Sixth Sunday in Pentecost
Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 145:1-14
Romans 7:14-25a
Matthew 11:25-30
There is a lady in my Sunday School for whom I have a great deal of respect. My friend is deeply faithful and gentle. She is a woman worthy of imitation because she shares her faith with kindness and always has a word of compassion as we discuss our lessons. I have never heard her use any kind of profanity, and I am sometimes a little embarrassed when I do so in her presence. I have never heard her use that type of word until yesterday. The word she used might not be one of the really bad words, but it is mildly vulgar and can be socially offensive. I laughed and thanked her at the end of our class and told her I was glad to hear it! I always apologize when using that very word, and it made me feel better to know that she can slip once in a while, too.
George Carlin was a comedian, a controversial comedian at times, but very funny. He was a stand-up comic specializing in satire. He reached out and touched on our basic human nature in a way that was both funny and critical. Nothing was out of bounds for Carlin, including religion. He was fascinated by words, using linguistics as the focus of some of his comedy. It was George Carlin who first asked, “Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?”
One of his most famous routines had to do with language. It was such a controversial routine that he was arrested for disturbing the peace when he first performed it in 1972. The judge dismissed the case on free speech grounds and that there was no disruption of the peace. It was later aired on radio which resulted in a court case that went all the way to the Supreme Court establishing the government’s authority to control offensive language on the public airways. The routine, of course, was “The Seven Dirty Words that you can’t say on Television.” Here is an excerpt from that routine. (I have not included the seven words.)
“I love words. I thank you for hearing my words. I want to tell you something about words that I uh, I think is important. I love…as I say, they're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have really. We have thoughts, but thoughts are fluid. You know, [humming]. And, then we assign a word to a thought, [clicks tongue]. And we're stuck with that word for that thought. So be careful with words. I like to think, yeah, the same words that hurt can heal. It's a matter of how you pick them. There are some people that aren't into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can’t say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They’d have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That’s what they told us they were, remember? ‘That's a bad word.’ ‘Awwww.’ There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad Intentions.”
I don’t like the seven dirty words. They serve no real linguistic function in communication except as exclamations or to shock. Even that mildly profane word, which is not in the seven, has little purpose but to fill space when an appropriate word can’t be found. Unfortunately, for some, those words are a vital part of their speech. Every other word is one of the seven or some other verbal assault. Their sentences stop making sense and start sounding like jabbering. I absolutely do not use some of those words because they are not only offensive, but they are not even pleasant on the tongue. They don’t fit well into conversation, and they have no value in making a statement, even if it is meant to shock. Overuse and abuse of those words stops being funny and becomes upsetting as much because it shows a lack of concern for others as it does a lack of cohesive language.
I don’t want to use these kinds of words. I really hate when I hear one of those words come out of my mouth. I do not have the control of my tongue that I would like and often end up saying something I really know I should not say. It is not only those words that slip from my mouth. When I’m cut off on the highway, I am quick to call that person something that is not very nice. I’ve used words about people that I would never want others to use about me. When I do this, I am cut to the heart. I know I have done the very same things on the highway, and though I’m quick to justify my failure with excuses I am never willing to give the other guy the same consideration. When this happens, I vow to be more considerate on the road and to hold my tongue. I ask forgiveness for the thoughts, words, and deeds against my neighbor. And then the next time it happens, I spit out those same words all over again.
We are saved by the grace of Christ. While our salvation is a future promise of eternal life, we are saved in this life to be transformed for the sake of the Gospel and for the glory of God. We are saved and are sanctified so that the world will see Christ in our life and in our deeds. Unfortunately, we are still living in the flesh, the flesh which is weak. We fail. We all fail, even those that we respect for their gracious living. We say things we know we shouldn’t, but the words come out of our mouths even before we realize we are thinking about them. We do what is wrong even before we realize we are doing it. We don’t do what is right and do not even realize it until the moment has passed. We fail because our flesh still holds the sin which Christ has overcome.
