Proper 9B + Independence day + 7.4.21

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13)

Happy Fourth of July! Thank you for spending part of the holiday with us here at All Santos. Those of you who know me know there was a time when I didn’t celebrate Independence Day in the same way, because I lived in the United Kingdom until I was nine. In that ninth year, before moving to the US I got to attend a wonderful family event, my aunt and uncle’s wedding. I had a great time at the event, but (not to overshadow their nuptials) the afterparty at a pub led to one of the proudest moments of my young life. I judo flipped a much older cousin! In my party clothes. I know. You are all impressed. No, I wouldn’t dare do that now. In fact, it was not entirely appropriate then. But I couldn’t resist. You see, I had been taking judo lessons at my school in London. But I was just getting to know this new cousin who was a few years older than me and thought me of no consequence. So I told him I could flip him. And I did! And boy was he surprised!

Why am I recounting this silly tale of childhood glory? Well because I believe that in essence Jesus did a Judo flip in today’s scriptures. And the hometown crowd, totally unaware of his spiritual judo powers, just do not know what to do. Jesus comes back to his town, and he does not just read the scriptures, but he fulfills them, as he states more explicitly in Luke. He is teaching and then he goes and heals people and does deeds of power. Now, remember, the people were used to hearing the scriptures and teachings about them. These scriptures were habitually read and taught about year in and year out. But something is different here. Jesus is not just sharing the scriptures, he is fulfilling them. The logical conclusion is that he might be this Messiah we have all been talking about for so long. But that seems to be a bridge too far for people. It is one thing to talk about a Messiah, it is another thing entirely to intimate you are the Messiah. People are like you are the guy? Really? I mean, really? We have been waiting for a Messiah for how long? We can wait a bit more. I doubt it’s the carpenter’s son.

You see, this passage is unlike other passages because here Jesus is on his home turf. These are the people who know him. They associate him as the carpenter’s son, and not as a person of great learning. And remember, this was an honor-shame society. So, if someone tries to claim an honor that is not perceived to be theirs (insert here: Son of God), it could mean dishonor to that person’s town or family. So they need to be cut down to size.[1] Small wonder that the reaction to Jesus in Luke is to try to throw him off a cliff.
Because here he is, not only sharing the scriptures, but doing the judo flip of interpreting them in the here and now and going further than that, bringing them to life! He is healing people for real and not only Jesus but his disciples get in on the act.

But what is so interesting here is that the hometown crowd don’t really “get” Jesus. To them, he is a pretender and he is dangerous, trying to lower their clout. No wonder his family throws a fit sometimes too! And Jesus goes on to use this message to prepare the disciples. Yes, he is fulfilling the scriptures and healing people and casting out demons. And they will, too. But they will also encounter resistance. It is not our job to convince everyone who comes across our path. We just spread the good word and hope people hear it and respond. And some people will respond. And they will do the judo flip, the move of repentance that leads to metanoia- total change of life. Because their life is no longer their own, but God’s and yet, they are freer than they have ever been. Perhaps the few who got healed experienced this. For them, Jesus’ was not a wasted trip at all, but something that changed their life. Cue true Independence Day.
But there will always be the naysayers. Those in Nazareth and in our own home towns. The ones who know not of the spiritual life. Those who believe that those who do not have the credentials they expect will amount to anything. Let them go. Let them go like the dust off your feet, ready to step new into a future with the people who will hear, and understand and love you and the message you bring.

And sometimes, we are not the messenger, but the ones receiving the message. How can we welcome new ideas and new opinions? Even when new ideas feel uncomfortable, like being flipped in judo and landing on the mat, how can we let others change our mind about God and God’s truth if that is what we are being called to do? That is a hard thing to do, and it is hard to determine when to remain firm and when to be open and flexible to something totally different. But if you travel light, open to where and how God is guiding you, if you remain prayed up and if you steep yourself in scripture, you will know. You will know when God invites you into a dance that flips what you had thought and opens up a new avenue, a new way to live and love. A new freedom!


[1] Bruce J. Malina, Richard L. Rorbaugh, Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2003), 168.

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