PROPER 16 (21) Eleventh Sunday after
Pentecost Year C August 25, 2019
What is it that gets you bent out of
shape?
In each of our readings, we see a
duality. In Jeremiah we read that he was
given authority to “pluck
up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
In our Gospel reading we see that Jesus
sets Free the lady who was bound – the binding and loosing was authority that
was also part of being a Pharisee… but more on that later, and our Hebrews
reading speaks of our God who consumes, but we are reassured that we are
receiving an unshakable (or in-consumable) Kingdom.
Recently I noticed the advertisements
for the show, “This time next year”.
There is a story about a girl with Turrets syndrome. Apparently not everyone with turrets has this
compulsion to swear and curse – But it was this aspect that caught my attention
because it just seemed so completely extreme…
She would say how she loved her mother and then swear and say she hated
her and make rude signs with her hands.
A small percentage of Turrets
sufferers have this thing called Coprolalia, which is compulsive and uncontrollable
swearing and obscene gestures. Once upon
a time this was thought to be of the devil and it is easy to understand
why. However those who suffer turrets
describe the impulse as being like an itch that you try not to scratch. The more you try not to, the more intensely that
you feel you must.
Then I saw another advertisement for
a girl with extreme turrets, such that she hit herself and pulled out most of
her hair. Both of these cases struck me
as being so incredibly debilitating and sad.
Neither could live any semblance of a normal life and both were quite
young.
Our Gospel story brings to mind these
girls as I read about the lady who was bent over for 18 years. I’ve had enough injuries to know how
debilitating it can be in suffering the short time until recovery. It is hard to imagine the extreme
debilitation of being bent over for 18 years.
Our readings say that it was a spirit
that kept her bent over for all this time.
There are many things that keep us
bent out of shape. For some it is a
physical ailment and for others it is the mental/ emotional ailment of depression
or other mental illness. One thing for
certain – 18 years of suffering is no passing fad or trivial condition. This is a lifetime of lost joy.
When it comes to illnesses there are
so many “shoulds”. People tend to have
sympathy for a moment and then turn to telling these people what they “Should”
do. The reason is that we cannot even
bear the pain of sympathy for too long and want to “fix” the person – In doing
this we are acting toward them as if they
have the control and they can do
it. It is important that Jesus says that
a spirit had kept her crippled, because this means she was oppressed by
something outside of herself and outside of her control – she could do nothing
herself to “fix” it.
For 18 years this lady had not been
able to straighten up. She is described
as a daughter of Abraham, meaning that she belonged to the community, yet we
know that any infirmity was generally seen as a sign of sin and a reason for
exclusion in that time and place, and that particular community. 18 years is a long time to be crippled.
According to the Jewish encyclopedia,
The power of binding and loosing was always claimed by the Pharisees. Josephus reports
that("B J." i, 5, § 2),the Pharisees "became the administrators of all public affairs so as to be
empowered to banish and re-admit whom they pleased, as well as to loose and to
bind." http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3307-binding-and-loosing
Jesus uses these same words in his
conversation with the Pharisees. The
Pharisees were like a clique, keeping people from experiencing community and
life. They ensured that only those of
whom they approved were admitted and others were forbidden. – That is, bound.
Not only was this woman bound by the
spirit that kept her physically bent, but by the religious authorities who also
kept her from being part of the community.
Therefore, she was twice bound – once by the spirit that kept her
crippled and then again by the religious authorities.
Jesus used those same words, giving
authority to bind and loose, to his followers, but unlike the Pharisees Jesus
did not get these opposites of binding and loosing out of balance. The Pharisees were overly zealous in binding
– or forbidding. That which Jesus bound –
or forbade was unclean spirits and injustices, so that people were set free. Jesus healed the woman and set her free –
restoring her in body, and in the community of faith.
The Pharisees objected, and
complained that Jesus was breaking the Sabbath rest by healing the woman. Can you imagine? Imagine that this is you and you’ve been ostracized
by the church for 18 years… and crippled for 18 years. Suddenly God heals you. The church doesn’t rejoice, but instead objects
because this healing is done on the wrong day.
