Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
Three days from the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, in 1992, the minor festival of Mary Magdalene will be observed in many churches around the world. Some people will remember her as a woman who was converted from a sinful life of prostitution to a faithful and devout disciple of Jesus Christ. (Most Lutheran churches in the United States did not celebrate her "day" until the appearance of The Lutheran Book Of Worship, with a revised calendar, in 1978.) Others will remember her for her devotion to Jesus during his lifetime, and some wonder how far that devotion went (The Last Temptation Of Christ). But all Christians should remember her as the "Easter person" because she was the first person, according to John (John 20:1-9, 10-18) in the Gospel for Easter Sunday, Cycle/Year A, and the alternate gospel for the other two years/cycles),
to see the risen Lord. To remember her this way reinforces the kerygmatic content - remember that I call saints' and martyrs' days "kerygmatic accent marks" in the calendar of the church - of Pentecost. Whatever is selected to be read and preached in the worship of Pentecost is colored by the reality of the resurrection of our Lord. While this Sunday has no particular theological content of its own beyond the inherent kerygmatic theology of Pentecost, it does, however, this year have the influence of Mary Magdalene spelling out the nature of faith, love, and devotion to Jesus, and witnessing to the reality of the risen Lord and the life that believers live through him.
The Prayer Of The Day
This classic collect for this Sunday is especially appropriate when the festival of Mary Magdalene is in close proximity to this Sunday: "O God, who has prepared for them that love thee such good things as pass man's understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
The contemporary collect in The Book Of Common prayer complements the readings for this Sunday very well: "Almighty God, you have built your church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 16 (L); 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11 (RC); 16:5-11 (E) - The psalmist is concerned about other people and their theological and religious pursuits, acknowledging that those "who run after other gods" will find themselves in deep trouble; they will find themselves outside the aegis of God's grace. In the spirit of Easter, he continues, steadfast in the true faith: "My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope. For you will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your holy one see the pit. You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
The tone of the psalm suggests that the psalmist knows that this is God's intention for all people, and that he would bring all people into a right relationship of faith with himself.
Psalm prayer (Psalm 16 - LBW) - "Lord Jesus, uphold those who hope in you, and give us your counsel, so that we may know the joy of your resurrection and share the pleasures of the saints at your right hand, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."
The Readings
1 Kings 19:14-21 (L); 19:15-16, 19-21 (E); 19:15-21 (C); 19:16b, 19-21 (RC) - The several lectionaries concur on the selection of 1 Kings 19 for the first reading of the day, and they all agree where it should end, verse 21. But they do not agree on where the reading should begin or which verses should be included in it. This creates a bit of a problem for the preacher, except for the churches using the common lectionary, who has been reading 1 Kings 19 for the past two Sundays. With the exception of Common lectionary churches, those who wish to preach upon this reading will have to tell the context of the story of which this pericope is but a part. It is the continuation of the tale about Elijah's flight from Jezebel to Mt. Horeb, and how God spoke to him in a "still small voice" there as he stood in the mouth of the cave, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The prophet explained his zeal for the Lord, in the face of the sins against God of the people of Israel, and the ensuing predicament that his words and actions had put him in; his life was in danger of being snuffed out any time. To his surprise, no doubt, God told him to go to the wilderness of Damascus, where he was to anoint Hazael king over Syria and Jehu as the king of Israel; he was also to call Elisha, who would succeed him as the prophet to Israel. Elisha obeyed God, despite the death threat, and did what God told him to do.
