WE HARVEST WHAT WE PLANT --
SHALL WE PLANT WAR OR SHALL WE PLANT PEACE?
Mark 4:26-29
Rev. Paul Wrightman 6/5/22
GIVEN THE FACT THAT TODAY’S SERMON
IS ABOUT ALL-IMPORTANT CHOICES THAT WE ALL HAVE TO MAKE,
LET’S BEGIN WITH AN ILLUSTRATION FROM FRED CRADDOCK,
A LONG-TIME PROFESSOR OF PREACHING,
RETIRED NOW, AND LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN NEAR ATLANTA.
HE WRTES:
“I USED TO GO HOME TO WEST TENNESSEE,
WHERE AN OLD HIGH SCHOOL CHUM OF MINE HAD A RESTAURANT.
I CALLED HIM BUCK.
GO HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUCK,’
AND I’D GET A PIECE OF CHESS PIE AND CUP OF COFFEE FREE.
‘MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUCK,’ I’D SAY. EVERY YEAR IT WAS THE SAME.
I WENT IN, ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUCK.’
HE SAID, ‘LET’S GO FOR COFFEE.’
I SAID, ‘WHAT’S THE MATTER? ISN’T THIS THE RESTAURANT?’
HE SAID, ‘I DON’T KNOW. SOMETIMES I WONDER.’
WE WENT FOR COFFEE.
WE SAT THERE AND PRETTY SOON HE SAID,
‘DID YOU SEE THE CURTAIN?’
I SAID, ‘BUCK, I SAW THE CURTAIN. I ALWAYS SEE THE CURTAIN.’
WHAT HE MEANT BY CURTAIN IS THIS:
THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF BUILDINGS IN THAT LITTLE TOWN;
THEY’RE CALLED SHOTGUN BUILDINGS.
THEY’RE LONG BUILDINGS AND HAVE TWO ENTRANCES, FRONT AND BACK.
ONE’S OFF THE STREET, AND ONE’S OFF THE ALLEY,
WITH A CURTAIN AND THE KITCHEN IN THE MIDDLE.
HIS RESTAURANT IS IN ONE OF THOSE.
IF YOU’RE WHITE, YOU COME OFF THE STREET;
IF YOU’RE BLACK, YOU COME OFF THE ALLEY.
HE SAID, ‘DID YOU SEE THE CURTAIN?’
I SAID, ‘I SAW THE CURTAIN.’
HE SAID, ‘THE CURTAIN HAS TO COME DOWN.’
I SAID, ‘GOOD. BRING IT DOWN.’
HE SAID, ‘THAT’S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY.
COME IN HERE FROM OUT OF STATE
AND TELL MNE HOW TO RUN MY BUSINESS.’
I SAID, ‘OKAY, LEAVE IT UP.’
HE SAID, ‘I CAN’T LEAVE IT UP.’
I SAID, ‘WELL, THEN TAKE IT DOWN.’
‘I CAN’T TAKE IT DOWN.’ HE’S IN TERRIBLE SHAPE.
AFTER A WHILE HE SAID, ‘IF I TAKE THAT CURTAIN DOWN,
I LOSE A LOT OF MY CUSTOMERS.
IF I LEAVE THAT CURTAIN UP, I LOSE MY SOUL.’”
(PAUSE)
RECENTLY I MADE THE TIME TO REREAD
THE POET T.S. ELIOT’S MASTERWORK FOUR QUARTETS.
FOR MANY OF US, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FAMOUS PASSAGES
IN THAT POEM, PASSAGES THAT, HEARING AGAIN,
WE RECOGNIZE AS OLD FRIENDS.
ONE SUCH PASSAGE OCCURS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE LAST SECTION
OF LITTLE GIDDING, THE FOURTH OF THE FOUR QUARTETS.
