November 2--Loathing the Pharisee

Lectionary focus: Matthew 23:1-12

I used to love to loathe the Pharisees. As a young teenager growing up during the rise of the Religious Right, I would cling to the scathing critique of the Pharisees throughout the gospels as a way to stand defiantly within a religion that seemed so very far removed from my own values. Those modern-day Pharisees “make strict rules and try to force people to obey them!” I would declare to anyone who would listen. “But they are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules.” The Religious Right has it wrong, I would convince myself in frustration. If Jesus were here today, he’d be railing against them!

But now that I, myself, am a religious leader the critique cuts closer to home.

How could I possibly deny that I do good things so that the people I supposedly “serve” will see them? How could I possibly deny that I take great care in choosing what to wear when I preach (not too trendy, not too mousy) and how I will fix my hair and makeup (don’t forget the bright lights and how you will look “on stage”)? How could I possibly deny that I enjoy sitting in that fancy chair behind the pulpit with my well-planned sermon and studying with the “most brilliant” scholars in the field and attaching the name of an Ivy League divinity school to my resume? How could I deny that I have become what I used to love to loathe?

The matter becomes even more complicated when we bring in the historical context in which Matthew is writing his gospel. Those who follow “The Way” of Jesus are literally in a political struggle with the Pharisees to pick up the pieces of Judaism after the destruction of the temple. The harsh rhetoric against the Pharisees may, perhaps, come from the mouth of Jesus, himself. It may just as likely be hyperbole on the part of the gospel writer in order to win over a frightened public. And it is just the kind of hyperbole that has led to centuries of (sometimes violent) Christian anti-Judaism. My frustration with the Religious Right pales in comparison with what “good” Christians have done to those “other” Pharisees.

Yet if we are to be honest about our motivations, regardless of our religious tradition, how can any of us deny that this description of the Pharisees is really the description of ourselves? Especially in a tough economy when job security is everything and being noticed by the most important people might mean the difference between a salary and bankruptcy. Because it’s not just about practicing our religion, Jesus seems to suggest. It’s about practicing our lives. And don’t we love to have the people greet us with respect in the marketplace?

“Whoever is your servant is the greatest among you,” Jesus said. “Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.”

Yes, we have a whole lot to lose by following this teaching. We have our jobs and our homes and our prestige. But so did the disciples. And so did the post-Easter, post-Temple community to which Matthew writes. They, in fact, had more to lose than we do. They, in fact, lost it all.

What does it profit if we gain the world but forfeit our soul? Now more than ever, our greatness comes from our service to others. May we have the courage to serve in the coming weeks and months. Amen.

Gusti Linnea Newquist

(Additional Lectionary Texts: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12)

Seventh Sunday of Easter -- Humble Resistance

Passages: Acts 1:6-14, Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11, John 17:1-11.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. –1 Peter 5:6-10

Our lectionary continues with the theme of suffering as part of the Christian experience. But what I find most interesting about the 1 Peter lection is the author’s mixture of two Christian virtues – humility and resistance. Often sacrifice and humility is conflated with submission and docility. Critics of Christianity have frequently said that Christianity encourages obedience to oppressive structures. However, 1 Peter calls Christians to be vigilant (alert and self-controlled) in the face of evil and to resist, standing firm in faith. Humility does not equal apathy, docility or social obedience; rather it is acknowledging the sovereignty of God and your place in God’s kingdom. This place is one of unity with others, who share your common lot, suffering for following Christ’s love and finding comfort in God’s grace and promise of restoration.

In 1 Peter, the author refers to “your enemy the devil.” In Greek, the language of the letter, dia,boloj means “accuser” or “slanderer,” and is how Early Christian writers referred to the Devil. The Hebrew Scriptures, such as the Book of Job, refer to the Devil as “ha-satan” or the adversary or even obstacle. The Early Christian encounter with the Roman Empire, and their perception of the Empire as morally bankrupt, yet immensely powerful, intensified their conception of evil and Satan. The Christian “Devil” has much more agency and power in the world in the Christian worldview than in the traditional Jewish worldview, in part because of Rome’s influence during Christianity’s formative years. Importantly, this gives Christian texts a strong sense of institutional and structural evil. 1 Peter’s warning is a warning against complacency to the culture and society Christians inhabit, a landscape where evil prowls like a hungry lion.

So the humility that Peter speaks of at the beginning of the passage is not a humility that is submissive to the culture one is in. Casting aside anxiety is not succumbing to apathy. It is quite the opposite. When you humble yourself before God, and align yourself with the glory of Christ, you find yourself in conflict with the world. You find yourself vulnerable, potential prey to a hungry lion. Fortunately, as today’s Psalm reminds us, “the God of Israel give power to his people” (68.35) – God gives us the power for humble resistance.