Galatians 5:1, 13-18 (RC); 5:1, 13-25 (E, L, C) - In this next-to-last reading from Galatians during year/cycle C of Pentecost, Paul talks about Christian freedom, which is freedom from sin, death, and the devil and, he is emphasizing, freedom from the restraints of the law. Christians don't have to fulfill the letter of the law because they live by a new commandment, "to love one another as I (Jesus) have loved you." That takes care of everything and takes ethics to a new and higher level than the law could ever do. But freedom, to Paul, does not mean that the Christian can do anything he or she pleases, as if there is no such thing as sin, or "the sins of the flesh," as Paul calls and enumerates them. Christians are to live by the Spirit of the Christ who died for them and who lives in them by virtue of their baptism. The Spirit counsels and teaches people to live out the Christian life of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and declares, "against such there is no law." It is not the situation we find ourselves in which determines how we will act, but the love of Christ that lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
Luke 9:51-62 (RC, E, L, C) - The rejection of Jesus was not confined, in his time, to the religious leaders of the Jews; the Samaritans summarily turned him away from one of their cities because they had heard that Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. Naturally, James and John thought that the people in that town should be punished, but Jesus would have none of that; he rebuked them for their proposal. They simply moved on to another village, where, it is to be assumed, he received a more hospitable welcome.
But on the way, a man recognized Jesus and offered to become a disciple who would follow Jesus. It is here, when Jesus accepted the man's offer, that the connection between the first reading and the gospel is most evident; this man acted the way that Elisha did, when Elijah called him to be his disciple. Elisha asked permission to return to his home and bid farewell to his parents; Elijah permitted him to do so, and then he returned and followed Elijah. But when the man asked Jesus, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father," and as a potential disciple said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me first say farewell to those at my home," Jesus rejected both requests with his sayings about letting "the dead bury the dead" and (note the Elisha image; he was plowing when Elijah called him) "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus requires total allegiance from those who follow him, because his work is the first business of their lives as Christians. The gospel is full of grace and offered freely to all believers, but it can also "break" people by its absolute demand for commitment to Christ.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 9:51-62 (RC, E, L, C) - "No Delays." - Most theological seminaries have experienced a sharp increase in second-career students, people who, as a rule, have thought about full-time service in the church, but - for various reasons, as in the Elisha case and that of the Gospel for the Day - have delayed answering the call to the ordained ministry of Jesus Christ. It is not too unusual to have two people from the same family, but of different generations, in the same seminary. That was the case, a few years ago, in the seminary where I was teaching. When I received my list of new advisees from the incoming class of students, one of them was an older woman, a widow, who was changing careers. She had been a teacher for years before her husband died, had enjoyed teaching, but had always felt called to ordained ministry, which was impossible for her on the normal academic timetable; she finished college before women were being ordained in our church. But she had been entertaining thoughts of going to seminary, ever since the church began to ordain women as pastors. A year after her husband died, she applied to our seminary, was admitted, and began her theological studies.
In the first session with my first-year advisees, as was our custom, I asked the students - four of them - to tell us something about themselves, their hometown, details about their family, education, interests and hobbies, as well as what caused them to come to the seminary. When it was this woman's turn to speak, she told us that she and her daughter were both at seminary, both in the first-year class of students. "I don't know how it will go for us, but we both feel called to the ministry, so we decided to do this together." She said that she had wanted to go to seminary right after her husband had died, but his business and the education of her children - two were in college when he had a fatal heart attack - and other responsibilities had prevented her from attending seminary at that time. There was a touch of "not yet, Lord," in what she said, something of the Elisha "delay" in her reason for postponing her answer to Jesus' call. Many of us are like that, I'm afraid, when he calls us to serve him.
1. Jesus, now as then, is eager to enlist ministers who feel called and are qualified to become pastors/preachers/leaders of the church. This is one of the crucial problems of the church in this day, as well as in Jesus' day. How can the church obtain enough pastors to do the work of Jesus Christ in the world?
2. This much we know; he calls people who have heard the good news, believe it, and accept the gospel of God's grace with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength. He calls people who love him and his Father, not simply people who are interested in a career or a new and different way of life.
