Go Tell It On The Mountain
Sermon
THE GREENING OF THE GOSPEL
SERMONS FOR ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY SUNDAYS 1-8 IN ORDINARY TIME)
The present order of recorded episodes in the life of Jesus in the Gospels may not be the exact sequence in which the events occurred. But when one reads the sixth chapter of Luke, everything that happens seems to transpire in believable, logical order.
First, Luke describes the confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees over the issue of proper respect for the Sabbath. Because the Master permitted his disciples to pick corn on the solemn Jewish day of rest, he found himself openly accused of breaking the law. Jesus defended what his disciples had done by referring to the time when David and his men had taken holy bread to eat from the hand of the priest, Ahimelech, because they were hungry and because no common bread was available. (1 Kings 21:1-6)
That answer was not convincing to the Pharisees. They were prepared to argue that the example which Jesus had given was far different from the direct act of disobedience by his disciples. Then Jesus rattled the cages of Pharisaic tradition with the words: "The Son of Man," referring to himself, "is also Lord of the Sabbath." (v. 5)
On another occasion Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath. As perceived by the Pharisees, this was a double infraction of the law. In their judgment, it was an act of work that occurred in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus had first asked the afflicted man to stand up. Aware of the critical gaze of the Pharisees, he put them on the defensive by asking: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?" (v. 9) Then he asked the afflicted man to hold out his hand. He did, and it was healed.
But the Pharisees were incensed by the Master's question. Any answer that they might offer would have raised a larger question. If they had agreed that good could be done on the Sabbath, Jesus would have been applauded. If they answered negatively, the law would have seemed oppressive, contradicting its own righteous purposes.
No doubt Jesus received murmurs of approval from the assembled congregation. This added insult to injury.
In all of this, the Pharisees saw Jesus as one misleading the multitude, as well as disregarding the instruction of God. In defense of God, therefore, the Pharisees determined that Jesus was an enemy of God's truth, and they began to conspire as to how they might quiet him or destroy him.
These public exchanges with the Pharisees raised the Master's stock among the common people. Some of them had grown weary of the oppressive regulations that had been attached to the law. In their jealous defense of the law, the Pharisees seemed to have little compassion for the plight of the poor. Though the people respected the Pharisees for their knowledge of the law, they despised them for their insensitivity to human need.
Though public sentiment was moving in his favor, because of his healing miracles and the fearlessness of his preaching, Jesus was disturbed. He sensed the growing hostility of the hierarchy against him. He needed time and space apart to reflect again on his mission. Leaving the city, he strode out toward one of the Galilean hills and found a quiet spot where he could be alone and meditate. This was his custom. But Luke says, on this occasion, he "continued all night in prayer." (v. 12)
The next day he returned to the city and called his twelve disciples together. He counseled with them, dealing with the recent happenings, and the growing opposition of the Pharisees. Then he encouraged his disciples to put their fears aside. His all-night conversation with God had brought a new sense of assurance. He announced to this inner circle support group that his life was dedicated to the will of God unswervingly. He intended to continue declaring his message and healing, in spite of Pharisaic threats or efforts to silence him.
On this occasion, Jesus may have given his disciples the opportunity to back out, if they cared to. He knew that their security was jeopardized by associating with him. But apparently the disciples closed ranks and reaffirmed their vows of faithfulness, and willingness to endure with him until the end.
It was after this huddle with the twelve that Jesus gave instructions to spread the word that he would be preaching that day on a certain hilltop plateau not far from Capernaum. It didn't take long for the word to get around. Sojourners from near and far, whose caravans were passing through the city, joined with local people in making the trek toward the Jesus meeting.
The Master's reputation as a healer had spread far and wide. Many of those who came had health problems and other afflictions. They wanted to touch him; for the spiritual power he possessed was transmitted to the infirm and they were instantly healed. Soon the area was filled with people. What a sight! Men, women and children dressed in colorful costume gave the natural beauty of the hillside an added touch. The sky was clear. The heat of the day had passed. The cooling evening breeze was just right.
Then Jesus appeared and took his place in a semicircle surrounded on three sides by his disciples. After a burst of applause, a sudden silence swept over the crowd. Everyone was waiting to hear the Master's first word.
Evidently, the Master's time of meditation had sharpened his missional focus. The words that flowed from his lips were filled with grace. They pierced the stillness like a two-edged sword. A paraphrase of his message might read like this:
Blessed are the poor
the hungry, those who are
hated and ostracized
because of me.
Rejoice. The oppressed will
be rewarded in heaven.
God's prophets are always persecuted.