MANY OF YOU WILL RECOGNIZE IT:
WE SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION
AND THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING
WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED
AND KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME. (REPEAT)
A LOT OF US FIND THIS PASSAGE STUNNINGLY ACCURATE
IN ITS ABILITY TO CAPTURE THE REALITY
OF OUR REPEATED EXPERIENCE IN TERMS, NOT ONLY OF GEOGRAPHY,
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP,
KNOWING SOMEONE SO WELL FOR SO LONG
THAT SUDDENLY WE FIND OURSELVES REALIZING, OFTEN IN AWE,
THAT WE’RE FINALLY GETTING TO REALLY KNOW THIS PERSON.
IT’S AS IF WE’RE BACK AT THE BEGINNING PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP,
ONLY THIS TIME WITH TWENTY, THIRTY, FORTY, FIFTY OR MORE
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BEHIND US, SHEDDING BOLD NEW LIGHT
ON WHAT ORIGINALLY ATTRACTED US TO THIS PERSON
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AS IT CAN BE THIS WAY WITH SPOUSE OR FRIEND,
SO IT CAN BE THIS WAY WITH GOD.
AND IT CAN ALSO BE THIS WAY WITH THE BIBLE,
OLD, FAMILIAR STORIES SUDDENLY SHEDDING NEW LIGHT
ON SUBJECTS ONE THOUGHT ONE HAD PRETTY WELL MASTERED
BY NOW.
IT’S BEEN THIS WAY WITH ME AND THE PARABLES OF JESUS.
TODAY’S PARABLE, KNOWN AS “THE PARABLE OF THE SEED
AND THE HARVEST,” IS A GOOD CASE IN POINT.
ON THE SURFACE, IT SEEMS TO BE QUITE SIMILAR
TO THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN,
A PARABLE ABOUT THE GRATUITIOUSNESS –
EVEN THE IRRESISTIBILITY – OF GOD’S GRACE:
“THE EARTH PRODUCES OF ITSELF,
FIRST THE STALK, THEN THE HEAD,
THEN THE FULL GRAIN IN THE HEAD.”
NOTHING TOO SURPRISING HERE.
THE KICKER COMES IN THE NEXT VERSE (29):
“BUT WHEN THE GRAIN IS RIPE,
AT ONCE HE GOES IN WITH HIS SICKLE,
BCAUSE THE HARVEST HAS COME.”
RECENTLY MY RESEARCH UNCOVERED THE FACT
(AT LEAST UNCOVERED THE FACT FOR ME FOR THE FIRST TIME)
THAT ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR, MOST QUOTED
PARTS OF THE BIBLE IN JESUS’ DAY WAS FROM
THE SO-CALLED “WAR SCROLL” OF THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JOEL.
LISTEN CAREFULLY, AS JOEL IS CLAIMING TO BE SPEAKING
FOR NO ONE LESS THAN GOD:
“PROCLAIM THIS AMONG THE NATIONS:
PREPARE WAR, STIR UP THE WARRIORS.
LET ALL THE SOLDIERS DRAW NEAR.
LET THEM COME UP.
BEAT YOUR PLOWSHARES INTO SWORDS
AND YOUR PRUNING HOOKS INTO SPEARS.
PUT IN THE SICKLE, FOR THE HARVEST IS RIPE.”
(Joel 3:9-10, 13)
HERE’S OUR SITUATION SO FAR:
JESUS HAS JUST GIVEN ONE OF HIS TYPICAL PARABLES
DESCRIBING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS SOMETHING SO FULL OF LIFE
THAT IT GROWS ON ITS OWN ACCORD.
ALREADY BY THIS TIME IN JESUS’ MINISTRY,
HIS HEARERS WOULD KNOW THAT FOR HIM
THE KINGDOM OF GOD WAS A KINGDOM
WHERE ALL VIOLENCE WAS RENOUNCED ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL.
SO JESUS DELIVERS A SEEMINGLY INNOCENT-SOUNDING PARABLE
ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM, WHICH FOR HIM
WAS THE EMBODIMENT OF NON-VIOLENCE.
THEN TO THIS INNOCENT-SOUNDING PARABLE
HE IMMEDIATELY TACKS ON A DIRECT QUOTE
FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JOEL
SUPPOSEDLY CELEBRATING GOD’S VIOLENCE.
