The Washington Redskins were one...
Illustration
Object:
The Washington Redskins were one of the dominant teams in the National Football League during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1940, however, they lost the championship game to the Chicago Bears, 73-0. In the final minutes the Redskins drove 75 yards, to the six-inch line. With hopes of at least scoring once, Redskins' quarterback Sammy Baugh passed, only to have the ball intercepted as the time ran out. In the locker room afterward, Baugh managed a weak smile and said, "Maybe if we could have gotten that touchdown at the end it would have turned the tide." Surely the death of Jesus appeared to his followers to be a disaster. And the claims of the faithful, later on, that the crucifixion had somehow "turned the tide" against sin, death, and the devil must have brought derisive jeers from enemies of Christ. Unlike the Redskins' quarterback, however, the early Christians actually had it right.
***
These days, World War I battlefields in France look rather inviting. The grass is green and manicured; the trenches are cleaned up. Visitors are encouraged to jump in and try them out. Seeing them now, we can hardly imagine the horror that once was. Gone is the mud saturated in blood and rotting flesh. Are these improper words and thoughts from a pulpit? Not really! They are no more improper than the obscenity of a mob that shouts "Hosanna!" on one weekend and "Crucify!" on the next. This week we are not in pastures green, but in the abyss of human destruction.
***
The crowd at the cross can be divided into three categories.
1. "God, I hate you ..." Pharisees
2. "God, I love you ..." disciples, women, penitent thief
3. "God, I could care less ..." soldiers
People throughout history have fallen into one of those responses.
***
Christian poet G. K. Chesterton has given us this:
The Donkey
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One fierce hour and sweet:
there was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
Why a donkey? It's a funny-looking beast of burden, the donkey. It makes a funny noise and has a bad reputation for stubbornness. We make jokes about it and call people the several names it has, and none is a compliment. So why a donkey? Maybe several reasons. Jesus chose a beast that carries burdens, because he takes our burden on himself, bears the burden of the world to the cross. He calls us to bear burdens also; as Simon of Cyrene bore the cross of Jesus to Golgotha, we are tapped to carry some of the burden also. And it's joyful news that if a donkey is needed, then we are needed and can be of service to the Lord, the king on the donkey, and on the cross.
***
Enshrined in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is Calvary, the place where Jesus died on the cross. Most of this stone hill called Golgotha has been enclosed within the church structure in order to protect it from vandals and souvenir seekers. However, at the base of the stone hill there is a section of three foot by four foot glass that allows one to look upon the rock for oneself. At the top of Calvary, a chapel has been constructed which contains a life-size crucifix made of precious metals. Countless incense burners and an altar adorn the chapel. Under the altar there is an opening which one can reach down and touch the stone of Calvary. For some Christians this is a less than memorable experience. However, there is one thing about this place that stands out in the pilgrim's mind. Leading up to the top of Calvary is a narrow staircase. One must climb the hill of Calvary very slowly and carefully, always looking up until you round a corner and find yourself looking up, up to the cross of Christ.
***
Crucifixion is really a hard way to go!
It was not a Jewish form of execution. The Jews stoned to death; that was their form of handling capital punishment. Blasphemy, idolatry, and adultery were all punishable by stoning.
Crucifixion was the Roman method.
It showed indifference of conquerors upon those being conquered. There was nothing humane about it. Imagine the public indecency of a torn and bleeding body. It was burnt by the sun. It was tormented by a wide variety of insects. There was no privacy. Even the elementary functions of urination and defecation were obvious for the jeering public to see. The person died slowly, usually by strangulation. Such a death was utterly obscene from a Jewish point of view. No legitimate Messiah could ever die in such a fashion.
So, our Blessed Lord didn't just die for humanity. He was killed over a period of hours, the agony defies our imagination, and the ridicule must have been heartbreaking.
Indeed, he paid the price for our redemption.