Then he brandished the sword of truth in the opposite direction:
Woe, unto the rich, and the prosperous,
and the false prophets who tell
the people what they want to hear.
They have already received their reward.
But on the day of judgment
their privileged position
will be reversed.
As expected, there were critics in the crowd. They dared not share their displeasure, however. But they were not happy with what Jesus was saying. His words were comforting to the long-suffering poor. It gave them the feeling that the God Jesus knew understood the narrow limits of their situation. By speaking emphatic words, Jesus penetrated the emotions of the underprivileged masses who were bent by the weight of an unjust society. Because of their ignorance they could not defend themselves; and because they were poor they had no advocates. But the man on the top of the mountain that day was different. His interpretation of the nature and will of God warmed their hearts.
Those of wealth and privilege, present in the crowd, were made uneasy. In their hearts they were raising the question: "Are we to be despised simply because we are wealthy?" Was this strange preacher a true messenger of God or a covert revolutionary, playing on the discontent of the crowd? Was he waiting for the right moment to mobilize his forces and strike?
But some of the rich who listened patiently began to respond positively to the Galilean prophet. They were aware of some of the evil he addressed. They knew that even though his indictment did not apply uniformly to the wealthy, substantial sectors of the privileged classes were brutally unjust and oppressive to the poor and the unprotected. Though the rich were threatened by the Master's words of judgment, they were aware of the fact that he cared even for those whose practices he condemned.
A preacher, aware of the sinfulness of his congregation, never failed to include in his sermon the fact that they were all going to hell. A committee waited on the bishop to have that preacher moved. They were tired of his hellfire ranting. After a while, the bishop complied and sent a new preacher. But after the new preacher got to know the congregation, he too began to warn the people that they were all headed straight for hell. The bishop was aware that the new appointee was preaching hellfire too. But he could not understand why protests did not come flooding into his office.
Finally, the bishop's curiosity got the best of him. He inquired of one of the leading laymen as to why they seemed so satisfied, while receiving the same condemnation from the pulpit. "Well," said the layman, "that first preacher told us we were going to hell, but he acted like he didn't care. Now this second preacher is telling us the same thing," said the layman, "but he acts like he loves us." Then, brushing back a tear, he added: "And bishop, some of us are beginning to change."
Jesus was not an angry preacher. He loved saints and sinners alike. His tomes of judgment were spoken because the people needed to hear the truth. The cross was the price he paid for his faithfulness. But because of our awareness of his love for us, our lives have been tranformed.
First, Luke describes the confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees over the issue of proper respect for the Sabbath. Because the Master permitted his disciples to pick corn on the solemn Jewish day of rest, he found himself openly accused of breaking the law. Jesus defended what his disciples had done by referring to the time when David and his men had taken holy bread to eat from the hand of the priest, Ahimelech, because they were hungry and because no common bread was available. (1 Kings 21:1-6)
That answer was not convincing to the Pharisees. They were prepared to argue that the example which Jesus had given was far different from the direct act of disobedience by his disciples. Then Jesus rattled the cages of Pharisaic tradition with the words: "The Son of Man," referring to himself, "is also Lord of the Sabbath." (v. 5)
On another occasion Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath. As perceived by the Pharisees, this was a double infraction of the law. In their judgment, it was an act of work that occurred in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus had first asked the afflicted man to stand up. Aware of the critical gaze of the Pharisees, he put them on the defensive by asking: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?" (v. 9) Then he asked the afflicted man to hold out his hand. He did, and it was healed.
But the Pharisees were incensed by the Master's question. Any answer that they might offer would have raised a larger question. If they had agreed that good could be done on the Sabbath, Jesus would have been applauded. If they answered negatively, the law would have seemed oppressive, contradicting its own righteous purposes.
No doubt Jesus received murmurs of approval from the assembled congregation. This added insult to injury.
In all of this, the Pharisees saw Jesus as one misleading the multitude, as well as disregarding the instruction of God. In defense of God, therefore, the Pharisees determined that Jesus was an enemy of God's truth, and they began to conspire as to how they might quiet him or destroy him.
These public exchanges with the Pharisees raised the Master's stock among the common people. Some of them had grown weary of the oppressive regulations that had been attached to the law. In their jealous defense of the law, the Pharisees seemed to have little compassion for the plight of the poor. Though the people respected the Pharisees for their knowledge of the law, they despised them for their insensitivity to human need.
