Defensiveness and the Cornerstone

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.”  Matthew 21:45 (read Matthew 21:33-46)

I do not have a problem when I hear someone speaking some critical message. Just so long as it is kept as an academic exercise or something I am meant to conceptualize, I am fine to hear some good ol’ fashioned tongue-lashing. Yet, as soon as I recognize that someone is speaking directly about me, that is when I bristle up like a porcupine.

The Pharisees in today’s lesson from Matthew are just like me (and most religious folks today). We love to hear a good story, but when it begins to point the finger at us we get defensive. We may very well know that we have a problem. You may know that we have a problem. Jesus certainly knows when we have a problem. Still as long as we can pretend that we are the only ones that recognize it we are fine. It is like an ostrich putting its head in the ground. To personalize this practice: "If I keep my head down here maybe my problems will disappear."

Jesus though urges the religious people of his day, and us now, to recognize that we play a part in blocking the work that God wants to do with us in the world. Sure we in the church can point to those who do not believe in God, those who only come around every once in a while, the spiritual/not religious crowd, or even to those in other traditions. We can say that it is their fault that the God's servants are mistreated and the Son is beaten and killed, but Jesus is talking to us, even if it is hard for us to hear. We all can struggle with denying that we have a problem.

When I was on a three week geology trip out West I had to spend virtually every minute with other people. My fellow students got to see all sides of me: good, bad, and ugly. Towards the end of the trip, I heard one woman whom I had been around the entire time say to another man (even as she was looking at and speaking towards me), “I am so happy that you are such a mature gentleman, unlike some others on our van.” I knew the implication. She didn’t want to speak directly to me, but she wanted me to know that I was not acting in the right way.

I had a hard time hearing those words, just like we have a hard time hearing Jesus’ words. We might not kill or harm God's people in physical ways, but how are we respecting the dignity of others? How are we caring for the least among us? How are we treating the lowly messengers of God? We cannot and do not get it all right! Yet, there is good news in this. There is good news in us being wrong. There is good news in us being broken. It is okay to be broken. For when we are broken on the cornerstone that is Christ we can be rebuilt.

Jesus urges us to be smashed, so that we can with God rebuild our lives. Christ wants to construct our lives with the brick, mortar, and elbow grease that are love, peace, and joy. Jesus wants to be our firm foundation, not just a part of our lives. With his presence we can restructure our brokenness. When we hear criticism we can choose to be defensive like the Pharisees, we can pretend it does not exist, or we can allow others to speak Truth into where we must be broken and rebuilt on the sure foundation that is Christ.

Luke 21:5-19: When Practice Doesn't Make Perfect

"So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict."

"Practice makes perfect" is one of those sayings that I took to heart from an early age. I was never the tallest, the fastest, the most athletic, or the best skilled player on any of the soccer teams that I played on as a kid. So what I lacked in ability I tried to make up for in effort... AND PRACTICE (Sorry Allen Iverson, I'm talking about practice). I practiced and practiced and practiced. Everyday of the week, every week of the month, every month of the year, I practiced. Through that time I was urged on by the thought that if I practice hard enough, then I will be prepared to play a perfect game.
Sometimes this mentality creeps up in me as I prepare for something upcoming in the life of the parish. In particular, I think, "If I can practice hard enough, then I will preach a perfect sermon and everyone will walk away saying things like, 'Wow, I really want my spiritual life to grow!' and 'I can't wait to serve at St. John's Church more often!' and maybe even, 'That Seth really can preach!'" Yet, this upcoming Sunday's gospel from Luke describes a very different vision than practice makes perfect.
One day, according to Jesus, the religious and political structures will begin to fall, and wars and earthquakes will shake the earth, and famines and plagues will encircle the globe. At that point those who follow Jesus will be given an opportunity to testify. Well, the truth is our earthly systems continue to fail, wars and natural disasters continue to cripple nations, and food shortages and disease kill thousands every day. All that Jesus has said is going to happen is already happening and has been happening since he ascended into heaven. We have the opportunity RIGHT NOW to speak in his name, so what is stopping us?

I often wonder, what does it mean then to testify to God? Does it mean that we have to rehearse some Bible verses that we shoot at unsuspecting passersby? Maybe. Does it mean that we memorize some passionate narrative about turning away from a life of sin? Perhaps. Does it mean participating in dramatic debate about all of the signs (earthquakes, wars, famines, etc.) pointing to Jesus' impending return? Probably not. I think to testify is to engage in honest conversations and instead of "preparing [our] defense in advance," we leave our defenses down.

When we come in defenseless we can more honestly engage with those whom we might see as enemies. God already gives us words and wisdom if we would just slow down enough to listen to what is being said within our hearts, minds, and spirits. If we come in having a practiced script we might be too tied up in spitting out what we want to say. We might miss that our supposed opponents are just like us. We might miss that God removes those things that stand in the way of connecting with our opponents. We might miss that no division exists in God's reality, they are merely our own fabrication.

There are certainly things to practice in this world. Yet, there is one area where not practicing leads to perfection. When we talk to our "opponents" leave the memorized monologues behind and rely upon taking down our defenses, so that we stand together on the sacred ground that we share in interacting with one another. Christ will give us the words to say, but only if we first remove our shields of apprehension, fear, prejudice, doubt, and hatred.

Loving Father, you constantly give us words and wisdom, I ask that You help us to remove anything that we build up between each another, that we might see that Your Kingdom is that space that exists between us, and that we are the ones who are charged with revealing it to one another. All this we ask through the loving example of Jesus your Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!