24-aug-08

Both And The Rev. Joseph Winston August 24, 2008

Sermon Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Noah ben Shea tells this story in Jacob the Baker. Once there was a fool who set out for the King’s Palace. Along the way, people pointed and jeered at the fool, “Why should a man like you be going to see the King?” they laughed. “Well, I’m going to be the King’s teacher,” answered the fool with grand assurance. But his conviction only brought ever greater laughter from the people along the path. When the fool arrived at the palace, the King thought he would make short work and great jest of this man. So, the King had the fool immediately brought to the royal court. 1

Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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“Why do you dare to disturb the King?” demanded his Majesty. “I came to be the royal teacher,” said the fool in a very matter-of-fact manner. The king twisted with laughter, “How can you, a fool teach me?” “You see,” said the fool, “already you ask me questions.” The court froze silent. The King gathered himself and stared at his ridiculous opponent. “You have offered me a clever response, but you have not answered my questions.” “Only a fool has all the answers,” came the reply, balanced on a sly smile. “But, but,” now the King was sputtering, “But what would others say if they knew the King had a fool for a teacher?” “Better to have a fool for a teacher than a fool for King,” said the fool. When he heard this, the King, who was not a hard man, confessed, “Now, I do feel like a fool.” “No,” said the man across from him, “it is only a fool who has never felt like one.”2 One of the primary reasons why this tale from Noah ben Shea and others like it are so funny is that the author keeps two opposing concepts in tension throughout 2

Noah ben Shea, Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom for a Complicated World, (Ballantine Books, May 1990).

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the story. The fool that desired to be the king’s teacher is both silly and clever. The other character in the story, the king who wanted to have nothing to do with the fool, has the exact same pair of attributes as the one he so thoroughly despised. The king is both foolish and wise. The world of literature is not the only place where you can find two contradictory conditions existing at the same time. A person can be both poor and rich. There are many possible ways that an individual could have a deficit in one area while having a surplus in another. Maybe they are financially poor but rich in the Spirit. It could be the case that this specific person lacks a formal education but more than makes up for it with practical knowledge. Perhaps, a natural disaster has taken everything from them except for their memories. A quick review of the today’s lessons shows us how frequently this pairing of two contrasting ideas happens. In the first lesson from Exodus, the Israelites have just left captivity in Egypt and they finally have arrived at Mount Sinai. Through Moses, the L ORD gives this people the following message, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself (Exodus 19:3b4).” These words from God contain an implicit “both and” statement. The L ORD both enslaves and frees. The Egyptian Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. The Pharaoh’s arrogant attitude and actions forced God to act decisively. The L ORD intervened in the affairs of the Egyptian government and freed His people. But something else also occurred. The L ORD let all this happen by hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21; 7:3; 7:13-14; 7:22). The world’s most powerful 3

leader could not make us his own mind. The Pharaoh was the L ORD’s slave. The author of today’s psalm cries out for help. Liars surround him and he witnesses first hand what happens when people no longer fear the L ORD. The disadvantaged loose everything. The psalmist wants the L ORD to both destroy and protect. This is the psalmist’s prayer and it is the unspoken “both and” situation. The author of the psalm is reminding the L ORD that God keeps His promises to do these two opposing actions. In God’s world, the evil ones receive their punishment so that the just might live in peace. The Gospel lesson also contains a “both and” statement that many of us gloss right over.3 The Gospel starts out with three actions by Jesus. He decided to go to Galilee (John 1:43a). Jesus found Philip (John 1:43b). And He called Philip by saying, “Follow me (John 1:43c).” Immediately after Christ’s actions in Philip’s life, Philip goes to Nathanael and tells Nathanael, “We have found Him (John 1:45a).” Now, just wait a minute. You cannot have it both ways. Either Jesus found Philip or He did not.4 Philip is existing in a state that we often find ourselves in. Philip is both lying and telling the truth. Jesus found Philip. The lie is that Philip had anything to do with locating Jesus. The truth is that Jesus has been “found” because He showed Himself to Philip. However, the most amazing case of something being in two completely dif3

For a more complete explanation of this type of “storytelling” by the disciples see S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; S.J. Daniel J. Harrington, editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 54-55. 4 The Greek is especially clear on this point. The action attributed to Jesus is expressed in the verb εὑρίσκω, which means to find. The verb that is used to say that Philip found Jesus is from the exact same verb εὑρίσκω.

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ferent states at the same time is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. He tells each believer that, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).”5 Think about all the different ways that this idea could be expressed: • We are both Christ and ourselves. • We are both free because of what Jesus has done for us and slave for what we continue to do. • We are both the One who forgives and the ones needing forgiveness. • We are both One with Jesus and a member in His body. Paul expands these ideas in the letter to the congregation in Corinth. For example, immediately after proclaiming that all Christians are incorporated into Christ’s body while remaining individuals, Paul gives us a list of different type of people that you can find in the Church, Christ’s body: apostles, prophets, and teachers (1 Corinthians 12:28a). Paul then itemizes the work that other members do: assist the Church, heal the sick, help those in need, lead the Church, and speak different languages (1 Corinthians 12:28b). It is especially important to remember the role of the Apostles today on the festival of St. Bartholomew. The Church has taught for the last millennium that the disciple named Nathanael in today’s reading from John is actually Bartholomew 5

The Greek reads, ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους and it could be translated as, “Now all you are the body of Christ and members of [the] whole.” For other examples of the church being the body of Christ, see Galatians 6:17; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 9:27; 15:44; 10:17; 11:29.