Today’s question must be; are there
people bent out of shape because we have bound them, where God would have set
them free?
In reality, the Pharisees thought
they were following God’s command to keep his house holy by not permitting any
infirmity. They felt comfortable that
they had worked out how God works, what he commands, and their life was neatly
secure in their shared belief. Do we do
the same? Day in and day out we all have
our routines and in those routines we have a sense of security, but is this
what God is calling us to do – feel safe and secure in our routine of church
and belief, or does he want us to actually go out into the world and reach out
to those who are bent out of shape because they have felt the church cutting
them off?
Are we going to bind and loose the
way Jesus did and set people free? Or will
we abuse the authority that we have been given by being gate-keepers who
carefully choose who can be part of our church?
And you know, when we do set free the way that Jesus did, it will cause
all the ruckus for us that it did for him.
The freedom of Christ will often mean we need to enter into some
challenging conversations and debate with each other. Paul and Peter certainly had a heated debate,
so we will need to bravely, respectfully and lovingly be part of these
discussions also.
This brings to mind two things…
Firstly, my mum telling my Dad that there are two things you should not talk
about in polite company – Politics and Religion – He absolutely loves to talk
about both. And secondly, a facebook
meme which states: “Being taught not to talk about politics and religion has
led to a lack of understanding about politics and religion. What we should have been taught was how to
have a civil conversation about a difficult topic.”
Being part of the discussion is
scary. Jeremiah was scared, but was told
not to say, “I’m just a boy, I don’t know how to speak”.
I have a very good friend who often
makes comments about his lack of literacy skills. He is one of our Street Chaplains and has
been a huge encouragement to me. I know
that he often feels insecure about being a leader because of his literacy limitations,
but I often smile when he speaks, because I can see the way that God has given
him just the right words, the right wisdom – and most importantly, the right
heart. It is obvious to me that God has
called him to be where he is and do what he does and even to be in a place of
leadership. Just like Jeremiah, he is
acutely aware of his short comings. But
God says to him and to us… have courage, don’t say, ”I’m just a child”.
In Jeremiah
1:8-9 we read; “Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." Then the LORD put out
his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my
words in your mouth.”
There is a difference between having
our say and speaking God’s word. But
each of us has been called by God to have a relationship with God and to have
his Spirit living within us, teaching us, and leading us into all truth. This means we have something to say and it is
vital that we say it.
We proclaim the Good News of
Salvation and the world needs the light of Christ, the love of Christ, and to
be set free by the truth of the Gospel.
It is the Good News and truth of Jesus Christ that truly sets all free –
we need to speak it.
An important aspect that I learn from
looking at Jeremiah’s story, the story of our Gospel lady, and by observing my
friend, is that emphasis to build up and to plant. In other words, to encourage and set free. When we speak and disagree, we are often
doing so, to bind a wrong action or ideology, and our focus is on the negative
instead of challenging ourselves to focus on setting free the correct action
and ideology which sets all free.
We are here now – part of the Church
to whom Jesus gave the authority to bind and loose. Looking further into what is meant by this
binding and loosing, we find that it is implied that we are working in
agreement with what God has already done.
Speaking the words and claiming the victory which has already been won.
All this tells me that more than
anything we need to know that Christ has brought us victory and we stand on
this unshakable Kingdom that we are receiving.
We also need to know the heart of God – which is love - is about
building up. Remember that verse much
later in the book of Jeremiah 29:11 “For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Our second reading from the letter to
the Hebrews assures us of the hope and future that God has prepare for us, and
it is an unshakable kingdom. He knew us before we were born and destined this
for us.
The lady in the Gospel reading was
set free on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath
was a day of rest, and we can rest because the work of loosing is not initiated
with us. We are simply responding and claiming that which God has already done. The question is; what consequence is there if
we do not respond to what God has already done… what consequence is there for
not setting people free and therefore not responding to God’s voice?
This is a covenant of love and
forgiveness, yet we need to listen to the one who speaks from heaven –We who
belong to God should recognise his voice because we belong to him.
So I ask again, “What has you bent
out of shape”? And I add, “Where do you
see others bent out of shape and how can we proclaim the truth to set us all
free”?
