November 11, 2018
At long last, Jesus and disciples have arrived in Jerusalem. Weeks ago, it seems, they departed Caesarea Philippi in the far north and headed down toward the city and the temple that was the heart of their faith.
Although there is much coming and going while they are there, Jesus spends most of his time hanging out in the temple. His adversaries put question after question to him, trying to trip him up – By what authority do you do these things? Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Which commandment is the greatest? And (like some questions from confirmation students I’ve gotten!) if a woman is remarried eight times because her husbands all die, in heaven, whose wife shall she be? Jesus answers them all. It is they who end up looking bad. And after that, no one dares ask him any more questions.
I, on the other hand, have not yet answered all of your questions. I know that, unlike the scribes, you are not playing “Stump the pastor.” And I am not answering them so you will not dare ask any more questions. But there are many more questions and I’d like to offer my two cents on a few more of them:
What were Jesus’ feelings of Judas when picking him as a disciple?
We don’t really know. The interest in individual feelings and personal motivation is a very modern phenomenon. So, when Jesus calls the disciples, the gospels simply record that Jesus said, “Follow me,” and they followed. We are not told why he chose them, why they responded or what anyone was feeling at the time.
Nevertheless, this is a very interesting question in regard to Judas, one that I have not considered before. Judas’ part in the story is unique. His role is singular. Jesus seems to know all along that he is going to be betrayed, and that there is a divine necessity about his betrayal. “The Son of Man must…”
Matthew, Mark and Luke all report that, at the Last Supper, Jesus says, “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that one not to have been born!” I have always read this as a judgment against Judas. But perhaps it could also be heard as an expression of anguish or a wail of grief.
Here’s the thing: If Jesus had not been betrayed, would he have been arrested, tried, sentenced and put to death? Did Judas take one for the club? Not to sound heretical, but did Judas also die that many might be saved?
Matthew reports that Judas had a change of heart. He returned the bribe of money, acknowledged his sin, and then went and hanged himself. So, in the end, it’s not merely what Jesus thought about Judas, but what God feels about Judas.
This leads to another difficult question I received: If you commit suicide, will God forgive you?
Suicide is a terrible act. It is terrible in the sense that it is done out of great pain and hopelessness. Those who consider suicide feel as though they have no options, and that they only way out of their unremitting pain is to end their own life. When I have spoken with people who are having such thoughts, I try to open up possibilities for them. And I urge them to seek professional therapeutic help.
Suicide is not only a terrible act for those considering it. It is also to those who are left behind – to loved ones – not only depriving them – very suddenly and unexpectedly – of someone they cared deeply about, but also leaving them with unanswerable questions, “Why?” and, “What could I have done to stop this from happening? If I had only…”
I do not know who submitted this question. I do not know if they are asking for themselves or for someone else. I do not know if they are young or old, if they are depressed or ill, or anything about their life situation. I understand that the state of Washington is a “right to die” state. So, this might not be a young person in the midst of what seems to be an unsolvable personal crisis. It might be an older person, facing the physical pain of the end of their life.
I would like to be able to sit down with this person and talk with them. I would strongly encourage anyone who is harboring such feelings to talk with someone they trust, someone who has some measure of faith and wisdom.
That’s how I feel about suicide. How does God feel?
I think God grieves when someone commits suicide. I think God feels anguish when someone is such pain to do violence to themselves. But personally – and I am speaking personally – I do not believe there is such a thing as an unforgiveable sin. I believe that God never abandons us, in this life or in the next. I do not believe there is eternal punishment in hell for sinners, no matter what the sin.
Do I believe in hell? Yes. All I need to do is look around – at the world, at my neighbors, even at my own life. Yes. Hell exists. Do I believe that there are consequences for our actions? Yes, both in this life and the next. But do I believe there is eternal punishment? No. First of all, no one really understands the concept of eternity. “It’s forever and ever,” you might say. No, it’s longer than that. “Well, it’s forever and ever and ever and ever.” No, it’s longer than that. Like God, eternity is too big for our brains. But I also don’t believe that eternal punishment serves God in anyway. It does not bring glory to God.