3. He wants people to answer his call without delay because there is critical work to be done in the church and in the world. Gospel ministry is not a casual business, because it operates in the areas of life and death, of salvation and sin, and of love and hatred. Now is the time to answer his call; Jesus cannot allow delays for any seemingly valid reasons, when he calls us to the ministry of the word and sacraments. (One rather tragic consequence of delaying entrance into the ministry is that one's public ministry is shortened. So much that could have been done in the name of Jesus Christ just doesn't get done when people become pastors in mid- or later-life. That is like a woman neighbor, who resigned from her career after a divorce, entered law school at 50 years of age. She had a splendid academic career, passed her bar exams witih flying colors and began the practice of law. But she practiced less than eight years before she retired. It seemed like she had pursued a goal and reached it rather than entering a career of extended service. Some "delayed ministries" are just like that, cut short of what they might have been.)
4. But the church is on Elijah's side; it gladly accepts people who have delayed answering Christ's call to ordination and full-time work in the name of Jesus Christ. And I am certain that, in these times, our Lord would approve of "late-answered calls," provided that the people are totally committed to his work. And that's the rub in the Gospel for the Day, isn't it? Jesus calls for total commitment and, sometimes, that's hard to give - even to Jesus. His church can accept nothing less.
1 Kings 19:14-21 (L); 19:15-21 (C); 19:15-16, 19-21 (E); 19:16b, 19-21 (RC) - "The Call Of Elisha."
1. Elijah sought out Elisha, "cast his mantle upon him" as he was plowing, and Elisha immediately answered the call to follow Elijah. Elijah called Elisha because God had directed him to do so, not because he believed that Elisha had the talent and ability to become a prophet. Elisha was God's choice, not Elijah's, for a successor.
2. Elisha made an immediate decision, leaving the 12 yoke of oxen in the field where he was plowing but he delayed his response, "Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you." That seemed like a reasonable request to Elijah, and he granted it.
3. His "kiss" was an extended one, because it involved a feast that he prepared for his parents and family (even his friends), before he went after Elijah. (It had to be a large crowd because he slaughtered "the yoke of oxen.")
4. At the conclusion of the feast, he said his good-byes and went after Elijah, "and ministered to him." Then his training began for succeeding Elijah as the prophet in Israel and he never turned back again.
Galatians 5:1, 13-18 (RC); 5:1, 13-25 (E, L, C) - "Freedom To Love." - The 1990s opened with the longing for freedom very much alive in the world; people who have been in political and social bondage for years suddenly have been demanding, even taking, their freedom from those who rule and oppress them. Most startling was the declaration by Boris Yeltsin, when he was elected president of the largest republic in Russia, that he would lead the people to freedom from the central government. Expressions of freedom have been multiplying all over the world in this decade.
Paul, of course, wasn't talking about political or social freedom; he was speaking about spiritual freedom, freedom from the demands of the law, and assuring the Galatians that they were free. God had freed them from the law in Jesus Christ. Some of them, apparently, believed that this meant that they were free to do anything they pleased, to sin boldly, as it were.
One of the criticisms often levelled at Christianity is simply that it is an easy religion; God forgives any sin in Jesus Christ, regardless of what it is. That is an invitation to sin, as far as many people are concerned. They believe that a Christian can do what she/he pleases, as long as "no one is hurt." (A "Dear Abby" letter asked if it were permissible for a father to have sexual relations with his daughter since they were both "consenting adults." Abby declared that it was the "sickest" letter she had received in a long time. The man also wanted to know what the Bible had to say about a father marrying his daughter; she quoted Leviticus [no close kin should marry], and also told him that it was illegal in all states.)
One can't always foresee the consequences of sinful behavior; one can't predict who might be hurt when an immoral or unethical act is performed. This much is certain; the person who commits sin - especially when it is deliberate - is going to be injured, even maimed, spiritually. Before long, and if they keep on sinning, such people drift away from Jesus Christ and his church.
Jesus has given us our freedom from sin, death, and the devil, which means that he has given us the freedom to love the Father, himself, and other human beings. When we love as he has loved us, and only then, can we possibly know what freedom really is and make the most of it.
