Jesus the Man
The crowd was large. Many peasant women came to Jesus that day, holding their children up to be blessed by him. Life in ancient Palestine was difficult and dangerous, and many of those children would likely be dead in a year. And so the mothers came, fearfully holding their children out for Jesus to touch. They knew, they hoped, they trusted that Jesus' touch could protect them.
But children can't contribute anything; they can't produce anything; so why should they have the right to take up Jesus precious time. The disciples only thought they were doing what Jesus wanted, protecting him from the mob. Protecting him from people who could pay him the respect that he deserved because they had nothing.
Everyone knows that children are not worthy of God's concern - that was a given in ancient Judaism and so the disciples tried to shoe the waifs away. But, it wasn't what Jesus wanted. And Jesus became indignant, because the disciples were interfering with the revelation of his love. They were interfering with the revelation of God's love. They were interfering with Jesus' witness to God's kingdom.
How often do we interfere with the witness of God's kingdom?
Humorist Erma Bombeck writes, in one of her columns:
In church the other Sunday I was intent on a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone. He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking, tearing the hymnals or rummaging through his mother's handbag. He was just smiling. Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a loud whisper said, "Stop that grinning! You're in church!" With that, she gave him a belt and as the tears rolled down his cheeks added, "That' better," and returned to her prayers...
Now, maybe no one here has actually witnessed anything as extreme as Erma Bombeck's story, but at times there are attitudes throughout the church that carry the same kind of sentiment. Some people think that children should not have as large a role in the church as they do, that we shouldn't focus so much attention on the Sunday School or that children shouldn't be allowed to take part in or serve communion.
But this is not witnessing to the kingdom of God as Jesus witnesses. This is not breaking down the barriers that divide us, this is building them up. And Jesus became indigent at such behaviour.
You see, when Jesus' culture and Jewish religion said that children were not worthy of God's love, Jesus said that the kingdom of God belongs to them and in fact we all had to become like children to enter into the kingdom.
When his culture said that women were subhuman, Jesus engaged in theological debate with the woman at the well.
When his culture said that Jews should have nothing to do with Samaritans, Jesus taught that Samaritan were worthy of healing and could demonstrate mercy more deeply than a Jewish priest or lawyer - with the story of the good Samaritan.
These were radical statements and they were radical because was Jesus witnessing to the kingdom of God in his being and his doing.
Jesus was a person who lived a message that announced that there was no status defined by class, by tribe, by culture, by age, or by illness that could separate any person from the love of God. Love is a part of what God and who God is, and so Jesus lived the meaning of God. He lived it with a consistent intensity. It was as if his source of love lay beyond every human boundary. It was inexhaustible. It was life giving.
And any time we separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters in this world, we are not witnesses to the kingdom that Jesus witnessed; for there is not room for division and walls and prejudices in the world of Jesus Christ.
In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India.
So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. "If Christians have caste differences also," he said, "I might as well remain a Hindu." That usher's prejudice betrayed Jesus. The usher missed the point. He missed what Jesus was witnessing to.
Jesus completely embodies the kingdom of God - in his being and his doing. The beautiful thing is that we can be a part of that, we can tap into that. We can tap into the kingdom of God, were all are loved and accepted.
Today we celebrate two baptisms. We celebrate two children being welcomed into the body of Christ. In baptism, the water is the sign that Dayton and Quintin are accepted and loved by God. It marks what has been true since their conception, that they are part of God's kingdom. Throughout their lives, throughout our lives, as Christians, we all should be reminded of what our baptism tells us, - that we are accepted. We are accepted by that which is greater than we are. We are accepted by the one who was revealed in Jesus Christ.
And this is incredibly liberating. In a culture that is guilt ridden - we are free of guilt because we are accepted. In a culture that uses fear as a marketing tool and calls it safety - we are secure because we are accepted.
Out of that freedom, safety and security, we can be amazing people, we can do wonderful things.
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch anyone who fell.
Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.
Live in the safety of the net, accept the love and acceptance of God, witness to the kingdom of God and be free. Amen.