***
The sweep of the passion story almost defies adequate illustration. But perhaps there is one that catches up all the human passion, pride, and prejudice contained in this drama. When the Great Wall of China was completed, it stretched for several thousand miles. Its builders believed it would make China impregnable against all attackers. It was too high to be scaled. It was too broad to be battered down. Yet, in the first few years after its construction the wall was breached three times. This happened not by scaling it or battering it down. It was breached by bribing the gatekeepers. The wall was no stronger than the character of the person who kept the gate. As one thinks about the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the cruelty of the soldiers, the fickleness of the crowd, and the smugness of the priests, one sees the mighty fortress of God's love breached again and again by human sin. But as China was greater than those who guarded its gates and continues to exist in spite of human defection, so the love of God withstands any assault, all evidence to the contrary. The primary question we must ask during this Holy Week of our salvation is not if God will win, but rather, "Lord, is it I?"
***
Taking the nature of a servant has never been a popular choice, especially as a career move. Few people know this better than The Shine King, James Cole of Chicago. "People don't want to shine shoes no more. You don't find that many kids who want to shine shoes. They don't believe in it. They look at it as something small," says Mr. Cole.
Professor Henry Binford of Northwestern University offers another explanation. "Shining somebody else's shoes is a kind of very personal act of service that reflects subordination going back a long way. It's not like selling something to someone over the counter. It is playing the role of the servant."
Despite the historical stigma, Mr. Cole's son, Jameson, plans to take over the family business. He enjoys the role of being a servant. "A lot of people look down on it, but it isn't what you do, it's how you do it" (John W. Fountain, New York Times, June 3, 2001).
Taking the nature of a servant is never popular and rarely profitable, but it is what Jesus asks of us.
***
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
It has been said that Jane Austen despised the greater number of her characters. George Eliot, on the contrary, suffered with each of hers. George Eliot is a good clue to the character of God. God becomes man, leaves the royal robes at home, and, in the passage before us, accents his humility by choosing for transportation a colt, the ancient Near East version of a Honda Civic.
Even the disciples had a hard time with humility. The sons of Zebedee contended for first place in the heavenly sweepstakes and Peter missed the point about Jesus' wanting to wash his feet.
In this era of "Looking out for Number 1," the pride of Lucifer and Adam is alive and thriving. Although sometimes, of course, it takes the guise of a false, Uriah Heep-type modesty: "And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin -- Is pride that apes humility." (Coleridge)
There is but one genuine model for our humility. It is given by him "who, though he was in the form of God ... emptied himself, taking the form of a servant ..." (Philippians 2:6, 7b)
"Hosanna in the highest."
***
Isn't it strange that most of the Bible passages on which we base our understanding of Christ's nature were written for the purpose of teaching us how to treat one another? To be sure, they contain theological references, but their real purpose was to encourage Christians to love one another.
For centuries, scholars have argued the implications of the self-emptying, the kenosis, of Christ in his incarnation. Great schisms over the issue rent the church during the third and fourth centuries. Many of those splits have never been mended. My first acquaintance with this text came during a debate with a brother over Jesus' relationship with the Father.
It's important that we understand what we can of Jesus' nature. But the attainment of that goal should never replace or lessen the purpose for Paul's writing this short treatise on humility and how to love those who oppose us -- "Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ."
***
e election." The person so anointed is then holy, set apart for God's use. But people are not the only anointed objects; things and deeds can be set apart so as to be holy to God.
Elected by God, Jesus is called "The Anointed One," "the Christ." During this week not only was Jesus anointed, but he in turn anointed many human acts as set aside to bear, as by divine election, the mission and work of God. In effect, they were consecrated.
From the giving of the precious ointment throughout the week, Jesus was anointed in many ways. The oil was accepted as a beautiful gift and also as an ointment for his body. In similar ways he was anointed with the pain of rejection as the disciples fled; with grievous disappointment when Peter denied him; with internal anguish at Gethsemane; with heartbreak at his betrayal; with injustice at the trial; with humiliation by the soldiers; with contempt by the crowd; with abuse by the executioners; with mockery by the other on the cross; and at last by excruciating physical pain and loneliness.
