Two
gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young trainee, were
out checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the
end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house a
woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her
gas meter.
After they finished checking the meter, the senior supervisor challenged his
younger co-worker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck to prove that
an older guy could outrun a younger one. As they came running up to the truck, they
realized the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind
them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong.
Gasping for breath, she replied, “When I see two gas men running as hard
as you two were, I figured I’d better run too!”
This
little story and the passage we heard from Luke 21:5-19 are examples of the old
adage that things are not always what they seem to be. When the disciples saw
Herod’s temple, they saw its external beauty, but they failed to see what really
behind it-spiritual bankruptcy, hypocrisy, oppression, rejection of Christ and
the Gospel, and Christ’s impending death at the hands of the religious
authorities.
That’s
why Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the false teachers who would come
and proclaim that they were the promised Messiah. He knew that just like the
temple’s beauty hid its ugly secrets, the false teachers with their appearances,
methods and teachings would hide their true motives. False teachers exist in
our society today. This can best be explained with another story. It is a
comedy routine that I heard several years ago. In this routine, comedian Steve
Martin is doing his imitation of a preacher. Part of the routine goes like
this:
“The
other day I talked to God, and he promised me that he would not talk to any
other TV preachers. So if you hear any of those other TV preachers saying that
they talked to God, do not send them the $1.50 for their polyester prayer
handkerchief”
It
is somewhat ironic though that on the Vision TV channel here in Canada you can
actually see on Sunday afternoon an evangelist who actually DOES send people a
Prosperity Prayer handkerchief. He claims that he personally blesses each
handkerchief, and that if you call and ask for one of these handkerchiefs, you
will be blessed financially, health-wise, etc. This particular evangelist along
with other evangelists such as Benny Hinn and Joel Osteen promotes what is
known as the Prosperity Gospel. It is the belief that God intends his followers
to prosper in a materialistic way. Instead of talking about mansions in heaven,
they talk about mansions here on earth. They do not tell their followers that
Christ expects them to take up their cross and follow him, and their religion
bears little resemblance to Jesus and his teachings, especially his teachings
about being persecuted for following him.
Not
all false prophets are religious. Some of them promote get-rich-quick schemes and
preach a gospel of stocks, bonds and real estate. Some of you might have heard
of the Bernie Madoff saga. He was the mastermind of a scheme that defrauded
thousands of investors of billions of dollars. Unfortunately, there are all
kinds of schemers out there, especially schemers who will prey on the elderly
and the less fortunate in society.
Jesus
does not promise us a rose garden here on earth. In fact, he makes it quite
clear to us and his disciples that people will hate them and persecute them. He
doesn’t tell the disciples that they will escape pain, and he doesn’t tell us
that either. He promises that the persecutions that his followers will face
will give them opportunities to witness to the Gospel.
Those
who do Christ’s work in the world can expect to face persecution. For example,
in the Third World Christians regularly face imprisonment, threats, harassment,
beatings and even death for their faith. We here in the developed world do not
face these extremes, but we still face the prospect of rejection, job loss or
discrimination for our faith. Thankfully, in the times of trial, we can turn to
God for strength, hope and support. He will give us the strength to face
adversity and persecution. He will tell us what to do, say and even think, just
like he promised the disciples that he will tell them what to do, say and
think.
For
example, Peter and John will be arrested and use the occasion to witness to the
council. This is mentioned in Acts 4:1-22. The council will be amazed at their
testimony and will order them not to speak of Jesus further, but fear of the
people will keep them from meting out more severe punishment. Stephen will
preach a long and powerful sermon to the council in Acts 7, and it will lead to
his martyrdom. Paul and Silas will be arrested and flogged, but they will sing
songs of praise in prison. An earthquake will free them, but they will stay in
their cells and eventually convert the jailer and his family. When the
authorities try to release them, they will assert their Roman citizenship and
protest their wrongful arrest, forcing the authorities to apologize. This is
mentioned in Acts 16:16-40.
When
Rome destroyed the temple in 70 AD, the Jews were scattered to the four winds.
