The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
A relationship requires two people. It is a two-way street. Hopefully, each
person will respect and care about the other person's feelings and opinions. In
the best relationships, each person appreciates and enjoys the other person's
characteristics, ideas and personality. But, we know, that doesn't always
happen. And that is true, not only for relationships between people, but for our
relationship with God.
Today's readings give us some insights about relationships with God and with
other people.
The first reading is from the book of Job. You will remember that Job had
spent the many long days of his passion or suffering insisting that he had
committed no sin to bring this punishment on himself. He kept asking God to show
him what he had done wrong, that got him into this mess. He begged for God to
give him a fair trial, lay out the facts of the case, the reasons he why he had
lost everything: his children, his fortune, his wife, his home, even his health,
and especially the respect and regard of his friends and neighbors. The only
thing he had left was his faith in God, and that was hanging in the balance: how
could a just and good and holy God allow these things to happen to a good and
holy man who loved God and did everything he could to help others?
Our reading tells us that Job had gotten what he wanted so badly: a fair
trial before God. Job had been reading God the riot act: If you are a
good, holy and just God, how could you let all this terrible situation happen to
me? I have not sinned that I am aware of. I have always worshipped you and done
all I can to help other people.
And now God was answering Job: Who are you to tell me how to be God?
Did you make the heavens and the earth? Did you make the living creatures on
earth? Do you know everything, and do you have all wisdom? Who are YOU to judge
me, the God of heaven and earth?
Job had, indeed, worshipped God all his life. But we are led to wonder: did
he ever really appreciate who and what God is? Come to think of it, do we?
Of course, we know that Job's sufferings came as a result of Satan's attempt
to make Job curse God. But Job did not know that. His sufferings were very real,
and very painful. He simply could not understand how a good and just God could
permit this kind of thing. Often, we cannot understand that same question,
especially when we are the ones who are suffering terribly with cancer or in a
messy divorce or at the funeral of our child. It is then that for us, as for
Job, our faith is put to the test: do we still trust God, even now, in the midst
of this horrible mess?
Every one experiences this trial of his or her faith at some time or another,
in some situation or another. Do we truly know who and what God is? Do we really
appreciate what God has done for us all along, and what he is doing for us now?
Can our faith and appreciation stand the test?
The situation in today's Gospel reading is very similiar. If you read the
whole chapter, not just today's short paragraph, you will note that Jesus had
told the disciples that they were going to Jerusalem, and that he expected to be
arrested, tortured, and put to death there. He would be condemned on the basis
of false testimony, and he would suffer horribly, and die. Three days later, he
would rise to life again. And, knowing this, he was still determined to go to
Jerusalem. Jesus was attempting to prepare his disciples for what was coming.
On the way to Jerusalem, they met the rich young man, whose story we read
last week. He wanted eternal life...oh, how he wanted it. But he didn't want it
enough to give up everything he had, and accept the burden and the suffering of
the cross, to get it. He went away sad, because he had just found out that he
did not really appreciate God all that much...he appreciated his wealth far
more. And Jesus had explained to the disciples that if they continued to follow
him, they, too, could expect the same sort of suffering and, perhaps, even the
painful death that Jesus was expecting for himself.
And what happened next? Apparently the disciples had been listening with half
an ear, or maybe even less. They certainly had not taken in the lesson of the
rich young man. We know this, because when they stopped along the way, James and
John came up to Jesus privately, and asked if they could have the two highest
seats in heaven, one on Jesus' right and the other on his left. They were much
more interested in their own honor and glory than in what was going to happen to
Jesus, and what would happen to anyone who follows him. Like the rich young man,
they couldn't understand or accept that being a disciple doesn't get you the
Nobel Prize or win the election for you or get you a trophy. It gets you the
dirty jobs, the hard work, the sweat and blood and tears, and, eventually, a
crown in heaven...but even then you don't get to rank as equal to Jesus, who
after all is God the Son.
One wonders if they had really been paying any attention at all to Jesus, the
past three years of travelling with him. Or had they just been enjoying the
honor and excitement of being there at the miracles and acting as guards for
Jesus?
Well, now they got it straight from Jesus' own mouth. To be a disciple is not
to go seeking glory and honor. Being a disciple means doing the scut work, being
a servant, taking care of others, exactly the way God takes care of you. For
Jesus it meant dying on the cross after terrible shame and torment. For us, it's
little things, but equally tough in their own ways...cleaning up the mess people
make of their lives. Being the shoulder to cry on. Taking out the garbage,
changing the diapers, mucking out the cow barn...listening to peoples' sorrows,
sitting with the dying, getting the sinner right with God again, doing all the
yucky things that somebody has to do and nobody else will, to clean up the mess
of the world and bring it back to God.
Being a disciple, you see, has very little to do with sitting on a throne at
Jesus' right or left hand. It has everything to do with loving others and caring
for them the way God and Jesus care for us. It means a stable in Bethlehem, a
windy, chilly hilltop to die on, with people making fun of you. It means
appreciating how much God has done for us and continues to do for us,
appreciating God for who and what he is....never mind the honors or wealth we
may dream about for ourselves!
And so, today the Church asks us to consider: do we appreciate and understand
who and what God is? Do we appreciate and understand what he does for us, and
why? Do we appreciate others around us, who are trying to show us a little bit
of how God loves us, by washing the dishes and mowing the lawn and doing the
laundry, by listening to our heartaches and kissing our scraped knee and helping
us get to the emergency room? Are we paying attention to what people say to us,
or are we thinking only of ourselves and what we love or want for our own?
Amen.