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because in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, whenever the apostle Philip is mentioned, Bartholomew is there too (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:31). Tradition holds that Bartholomew along with St. Jude became missionaries and went to the country of Armenia, which is south of Georgia and to the east of Turkey. There they preached the Gospel until their deaths. The reason why Paul is carefully explaining the “both and” concept that we are both One in Christ’s body the Church and still individuals is that Paul has received some disturbing news that the church in Corinth is being divided (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-13a).6 It seems that the church’s members are using what could be characterized as “either or” thinking. Either you need a sign that Jesus was really the sent One from God or you would not believe (1 Corinthians 1:22a). Either an argument convinced you that Jesus was the true God or He was not (1 Corinthians 1:22b). Either you had the ability to speak in tongues or you really were not a Christian (1 Corinthians 14:1-33). But the most condemning reason or as some English translations put it the damning reason why this “either or” way of thinking needed to be put to rest was that some members of the church in Corinth could not see Christ in the other 6

In order to correctly understand Paul we must hold onto two ideas simultaneously that the Holy Communion elements of bread and wine are Christ’s body and those called out of the world to follow Jesus are the body of Christ. Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology: The Triune God, Volume 1, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 205. This concept makes sense only when we read Paul’s accounts of the body of Christ in specific and bodies in general because when this is done, we will see that Paul defines a body through the availability to others and that the body can be used. ibid.. This concept is based on work the “groundbreaking” work by John A. T. Robinson, The Body.

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members of the church.7 While Paul does not give us all the details on their faulty arguments, we do have some clues on what they saw in themselves and not in others. Maybe their problem with the others was the way that they understood the faith. Either you had the correct grasp of the faith or you did not. Paul did use the introduction of the letter explaining that salvation is not about us. Christ and His crucifixion are what count. Perhaps the issue surrounding the ability to speak in tongues was the problem. Either you had this gift and were included into the church or you did not and thus you were excluded. Paul spent a large portion of the letter explaining that this gift paled in comparison with the ability to love one another. It might even have been a division between the haves and the have nots. Either you were rich and God loved you or you were not and this meant that you were out of God’s favor. Paul reminds everyone that all of their actions must be something that Jesus would approve of. In the final analysis, it really does not matter if we ever can uncover the exact reason why the church in Corinth was being split in two by the arguments. What is important is this. The church at Corinth needed to be concerned with every member of the community and not some selected individuals.8 I do not need to tell you that this happens far too often in the Church. It is not all that hard for us to find something that we think is a make a break issue. Soon battle lines are drawn on this one specific point and people begin to say to each 7

Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology: The Works of God, Volume 2, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 211. 8 Dieter Georgi, Remembering The Poor: The History of Paul’s Collection for Jerusalem, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992), p. 51.

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other, “Either you are with me or you are against me.” These actions on our part are painful because we are driving a wedge between our friends and neighbors that make up the Church. We are tearing Christ’s body into pieces. Jesus knows how we act and how we think. He has seen us fight in the past and He realizes that we will have disagreements again in the future. Even our “either or” way of thinking does not deter Him from His plan to save us. He continues to come to us here in this Church. He does this at great personal cost, because when He is here among us He is vulnerable and undeniably our actions will do something that hurts Him deeply.9 But come He does. One the day of our baptism, He came and told each and everyone of us, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).” Every time we share His Meal, He comes with the food that gives us life. When we listen to His Word, He comes with a message of hope and comfort. Jesus loves you and He loves me that much. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we have become One with Christ. We are both freed from our past and our future is certain. We are both forgiven of our sin and we know can forgive others. We are both One with Him and all the other Christians.10 This is the miracle of the “both and.” Jesus both gives us all the benefits that 9

Robert W. Jenson, Unbaptized God: The Basic Flaw in Ecumenical Theology, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1992), p. 32-33. 10 John of Damascus in The Orthodox Faith notes that we commune not only with Christ but with each other and in doing so we become one with both Christ and each other. Idem, Systematic Theology Volume 2, p. 212.

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He has to offer us and He takes all that condemns us. The world has always thought that this free exchange of life for death sounds foolish. Would would want both our sins and our death? Jesus does. This is the heart of the Christian story. We are the fools that do not listen to God. In an amazing turn around, the King does not toss us our of His court onto our ear nor does He give us the punishment that we deserve. Rather, He acts like a fool. The creator and sustainer of the universe comes to us and offers to take away our sin and death. Jesus Christ has done all this work for us. We are both sinners and justified. We are free. “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”11

References Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998). Georgi, Dieter, Remembering The Poor: The History of Paul’s Collection for Jerusalem, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992), This book is a translation of Geschichte def Kollet des Pauls f¨ur Jerusalem. 11

Philippians 4:7.

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Jenson, Robert W., Unbaptized God: The Basic Flaw in Ecumenical Theology, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1992). Jenson, Robert W., Systematic Theology: The Triune God, Volume 1, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997). Jenson, Robert W., Systematic Theology: The Works of God, Volume 2, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999). Robinson, John A. T., The Body: A Study in Pauline Theology, (Chicago, IL: Henry Regnery Company, 1952). Shea, Noah ben, Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom for a Complicated World, (Ballantine Books, May 1990).

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