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“But to what will I compare this generation?” Matthew 11:16
Jesus is having a moment. Social media might term it a “Ken Moment” which is the male version of a “Karen Moment” – a woman who is unhappy when things don’t go her way. All sorts of meltdowns of people behaving badly have been posted on-line in the past few weeks. Yet who among us has not had “a moment”? A time when you just lost it…your patience evaporated, your manners disappeared, fear and frustration took over and you became your worst self. Some of us yell, some of us weep, some go external, some internal, but all of us react. Years ago, when John was away on a business trip, I had a moment in the supermarket in Princeton Shopping Center, at the end of a long day with two hungry kids melting down and nothing in the fridge for their dinner. Thank God no one had a cell phone.
Jesus is having a moment – with good reason. His cousin John’s in prison. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one or do we wait for another?” Jesus responds, “Go the tell John the blind, see, the lame, walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf, hear, the dead, raised, the wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side. As John’s disciples leave to relay his message, Jesus addresses the crowd saying, “John is the greatest prophet of all the ages, but you ignored him. You’re like spoil children whining to their parents. John came fasting and you called him crazy. I came feasting, and you called me a lush, a friend of the riffraff!” Jesus is having a moment. And he’s just getting started.
The next part is so disturbing that Revised Common Lectionary Committee, the team of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, UCC’s, Methodists and other highly educated Church leaders who chose what scripture we read each week edited out the most adamant denunciations that spewed from the mouth of our Lord and Savior. They made him a kinder, gentler Jesus, instead of a furious, indigent one. Want to know what he said?
“Woe to you Chorazin! Woe, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you’ve seen, they would’ve been on their knees in a minute.” Oh, this was the ultimate insult for Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities, not Jewish ones. Jesus was declaring that Gentile, the infidels, the unbelievers, the ones outside the law – are better than them. Then Jesus tosses in the town of Capernaum, the place where he lives, where he performed most of his miracles and says “they’re going to hell.” Jesus tops off his rant by declaring that on Judgement Day, Sodom, that ancient city of sin, will get off easy compared to these places.” This is more than a moment. This is a revelation. It will lead to a revolution.
But first, Jesus catches his breathe and prays. He calms down and prays. He lets go and let’s God. I remember doing the same after I had my moment in the supermarket. Got to the car, buckled both boys into their seats, slid behind the steering wheel and prayed. Took a deep breath and prayed some more. Another breath and calmed down. We had Cheerios for dinner and once they were in bed, I had a glass of wine, maybe two. Let go and let God.
Jesus prays and has a revelation. He lets go of the idea that everyone would realize he’s the Messiah. He lets go of whatever expectations he had – that sermons would transform lives, miracles would convince skeptics, stilling storms would produce faith, raising the dead would raise believers, that he would create a movement and change the world. Jesus prays, “Thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. This is your good pleasure.” His revelation is that the ones who cannot depend upon their strength alone are those who are open to the good news of God’s gift of mercy, while many who consider themselves wise and self-sufficient turn it aside.[i] Perhaps because they haven’t yet had a moment when it all fell apart, when there was nothing to do but pray.
Now there are basically two kinds of prayer. Jesus told a story about this – two men go up to the Temple to pray. One said, “Oh, God I thank you that I am not like other people robbers, crooks, adulterers or heaven forbid, like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.” The man slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up and said, “God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.” Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”[ii]
Prayer, if used as self-justification, can keep you stuck, but prayer can also lead to revolution – to turning around, to undergoing a fundamental change. Faith in God is not something we add to our already busy lives, it’s life itself Sometimes it takes having a moment – a Karen, Ken or a Cindy one – to realize this, to turn around, to put down our burdens and rest, to take up a new way of living. I love what Tom Long writes about this: “What Jesus offers, however, is not a hammock, but a yoke.” I want to be clear, Jesus is not talking about an egg yolk, but the wooden harness that is put over the necks of two animals, perhaps horses or oxen, and is attached to the plow or wagon that they pull. Tom continues. “In Judaism, the yoke was a symbol of obedience to the law and the wisdom of God. Likewise, Jesus’ yoke is obedience to the commandments of the kingdom of heaven, a willingness to serve others with humility and mercy. Jesus’ yoke is ‘easy’ and his burden is ‘light’ not because there is little to do or the way is safely paved. To the contrary, there is a cross to be carried…. The yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is light because it is the way of God, and it is profoundly satisfying to the human soul.”[iii] When we are yoked to Jesus, he is with us and we are with him, joining him in serving the world in the name of God. We do this together with our Lord and with one another.
I don’t know about you, but I have deeply missed sharing this yoke with you in person. It’s been sixteen weeks since we have been physically together. While being together virtually has been a true gift of technology and talent and an addition to our life together that we will continue, there’s something wonderful about watching a Sunday School teacher wave at her children as they stand before the altar to sing. There’s something holy about being together – seeing how you care for those who grieve, how you rejoice with those who celebrate, and to hear you pray together for God’s kingdom to come here on earth as well as in heaven. Amen.
[i] Thomas G. Long, Matthew, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997, 131-132.
[ii] Luke 18: 8-13, The Message.
[iii] Long, 132.