I may be wrong about this, but I am not willing to see anyone as beyond the reach of God’s mercy.
This doesn’t take anybody off the hook. Our lives are a precious gift from God. We are all called to live in the best way possible at every moment of our lives, in the spirit of love and forgiveness.
Last question:
What should my response be to someone who quotes the Bible or knows that God is against homosexuality or pro-choice? How can anyone possibly know what God thinks?
Everyone has their own favorite Bible verses. Regardless of what they may claim to believe about the nature and authority of the Bible, everyone picks and chooses. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. The Bible is a very large and complex book. It is a very diverse book, not ethnically, but in point of view. It does not always speak with one mind about things. So, it is natural that we might be of different minds about certain issues, based on how we read the Bible.
Not every Bible verse has equal value. Martin Luther didn’t believe it. He would have edited the book of James out of the New Testament and he wasn’t so sure anybody should read Revelation. Jesus also believed that some Bible verses are more important than others. On various occasions, as was typical with rabbis, Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” In Matthew and Mark, he answers himself. In Luke, he puts the question back to the questioner. “What is in the scripture? How do you read?” And that is a good question for us – How do we read? How do you make sense of it? What is most important to us?
Not everyone will acknowledge this, of course, especially if there is an issue they feel strongly about. They will believe that their favorite Bible verses settle the issue once and for all. If you choose, you might engage them with your own set of favorite Bible verses, although generally I don’t think that this will likely to lead to a very fruitful discussion. You might walk away, try to talk to someone else, or just get a cup of coffee. Or, if you think they are open to exploring the issue more personally, you might say to them, “Tell me more about why you believe what you do.”
I interviewed once at a small-town church in Illinois. I was serving in campus ministry at the time and considering returning to the parish. They invited me back for a second interview, so the questions got a little more pointed.
At one point, a member of the committee said to me, “Pastor, we want to find out how liberal you are. If a seventh-grade boy came into your office and asked you if homosexuality was a sin, what would you say?”
This was back in the early ‘90s before the ELCA had publicly moved very far on this issue. I danced around the issue a bit. Then I took a big gulp and said, “I would tell him that homosexuality, in itself, is not a sin. There are some homosexual acts that are sinful, but not all, just as there are some heterosexual acts that are sinful, but not all. But homosexuality in itself is not sinful.”
Well, there was an older man there who could not abide what I had said. It was very clear to him that I was wrong and that homosexuality was indeed sinful. I don’t remember how the conversation went after that, but somehow we managed to talk long enough for this man to share that he had been sexually abused by an older man when he was a young boy.
I told him that I was very sorry that that happened to him, that how he was treated was wrong, but that there was a difference between sexual abuse – in this case, pedophilia – and homosexuality.
I didn’t change his mind. He didn’t change mine. But I had a better understanding of why he believed the way that he did. I might even have wondered, “If that had happened to me, and I had not had positive models of gay men in my life, would I feel differently about the issue of homosexuality?”
We need a certain amount of humility in addressing important issues with other people. We need to be willing to listen to someone with whom we disagree, not to decide what to say next do we can win the argument, but to listen in order to understand. Often there is an indelible experience that person has undergone which shapes the way they think. In that case, it’s not likely we’ll be able to argue them out of their thinking. But we might take a step in understanding them better, rather than dismissing them or condemning them.
Jesus has been teaching the disciples about humility all along the way – whoever wants to be first must be last; whoever wants to be great must be a servant; and whoever receives one such child receives me. Now we get one last lesson before the cross – in contrast to the scribes, who live for popular approval and material gain, there is the poor, unnamed woman who gives two small coins. Unlike my two cents, her two coins are everything she has.
We might practice humility in our giving. We might practice humility in our serving. We might practice humility in our listening. Because humility not only allows us to speak from our hearts, but it also asks us to listen so that others might speak from their hearts. And in that heart-to-heart communication, we begin to see each other in a new way.
