It Was Alive When You Bought It

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the
sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Luke 23:33-43

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The usual place we expect to see today’s Gospel lesson is in Holy Week.  There, it takes its place in the center of Christianity… the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.  When we hear it in Holy Week it is fairly impossible to see it any other way.  BUT this isn’t Holy Week, and that gives us a chance to see it in a different way... as a parable.  To see it as a parable rather than as we're used to seeing it in Holy Week is a fairly big leap, so I think it would help to circle back to the first lesson and sort of get a running start as we jump into that new perspective.  

In that first lesson God, through the voice of the prophet Jeremiah, makes it VERY clear that the leaders of God’s people were not just inept, but doing evil.  They had scattered their people.  Driven them away.  They were indifferent and uncaring.  They had torn apart and divided the community.  Unfortunately that sort of leadership is not just a one-off here in Jeremiah.  It's a story repeated over and over again in history, in fiction, and even in yesterday’s news.  Scattering the flock, dividing the people… dis-membering the community… It all is sadly nothing new under the sun.     

While Kelly was gone I binged The Hobbit trilogy again.  Thorin, the dwarf king, when he fell victim to Dragon Fever did this same thing.  He scattered his company, drove off his allies and isolated himself amongst his vast piles of gold.  We are all, right now, watching Elon Musk… another sad victim of Dragon Fever do the same.  He bought Twitter, angry because they were not managing speech on that platform the way HE thought it should be done.  Then, finally seated atop his enormous pile of social media gold, is even now proceeding to alienate the employees (the only people who actually know how it works), drive off users and advertisers and isolate himself in his crumbling kingdom.  

The shepherds of the people in Jeremiah, the Dwarf King, and the billionaire Elon Musk… three good examples of leaders who have walked down a path lined with “evil doings” of tearing apart the communities, nations, and the people around them.  They have driven wedges, increased divisions, EVEN between themselves and the very people who could help them.  They all, in fear and desperation, restored to sowing seeds of conspiracy and hatred.  In their fear filled evil doings they have fallen to divide and conquer and dismembering person from person, nation from nation, race from race, and walking that path inevitably ends with them dismembering themselves from humanity as well.  

Dismemberment is not the way, God cries out!  I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. I myself will gather my flock, I will bring them back to their fold.  I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.  God’s way, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that because it's "God's Way" it's the best way, is NEVER about scattering, alienating, dividing, and sewing fear!  God attends… God gathers! God brings back… God raises up!  God makes it so they shall NOT fear, NOT be dismayed, and NOT torn apart and THAT is the running start we needed to jump into this familiar Gospel from a new direction.  Because even on the cross, in the midst of agonizing pain, growing closer to death every moment… himself a victim of kings who traffic in scattering, dividing, and sewing seeds of fear and hatred... what is it that Jesus does?  He RE-MEMBERS.  Whatever brokenness that had dis-membered that man from his community… Jesus RE-MEMBERED him.  The death that was about to dis-member that man from his life, would be RE-MEMBERED that day in Paradise.  

Taken out of the context of Holy Week, we have a chance to see this scene as one of Jesus’ parables.  We can see Jesus once again, not telling us as much as SHOWING us the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  There is the way of shepherd kings, dwarf kings, and billionaire kings.  And then there is the way of God and Christ the King.  There is the way of division, scattering, alienating, fear mongering and dis-membering.  Then there is the way of gathering, bringing together, raising up and re-membering.  

As a parable, this passage asks us a question.  Not just a question for kings… but a question for all of us.  Will we today, in all that we do, partner ourselves with the powers of greed and division?  Will we isolate ourselves and spend our day scattering and dismembering?  OR… Or… will we do as Jesus did… even as Jesus did on his very worst day… and genuinely SEE the people we meet, GATHER our community together with kindness and hospitality, help to RETURN those around us to a wholeness they have lost… COMFORT them?  Will we RE-MEMBER them?  This parable shows us two paths.  One of DIS-MEMBERING and the other of RE-MEMBERING.  May each of us help one another… to be about the holy work of REMEMBERING.  Amen.