Jesus, in the way he received these acts, stamped special meaning, consecrated them, translated them into a new language of the Spirit. Anointed with pain, grief, loss, loneliness, he consecrated such human acts, translating them into divine meaning for our redemption.
***
These days, World War I battlefields in France look rather inviting. The grass is green and manicured; the trenches are cleaned up. Visitors are encouraged to jump in and try them out. Seeing them now, we can hardly imagine the horror that once was. Gone is the mud saturated in blood and rotting flesh. Are these improper words and thoughts from a pulpit? Not really! They are no more improper than the obscenity of a mob that shouts "Hosanna!" on one weekend and "Crucify!" on the next. This week we are not in pastures green, but in the abyss of human destruction.
***
The crowd at the cross can be divided into three categories.
1. "God, I hate you ..." Pharisees
2. "God, I love you ..." disciples, women, penitent thief
3. "God, I could care less ..." soldiers
People throughout history have fallen into one of those responses.
***
Christian poet G. K. Chesterton has given us this:
The Donkey
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One fierce hour and sweet:
there was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
Why a donkey? It's a funny-looking beast of burden, the donkey. It makes a funny noise and has a bad reputation for stubbornness. We make jokes about it and call people the several names it has, and none is a compliment. So why a donkey? Maybe several reasons. Jesus chose a beast that carries burdens, because he takes our burden on himself, bears the burden of the world to the cross. He calls us to bear burdens also; as Simon of Cyrene bore the cross of Jesus to Golgotha, we are tapped to carry some of the burden also. And it's joyful news that if a donkey is needed, then we are needed and can be of service to the Lord, the king on the donkey, and on the cross.
***
Enshrined in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is Calvary, the place where Jesus died on the cross. Most of this stone hill called Golgotha has been enclosed within the church structure in order to protect it from vandals and souvenir seekers. However, at the base of the stone hill there is a section of three foot by four foot glass that allows one to look upon the rock for oneself. At the top of Calvary, a chapel has been constructed which contains a life-size crucifix made of precious metals. Countless incense burners and an altar adorn the chapel. Under the altar there is an opening which one can reach down and touch the stone of Calvary. For some Christians this is a less than memorable experience. However, there is one thing about this place that stands out in the pilgrim's mind. Leading up to the top of Calvary is a narrow staircase. One must climb the hill of Calvary very slowly and carefully, always looking up until you round a corner and find yourself looking up, up to the cross of Christ.
***
Crucifixion is really a hard way to go!
It was not a Jewish form of execution. The Jews stoned to death; that was their form of handling capital punishment. Blasphemy, idolatry, and adultery were all punishable by stoning.
Crucifixion was the Roman method.
It showed indifference of conquerors upon those being conquered. There was nothing humane about it. Imagine the public indecency of a torn and bleeding body. It was burnt by the sun. It was tormented by a wide variety of insects. There was no privacy. Even the elementary functions of urination and defecation were obvious for the jeering public to see. The person died slowly, usually by strangulation. Such a death was utterly obscene from a Jewish point of view. No legitimate Messiah could ever die in such a fashion.
So, our Blessed Lord didn't just die for humanity. He was killed over a period of hours, the agony defies our imagination, and the ridicule must have been heartbreaking.
Indeed, he paid the price for our redemption.
***
The sweep of the passion story almost defies adequate illustration. But perhaps there is one that catches up all the human passion, pride, and prejudice contained in this drama. When the Great Wall of China was completed, it stretched for several thousand miles. Its builders believed it would make China impregnable against all attackers. It was too high to be scaled. It was too broad to be battered down. Yet, in the first few years after its construction the wall was breached three times. This happened not by scaling it or battering it down. It was breached by bribing the gatekeepers. The wall was no stronger than the character of the person who kept the gate. As one thinks about the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the cruelty of the soldiers, the fickleness of the crowd, and the smugness of the priests, one sees the mighty fortress of God's love breached again and again by human sin. But as China was greater than those who guarded its gates and continues to exist in spite of human defection, so the love of God withstands any assault, all evidence to the contrary. The primary question we must ask during this Holy Week of our salvation is not if God will win, but rather, "Lord, is it I?"