There is a phrase attributed to Martin Luther, “simul justus et peccator” which means “simultaneously saint and sinner.” We are saved and are assured of the hope of eternal life. We are being transformed into the saints which God has created and ordained us to be. But it is a process that takes a lifetime. While we still live in these bodies of flesh we will fail, we will say things we shouldn’t say, and we don’t say what we should. Sadly, sometimes we are quicker to speak profanity than we are to speak praise.
Matthew 11 is a story of opposites. Though Jesus and John the Baptist had a similar message, they approached it much differently. There was such a difference that earlier in this chapter John even questioned whether Jesus was the One for which they had been waiting. John came preaching hellfire and brimstone, calling for repentance with mournful wails. Jesus also preached repentance but with a completely different point of view. For Jesus, the message was one of joy because the promised kingdom had come. John lamented; Jesus danced. John lived as though it was time for a funeral; Jesus celebrated as at a wedding. Neither John nor Jesus was accepted.
Jesus talks about the difference between the “wise and understanding” and the “infants.” We would automatically assume that those who are wise and understanding would be more acceptable in the kingdom of God. What do infants know? Yet, Jesus tells us that it is the infants to whom God will reveal His kingdom. Infants will not take control; they will live in hope and trust, allowing God to be God, celebrating God’s promises instead of trying to prove their wisdom. We ignore the wisdom of children because it seems so simplistic, but the truth of God is simple. We laugh at the foolishness of children, but it is to such as them that God reveals Himself.
What is it about children that make them so receptive to the Gospel? For one thing, children are innocent. I don’t mean that in the legal sense as in they are innocent of crime or even sin. After all, we know that all flesh, even babies, have inherited a nature that is separated from God. We all, from the smallest to the oldest, need God’s forgiveness made available by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Children are innocent in the sense that they have not yet experienced the world in a way that would lead them to doubt or to cynicism. This isn’t a lack of understanding between goodness and badness; as a matter of fact, children tend to be much more discerning than most adults. Children still see the good in people. They see the cup as half full. They find joy in places where adults can’t seem to see it. They trust those who are given charge over them. They believe in things that are beyond belief to most intellectual, thinking adults.
It is their innocence, their trust, which allows them to see that which is hidden. We intellectuals tend to think about things to the point of confusing ourselves with details that simply don’t matter. We want answers. We want to know the meaning of life. We want to know our purpose so that we can go out there and do it. We want to understand the mysteries of faith. We debate and argue over the meaning of the eucharist and baptism and the parables, but in doing so we often lose sight of the love of God. I’ve often joked about how I can’t wait to get to heaven so that Jesus and I can sit together over a glass of sweet tea and discuss all the questions I have. I want Him to answer everything that I haven’t been able to answer with my mind.
Here’s the thing: we don’t always need those answers. Children don’t. Children simply believe. Who doesn’t love the child in worship who blurts out “Amen” with passion and enthusiasm in the middle of worship? Who hasn’t chuckled with joy when that little voice begins singing “Jesus loves me” in the back pew during the prayers? What youth minister doesn’t know that the correct answer to every question in the children’s sermon is “Jesus?” Children don’t need to know that Jonah’s whale was probably a big fish or that the fruit in the Garden of Eden was probably not an apple. They know that Jesus loves them, and that’s what matters.
If only we’d live our life with such simple faith.
Verse 28 is a powerful promise to those of us who live in a world full of burdens. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is an awesome promise. We all would like to have someone take our burdens away from us. We want to walk free, to be free, to have no worries or cares and to do what we think is best. But we don’t always know what is best, do we? Sometimes what we want is not the best thing for us.
Oxen were used for farming for many generations. Even today, around the world, there are still farmers who use domestic animals to plow their fields. It was common for the farmer to have two oxen, one a lead bull and the other a follower. These two bulls had to be equal in size, strength, and purpose. The farmer could not yoke a bull with a calf; they would be unable to pull the plow in straight rows. Though equality was necessary, it was just as important that one of the oxen be the leader. If one bull were trained to plow one way and the other another way, they would get nowhere battling each other for control. It takes a good farmer to know his bulls, yoke them equally with right leadership. He can then guide them on the right path to do the work.