Though public sentiment was moving in his favor, because of his healing miracles and the fearlessness of his preaching, Jesus was disturbed. He sensed the growing hostility of the hierarchy against him. He needed time and space apart to reflect again on his mission. Leaving the city, he strode out toward one of the Galilean hills and found a quiet spot where he could be alone and meditate. This was his custom. But Luke says, on this occasion, he "continued all night in prayer." (v. 12)
The next day he returned to the city and called his twelve disciples together. He counseled with them, dealing with the recent happenings, and the growing opposition of the Pharisees. Then he encouraged his disciples to put their fears aside. His all-night conversation with God had brought a new sense of assurance. He announced to this inner circle support group that his life was dedicated to the will of God unswervingly. He intended to continue declaring his message and healing, in spite of Pharisaic threats or efforts to silence him.
On this occasion, Jesus may have given his disciples the opportunity to back out, if they cared to. He knew that their security was jeopardized by associating with him. But apparently the disciples closed ranks and reaffirmed their vows of faithfulness, and willingness to endure with him until the end.
It was after this huddle with the twelve that Jesus gave instructions to spread the word that he would be preaching that day on a certain hilltop plateau not far from Capernaum. It didn't take long for the word to get around. Sojourners from near and far, whose caravans were passing through the city, joined with local people in making the trek toward the Jesus meeting.
The Master's reputation as a healer had spread far and wide. Many of those who came had health problems and other afflictions. They wanted to touch him; for the spiritual power he possessed was transmitted to the infirm and they were instantly healed. Soon the area was filled with people. What a sight! Men, women and children dressed in colorful costume gave the natural beauty of the hillside an added touch. The sky was clear. The heat of the day had passed. The cooling evening breeze was just right.
Then Jesus appeared and took his place in a semicircle surrounded on three sides by his disciples. After a burst of applause, a sudden silence swept over the crowd. Everyone was waiting to hear the Master's first word.
Evidently, the Master's time of meditation had sharpened his missional focus. The words that flowed from his lips were filled with grace. They pierced the stillness like a two-edged sword. A paraphrase of his message might read like this:
Blessed are the poor
the hungry, those who are
hated and ostracized
because of me.
Rejoice. The oppressed will
be rewarded in heaven.
God's prophets are always persecuted.
Then he brandished the sword of truth in the opposite direction:
Woe, unto the rich, and the prosperous,
and the false prophets who tell
the people what they want to hear.
They have already received their reward.
But on the day of judgment
their privileged position
will be reversed.
As expected, there were critics in the crowd. They dared not share their displeasure, however. But they were not happy with what Jesus was saying. His words were comforting to the long-suffering poor. It gave them the feeling that the God Jesus knew understood the narrow limits of their situation. By speaking emphatic words, Jesus penetrated the emotions of the underprivileged masses who were bent by the weight of an unjust society. Because of their ignorance they could not defend themselves; and because they were poor they had no advocates. But the man on the top of the mountain that day was different. His interpretation of the nature and will of God warmed their hearts.
Those of wealth and privilege, present in the crowd, were made uneasy. In their hearts they were raising the question: "Are we to be despised simply because we are wealthy?" Was this strange preacher a true messenger of God or a covert revolutionary, playing on the discontent of the crowd? Was he waiting for the right moment to mobilize his forces and strike?
But some of the rich who listened patiently began to respond positively to the Galilean prophet. They were aware of some of the evil he addressed. They knew that even though his indictment did not apply uniformly to the wealthy, substantial sectors of the privileged classes were brutally unjust and oppressive to the poor and the unprotected. Though the rich were threatened by the Master's words of judgment, they were aware of the fact that he cared even for those whose practices he condemned.
A preacher, aware of the sinfulness of his congregation, never failed to include in his sermon the fact that they were all going to hell. A committee waited on the bishop to have that preacher moved. They were tired of his hellfire ranting. After a while, the bishop complied and sent a new preacher. But after the new preacher got to know the congregation, he too began to warn the people that they were all headed straight for hell. The bishop was aware that the new appointee was preaching hellfire too. But he could not understand why protests did not come flooding into his office.
Finally, the bishop's curiosity got the best of him. He inquired of one of the leading laymen as to why they seemed so satisfied, while receiving the same condemnation from the pulpit. "Well," said the layman, "that first preacher told us we were going to hell, but he acted like he didn't care. Now this second preacher is telling us the same thing," said the layman, "but he acts like he loves us." Then, brushing back a tear, he added: "And bishop, some of us are beginning to change."
Jesus was not an angry preacher. He loved saints and sinners alike. His tomes of judgment were spoken because the people needed to hear the truth. The cross was the price he paid for his faithfulness. But because of our awareness of his love for us, our lives have been tranformed.
