THE UNLIKELY DOZEN BECOME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS
This Sunday we get three glimpses into God’s purposes being accomplished in the readings from Genesis, Romans and Matthew. The Genesis reading is God getting his purpose done though an old couple and in the Romans letter through his Son. Then in Matthew’s gospel we hear he works through a team that his Son has recruited.
Romans 5:1-8
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
This Sunday marks the second Sunday after Pentecost. The word Pentecost stands for "Fifty" because it came fifty days after the celebration of Passover. It was one of the three great pilgrimage feasts that a devout Jew made to Jerusalem in those days of long ago. It coincided with the wheat harvest festival and so was a great celebration of "bringing in the sheaves" you might say. It is at times like that when you need all the hands you can get to help the work go quickly. You and I can quickly get the feeling of what its like to be short handed with a big job on our hands if we had to cut grass on a football field that was knee-high to a giraffe. At a time like that I would cry out in despair "Look at this job! I need help!!" I would probably wade into it and hack away at the tall stuff to get it down to a point where I could go at it with a lawn mower. But I sure would like to have some help.
I imagine that's how Our Lord felt in this gospel account that we heard this morning. If you read the ninth chapter of Matthew's gospel from the beginning you see that Our Lord was very, very busy. He healed a paralytic lying on his bed and brought by his friends to Jesus; a ruler of the local synagogue came to him and begged him to come and heal his daughter, who has just died, which he did; a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years came up behind him and touched the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed; and finally he healed two blind men and a dumb demoniac. Matthew neatly summed up these activities by saying,
"Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every
infirmity." [Matt. 9:35]
You can imagine that after all those activities the word spread rather quickly that Jesus was in area, and the crowds came pouring out to see him. After all it had been hundreds of years since a prophet mighty in word and deed had appeared in Israel. John the Baptist was mighty in word, he called the people to repentance but he did no great sign of healing or raising the dead like Jesus did. The news was spreading like wildfire about Jesus, and whenever he came to a town they would flock to see him, bringing their sick, their lame, their blind and their demon-possessed. And as they flocked to see him Jesus saw that they were just like sheep who were wandering around without a shepherd, being pushed and shoved here and there, looking for guidance and direction. They were seeking him and trying to pick him out from among his disciples. Jesus didn't preach from a stage in an amphitheater, civic center or large auditorium. The people had to seek him out from the group of disciples he traveled with. So if he wasn't preaching from the Mount or a boat on the shore, it would be hard to single him out, so there would be a lot of pushing and shoving as they tried to get close to him for healing their diseases and infirmities. What was Jesus' reaction to all this? Compassion! He had compassion on them, he felt for them deep in his spirit. He saw their need and realized that all though he could do it alone and heal them all it would be better and more expeditious to have some more people out there doing some healing. So he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore
the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
He recognized the need for help to accomplish all that needed to be done among the people.
As the townspeople poured out of the town to come to see him Jesus used the harvest analogy to get the point across to his disciples. It was time to do the work of the Father who sent him. It was time for them to participate in the work and take their share in his labors. He then appointed twelve of them to go out by two's on a P-H-D ministry. Preaching - Healing - and Delivering. Their orders were;
"Preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons."
[Matt. 10: 7-8]
These were the very things that Jesus had done, by himself, until the time he gave them the authority to do the same. In today’s Gospel we heard Jesus give his marching orders to the Twelve as they went out on their own to do ministry. He sent them out by two’s so that they could support one another. You will also notice that he didn’t want them carrying too much STUFF with them on the mission. They were for all intents and purposes traveling light. He sent out laborers into the harvest to multiply the effect of the work that the Father had given him to do. Just as God had taken some of the spirit he had given to Moses and gave it to seventy of the elders of Israel so that they could help him share the burden of governing the people of Israel [Numbers 11:16-17] so the disciples shared in the work of Jesus.
