Insights

Rev Gav

How can we be brave?

Luke 4.14-30

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Reflect

If I’m honest, I don’t know how to begin my message for this week. If I could sum up all the emotions I have experienced — the sadness, the anger, the despair, the fatigue, and the anxiety — filter them, and articulate them in just two words, it would be, “Show mercy.” Or, if I could extend it, it would be, “For God’s sake, show mercy.”

Show mercy. It’s a simple message, but it seems that in our current world climate — in the United States, in Gaza, and in Russia — mercy is in short supply.

Part of me, the Anglican priestly part, doesn’t want to talk about politics, but given world events, it’s been a bit difficult to avoid. Add into the mix the Anglican bishop of Washington’s sermon and her personal address to President Trump, and it’s become impossible to avoid. Although I have never met her, Bishop Budde is my colleague and we both work for the same institution and God. I cannot ignore her words.

Therefore, amidst a hailstorm of media coverage and comments from high-powered individuals and influencers, how does one remain objective and see things for how they really are? How should we, as individuals and as a church respond to world events?

Jesus was asked, on several occasions, about how we should or should not point the finger at others, and his response, whether talking about Samaritans or those caught in adultery, was to point the finger back at ourselves; for us to self-examine our own words and behaviours. Often, the response to Jesus’ message of love and mercy was anger and vitriol. If you read on in today’s gospel passage, people became so infuriated that they drove Jesus to the edge of a cliff to throw him off. Jesus was not ‘staying in his lane’ and they hated him for it.

But if we are to self-reflect and self-restrain, does this mean we should ignore it when we are confronted with injustice, when we encounter someone perverting the words of Jesus, or trampling over that which we hold dear? Should we simply stay in our lane and close our eyes, or should we make a stand, lift up our voices, and counter oppression and prejudice wherever it may be found?

It takes a great deal of bravery to be Jesus in the face of opposition, especially opposition that claims to be ‘in the name of Christ’, however we shouldn’t be surprised. Neither John the Baptist nor Jesus stayed in their lanes, and thank God they didn’t. John the Baptist called out Herod, the religio-political Jewish leader and self-proclaimed King of the Jews. Jesus called out not only the Jewish elite but the Roman overlords. Both were executed for confronting the blatant oppression of religious and political regimes.

Want to be a Christian? It may cost you your life. Yes, really.

Jesus said that taking up your cross and following him, following in his way of mercy and love, may cost you your livelihoods, your friendships, your family, and everything you hold dear. On occasions, when Jesus stood before his followers and taught, many found his words too difficult to stomach and left him. If you’re in any doubt, read the sixth chapter of John’s gospel.

Over the last couple of years I have lost friends because they preached hate towards specific people groups. Hearing Christians marginalise others, make false claims, and uphold false truths has been one of the most painful experiences of my time as a Christian minister. Only this week, here where I live, in Bermuda, a self-proclaimed biologist and pastor suggested that intersex and trans people don’t exist, and a leading faith leader in the USA called the Anglican church — our beloved church — the ‘house of Satan’. Yes, by their fruit you will know them.

You see, you can hold a political or religious position without putting someone else down, and you can be sure that when you see someone belittling someone or a people group — whether on the playground, rally platform, or pulpit — it’s often because of a lack of control or power in their own lives. Bullies seek to control others, often through abusive words or forces, because something in their own past or present lives is beyond their control.

I confess, and it is to my great shame, that when I was at school I bullied other children. Reflecting back, I can see why I needed to exert control by picking on ‘weaker’ or ‘different’ children. I hated school. I was a round peg in a square hole and felt I was forced to be there against my will. I had no choice and control had been taken from me, therefore I controlled that which I could. Of course there were many ways I could have expressed this, but exerting power was the example shown to me by others, and so, regrettably, that was the method I also chose.

This week, Bishop Budde in Washington was brave. She spoke up and she spoke out in defence of the values of unity, love, and mercy, and even when she was called names and received a torrent of abuse and vitriol, not once did she retaliate or respond with hate, nastiness, or make sarcastic or rude comments. She acted with a calm integrity and respect I wish I myself possessed. By their fruits you will know them.

As major players battle on the world stage; as Davids and Goliaths come face-to-face, we may wonder what part we have to play, but we know don’t we? We need to listen to the words of Jesus, “Love one another” (John 13:34) and “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

Friends, never stop loving. Never stop showing mercy. “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” (Philippians 4:5) For this is what God requires of you: “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Amen.