REMEMBER THAT MOST JEWISH ADULTS IN THE TIME OF JESUS
WOULD HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS
OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES MEMORIZED,
ESPECIALLY THOSE PORTIONS WITH WHICH
THEY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIED.
THE SHORT BOOK OF THE PROPHET JOEL
WOULD FIT ON A SHORT SCROLL,
AND WAS THE EQUIVALENT OF A PAPERBACK BEST-SELLER
FOR THAT TIME.
THE MAJORITY OF JESUS’ JEWISH CONTEMPORARIES
WOULD HAVE CLOSELY AND PERSONALLY IDENTIFIED WITH IT –
ESPECIALLY THE PARTS WHERE GOD ASKS US TO BE VIOLENT
FOR THE SAKE OF GOD’S KINGDOM.
SO JESUS SLAMS TOGETHER A PARABLE ABOUT THE GROWTH
OF GOD’S KINGDOM, WHICH FOR HIM IS IMPLICITLY NONVIOLENT,
AND A QUOTE FROM JOEL WHICH HAS GOD
SUPPOSEDLY COMMANDING GOD’S FOLLOWERS
TO USHER IN THE KINGDOM PRECISELY
THROUGH THE USE OF VIOLENCE.
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
MOST OF THE ORIGINAL HEARERS OF THIS PARABLE
WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE HEARD HERE A CALL TO WAR
ON THE PART OF JESUS,
MUCH LIKE WHEN THE ZEALOT REVOLUTIONARIES
APPEALED FOR A VIOLENT OVERTHROW OF ROMAN RULE.
I BELIEVE THAT WHAT JESUS IS UP TO HERE
IS NOT ADVOCATING WAR AGAINST THE ROMANS,
BUT DELIBERATELY PROVOKING HIS LISTENERS TO MAKE A CHOICE –
A FORCED CHOICE BETWEEN THE PROPHET JOELS’ URGING TO
“BEAT PLOWS INTO SWORDS, AND PRUNING HOOKS INTO SPEARS,”
AND THE URGING OF THE PROPHETS ISAIAH AND MICAH
TO “BEAT SWORDS INTO PLOWS AND SPEARS INTO PRUNING HOOKS.”
TO ME THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF JESUS SAYING --
AS HE DOES SEVERAL TIMES IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
WHEN HE WANTS TO CORRECT SOMETHING WRONG
IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES --
“YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, BUT I SAY TO YOU. . .”
TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, JESUS IS SAYING TO HIS ORIGINAL HEARERS –
AND BY EXTENSION TO US –
“YOU RESONATE WITH JOEL’S STIRRING UP YOUR PASSION FOR WAR,
YOU FIND HIS PLOWS INTO SWORDS
AND PRUNING HOOKS INTO SPEARS IMAGERY COMPELLING?
WELL, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHOOSE
BETWEEN YOUR PROPHETS.
YOU CAN’T FOLLOW JOEL AND ISAIAH AT THE SAME TIME.
YOU CAN’T FOLLOW JOEL AND ME AT THE SAME TIME.
YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE.
IN DEMANDING OF THEM – AND US – THIS CHOICE,
JESUS IS FOLLOWING HIS OWN FIRST PRINCIPLES:
COMPASSION OVERRIDES LEGALISM,
SACRIFICIAL LOVE OVERRIDES RETRIBUTION AND VENGEANCE.
IN DOING THIS – INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE THROUGH THE LENS
OF HIS OWN FIRST PRINCIPLES – JESUS IS GIVING US PERMISION
TO DO THE SAME.
OR RATHER, MORE STRONGLY,
HE IS NOT ONLY GIVING US PERMISSION,
BUT CHALLENGING US TO BE LIKE HIM
IN MAKING DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN SCRIPTURE TEXT
AND SCRIPTURE TEXT.
HE IS TELLING US – CONTRARY TO THE MAJORITY CHRISTIAN BELIEF
OF OUR DAY – THAT NOT ALL TEXTS IN THE BIBLE ARE CREATED EQUAL.
HE IS TELLING US THAT SOME BIBLICAL TEXTS ARE BETTER
THAN OTHERS.