Three days from the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, in 1992, the minor festival of Mary Magdalene will be observed in many churches around the world. Some people will remember her as a woman who was converted from a sinful life of prostitution to a faithful and devout disciple of Jesus Christ. (Most Lutheran churches in the United States did not celebrate her "day" until the appearance of The Lutheran Book Of Worship, with a revised calendar, in 1978.) Others will remember her for her devotion to Jesus during his lifetime, and some wonder how far that devotion went (The Last Temptation Of Christ). But all Christians should remember her as the "Easter person" because she was the first person, according to John (John 20:1-9, 10-18) in the Gospel for Easter Sunday, Cycle/Year A, and the alternate gospel for the other two years/cycles),
to see the risen Lord. To remember her this way reinforces the kerygmatic content - remember that I call saints' and martyrs' days "kerygmatic accent marks" in the calendar of the church - of Pentecost. Whatever is selected to be read and preached in the worship of Pentecost is colored by the reality of the resurrection of our Lord. While this Sunday has no particular theological content of its own beyond the inherent kerygmatic theology of Pentecost, it does, however, this year have the influence of Mary Magdalene spelling out the nature of faith, love, and devotion to Jesus, and witnessing to the reality of the risen Lord and the life that believers live through him.
The Prayer Of The Day
This classic collect for this Sunday is especially appropriate when the festival of Mary Magdalene is in close proximity to this Sunday: "O God, who has prepared for them that love thee such good things as pass man's understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
The contemporary collect in The Book Of Common prayer complements the readings for this Sunday very well: "Almighty God, you have built your church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 16 (L); 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11 (RC); 16:5-11 (E) - The psalmist is concerned about other people and their theological and religious pursuits, acknowledging that those "who run after other gods" will find themselves in deep trouble; they will find themselves outside the aegis of God's grace. In the spirit of Easter, he continues, steadfast in the true faith: "My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope. For you will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your holy one see the pit. You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
The tone of the psalm suggests that the psalmist knows that this is God's intention for all people, and that he would bring all people into a right relationship of faith with himself.
Psalm prayer (Psalm 16 - LBW) - "Lord Jesus, uphold those who hope in you, and give us your counsel, so that we may know the joy of your resurrection and share the pleasures of the saints at your right hand, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."
The Readings
1 Kings 19:14-21 (L); 19:15-16, 19-21 (E); 19:15-21 (C); 19:16b, 19-21 (RC) - The several lectionaries concur on the selection of 1 Kings 19 for the first reading of the day, and they all agree where it should end, verse 21. But they do not agree on where the reading should begin or which verses should be included in it. This creates a bit of a problem for the preacher, except for the churches using the common lectionary, who has been reading 1 Kings 19 for the past two Sundays. With the exception of Common lectionary churches, those who wish to preach upon this reading will have to tell the context of the story of which this pericope is but a part. It is the continuation of the tale about Elijah's flight from Jezebel to Mt. Horeb, and how God spoke to him in a "still small voice" there as he stood in the mouth of the cave, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The prophet explained his zeal for the Lord, in the face of the sins against God of the people of Israel, and the ensuing predicament that his words and actions had put him in; his life was in danger of being snuffed out any time. To his surprise, no doubt, God told him to go to the wilderness of Damascus, where he was to anoint Hazael king over Syria and Jehu as the king of Israel; he was also to call Elisha, who would succeed him as the prophet to Israel. Elisha obeyed God, despite the death threat, and did what God told him to do.