Jesus followed His promise with a command: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Wait. He wants to give us rest, and to receive that rest, we must take up a yoke? Isn’t that an oxymoron? How can we both rest and carry a burden? The point Jesus is making is that we will carry a burden, whether it is one of our making or His. Which is easier? Which is the best for us? Jesus says, “I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Following a humble king will show us a way of living that will be peaceful, joyous, faithful. We are certainly not equal with our Lord, but He invites us to join in the work of His Kingdom.
Jesus Christ has given us the Great Commission to go out and make disciples of all nations. This task can seem like a heavy burden, particularly when we can’t convince the people we love the most that real peace is found in the hope of Christ. But it is not a burden that we carry alone. He has promised to be with us, and it is by His power that the nations will be saved. We rest in the promise of hope that comes from faith in Christ, and trust that He will be faithful. We don’t know who we will find in heaven, so let us stay on the solid foundation that is Christ. He will carry all our worries and cares, so that we can find rest.
Psalm 145 is a prayer of praise to the lovingkindness of God. It is an acrostic, a poem in which each verse begins with a different letter of the alphabet. It is not obvious in English, and we are only using a few of the verses, but it is interesting to think about the importance of this literary technique. The psalmist found a way to praise God from “A to Z,” literally. How often do we think so much about God’s grace that we will write a poem using every letter of our alphabet?
There is a word in this passage which is translated in the World English Bible as “great loving kindness.” The Hebrew word is “chesed” or “hesed” We might want to simplify this word to mean “nice” but that does not describe the depth of the meaning. The word can also mean steadfast love, lovingkindness, mercy, love, kindness, unfailing love, great love, loving, kindnesses, unfailing kindness, acts of devotion, devotion, favor, approval, devout, faithful, faithfully, glory, good favor, grace, kind, kindly, loyal, merciful, well. These all give us a sense of the word, but it leaves out something important. We have begun using this word in its Hebrew form in our discussions, just as we do with the word “Amen,” because it can’t be fully understood in English. It actually refers to a loving loyalty based on a covenantal relationship. God’s chesed comes to us because He established a bond between Himself and His people. We think of compassion as meeting the needs of those who need our help, but chesed actually initiates the relationship. It is compassion that goes out even before the needs are known.
Matthew is a brilliant storyteller. He was an accountant (tax collector) so his Gospel is written from a logical, almost mathematical, point of view. He organized his thoughts in a way that first reports what Jesus has to say and then shows Jesus living the truths He has spoken. Take, for instance, the Sermon on the Mount, chapters five through seven. Matthew has taken the wise words of Jesus and put them into a coherent, powerful message about the Kingdom of God. The Sermon teaches us how to live as disciples. Any life in God’s kingdom begins with healing, so in chapters eight and nine, Matthew shows Jesus touching the lives of those He is calling to faith in very real ways. There are ten acts of deliverance in those chapters, related to the wisdom spoken in the Sermon. We can see this pattern of discourse and then living throughout the book of Matthew. He ultimately ends with the revelation that HE would die, and then we see His death on the cross. Jesus didn’t just talk the talk; He walked the walk. Then He calls us to do the same.
Chesed is proactive. God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, has shown the most incredible compassion to all. His goodness is for all He has made. His love is for everyone. Christ died for sinners even before we knew we were sinners. He died for us even before we were born. Sadly, there are too many now that do not know they need the mercy and grace of God. They do not accept the forgiveness that comes from faith because they do not believe there is reason to be forgiven. But God’s Kingdom has come for them, too. By God’s grace, we have become the manifestation of His lovingkindness, as we take His Word into the world.