***
Taking the nature of a servant has never been a popular choice, especially as a career move. Few people know this better than The Shine King, James Cole of Chicago. "People don't want to shine shoes no more. You don't find that many kids who want to shine shoes. They don't believe in it. They look at it as something small," says Mr. Cole.
Professor Henry Binford of Northwestern University offers another explanation. "Shining somebody else's shoes is a kind of very personal act of service that reflects subordination going back a long way. It's not like selling something to someone over the counter. It is playing the role of the servant."
Despite the historical stigma, Mr. Cole's son, Jameson, plans to take over the family business. He enjoys the role of being a servant. "A lot of people look down on it, but it isn't what you do, it's how you do it" (John W. Fountain, New York Times, June 3, 2001).
Taking the nature of a servant is never popular and rarely profitable, but it is what Jesus asks of us.
***
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
It has been said that Jane Austen despised the greater number of her characters. George Eliot, on the contrary, suffered with each of hers. George Eliot is a good clue to the character of God. God becomes man, leaves the royal robes at home, and, in the passage before us, accents his humility by choosing for transportation a colt, the ancient Near East version of a Honda Civic.
Even the disciples had a hard time with humility. The sons of Zebedee contended for first place in the heavenly sweepstakes and Peter missed the point about Jesus' wanting to wash his feet.
In this era of "Looking out for Number 1," the pride of Lucifer and Adam is alive and thriving. Although sometimes, of course, it takes the guise of a false, Uriah Heep-type modesty: "And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin -- Is pride that apes humility." (Coleridge)
There is but one genuine model for our humility. It is given by him "who, though he was in the form of God ... emptied himself, taking the form of a servant ..." (Philippians 2:6, 7b)
"Hosanna in the highest."
***
Isn't it strange that most of the Bible passages on which we base our understanding of Christ's nature were written for the purpose of teaching us how to treat one another? To be sure, they contain theological references, but their real purpose was to encourage Christians to love one another.
For centuries, scholars have argued the implications of the self-emptying, the kenosis, of Christ in his incarnation. Great schisms over the issue rent the church during the third and fourth centuries. Many of those splits have never been mended. My first acquaintance with this text came during a debate with a brother over Jesus' relationship with the Father.
It's important that we understand what we can of Jesus' nature. But the attainment of that goal should never replace or lessen the purpose for Paul's writing this short treatise on humility and how to love those who oppose us -- "Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ."
***
e election." The person so anointed is then holy, set apart for God's use. But people are not the only anointed objects; things and deeds can be set apart so as to be holy to God.
Elected by God, Jesus is called "The Anointed One," "the Christ." During this week not only was Jesus anointed, but he in turn anointed many human acts as set aside to bear, as by divine election, the mission and work of God. In effect, they were consecrated.
From the giving of the precious ointment throughout the week, Jesus was anointed in many ways. The oil was accepted as a beautiful gift and also as an ointment for his body. In similar ways he was anointed with the pain of rejection as the disciples fled; with grievous disappointment when Peter denied him; with internal anguish at Gethsemane; with heartbreak at his betrayal; with injustice at the trial; with humiliation by the soldiers; with contempt by the crowd; with abuse by the executioners; with mockery by the other on the cross; and at last by excruciating physical pain and loneliness.
Jesus, in the way he received these acts, stamped special meaning, consecrated them, translated them into a new language of the Spirit. Anointed with pain, grief, loss, loneliness, he consecrated such human acts, translating them into divine meaning for our redemption.