HE IS TELLING US THAT SOME TEXTS IN THE BIBLE GET GOD “WRONG,”
WHILE OTHER TEXTS GET GOD “RIGHT,”
AND THAT IT IS HUGELY IMPORTANT THAT HIS DISCIPLES
LEARN THE ART OF DISCERNING THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE.
IN OTHER WORDS, JESUS ENCOURAGES US TO QUESTION THE TEXT
JUST AS HE DOES.
QUESTION: WHAT ARE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS SUPPOSED TO DO
WITH A TEXT LIKE THE FOLLOWING
FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY?
“WHEN THE LORD YOUR GOD BRINGS YOU INTO THE LAND
THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER AND OCCUPY,
AND HE CLEARS AWAY MANY NATIONS BEFORE YOU –
THE HITTITES, THE GIRGASHITES, THE AMORITES, THE CANAANITES,
THE PERIZZITES, THE HIVITES, AND THE JEBUSITES,
SEVEN NATIONS MIGHTIER AND MORE NUMEROUS THAN YOU –
AND WHEN THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES THEM OVER TO YOU
AND YOU DEFEAT THEM, THEN YOU MUST UTTERLY DESTROY THEM.
MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM AND SHOW THEM NO MERCY. . .”
(Deuteronomy 7:1-1)
QUESTION: WHAT ARE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS SUPPOSED TO DO
WITH SUCH A TEXT?
TWO ANSWERS, BOTH AMOUNTING TO THE SAME THING.
LESS NUANCED ANSWER #1: THROW IT OUT!
SLIGHTLY MORE NUANCED ANSWER #2: UNDERSTAND IT AS THE
“ISRAEL – LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT” GOD-MARRIED-TO-NATION
PROPAGANDA WHICH IT IS. THEN THROW IT OUT!
JESUS DOES STUFF LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME,
AND EXPECTS HIS FOLLOWERS TO DO THE SAME.
I SUSPECT THAT JESUS IS DEEPLY SADDENED,
IF NOT DOWNRIGHT ANGERED,
AT THE ATTITUDE OF MOST CHRISTIANS,
WHO INSIST ON GIVING ALL BIBLICAL TEXTS
THE SAME LEVEL OF AUTHORITY,
SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY’RE IN THE BIBLE.
JESUS DISN’T DO THAT, AND NEITHER SHOULD WE.
HE EXPECTS HIS FOLLOWERS TO ERR, IF NEED BE,
ON THE SIDE OF COMPASSION,
TO RISK MAKING PEACE INSTEAD OF MAKING WAR,
TO CHOOSE THE DIFFICULT, NARROW WAY OF SACRIFICIAL LOVE
RATHER THAN THE EASY, BROAD WAY OF
“GOD AND COUNTRY, RIGHT OR WRONG.”
IS IT REALLY TRUE THAT AT THE GREAT HARVEST AT THE END OF TIME,
GOD IS GOING TO GATHER THE WHEAT INTO GOD’S BARNS
AND CAST THE TARES INTO THE FIRE?”
OR IS GOD GOING TO FOLLOW GOD’S OWN FIRST PRINCIPLES
AS TAUGHT BY JESUS AND PRACTICE THE SAME
UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS AND LOVE OF ENEMY
THAT GOD EXPECTS FROM US?
WOULD GOD ASK OF US SOMETHING
THAT WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE AT THE END OF TIME,
GOD HAS NO INTENTION OF FOLLOWING THROUGH ON –
OR CAN WE REALLY TRUST AND LEAN ON THE FIRST PRINCIPLES THAT
“JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TODAY, AND FOREVER”
(Hebrews 13:8)
AND
[GOD IS] THE FATHER OF LIGHT,
WITH WHOM THERE IS NO VARIATION OR SHADOW DUE TO CHANGE”?
(James 1:17)
SHALL WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO ENDORSES REVENGE
OR SHALL WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO ENDORSES RECONCILIATION?
THE CHOICE IS UP TO US.
GOD GIVES US THAT MUCH FREEDOM.
AMEN.