went into “victim” mode and declared everyone was persecuting him. Like the Judaizers of Paul’s day he is absolutely closed to any possibility that he might be wrong and that Jesus just might disagree with him. Never mind listening to what Jesus actually says – he just ‘knows’ he’s right.
That’s it. Love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor. Not a single peep about how you look, who you love, where you live, your level of education or the size of your bank account. Nothing about your legal immigrant status or even whether you are currently drug or alcohol free. Nothing about holding down a steady job or paying your bills. All the things that matter so very much to us when we judge a person – are singularly absent from Jesus’ rules.
Are we kind to one another? That matters to Jesus. Are we feeding the hungry and clothing the naked - whether they are well behaved or not? That matters to Jesus. Are we ready and willing to accept the invitation Jesus holds out to us? To drop all our bulky baggage and leave it and walk right in the door without a backward glance – unencumbered? That matters to Jesus, I’m pretty certain.
This is the invitation – the Good News -- Paul tried to share with the Gentile world but every time he walked away and left a door open behind him, in rushed the Judaizers to slam the door shut before someone they deemed “unworthy” might slip in. Someone who didn’t meet their requirements. After all they knew what Jesus really meant – even if he didn’t ever say it. Jesus must have really meant that everyone was welcome who thought and acted just like them!
Honestly? I suspect Jesus meant just exactly what he said – and, you know? -- he made it pretty clear that he didn’t much like the keepers of the rules – the minders of the check lists. He had some pretty unflattering things to say about them.
My mind is still reeling from as on-going discussion happening on an internet discussion group called “Disciples Exchange.” It’s a site, primarily but not exclusively for Disciples pastors nation-wide. There is a wide diversity of opinion to seen here. That’s to be expected. There is one church pastor who shall remain unnamed – he’s not in our region – who is deeply anti-gay. OK, there’s still lots of people out there who are still stuck in that rut.
He’s one of those who insists that he’s is not being judgmental himself, it’s Jesus who forces him to say and feel as he does. He challenges every judgmental fiber of my being and I really struggle with my reaction to him and his dogmatic statements. And, yes, I am well aware that I am 'judging' him -- as I said, I struggle with this.
One day he almost brought the whole site to a halt by casually announcing that because the “right” people in his congregation are unwilling (he calls it ‘unable’ – again, it’s all Jesus’ fault) to share communion with the ‘wrong’ people, the good people don’t have communion at Sunday service. They share at table during the week at a private service only they know about – so they don’t have to share. This is a Disciples pastor, limiting communion to the people he personally approves of. One of our most valued beliefs is in an open table -- and he manipulates this to his own ends.
You could hear the jaws dropping all over the country and the collective gasps of outrage. Some folks tried to reason with him on this, so he immediately went into “victim” mode and declared everyone was persecuting him. Like the Judaizers of Paul’s day he is absolutely closed to any possibility that he might be wrong and that Jesus just might disagree with him. Never mind listening to what Jesus actually says – he just ‘knows’ he’s right.
For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!
May we – each and every one of us – continually be willing to check our preconceptions to make sure we are actually listening to Jesus and not re-shaping Jesus to fit our idea of right and wrong, good and proper – not using Jesus to merely prop up our own needy, judgmental selves. Let us continually hear Paul remind us that it is not what you and I do – it’s what God is doing – and what God is doing is creating a totally new, free life – one where I am not responsible for deciding who’s in and who’s out. Praise God, and thank you. Amen.
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