John 6:51-71
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Scandal, we are familiar with scandal. Its part of the human condition. The media thrives on it and unfortunately many in the public soak up every drop of it they can. Like a fishing story about the one that got away scandals grow either by the truth coming to light if it's more dirt or by lies and innuendo attempting to bury the truth if it's a false accusation. Just as unfortunate, if the object of the scandal is vindicated it only gets 10 percent of the attention of the original story if mentioned at all.
What's at the root of scandal? We can obviously point to sin and a fallen corrupted world. All scandal can be boiled down to decisions between wisdom and folly as in our Old Testament reading from Proverbs. Scandal may be defined as widely publicized allegations but we struggle with our own personal scandals each day and those scandals are seen by someone much greater than the public at large.
Thursday morning Littleton Colorado, I go to get into my car. I find that someone driving a Suburban who has the depth perception of a stone has parked less than a foot away from the driver's side of the car. Even Twiggy couldn't have entered from the left side.
Scandal!
My thoughts were less than complementary of the other driver's skills.
Life is full of these little moments when we decide between wisdom and folly. Biblical wisdom says that even if this person has difficulty driving Jesus still loves them and I should too. Folly says this person has the depth perception of a stone. But wait isn't that backward from the way the world works? Isn't that different from the way all of us react at least some of the time?
Think about how scandalous Jesus must have appeared to be to the Jewish authorities. Think about the news coverage if those events were occurring today. His actions were just incredulous mingling with the unclean, eating with them, and healing them even on the Sabbath. That was bad enough but Jesus had to push it further. He was telling the people the laws didn't have any bearing on going to heaven. That burden was lifted, but to many the alternative Jesus offered was just as hard to deal with. Believe He is the Son of God and live. Many followed but didn't necessarily believe in their hearts.
In the Gospel reading we have reached the moment where the scandal of scandals comes from Jesus' lips. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." To understand just how scandalous this sounds we need to go back to Leviticus, God said to Moses, "...you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people."(Lev 7:26-27) To be cut off from your people was like a living death; even your family denied your existence.
For those that didn't believe they couldn't accept the words of Jesus and turned away. For the believers God had enlightened them, through the Spirit. The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. Jesus had told them no one can come to Him unless the Father has enabled them.
You might be thinking wait a minute. I have made a decision to follow Jesus. That was my choice to make.
I made a choice to be baptized when I was 16. But then did I really make that choice. When we were in elementary school my brother and I walked to the nearby Methodist church for Sunday school our parents never attended church. Of course then again we sometimes found more interesting things to do by the creek than walking all the way to the church. And we were in their version of VBS a summer or two. The seed was planted early on, so did I decide to be baptized or did God draw me nearer.
What about baptism? Worldly wisdom would tell me that splashing water on my forehead means some dirt may have been removed and that was the end of it. Divine wisdom says yes some dirt was washed away all of it inside and out. Water mingled with the Holy Spirit cleanses us. And for the rest of our earthly life dirt can't cling to us because now we belong to Jesus. Even when I decide to follow worldly wisdom I don't need to carry the mistake with me constantly. Yes I have remorse for the bad choice, but I know I'm not condemned because Jesus promised to love me no matter what I have done. Because He loves me I can identify myself as a child of God not as a sinful person, the burden is lifted.
Where does that lead us as a fledgling congregation? Worldly wisdom says set up camp in a place where we are certain of financial success. Worldly wisdom says set up camp in a place where we can draw people just like us because that is comfortable.
I tell you that line of thinking is scandal!
God has promised to be faithful to His children. As long as our focus is on the cross He will guide us to where our camp should be. He will protect our camp and bless our efforts. Our camp will be in a place where He provides for us and in turn we provide for others. It may be an uncomfortable place to us at first. It may even be scandalous to the world around us as we mingle with the "unclean".
One thing is certain in worldly wisdom Christ's love for everybody is still scandalous. He died to unite with even the most desperate outcasts of society just as much as He has united with us.
He died for every substance abuser, every robber, every murderer, and even every tyrant. No matter where our camp may be Jesus commands us to accept every wanderer that enters our midst just as He has united with them in the sacrifice of His body and blood.
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him."
Lord keep our hearts open to all of your children who come into our midst.
In the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
