Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20 (New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition)
Luke 9: 51-62 (Common English Bible)
In the previous readings from Luke’s gospel the emphasis has been on the miracles of Jesus. Now the emphasis is on Jesus’ words and his eventual death in Jerusalem. Now, Jesus begins the long road of teaching his disciples and how to follow him.
Jesus’ disciples tried to convert the Samaritans so they would follow Jesus, but that didn’t turn out very well. The Samaritans’ refusal came as no surprise. The animosity between Jew and Samaritan has gone on for centuries. It began when the Assyrians invaded the Northern Kingdom and sent most of the Jews there into exile. Then the Assyrians repopulated the area with people from foreign nations. And later the Jewish people who didn't go into exile intermarried into these foreign people. The result was, some of these Samaritans became pagans. The Jews regarded the Samaritans now there, as tainted people, by race and the wrong religion. When the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, they turned down the help the Samaritans offered to rebuild the Jewish Temple. That didn’t work because the Samaritans thought the Temple should be on Mount Gerizim, their place of worship, and the Jews wanted the Temple back in Jerusalem.
Samaria’s location between Jewish Galilee and Judea made the situation worse. The Jews often traveled through Samaria to arrive in Jerusalem to worship. It’s not surprising the Samaritans would refuse a Jewish pilgrim to travel through their land to worship in Jerusalem. Now, something to think about is the “Parable of the Good Samaritan” in Luke 10: 25-37. If you don’t know the history of the animosity between Samaritan and Jew, the parable is nothing but an act of charity and loses its strong impact.
The disciples James and John wanted fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy the Samaritan village for rejecting Jesus. But Jesus said no to their request, leave the Samaritans in peace.
Many churches still today, have fire and brimstone preachers, especially in this county. But are these same churches showing God’s love for sinners? Jesus loves the sinner but he hates the sin. Jesus loved the Samaritans even though they rejected him. The hearts of most prophets from the Hebrew Bible is to repent and look at the world in a different way.
Do people who do not accept Jesus as their king, deserve to be destroyed? It is not for us to decide, because our standards are different from God’s standards. But the truth is, God doesn’t care what religion you belong to. A person could be a Hindu and follow the teachings of Jesus with the Hindu holy book the Bhagavad Gita beside him. Beth Walden Fisher gave me an excellent book to read around 10 to 15 years ago. The title was, “Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian” by Paul Knitter. I really recommend that book.
Jesus’ response to the Samaritans reflects the attitude we should have to all religions, especially those being persecuted. Jesus did not rebuke the Samaritans. He responded with grace and not destructive fury. Jesus was on his way to die for people like the Samaritans. His mission was one of love and not hate.
One of the unnamed disciples mentioned in verses 57 and 58, said he would follow Jesus anywhere. But following the Human One is not easy, it can be dangerous. There is no persecution in America and no one is going to die no matter how many times they say “You have to accept Jesus.” There is no risk there. But when one challenges the power structions like Jesus did, one can be jailed or even killed. Remember the times the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spent in jail and was eventually martyred in April 1968.
On Dec. 2nd in 1980. Four Catholic American women in El Salvador, who were Nuns and Maryknoll sisters, were murdered by El Salvador’s right-wing National Guard. Their only crime was feeding the poor like Jesus did. But the National Guard thought they deserved to die because they assumed they were communists. But they were not. It is ironic in some places if the teachings of Jesus are put into action you could be called a communist.
The reading from Luke’s gospel is about setting the same priorities that Jesus taught, like love, healing and social justice. Jesus is just not taking a walk in the forest, he is marching to Jerusalem to face his death. Jesus calls us to follow him to our own crucifixion where we die to ego and come alive to a new life through Christ. Every day we should open our eyes, ears and hearts to answer Jesus' call. And the SPC did this with the Warming Station which has been a success and a blessing to this county.
Each of us as Christians need to focus on Jesus and think about what are people to do. One is, we must not let fear stop us. We have to trust God and let God lead us to things beyond human knowledge. Another is, don’t ask for clarity. God will eventually show us that. Saying “yes” means we don’t have all the details. And finally, don’t use domestic responsibilities to avoid God. Following Jesus is not a game. It can be a difficult life, but the rewards are eternal.
The words of Psalm chapter 77 come out of the depths of how God’s people reacted during their exile in Babylon. Far from home, they are in a hard place where it is even difficult to sing songs about God. This is a place called hopelessness.
We can identify with the exiles and their worries. We worry about job security, fascism and health-care. Elijah the prophet could identify with Psalm 77. This faithful prophet found himself running for his life after offending the bad-tempered Queen Jezebel. And she was determined to kill him. Elijah had his lament and shouted, “I alone am left, and they are seeking my life to take it away.” (1st Kings 19:10).
Psalm 77 is a psalm of lament. There are more of these types of psalms than anything else. The Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggmann, writes, “Life is often marked by incoherence and hard-lived inequality. Brueggman finds it strange that the church today often opts for upbeat songs of orientation in a world increasingly experiencing disorientation. He believed most church songs should be somber instead.
Psalm 77 moves from the harsh days of exile in Babylon to a vision of a far better world. In remembering the God who had acted in their history by parting the Reed Sea (“Red Sea”) and other miracles, they were confident this same God could do the same in any location.
The area where we live may be a place that is hard and difficult. But the testimonies of the faithful remind us that somewhere beyond the pain of our lives there is a Jerusalem where we will find joy forever. AMEN