We begin to see ourselves and others – each and every one – as beloved of God.
Although there is much coming and going while they are there, Jesus spends most of his time hanging out in the temple. His adversaries put question after question to him, trying to trip him up – By what authority do you do these things? Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Which commandment is the greatest? And (like some questions from confirmation students I’ve gotten!) if a woman is remarried eight times because her husbands all die, in heaven, whose wife shall she be? Jesus answers them all. It is they who end up looking bad. And after that, no one dares ask him any more questions.
I, on the other hand, have not yet answered all of your questions. I know that, unlike the scribes, you are not playing “Stump the pastor.” And I am not answering them so you will not dare ask any more questions. But there are many more questions and I’d like to offer my two cents on a few more of them:
What were Jesus’ feelings of Judas when picking him as a disciple?
We don’t really know. The interest in individual feelings and personal motivation is a very modern phenomenon. So, when Jesus calls the disciples, the gospels simply record that Jesus said, “Follow me,” and they followed. We are not told why he chose them, why they responded or what anyone was feeling at the time.
Nevertheless, this is a very interesting question in regard to Judas, one that I have not considered before. Judas’ part in the story is unique. His role is singular. Jesus seems to know all along that he is going to be betrayed, and that there is a divine necessity about his betrayal. “The Son of Man must…”
Matthew, Mark and Luke all report that, at the Last Supper, Jesus says, “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that one not to have been born!” I have always read this as a judgment against Judas. But perhaps it could also be heard as an expression of anguish or a wail of grief.
Here’s the thing: If Jesus had not been betrayed, would he have been arrested, tried, sentenced and put to death? Did Judas take one for the club? Not to sound heretical, but did Judas also die that many might be saved?
Matthew reports that Judas had a change of heart. He returned the bribe of money, acknowledged his sin, and then went and hanged himself. So, in the end, it’s not merely what Jesus thought about Judas, but what God feels about Judas.
This leads to another difficult question I received: If you commit suicide, will God forgive you?
Suicide is a terrible act. It is terrible in the sense that it is done out of great pain and hopelessness. Those who consider suicide feel as though they have no options, and that they only way out of their unremitting pain is to end their own life. When I have spoken with people who are having such thoughts, I try to open up possibilities for them. And I urge them to seek professional therapeutic help.
Suicide is not only a terrible act for those considering it. It is also to those who are left behind – to loved ones – not only depriving them – very suddenly and unexpectedly – of someone they cared deeply about, but also leaving them with unanswerable questions, “Why?” and, “What could I have done to stop this from happening? If I had only…”
I do not know who submitted this question. I do not know if they are asking for themselves or for someone else. I do not know if they are young or old, if they are depressed or ill, or anything about their life situation. I understand that the state of Washington is a “right to die” state. So, this might not be a young person in the midst of what seems to be an unsolvable personal crisis. It might be an older person, facing the physical pain of the end of their life.
I would like to be able to sit down with this person and talk with them. I would strongly encourage anyone who is harboring such feelings to talk with someone they trust, someone who has some measure of faith and wisdom.
That’s how I feel about suicide. How does God feel?
I think God grieves when someone commits suicide. I think God feels anguish when someone is such pain to do violence to themselves. But personally – and I am speaking personally – I do not believe there is such a thing as an unforgiveable sin. I believe that God never abandons us, in this life or in the next. I do not believe there is eternal punishment in hell for sinners, no matter what the sin.
Do I believe in hell? Yes. All I need to do is look around – at the world, at my neighbors, even at my own life. Yes. Hell exists. Do I believe that there are consequences for our actions? Yes, both in this life and the next. But do I believe there is eternal punishment? No. First of all, no one really understands the concept of eternity. “It’s forever and ever,” you might say. No, it’s longer than that. “Well, it’s forever and ever and ever and ever.” No, it’s longer than that. Like God, eternity is too big for our brains. But I also don’t believe that eternal punishment serves God in anyway. It does not bring glory to God.