They were without a homeland until the United Nations created the state of
Israel in 1947. They survived and grew stronger and more resilient-just like
they did during persecutions such as the Holocaust. They survived because
Yahweh/God gave them strength. They were forced to take responsibility for worship
wherever they happened to be. We are the same. When faced with adversity, we
have a choice. We can let it beat us, or we can beat it. God will give us the
strength to beat it, and in the process, we will become stronger and better Christians
because of our experience.
Some
of you might have heard of an actress named Renee Russo. She is one of the most
glamorous women in Hollywood and has acted in movies with stars such as Kevin
Costner, John Travolta and Mel Gibson. These things are external signs of
success, but for years she did not feel successful on the inside. After she
dropped out of school in her teens, she was discovered by an agent and moved to
New York to model. She thought that getting jobs and recognition would make her
happy, but they didn’t. They were not enough. Her low self-esteem made her feel
like no amount of success was enough. She kept thinking that business success
or people around her could fill the void and make her happy, but nothing did.
So
she dropped out of the business and began taking classes in theology. For four
years she studied theology, and slowly she began to realize that her lack of
self-esteem was caused by a lack of faith. She had been going through life
without any purpose, no reason for doing the things she did. She was not aware
of her gifts, and she had no set goals for her life. As she learned more about
faith, she understood that every life has a purpose, and that every person has
something special to contribute. Now that she has a new outlook on life, she is
much better able to handle her success. She is now married and the mother of a
young daughter. All these things might have been out of her reach if she had
never taken the time to learn about her faith.
Renee
Russo was fortunate to discover that her feelings of misery and insecurity
could be used in a positive way to help her find God. That is true of every
experience in life. There is a meaning to life. There is a purpose. Even more
importantly, behind life there is a divine intelligence that can help us turn
negatives into positives, tragedies into triumphs, heartaches into hallelujahs.
Luke’s
Gospel reading is one that fundamentalist, Bible-thumping preachers would love
because it speaks of the “hell, fire and brimstone” that will occur before
Christ returns. Are we in the end times today? Maybe yes, maybe no. Although
Christ mentions the signs of his return, and many of these signs are around us
today, many of these signs also appeared in the past.
We
often want to know what the future looks like. That’s why some people resort to
seeing false prophets or teachers such as psychics and fortune-tellers. We have
the only true psychic and fortune teller, and his name is Jesus. In our Gospel
reading, Jesus tells us and the disciples what the future will be like, and he
does not pull any punches. The future will not be easy for his followers as
they do his work in our world. We must make our brothers and sisters in Christ
(as well as the lost) feel the real need to be a part of the worshipping community.
If we are persecuted for our work, we can take comfort in the knowledge that in
the end God will fashion eternity.
The
work will not be easy. We will get tired. It’s hard to put others’ needs ahead
of our own. It’s hard to volunteer to work at the local food bank or help with
the local Christmas Cheer campaign or teach a Bible study and to keep on doing
it week after week, month after month, year after year. It’s even tough for us
to do the right thing in our lives when it is often easier to take shortcuts.
It is at times like these when we need that vision of Christ’s return to
sustain us. We get that hope and keep it alive through prayer and worship. They
fill our spiritual gas tank and give us the energy to continue.
The
cost of discipleship is obedience to God and imbedded in that cost is the gift
of freedom. We know that the cost of work is service to us, long hours, tired
bodies, weary minds. And it is all for the glory of God. And the gift imbedded
in that strenuous activity is joy in the Lord. The good news is that we are all
followers, not pioneers, and God holds us all close throughout all our life’s
journey. We are indeed beloved and blessed.
Bibliography
- Charles F.
Stanley Life Principles Bible, New American Standard Version
- Exegesis for
Luke 21:5-19. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
- Dr. Philip W.
McLarty, “Out of the Rubble”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
- The Rev. Dr.
Margaret Neill, “The Joy of Struggle”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
- Abingdon
Commentary, Luke 21:5-19. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
- ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package
- Matthew Henry
Concise Commentary. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package
- King Duncan,
“Bracing for the Rough”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
- John Wayne
Clarke, “The End of Time”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
- David
Lenninger, “Of Rubble and Trouble”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
- Larry R.
Kalajainen, “Not Yet Quitting Time”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
- Jude
Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 33rd Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved
from www.preacherexchange.org
Sermons From My Heart 