Epiphany 3 B + Revenge + 1.21.24

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Jonah 3:1–5, 10; Psalm 62:6–14; 1 Corinthians 7:29–31; Mark 1:14–20)

“Revenge?” I heard this word several times earlier this week as Alene and I caught up on the last few episodes of the show “The Crown” (Netflix, 2023). It came up whenever a pair of the royals finished a game of cards or chess, and it was funny to me. A small vestige of their past as the tyrannical kings and queens who would literally kill or maim or steal a throne in revenge. Now just revenge amongst themselves as a form of play.

Revenge is fairly baked into human nature. The human sense of a leader is often one who will uphold that which is right, if necessary, avenging one who has been wronged. One who will show might and power in the face of oppression. Sometimes this is a very good thing.
But then, sometimes, God shows us a totally different way. Let us look at Jonah. To give you some background, Nineveh was the worst. Think of the most oppressive regime, filled with immoral actors and others just willing to knife another person in the back. I mean, even the animals are somehow sketchy! Surely this is hyperbole. So, when Jonah is sent to Nineveh he does not think they will be at all open to change. And I bet, if he is honest, he is wanting to see Nineveh get razed to the ground. He wants revenge on a people who have messed up others for ages. And instead, they repent, and he is honestly bummed.
But all this tells us a bit about God. God can rightly ask us to change our ways and repent. God can point out that we are on the wrong track. But God can also be incredibly merciful if we are willing to respond.

In the time of Jesus, it has been pointed out that the Jewish people to whom Jesus was born lived under an oppressive and brutal regime. To fast forward to the end of Jesus’ story it is helpful to remember that crucifixion may be to us a singular event, but for the Romans it was a regular method of keeping the people in line. Public execution of those who appeared to act against their rule. Revenge. Stir the pot or break the law and you will be made an example of. Not always in such a public way, but this was not a totally uncommon sight either. The people were subdued by fear of death. They probably wanted revenge. And understandably so.
So when they thought of a Messiah, they thought of one who would overturn the political order. Who would kill or otherwise enact revenge upon the Roman overlords and who would generally set things to right in the here and now.
Instead, here comes Jesus. Born to a humble pair in a lowly manger. Living in a no-good town on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks. And when he calls disciples, he goes and gets some scruffy folks who have been fishing. What do they know of the scriptures? Do they hang out in the synagogue much? Probably not if they are fishermen. They need to earn a living, be out in the water, hauling in as many fish. Not a big profit margin in that work. And then Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” What? Everything looks the same to me!

I am almost certain most of the folks around would have taken one look and said, “I don’t think so! You are just another fellow claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah. But you don’t even dress the part. Messiah wannabes usually put on their best digs so they can look kingly and like they are about to ride in and conquer. Jesus, what are you on about?”

And Jesus proceeds to tell them. This is what the Kingdom of God is like… You were expecting a military coup but I am bringing a love bomb. I am asking you to change your hearts first before others change their minds. Eventually societal change may come, or it may not. But your job is the internal work. And then to share that good news with others. Come and see.

Amazingly, the disciples get it. Or they don’t and they just play along until they do. I loved what Barbara Brown Taylor said about this moment. She says it is a miracle. Just like when Jesus multiplies fish and bread, here these people who are called are transformed in a moment. A moment before they were just plain fishermen. Now they are followers of Christ (Barbara Brown Taylor, Home by Another Way, 39-40). Before, they fished for, well, fish. Now they will seek out people to share the Good News. Before they just participated in the human economy and the provision of food on tables. Now they participate in the divine economy, bringing all people closer to God.

At first, as people who seek revenge, this might sound like bad news. It is not revenge. It is not regime change right away. It is more subtle. We must be more patient. But God is patient with us as we adjust to this. God is patient with Nineveh but also with Jonah (to a point). Jesus asks a quick, hard thing of the disciples and they quickly follow, but the gospels are full of Jesus’ patience with them as they continue to learn what this is really all about.

Once we understand that the Kingdom of God is about love and justice, rather than revenge; about mercy rather than countering oppression with oppression, we must change our lives. We must no longer orient around being right always or around punishing those whom we perceive to have done wrong at all times. I think this is a little of what Paul refers to in the passage from 1 Corinthians today. We do not ignore the earthly joys and sorrows included in marriage or mourning or anything in between, but we remember even amidst the highs and lows that this is not all there is. As Christians, whether the second coming is in this next moment or whether it is a thousand years from now, we act as if Jesus is coming. We act as if Jesus is here. Because, in a way, he is. In a way, the Kingdom is already here, and it is up to us. To nurture it, to cultivate it, so that it would continue to flourish and grow into a reality in the here and now, until we all see love, face to face.

Amen.