Galatians 5:1, 13-18 (RC); 5:1, 13-25 (E, L, C) - In this next-to-last reading from Galatians during year/cycle C of Pentecost, Paul talks about Christian freedom, which is freedom from sin, death, and the devil and, he is emphasizing, freedom from the restraints of the law. Christians don't have to fulfill the letter of the law because they live by a new commandment, "to love one another as I (Jesus) have loved you." That takes care of everything and takes ethics to a new and higher level than the law could ever do. But freedom, to Paul, does not mean that the Christian can do anything he or she pleases, as if there is no such thing as sin, or "the sins of the flesh," as Paul calls and enumerates them. Christians are to live by the Spirit of the Christ who died for them and who lives in them by virtue of their baptism. The Spirit counsels and teaches people to live out the Christian life of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and declares, "against such there is no law." It is not the situation we find ourselves in which determines how we will act, but the love of Christ that lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
Luke 9:51-62 (RC, E, L, C) - The rejection of Jesus was not confined, in his time, to the religious leaders of the Jews; the Samaritans summarily turned him away from one of their cities because they had heard that Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. Naturally, James and John thought that the people in that town should be punished, but Jesus would have none of that; he rebuked them for their proposal. They simply moved on to another village, where, it is to be assumed, he received a more hospitable welcome.
But on the way, a man recognized Jesus and offered to become a disciple who would follow Jesus. It is here, when Jesus accepted the man's offer, that the connection between the first reading and the gospel is most evident; this man acted the way that Elisha did, when Elijah called him to be his disciple. Elisha asked permission to return to his home and bid farewell to his parents; Elijah permitted him to do so, and then he returned and followed Elijah. But when the man asked Jesus, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father," and as a potential disciple said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me first say farewell to those at my home," Jesus rejected both requests with his sayings about letting "the dead bury the dead" and (note the Elisha image; he was plowing when Elijah called him) "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus requires total allegiance from those who follow him, because his work is the first business of their lives as Christians. The gospel is full of grace and offered freely to all believers, but it can also "break" people by its absolute demand for commitment to Christ.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 9:51-62 (RC, E, L, C) - "No Delays." - Most theological seminaries have experienced a sharp increase in second-career students, people who, as a rule, have thought about full-time service in the church, but - for various reasons, as in the Elisha case and that of the Gospel for the Day - have delayed answering the call to the ordained ministry of Jesus Christ. It is not too unusual to have two people from the same family, but of different generations, in the same seminary. That was the case, a few years ago, in the seminary where I was teaching. When I received my list of new advisees from the incoming class of students, one of them was an older woman, a widow, who was changing careers. She had been a teacher for years before her husband died, had enjoyed teaching, but had always felt called to ordained ministry, which was impossible for her on the normal academic timetable; she finished college before women were being ordained in our church. But she had been entertaining thoughts of going to seminary, ever since the church began to ordain women as pastors. A year after her husband died, she applied to our seminary, was admitted, and began her theological studies.
In the first session with my first-year advisees, as was our custom, I asked the students - four of them - to tell us something about themselves, their hometown, details about their family, education, interests and hobbies, as well as what caused them to come to the seminary. When it was this woman's turn to speak, she told us that she and her daughter were both at seminary, both in the first-year class of students. "I don't know how it will go for us, but we both feel called to the ministry, so we decided to do this together." She said that she had wanted to go to seminary right after her husband had died, but his business and the education of her children - two were in college when he had a fatal heart attack - and other responsibilities had prevented her from attending seminary at that time. There was a touch of "not yet, Lord," in what she said, something of the Elisha "delay" in her reason for postponing her answer to Jesus' call. Many of us are like that, I'm afraid, when he calls us to serve him.
1. Jesus, now as then, is eager to enlist ministers who feel called and are qualified to become pastors/preachers/leaders of the church. This is one of the crucial problems of the church in this day, as well as in Jesus' day. How can the church obtain enough pastors to do the work of Jesus Christ in the world?
2. This much we know; he calls people who have heard the good news, believe it, and accept the gospel of God's grace with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength. He calls people who love him and his Father, not simply people who are interested in a career or a new and different way of life.
