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The gatheringFriday, March 5, 2010
Matthew 21:43 I can't really take credit for writing the above paragraph. It just flew out of my fingers. My life is richer and much more full of fruit because of my church experiences. Most of the people I've followed lead upright and moral lives, and seek to love God and each other with all their hearts. Why do I feel so cynical sometimes? Earlier in this chapter Jesus flashes a curse at a perfectly innocent fig tree, and by the next day it is withered and dead. The disciples are disconcerted. Jesus tells them they can do the same thing if they just have faith. One fruit of the Spirit is patience, but in these stories Jesus seems to have reached the limit of his. He no longer wishes to wait around for the people (or trees) who have had all this time to get it right and instead become selfish, arrogant and cruel. Jesus tells them they are losing their seats at the heavenly banquet, to be replaced by criminals and prostitutes. At least they don't lead others so far astray. And they are actually interested in the living water Jesus offers them to drink. Jesus didn't claim to be a great moral teacher; he claimed to be the Messiah. He brought water directly from God and wouldn't be put off. This nectar belonged to anyone who wanted it. Anyone. What happens to those Pharisees of then and now? Do they wither and never see the tree of life? Does God work them over after death until they grow up? Do Jesus' warnings foreshadow their doom, or does his love overwhelm the impatience and frustration he expresses so strongly? Very good questions, not questions to quickly or glibly answer by quoting a few well-chosen verses on one or the other side of the argument. God doesn't seem to need us to know all about these things. We aren't creators in his image; we were created in his image. So I want to cradle all my questions in the arms of worship and praise, and enjoy the wait while God loves me just the way he knows I need. On the way home, Lord, let me stop by my friend's house. And maybe we can find a way to praise you together. He's gay and he's a Muslim, and he tells me that he loves You. Thank you for knowing us both so well and giving us each exactly what we need. |
Controversy over the nature of this fruit separates one religion from another and Christians from other Christians. Many normal people get fed up with the slugfest and decide to watch TV instead of waste time listening to self-righteous preachers tell their captive audiences how right they all are. Religious organizers have come a long way since the Crusades, though. Much less blood.