After Lent and Easter seasons, we now
go back to earlier chapters of the gospel of Matthew, picking up not far from
where we were in late February.
Chapters 5, 6, and 7, are the Sermon
on the Mount. After Jesus comes down from the Mountain, there are lots of
healings, and the stilling of the storm. Then this section we heard this
morning.
Jesus sends out the disciples, in
pairs. But why?
When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. [Matthew 9:36]
Jesus
saw the crowd, not noticed them, or pushed them away, but saw them, really saw
them and their deepest needs, and had compassion for them.
And
Jesus sees us, and has compassion on us.
We
live in a time when many people feel pressure to have the perfect home and
family and job and life;
to have it altogether;
to be successful
not to be seen to have any failings or doubts.
to have it altogether;
to be successful
not to be seen to have any failings or doubts.
The
good news is that:
“God loves not the persons we’re trying to be
or have promised to be
or want to be,
but the ones we are.” [i]
“God loves not the persons we’re trying to be
or have promised to be
or want to be,
but the ones we are.” [i]
Jesus sends
out the disciples, in pairs. Who are they?
The disciples are a motley crew,
These are the names of the
twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas
and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the
Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
Peter is the one who will deny Jesus,
Judas betrays Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector, and therefore working with
the Romans, and Simon the Cananaean or "zealot" worked against them. What a mixture.
Jesus didn’t wait until there were 12
perfect disciples;
twelve people who knew exactly what they were doing.
Jesus sent the disciples,
a diverse group in terms of temperament,
political leanings and
previous jobs.[ii]
twelve people who knew exactly what they were doing.
Jesus sent the disciples,
a diverse group in terms of temperament,
political leanings and
previous jobs.[ii]
Jesus sends out the disciples, in
pairs. For what?
As
you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. [Matthew 10: 7-8]
The disciples were sent to the people
to do as Jesus has been doing: healing, liberating, speaking the good news in
word and action.
….
Jesus sends out the disciples, in
pairs. What about us?
Surely, he didn’t mean us???
As we approach the UCA anniversary
next week, I have seen a number of articles asking what it means to be church,
some general, and some more specifically about the Uniting Church.
In General, what does it mean to be
Church, or part of the church?
a group who
gather to read scripture and sing hymns
people who care for each other
defenders of God and Jesus
fans of Jesus
people who care for each other
defenders of God and Jesus
fans of Jesus
Are we also sent out to heal and
liberate, to speak good news of love and forgiveness?
From the third Paragraph of the Basis
of Union:
…… The Church's call is to serve that
end: to be a fellowship of reconciliation, a body within which the diverse
gifts of its members are used for the building up of the whole, an instrument
through which Christ may work and bear witness to himself. …[iii]
In a world where violence and war,
poverty and oppression
flood and drought
corruption
poverty and oppression
flood and drought
corruption
and pain and grief and despair
fills our days and nights;
what do we, as church,
the people of God,
the body of Christ,
the fellowship of the Spirit;
the people of God,
the body of Christ,
the fellowship of the Spirit;
do?
what is our role?
what is our role?
…….
In Romans, we read of faith, grace and
hope;
and God’s love being poured into our hearts.
I wonder if that is like getting a heart transplant,
or at least a blood transfusion?
and God’s love being poured into our hearts.
I wonder if that is like getting a heart transplant,
or at least a blood transfusion?
If God’s love has been poured into our
hearts,
does this mean we now feel compassion
as Jesus felt compassion for the crowd,
who were harassed and helpless?
does this mean we now feel compassion
as Jesus felt compassion for the crowd,
who were harassed and helpless?
Paul
doesn’t speak of any easy life, but speaks of suffering and endurance. A life
that is full of hope, where we are held in the grace of Christ, have peace with
God, and God’s love is in our hearts.
That sounds like a lot to offer to the
world around us:
lonely neighbours
grieving friends
soldiers with PTSD
families at breaking point.
How can bring healing and hope and liberation?
grieving friends
soldiers with PTSD
families at breaking point.
How can bring healing and hope and liberation?
One thing that surprises me about
Jesus in this passage from Matthew, is that he trusts this diverse group of
people, ordinary people, to go and heal and liberate and speak Good News.
We can give money to charities
researching disease,
we can give money to overseas development programs,
we can give to environmental and advocacy groups,
and all those things can bring about positive change in people’s lives.
we can give money to overseas development programs,
we can give to environmental and advocacy groups,
and all those things can bring about positive change in people’s lives.
But maybe Jesus is calling us to not
only give money,
but to be transformed by the love of God,
the compassion of Jesus and
the indwelling and unpredictable Holy Spirit blowing in our lives.
but to be transformed by the love of God,
the compassion of Jesus and
the indwelling and unpredictable Holy Spirit blowing in our lives.
And when we have been transformed by
compassion and love,
we are sent to do the same:
to show the love we have been shown
to have compassion as Jesus has compassion for us
wherever possible to speak Good News.
Remembering the words of St. Francis of Assisi,
"Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words."[iv]
we are sent to do the same:
to show the love we have been shown
to have compassion as Jesus has compassion for us
wherever possible to speak Good News.
Remembering the words of St. Francis of Assisi,
"Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words."[iv]
The
disciples were sent to the people to do as Jesus has been doing: healing,
liberating, speaking the good news in word and action.
Maybe that is what church is about, to accept the commission of Jesus, to be sent to offer healing and hope and liberation.
Maybe that is what church is about, to accept the commission of Jesus, to be sent to offer healing and hope and liberation.
While I know some people have been
physically healed, for me the emotional healing in me has been life changing,
enabling me to no longer the burdens of dashed hopes and hurtful words.
While I may not be able to stop someone from dying, I can speak words of comfort
I can’t take away the grief of the death of a loved one, I can sit and hold the sacred space for their tears
I can’t take away the horror of violence and war, I can use words of peace and value each human life.
While I may not be able to stop someone from dying, I can speak words of comfort
I can’t take away the grief of the death of a loved one, I can sit and hold the sacred space for their tears
I can’t take away the horror of violence and war, I can use words of peace and value each human life.
The disciples were sent to the people
to do as Jesus has been doing: healing, liberating, speaking the good news in
word and action.
“We are expected to resemble him [Jesus]
in word and deed. To be sent by Jesus is, in some
sense, to be sent as Jesus.”[v]
When have you been Jesus for someone?
When
has someone been Jesus for you?
[i]
David Lose: In the Meantime http://www.davidlose.net/2017/06/pentecost-2-a-telling-the-truth-twice/
