Echoes of Christmas Angels

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

"Remember merciful Jesu, that I am the cause of your journey." Mozart's Requiem

Is it just my recent experience, or does Jesus encounter conflict and opposition every time something goes well?
One might well wonder at how Jesus experienced the triumphal entry.
Was he joyful, fully a part of the celebration?
Or, was it quite something else for him?
It is interesting that this reading is followed in vs. 41 & 42 “As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
Peace and glory, conflict and tears.
It is an intriguing story, and one which is hard to ever comprehend. I suspect that each time we celebrate Palm Sunday, we have to wave the branches, rejoice a bit, and remind one another that the peace which Jesus brings, comes through the terrible conflict of the cross.

Smells Like Money - No Something Else

John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, & Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, & wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii & the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse & used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

I don’t know
That has to be said in reaction to this text.
What’s going on here? I don’t know.
But I do know that I can get a strong whiff of something. . .
Is that hypocrisy there, Mr. Let’s Care for the Poor?
Is that a fair assessment, Mr. Accuse Judas Now That He Can’t Defend Himself?
Is that foreshadowing when Jesus is anointed “for the day of my burial”?
Is that a seed of hope when Lazarus “whom he had raised” is there at the table?
Can there be echoes of a future event?
If so
The washing of the Disciples feet? Is that echoed by Mary?
The resurrection, is that echoed by Lazarus?
The betrayal, is that echoed by Judas?

The Rev. Dr. Pay No Toll has influenced me more than is wise, this is true. Yet, among his rich insights is the insight on the story of the Syrophonecian Woman - that we tend to pay too much attention to her. For her, the story is about Jesus.
When commentators who go on and on about Mary, or about Judas, or about the poor, is that who it is about?
I suspect it is more about Jesus. . .
That being said, I still don’t know what’s going on here.
Anointing for burial.
Discipleship as service; “Christians are people who do feet...”
The Gospel made real and present through “opposites” - God working life and salvation through suffering and death.
What’s that smell?
Smells like death is at the door, but that perfume, hints at more than death, there is resurrection and life as well. . .

Pea Pods and Prostitutes

There are two pieces I have read in preparation for this post. The first is a 1994 Christian Century article by A. Katherine Grieb at religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2969 . The other is a sermon by Robert Capon at csec.org/csec/sermon/Capon_4414.htm. Both challenge the typical reading of this text that leads to giving the story the title "The Prodigal Son." Both articles are excellent, and you would do well to stop reading this right now and read just them.

What I am interested in is the context of this story. It is part of a response to verses 1-3 which describe the context of Jesus storytelling-- namely, tax collectors and sinners were flocking to Jesus to listen to him. Jesus even dined with them. And this upset the Pharisees. They refused to celebrate the grace of it all.

So Jesus tells two parables. The first (which is not read this Sunday) is designed to justify his affection for sinners, and communicate God's happiness in finding one who once was lost-- "Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep/coin that was lost." Heaven parties when a sinner repents. (Or a sinner joins the partying of heaven in the act of repentance.)

The second parable is this Sunday's reading. This parable goes beyond showing the happiness of the father to displaying the ugliness of the older son's indignation and beyond that to the relentless loving presence of the father with that older son. Clearly the older son is just as bad off or worse than his little ho of a brother. As Capon points out, the parable ends with the father and the older son. Not much is resolved,

But nonetheless, the point is that you can never get away from the love that will not let you go and the elder brother standing there in the courtyard in his own hell is never going to get away from the Jesus who seeks him and wills to raise him from the dead.

The Pharisees ugliness is thrown back in their face, but Jesus reminds them that he will not leave them in their hell.

Let it Alone

Luke 13: 1-9

"At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Here in Luke – the unfruitful fig tree is given more time and nurture in order that it will once again produce fruit. Can we say that it is a parable of grace or judgment ? Both ? The vineyard owner’s patience had worn out (3 years of waiting for fruit). He wanted to be rid of this fruitless tree…but the gardener appealed for mercy. “Sir, let it alone [Grk.= aphesis] for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it..” I wonder why it was that Jesus has the gardener being the messenger of grace and not the owner of the vineyard ? Are both the vineyard owner and the gardener divine figures in the story ? [Grk.= aphesis] translates Let it alone….let it be…suffer, pardon, forgive. This is the same word which Jesus speaks from the cross – “Father, forgive (aphesis) them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23: 34) In his book, The Parables of Grace, Robert Capon writes: “ The world lives, as the fig tree lives, under the rubric of forgiveness. The world, of course, thinks otherwise. In it’s blind wisdom, it thinks it lives by merit and reward.” (pg. 97)

Last week, Pay No Toll raised the question, How determined or stubborn is God ? Perhaps the question here is How far will God's patience extend ? How much time will God allow for us to repent...to turn back....before judgment comes - chop it down. Patience...let it be....let it alone. We live, as Capon says, like the fig tree lives...under the rubric of forgiveness. Isn't patience like forgiveness ? Hey, guys...thanks for putting up with me !