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Donate| September 7 , 2008 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Proper 18 Commentary by Bruce G. Epperly |
See also: [2005] [2002] |
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 148
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
The polyvalent character of today’s readings can inspire a variety of sermon topics. As I read these passages, the theological thread that binds them together involves the extent of our ethical consideration in relationship to persons outside our tribe and species. These passages either implicitly or explicitly reveal the connection of value and ethics. On the one hand, those to whom grant we grant value, we also grant ethical consideration and equality. On the other hand, those who lack value in our eyes are given little or no ethical consideration. Theological reflection, at its best, discerns value in all things beloved by God. While “life is robbery,” as Whitehead says, and we must choose at times to treat some creatures as more valuable than others, spiritual maturity inspires us to affirm the value and ethical obligations we owe even to our enemies, opponents, and food sources. Today’s readings remind us that persons of faith are called to continuous expansion of value and ethical consideration, first to humankind in its amazing diversity, and, further, to all creation as beloved of God.
The Exodus passage describes the institution of the Passover feast. At God’s command, Moses institutes a ritual of remembrance. Each year the children of Israel are to celebrate God’s deliverance of the people from slavery in Egypt. God hears the prayers of the Hebrews and responds in ways that free the slaves and punish the tyrants. The celebration of Passover is a yearly practice intended to awaken the children of Israel to the ever-present fidelity of God. Like other practices, this ritual was intended to transform the way they experienced reality as well as their ethical response to others. As a chosen people, the children Israel are to walk with gratitude before the God who frees the slave and calls the Hebrews to treat each other as God’s beloved and chosen children. While everyone within the tribe deserves ethical consideration, neither God nor the God’s chosen ones are obligated to consider their ethical responsibility to Egyptian children or their parents, or the inhabitants of Canaan, who soon will be deprived of their land or the residents of Jericho who will be killed without mercy.
While often congregants listen to God’s role in wreaking havoc upon the earth without batting an eye or experiencing a trace of cognitive dissonance, a perceptive preacher, and listener, must ask, “Was the God present in the celebration of liberation of the Hebrews also present with the Egyptian children dying of the tenth plague and their mourning parents? Did God hear their cries as well as the cries of the oppressed Hebrew people?” Injustice has consequences and children may suffer as a result of their parents’ misdeeds. But, where was God when the Egyptian mothers cried? Do the Egyptian parents and their children deserve any ethical consideration, or are they simply – to use the language of Calvinism – among the reprobate, undeserving of mercy and care in this life and the next? While we must celebrate our Hebraic heritage, affirm God’s presence in Judaism, and support the integrity of the state of Israel, we must also admit that the concept of being a chosen nation or race, whether it involves the children of Israel or the United States of America, may lead to an ethic of exclusion. There is little or no moral distance between the death of the Egyptian first born males and the “water boarding” or detention without legal representation of suspected terrorists. Terrorism and torture alike operate under the assumption that the “other” possesses neither value nor ethical consideration, and is to be treated as “means” to achieving our political or religious ends, rather then an “end,” worthy of reverence on her or his own terms.
Psalm 148 presents an inclusive vision of spirituality and ethical consideration. All things praise God in both the human and non-human worlds. Beloved by God and able to praise their Creator, the human and non-human worlds possess value apart from their utility to the children of Israel. All things reveal God’s presence and, accordingly are deserving of ethical consideration, even the rulers of nations beyond the borders of Israel. The circle of value and care encompasses all creation.
Again, the perceptive preacher must ask, “Are the God of the Passover and the God of Psalm 148 one and the same God? Is God loving toward some and vengeful toward others, such as the Egyptian first born, simply as a result of the accidents of birth? Or, does God choose all things despite their different relationships to the divine and one another?”
Romans 13:8-14 invites the community to “put on the Lord Jesus” rather than following the ways of the world. While this passage is not about instituting Sabbath blue laws or advocating overly scrupulous moral behavior, it suggests that our lifestyle matters. Christian lifestyle is grounded in the principle of loving your neighbor. When we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, we join self-affirmation with the affirmation of others. In the spirit of Whitehead’s comments in Adventures of Ideas, the experience of spiritual peace is connected with ethical inclusion. We experience God’s peace, when we identify our own good with the well-being of others. When they suffer, we suffer; when they rejoice, we rejoice.
The Letter to the Romans affirms that God’s reign of wholeness is near, and calls us to follow an ethic of inclusion. With love as our guide, we honor all creation, including enemies and strangers. But, we also honor ourselves as God’s beloved children, willing to lose our lives in the pursuit of justice but equally unwilling to be treated unjustly.
The Gospel reading reflects upon the ethical consideration of troublemakers and persons who have violated the norms of the religious community. If a community member treats you unjustly, first, you are called to approach him or her in private. The goal of ethical relationships is the affirmation of the other, even when they have mistreated you. We are not to shame or embarrass them, but confront them privately and gracefully with reconciliation as our ultimate goal. We can be assertive, protect our rights and reputation, and loving at the same time!
This passage is both realistic and wise in its approach and strategy of reconciliation. If gracefulness and reconciliation do not work, then the next step is to invite a few members of the community to join the conversation in order to awaken the other to the community’s wisdom as well as to avoid false accusation. Finally, if this doesn’t work, the other is to be “treated as a tax collector.” This passage can be taken in a number of ways. Does it mean that we shun persons who consistently violate the norms of the community without remorse? Do we banish them from our community? Or, perhaps, do we treat them in the way that Jesus responded to tax collectors – welcoming them, while also inviting them to change their ways?
This passage calls us to consider how we should treat persons who create conflict in the church, such as those described as “clergy killers,” persons who consistently violate relational boundaries, persons who gossip, or purposely undermine the authority of congregational spiritual leaders. Sadly, we have often let behavior occur in the church that would not be allowed in the work place! As Christians, we must affirm a flexible but clear “covenant of Christian behavior,” especially in times of conflict. As agents of reconciliation, we must be concerned with appropriate congregational behavior as a reflection of God’s love in our lives. Our goal is not to defeat our opponent, but appeal to the divine presence within her or his life. Healing of wounds within the community of faith may require us to challenge various forms of congregational misconduct as the means of creating healthy Christian community.
These passages call us to explore our own ethical limitations. They also call us to push the boundaries of ethical consideration even as we seek to preserve the integrity of free spirited communities that foster ethical inclusion. Do we see God’s presence in the lives homeless and impoverished persons in our town? Are we willing to make economic sacrifices so that others may simply live? Can we be both ethically firm and ethically inclusive in the life of the congregation as well as in our own personal relationships? The way we answer these questions will shape our personal, congregational, and corporate way of life and relationship to God and our neighbor.
Bruce Epperly is professor of practical theology and director of continuing education at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He is author of fifteen books, including a response to The Purpose Driven Life, the forthcoming Holy Adventure: Forty-One Days of Audacious Living (Upper Room Press).
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