I may be wrong about this, but I am not willing to see anyone as beyond the reach of God’s mercy.
This doesn’t take anybody off the hook. Our lives are a precious gift from God. We are all called to live in the best way possible at every moment of our lives, in the spirit of love and forgiveness.
Last question:
What should my response be to someone who quotes the Bible or knows that God is against homosexuality or pro-choice? How can anyone possibly know what God thinks?
Everyone has their own favorite Bible verses. Regardless of what they may claim to believe about the nature and authority of the Bible, everyone picks and chooses. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. The Bible is a very large and complex book. It is a very diverse book, not ethnically, but in point of view. It does not always speak with one mind about things. So, it is natural that we might be of different minds about certain issues, based on how we read the Bible.
Not every Bible verse has equal value. Martin Luther didn’t believe it. He would have edited the book of James out of the New Testament and he wasn’t so sure anybody should read Revelation. Jesus also believed that some Bible verses are more important than others. On various occasions, as was typical with rabbis, Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” In Matthew and Mark, he answers himself. In Luke, he puts the question back to the questioner. “What is in the scripture? How do you read?” And that is a good question for us – How do we read? How do you make sense of it? What is most important to us?
Not everyone will acknowledge this, of course, especially if there is an issue they feel strongly about. They will believe that their favorite Bible verses settle the issue once and for all. If you choose, you might engage them with your own set of favorite Bible verses, although generally I don’t think that this will likely to lead to a very fruitful discussion. You might walk away, try to talk to someone else, or just get a cup of coffee. Or, if you think they are open to exploring the issue more personally, you might say to them, “Tell me more about why you believe what you do.”
I interviewed once at a small-town church in Illinois. I was serving in campus ministry at the time and considering returning to the parish. They invited me back for a second interview, so the questions got a little more pointed.
At one point, a member of the committee said to me, “Pastor, we want to find out how liberal you are. If a seventh-grade boy came into your office and asked you if homosexuality was a sin, what would you say?”
This was back in the early ‘90s before the ELCA had publicly moved very far on this issue. I danced around the issue a bit. Then I took a big gulp and said, “I would tell him that homosexuality, in itself, is not a sin. There are some homosexual acts that are sinful, but not all, just as there are some heterosexual acts that are sinful, but not all. But homosexuality in itself is not sinful.”
Well, there was an older man there who could not abide what I had said. It was very clear to him that I was wrong and that homosexuality was indeed sinful. I don’t remember how the conversation went after that, but somehow we managed to talk long enough for this man to share that he had been sexually abused by an older man when he was a young boy.
I told him that I was very sorry that that happened to him, that how he was treated was wrong, but that there was a difference between sexual abuse – in this case, pedophilia – and homosexuality.
I didn’t change his mind. He didn’t change mine. But I had a better understanding of why he believed the way that he did. I might even have wondered, “If that had happened to me, and I had not had positive models of gay men in my life, would I feel differently about the issue of homosexuality?”
We need a certain amount of humility in addressing important issues with other people. We need to be willing to listen to someone with whom we disagree, not to decide what to say next do we can win the argument, but to listen in order to understand. Often there is an indelible experience that person has undergone which shapes the way they think. In that case, it’s not likely we’ll be able to argue them out of their thinking. But we might take a step in understanding them better, rather than dismissing them or condemning them.
Jesus has been teaching the disciples about humility all along the way – whoever wants to be first must be last; whoever wants to be great must be a servant; and whoever receives one such child receives me. Now we get one last lesson before the cross – in contrast to the scribes, who live for popular approval and material gain, there is the poor, unnamed woman who gives two small coins. Unlike my two cents, her two coins are everything she has.
We might practice humility in our giving. We might practice humility in our serving. We might practice humility in our listening. Because humility not only allows us to speak from our hearts, but it also asks us to listen so that others might speak from their hearts. And in that heart-to-heart communication, we begin to see each other in a new way.
We begin to see ourselves and others – each and every one – as beloved of God.
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