Rev. Wesley Menke
The Bible really can be quite a puzzle sometimes to figure out. This morning we read from 1 Corinthians some unusual advice from St. Paul. He says that:
“7:29 the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none”
What does that mean exactly? Act as though you don’t have a wife? One of the reasons for the reformation was that Christians are human beings like anyone else, most won’t be monastics. Some fall in love, get married, have families…and…everything else. Hahaha. I think what it means is that Paul didn’t want Christians to dominate one another. In some cultures and ancient societies marriage was strictly understood in terms of property. The woman was the property and subservient to the man. Paul is saying, “act as if you don’t have special privilege or power over your wife.” Just make sure you are living rightly with the Lord, and let her do the same. Marriage is about mutual respect and two human beings having each their own relationship with God. Nobody has to micromanage the other.
Then Paul says,
7:30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning,
This seems totally anachronistic. I would never tell somebody not to mourn, not to feel sad. We say the opposite today. We say that each person mourns in their own way, and that there are a variety of feelings that come in their own season. Actually again in some cultures and ancient societies mourning had a specific and prescribed form. If you were in a subservient role and the master of the house died, then you were expected to act as if your life was over. That’s ironic because in extremely dysfunctional and abusive household when the abuser dies the survivors feel a sense of relief and hope. Maybe that is exactly what Paul is saying. You are free to feel what you feel.
Paul goes on to say,
and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing,
This one actually makes perfect sense to me. I remember when I was in college I was a part of a traveling student musical ministry. We would go to churches, perform music, provide food, raise some money, and have a great time. Well we did one such performance on Saturday February 1, 2003. It was at a really big church, and we had a fabulous time. We came back to our college and at our Sunday night worship during the prayers many people in our group were giving lots of loud prayers about how wonderful our performance was on Saturday. Well there was just one problem. The whole rest of the population of our church and the country was devastated about the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrating as it reentered the atmosphere. After the prayer time was over the pastor duly scolded us for lacking awareness and sensitivity.
Paul says,
and those who buy as though they had no possessions,
Again, just because we can buy something doesn’t mean we should. In Spanish there is a saying, “El que quiere mucho falta mucho.” In other words if we are always wanting the latest and news thing, it shows that our soul is really lacking fulfillment. Instead if we have all that we need in Christ, we don’t need to seek luxury items. We can live simply.
Finally Paul writes:
7:31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Allow me to explain. First of all when we read about “the world” in the New Testament it is important to know that this was a technical term used by Roman propaganda to mean those areas that were under Roman imperial rule. It is what they called civilization, or today what we might call, “the free world.” This is precisely what Paul is telling followers of the way to distance themselves from. Paul was predicting that Rome would fall, and to prepare for such a reality one would not want to be too closely aligned with it.
Like the NFL not for long.
Now there have been some people who attempt to spiritualize these radical teachings of Paul to pacify the people. They spin his words into meaning that the earth itself is going to just disappear, and all of this physical world is an illusion. Hogwash. The Earth is God’s forever home. There is no Plan B, there is no Planet B. To think we can just stop caring about the Earth is completely irresponsible. If we allow ourselves to be deluded then our children and grandchildren will despise us. We must care for this sacred planet Earth for at least seven generations into the future.
I suspect that a supermajority of the Earth’s population would agree. None of us want to see a climate catastrophe, war, or rising incidences of cancer and other diseases caused by pollution. We want a peaceful, just, verdant, and beautiful world. That is what Jonah discovered when he went to Nineveh.
Jonah was called by God to go from Israel to Nineveh, Assyria or today what would be called Mosul, Iraq. Jonah was scared and angry and did everything he could not to go. But he ended up going, and the funny thing was, when he got there he was very warmly received. The people on the streets listened to and believed him. He found that they weren’t actually his enemies. There was a mass movement of people that the King of Nineveh had no choice but to repent.
The same thing was true for Simon, Andrew, James and John. Jesus recruited them to be his disciples. They were ambitious young men, trying to make a name for themselves in the booming fishing industry on the Sea of Galilee. Tiberius was paying good money for fish and they thought that if they worked hard they could be self made men. Jesus had other plans for them. Jesus taught that you cannot secure your future alone or through individual achievement, but only through broad collaboration. So Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of the people.”
So hear this my friend. Whatever it is you are going through. Whatever pain you have had to deal with. Your healing will not be found in isolation or exceptionalism. You will find your salvation in the beloved community. Together, we are the body of Christ.
Psalm 62:5-12
62:5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, my hope
62:6 my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
62:7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
62:8 Trust at all times, O people; pour out your heart God is a refuge for us.
Amen
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