Well now, Abraham....not exactly father of the year material! Last week he sends Ishmael out into the desert and today he prepares to sacrifice Isaac. For a man who is inordinately concerned with having an heir he is certainly cavalier about his sons. Really....how many more sons can he expect from his ancient loins? Nevertheless, Abraham follows the voice of God, takes Isaac up the mountain, binds him and is ready to plunge a knife into his son's heart as a sacrifice to God. What kind of God is this? What kind of test is this? What kind of faith is this? Are we to worship a God, through Jesus who asks and expects us to kill? Is the point of our faith journey to overcome a series of tests to prove we are worthy?
The answer to that last question is a resounding NO! The point of our journey is to get to know God. Our bible is full of stories about people who did not understand God, who did not understand Jesus. The disciples were often confused and bewildered about just who this Jesus was. It seems as though no one except Jesus is really able to understand the God that Jesus came to show us until after the resurrection. So, it's not much of a surprise that Abraham would be confused about who God truly is. And, ps, Abraham did indeed pass the test. Not in the way we usually think about it, not by being willing to sacrifice his son and heir, but by finally hearing the TRUE voice of God, the voice of God that tells him to stop the insanity. That's the real take away message of this story, are we willing and able to hear the TRUE voice of God. The voice that says in Micah " I want mercy not sacrifice, I require that you do justice, love kindness and that you walk humbly with me". In order to do this we will have to commit our time, our energy, and most importantly our hearts to the journey that leads us to know God.
And, it's the knowing of God that is the bridge to our Gospel today. In the last few weeks we have heard Jesus preparing his disciples to carry on ministry without him. He's has given them authority over unclean spirits, authority to cure every disease and every sickness, and instructions to raise the dead. Jesus says "Go, proclaim the good news, the Kingdom of heaven has come near." You received without payment, give without payment. Then Jesus outlines for them how difficult this will be. He tells them they will be handed over to governors and kings. They will be flogged in their synagogues and betrayed by their own families. Only people who truly know God and clearly hear the voice of Jesus would attempt the journey that the disciples are beginning.
Now, all of what Jesus says will happen is scary enough. But....I think the really scary part is what we heard today, it's scarier than being flogged and scarier than being betrayed. Today Jesus says that people need to meet him through us! Matthew says that there needs to be a radical consistency between the Jesus we proclaim and ourselves. Who would ever believe the good news from someone who doesn't walk the walk, someone who doesn't feed the poor, visit the prisoner, comfort the sick and sit with the dying?
Jesus democratized his power and his responsibilities. God's power is now at work not only in Jesus but in and through his disciples, and in and through us. Three times Jesus says "those who receive" and that tells us there is no middle ground, we will either receive Jesus or reject him, and, as Jesus here on earth, we will either be received or rejected. That's all well and good, but there is more. We also have the power and the choice to receive or reject the Christ that appears to us in others.
When we generously and lovingly welcome all others, no exceptions, we are also welcoming God in Christ. It is one of those things that we must get out of ourselves and into God in order to do. Our task is to abundantly attend to the Christ in everyone. Christ in the stranger, Christ in the smelly and dirty, Christ in the mentally ill, Christ in the poor, Christ in the angry and bitter, Christ in the criminal, Christ in the homeless. Because only then, only when we see the Christ in everyone, when we regard everyone as Christ, only then do they have a chance to see the Christ who is in us. Only then can they begin to receive us, receive Jesus and receive the One who sent him.
Later in Matthew Jesus says " I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me. The righteous will ask " when Lord did we do all those things". Jesus replies "When you did it to one of the least of these you did it to me". There is no clearer statement of our absorption into the body of Christ.
Jesus was sent by God. Jesus sent the disciples and Jesus sends us to proclaim by word and deed the coming of God's kingdom here on earth. We not only proclaim the kingdom, we are the instruments, through Christ, by which the kingdom comes. We are sent! We are missionaries! There is no other way to be the church! Amen.
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