They will see God’s lovingkindness through acts of compassion by those who have experienced His. Christians who have heard the Word and have seen the light are God’s instruments of His grace. Through us, all men will know of God’s mighty acts, the splendor of His kingdom. The psalmist praised God so that others might hear of the acts of the One from whom we receive the unmerited favor of His blessings. We, His saints, are called to sing His praise, to speak of the glory of His kingdom. We speak these words not only to praise God, but so that others might hear and believe.
Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a film called “Kindergarten Cop.” His character was a policeman named John Kimball who was trying to arrest and put away a dangerous professional criminal. The only witness that could put him away was his ex-wife who was in hiding in Oregon. In an attempt to find her, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character had to go into a Kindergarten classroom to teach. The son of the woman was one of those students. If he found him, he would find her and would be able to finish his quest to put the criminal in prison. He is not the obvious choice to be a kindergarten teacher; after all he is extremely big and scary, even for the bravest people. His partner, who was supposed to go undercover as the teacher, got very ill and she could not do the job. The school principal was very unhappy about the change. She did not trust that John could properly supervise the children in the classroom. She was also afraid that his presence might put her students in danger.
His time in the classroom started out very badly. He lost control very quickly and he couldn’t get those five- and six-year-olds to calm down. He tried using his bulk and his voice, but they just wouldn’t hear him. He eventually screamed so loud that they all stopped cold and looked at him with frightened faces. Then they began to cry. He realized that he needed something to get their attention, something that will interest them. He just happened to have a pet ferret in his car. When he came in the classroom with the animal, the children quickly and quietly gathered around to see it. By showing a gentle side, John managed to calm the children and get control.
Yelling does little good when things are chaotic and out of control. I learned in my preschool classroom that yelling only makes the children get louder and more out of control. It is necessary to find something to get their attention, to give them something that will bring calm and order to the room. We normally think that bulk and brawn will give us order, but that is not always true. In the case of Mr. Kimball’s classroom, it was not his large frightening appearance that gained control of the children, but it was his gentle encouragement. In the end, Mr. Kimball became one of the best Kindergarten teachers that the principal had ever seen. He even left his job as a policeman to continue teaching at that school in Oregon.
Zechariah wrote that Israel should rejoice because her king would come riding in on a donkey. This does not seem to be an image to bring much hope or peace. After all, how can there be peace with a king who humbly rides a donkey rather than coming in with power and authority in a chariot and magnificent horse? This picture of a Messiah is not at all what the people expected. In Jesus’ day they were still looking for someone to fight, to overcome the oppressors with power. Yet, God sent Jesus who rode a donkey as He entered victoriously into Jerusalem just days before His death. Jesus got the people’s attention not with a loud voice and awesome military power, but with words of hope and miraculous deeds that changed the lives of those who met.
I think what I like most about Paul is his honesty. He is often harsh in his letters, saying what most of us think but would never say out loud. He is willing to call a sin a sin and to admit that he is the worst of sinners. In his letter to the Romans, he talks about his inability to be all he wants to be, the perfect Christian, a righteous person. He admits his frailty and his lack of control. He wants to do what is right and avoid what is wrong, but he recognizes and confesses his failure. It would do us well to confess that we are just like Paul, occasionally slipping, like I do with language I should not speak.
It is hard for us to believe that Jesus would trust us with His kingdom, because we are sinners even while we are saints. We are yoked to sin; we do what we don’t want to do and we don’t do what we know we should do. It is a burden each one of us carries, but Jesus made a powerful promise to those of us with faith that live in a world full of burdens: He will give us rest despite our burdens. We rest in the promise of hope that comes from faith in Christ, and trust that He will be faithful. We don’t carry the burden of doing His work in the world because we are yoked with Him. The yoke of Jesus is light because He promised to be with us, and it is by His power that the people will be saved.
So, let us be as children with that simple faith, casting off the burdens that we have tried to carry on our own and taking the yoke of Jesus. He does not burden us with anything He has not accomplished for us. As we walk with Him, He will teach us all we need to know about the Kingdom of God. We will find rest in His presence because He is the God of chesed, faithful to His covenantal love.
A WORD FOR TODAY
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