If any of you can remember back to 1967 there was a movie starring Lee Marvin called “The Dirty Dozen.” Lee was an Army Major with a dangerous mission to perform behind enemy lines in German occupied Europe. Since he couldn’t get any volunteers to go on the mission he chose instead 12 prisoners from the Army Stockade. These guys were as unlikely a bunch of soldiers as you could find. They all had specific skills from their criminal background that Marvin could use to accomplish his mission. They are coerced into accepting the mission by being promised that their sentences would be pardoned, IF they survived.
By contrast in today’s gospel we find another unlikely dozen being sent out on a mission for which they have no particular skills to prepare them beforehand. The only experience they have is having been with Jesus. How many times have we seen people selected to lead some great organization because of their vast experience, knowledge and skills. We don’t find that here in the Gospel as Jesus picks some fishermen, a tax collector and a bunch of other men including a zealot who hated tax collectors and a man who would later betray him. The Gospel sounds like a military operation order with instructions what to take and what to do when they get to their destination.
Somehow, through the power of the Holy Spirit he welded this inexperienced bunch of guys into a team that changed the world. It was the beginning of the Jesus Movement. They shared in the authority and power of Jesus to do the will of the Father because they were willing to accept that responsibility. We can have all the authority we want to do a certain function but until we are willing to accept the responsibility we will not do it and nothing will be accomplished. It takes will power to drive into action. We must will ourselves to begin an action. Just as we can willfully do something wrong so we can willfully do what is right. In our sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and Ordination the questions are asked, "Will you do this or that?" and the reply is always "I will". I choose to follow the right path by my own will. Just so the disciples willingly went out into the fields of harvest. They went out to change the world.
When the disciples returned from the harvest they told Jesus that even the demons were subject to them in his Name. [Luke 10: 17] Jesus declared;
"I thank thee Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding
and revealed them to babes; yea Father, for such was thy
gracious will." [Matthew 11: 25-26]
"If any man's will is to do his will he shall know whether
the teaching is from God..." [John 7:17]
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit to see the work of the Father accomplished through the hands of laborers who were really novices in all that they had been asked to do. They had just gone out in faith with the authority that Jesus had given them and done what Jesus had been doing. They had done the will of the Father in heaven. From all this we can learn that if anyone's will is to do His will then they shall know whether it is of God or not. How do we know if it is God's will? Ask yourself these questions:
Is God glorified in what we do? Do we see his righteousness accomplished or even sought in the work we do in the Body of Christ and in the world today?
Saint Peter in his first letter reminds us also that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. [1 Peter 2:9] But if you will. We tell our newly baptized persons to share with us in his eternal priesthood. We must will ourselves to obey him and love him and serve him. To step out in faith into the fields that are white for harvest. To minister to those who are hurting; physically, emotionally and spiritually. To offer to God sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. To intercede in prayer with and for one another. To share one another's burdens. To encourage one another as we labor in the fields. All we have to do is DO something about it.
We are at a really interesting point in the year 2020. Here we are dealing with a COVID-19 PANDEMIC, now that is over layered with PROTESTS about the POLICE, we are still PREVENTED from gathering together for PRAISE and worship but we are still in the season of PENTECOST when we celebrate the coming of the PARACLETE. Jesus told his apostles that the PARACLETE would come along side and guide them into all truth. We have to sharpen are skills through Spiritual Discipline, to prepare to go out LOVE GOD, LOVE our Neighbor and change this world because I am sure you can see that it really needs it.
I heard Billy Graham talking about how he and a group of his associates were returning to the hotel after the night’s events at a Crusade. They started talking about going heaven and how wonderful it would be. The conversation turned to the fact that when they got to heaven they would be standing in front of the judgment seat of God to answer up for all their deeds. That sobered the atmosphere for the rest of the ride. He pointed out that in Hebrews chapter nine we read:
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. [Hebrews 9:27-28]
We have choices to make in life and all of them have eternal significance. We can choose life or we can choose death. Jesus sent his unlikely and motley dozen out to get people to choose life.
The Rev. Dr. Kurt Miller
2nd Sunday After Pentecost-Year A [14 June 2020]
Proper 6 [St. Augustine’s]
Genesis 18: 1-15 [21:1-7]
Psalm 116: 1, 10-17
Romans 5: 1-8
Matthew 9:35 - 10:8 [9-23]
