Second Sunday in Lent

This past week I happened upon a certain video on YouTube. In the video, a young man performed a small-scale “social experiment”, on the streets of New York. He sat on the sidewalk by himself, leaning up against a storefront window, and he held a sign that read, "Homeless: need money for weed, drugs, and alcohol."

As people walk by in the video, numerous people stopped to give him money. Some of the people who toss money into his cup say things like, "Stay high man, stay high," and "make sure you get a big bottle." After collecting a meaningful amount of money, his cup filled with cash, the screen goes dark.

The video returns to the same young man dressed the same way, but this time he has a small girl next to him. The young girl lies on the sidewalk with her head in his lap, coughing occasionally. The sign he’s holding has changed and it reads, "Homeless: single father, need money for family." This time, the response is quite different. There is none. As people walk by, his cup sits empty next to him. As the little girl coughs, people step around them, trying not to look at them. Finally, and after an hour of being completely ignored, a homeless woman stops. The woman bends down with a small amount of cash and puts it in the cup. She says, "This is all I made today, but you need it so much more than I do." Then she asks if she can say a prayer for them. She offers a beautiful prayer, asking God to look out for them and keep them safe. As she walks away, the young man jumps up and reveals that he was conducting an experiment and that her kindness was the most beautiful thing he had seen all day. He thanks the woman for her amazing gift. Handing her $100.00, and genuinely touched by her generosity, he calls her a "hero." The video ends with a quote that reads, "Sometimes those who have less are the ones who give more." [“Homeless Drug Addict VS Homeless Father (Social Experiment),”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilxjo5RlzFc  ]

The one asking for help, becomes the benefactor. The truly helpless one, becomes a hero. The first will be last, and the last will be first. The one who wishes to be greatest must be servant of all. These are the kinds of reversals that are indicative of the nearness of the Kingdom of God. We see these kinds of reversals all over the place today, especially in the juxtaposition between the reading from Genesis and the reading from Luke.

Let’s consider first the reading from Genesis. What happens in it seems strange to us because we don’t know what it means. We are no longer an ancient Semitic culture.  At least not the last time I checked. But during Abram’s time, this was the kind of ceremony that sealed the deal. It’s a covenant ceremony. Typically, what would happen would be this: Two powers would come together: a greater power and a lesser power. And the two would strike a bargain. For example: I won’t destroy you and you’ll pay me tribute. And then they would have a covenant ceremony. Which would be very similar to what we see being carried out in our lesson. By passing between the split animal carcasses, the person is essentially saying, “If I should break this covenant, may the same thing happen to me that has happened to these animals”. May I be split in half! May I be destroyed!

Now that’s interesting in and of itself. At least I think it’s interesting. But it gets even more interesting if we look at it a bit more closely. Typically, in such a covenant ceremony, only one of the parties would take this pledge. And typically, it would be the weaker of the two. But in this instance God does a radical thing, and this is the first instance of where we see one of those Kingdom of God reversals.

God takes on the role that ordinarily would be played by the weaker power. Think about it. God is declaring, “If I should break this covenant, may the same thing happen to me that has happened to these animals”. May I be split in half! May I be destroyed! Just let that sink in for a moment!

So important to God is this covenantal relationship with Abram, with humanity, that God’s own divine existence is laid on the line. That’s how strongly God desires a relationship with us! That’s how deeply God desires to be a part of our lives! And not because of anything we’ve done. But simply because we exist.

And what does it mean to live in that covenant? Count the stars, Abram! Count them, if you can! So abundant will my blessing upon you be! Innumerable descendants and unbounded land!

What’s interesting is what’s cut from the text by the lectionary: Verses 13-16:  Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

In other words, “It ain’t gonna be easy”. “Just because I’ve established a covenant with you and your people, Abram, doesn’t mean that you all get a free ride. You will still face hardship. You will still face adversity. You will still face difficulty and resistance. But because of the promise I have made to you, know that I am with you. I will uphold my covenant with you. I’ve staked my existence upon it.”

By the same token, it ain’t gonna be easy for God, either. Just because God is God, doesn’t mean that God’s fulfilling of the covenant promise is something to be taken lightly.

We see two more such reversals in the Gospel lesson for today. The first is in regard to King Herod. So, let’s fast-forward a few thousand years. Jesus realizes that the time for his ultimate confrontation with the authority of this world is drawing closer. To bring that home, Luke has some Pharisees approach Jesus and warn him that Herod plans to put Jesus to death.

Jesus calls Herod "that fox". Just so that we’re clear on this, Jesus was not saying that Herod was especially good looking. If we look at Greek, Latin, and Hebrew literature we see that the fox is both crafty and inferior in its position. The fox is also a ritually unclean animal: not exactly a favorable comparison for someone who is purported to be the leader of the Jewish people. The fox is an insignificant or base person. He lacks real power and dignity. He uses cunning and deceit to achieve his aims. In other words, foxes are viewed the same in ancient Israel as elsewhere in mythology and folk tales. They are a trickster-type figure. As such, he poses no real threat to Jesus.

Jesus compares the weight and seriousness of Herod’s threat to kill him, to what God deems necessary for Jesus to do. For Jesus, it’s far more urgent to go to Jerusalem because of God’s will than to heed warnings about Herod. In other words, Jesus’ ultimate concern is theological. So, that’s the first reversal in the story from Luke. Rather than a mighty king to be feared, Herod is simply a trickster; a clever little fox; God is in charge, not the puppet, trickster king. That’s important, because it gives us the framework for Jesus’ words and actions, which follow.

But the second reversal is far more significant, because it goes to the very core of the covenant declared to Abram. And it’s a radical departure from it. Remember that the unspoken promise of the covenant with Abram was that if God should violate the covenant, God would die. The radical departure from this is that in Jesus, we see God die not because of a broken covenant, but in order to fulfill the covenant once and for all. In the person of Jesus, God willingly goes to the cross; God willingly goes to death, in order that the covenant might be irrevocably fulfilled. Never to be abandoned. Never to be broken. Never to be rendered null and void. Not even by death itself. It’s not only Herod who is inconsequential with regard to what God desires to accomplish through Jesus. Not even death will stand in God’s way.

Jesus fulfills his role as prophet and savior by embracing a cruciform life; a cross-shaped life.

Prophets are people who teach others about the Word of God, and that teaching happens everywhere. As followers of Jesus we are called, like him, to lead prophetic, cruciform lives. A prophetic life doesn’t have to be a complicated or complex. A prophetic life simply has to be grounded in the truth of Christ.

Lent is an invitation to change our lives in meaningful ways that go beyond these 40 days. It’s the most opportune time to embrace the radical reversals to which the Gospel calls us. Through the Holy Spirit, God empowers us to claim our prophetic voice. God encourages us to own our ability to encourage others to recognize God in the world.

How many of us live day-to-day, working hard, staying busy, but always hoping for more? God wants so much more for us than just the daily grind. God wants us to claim our purpose beyond ourselves. God wants us to show love in tangible, meaningful ways. God wants our lives to bear witness to the grace of God. Because when we do that, we become prophets to those around us.

Let me be honest – a prophetic life is not an easy life. We live in a world where too often cynicism is celebrated, and hopefulness is derided. The status quo raises up and rewards self-centeredness while compassion is seen as weak.

Our broken world needs prophets. And God has sent you and me to make a change. We are called to bear witness to the radical truth of Christ: a truth that is as prophetic and vital and threatening and hopeful today as it was 2,000 years ago. You have a prophetic voice to share with the world. We have been given unique gifts from God, gifts to share with the world. Don’t let your gift go to waste. You have a prophetic voice. And the world is ready to listen.

Amen.