3. He wants people to answer his call without delay because there is critical work to be done in the church and in the world. Gospel ministry is not a casual business, because it operates in the areas of life and death, of salvation and sin, and of love and hatred. Now is the time to answer his call; Jesus cannot allow delays for any seemingly valid reasons, when he calls us to the ministry of the word and sacraments. (One rather tragic consequence of delaying entrance into the ministry is that one's public ministry is shortened. So much that could have been done in the name of Jesus Christ just doesn't get done when people become pastors in mid- or later-life. That is like a woman neighbor, who resigned from her career after a divorce, entered law school at 50 years of age. She had a splendid academic career, passed her bar exams witih flying colors and began the practice of law. But she practiced less than eight years before she retired. It seemed like she had pursued a goal and reached it rather than entering a career of extended service. Some "delayed ministries" are just like that, cut short of what they might have been.)
4. But the church is on Elijah's side; it gladly accepts people who have delayed answering Christ's call to ordination and full-time work in the name of Jesus Christ. And I am certain that, in these times, our Lord would approve of "late-answered calls," provided that the people are totally committed to his work. And that's the rub in the Gospel for the Day, isn't it? Jesus calls for total commitment and, sometimes, that's hard to give - even to Jesus. His church can accept nothing less.
1 Kings 19:14-21 (L); 19:15-21 (C); 19:15-16, 19-21 (E); 19:16b, 19-21 (RC) - "The Call Of Elisha."
1. Elijah sought out Elisha, "cast his mantle upon him" as he was plowing, and Elisha immediately answered the call to follow Elijah. Elijah called Elisha because God had directed him to do so, not because he believed that Elisha had the talent and ability to become a prophet. Elisha was God's choice, not Elijah's, for a successor.
2. Elisha made an immediate decision, leaving the 12 yoke of oxen in the field where he was plowing but he delayed his response, "Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you." That seemed like a reasonable request to Elijah, and he granted it.
3. His "kiss" was an extended one, because it involved a feast that he prepared for his parents and family (even his friends), before he went after Elijah. (It had to be a large crowd because he slaughtered "the yoke of oxen.")
4. At the conclusion of the feast, he said his good-byes and went after Elijah, "and ministered to him." Then his training began for succeeding Elijah as the prophet in Israel and he never turned back again.
Galatians 5:1, 13-18 (RC); 5:1, 13-25 (E, L, C) - "Freedom To Love." - The 1990s opened with the longing for freedom very much alive in the world; people who have been in political and social bondage for years suddenly have been demanding, even taking, their freedom from those who rule and oppress them. Most startling was the declaration by Boris Yeltsin, when he was elected president of the largest republic in Russia, that he would lead the people to freedom from the central government. Expressions of freedom have been multiplying all over the world in this decade.
Paul, of course, wasn't talking about political or social freedom; he was speaking about spiritual freedom, freedom from the demands of the law, and assuring the Galatians that they were free. God had freed them from the law in Jesus Christ. Some of them, apparently, believed that this meant that they were free to do anything they pleased, to sin boldly, as it were.
One of the criticisms often levelled at Christianity is simply that it is an easy religion; God forgives any sin in Jesus Christ, regardless of what it is. That is an invitation to sin, as far as many people are concerned. They believe that a Christian can do what she/he pleases, as long as "no one is hurt." (A "Dear Abby" letter asked if it were permissible for a father to have sexual relations with his daughter since they were both "consenting adults." Abby declared that it was the "sickest" letter she had received in a long time. The man also wanted to know what the Bible had to say about a father marrying his daughter; she quoted Leviticus [no close kin should marry], and also told him that it was illegal in all states.)
One can't always foresee the consequences of sinful behavior; one can't predict who might be hurt when an immoral or unethical act is performed. This much is certain; the person who commits sin - especially when it is deliberate - is going to be injured, even maimed, spiritually. Before long, and if they keep on sinning, such people drift away from Jesus Christ and his church.
Jesus has given us our freedom from sin, death, and the devil, which means that he has given us the freedom to love the Father, himself, and other human beings. When we love as he has loved us, and only then, can we possibly know what freedom really is and make the most of it.
