"By endurance you will gain your souls."
Luke 21:5-19
Proper 28C, November 18, 2007
A Sermon by Fr. James Haney V
We live in stressful times. War in the Middle East, and division at home. The threat of terrorism, greenhouse gasses, recession. In a time of stress and confusion, it is natural to long for certainty, for safety, for security. That kind of longing for something better in the midst of difficulty is natural. And yet, our Gospel lesson this morning offers us something very different. Something that is not always very palatable. Something that’s different from the way we might choose. Thus it’s important for us to hear what Jesus is saying to us. Lk ch21 p959.
The setting is the Temple, just a couple of days before the crucifixion. At the end of ch19, Jesus threw the money changers out of the Temple. In ch20, he evaded all the traps his enemies tried to set for him. And his enemies give up and retreat, so that they can start planning his demise. That leaves Jesus with the field all to himself. And so he engages in some last minute teaching. ch21, v1 Jesus and his disciples are in the Temple, watching the rich put large donations in the “offering plate.” v2 And then this poor widow comes along and puts in only 2 small copper coins. Adjusted for inflation, those 2 small coins together are worth only about 75 cents in today’s terms. It would hardly be enough for a Coke, or a can of soup or tuna, or a couple of cans of dog food. Yet this poor widow offers her last 3 quarters to God. v3, Jesus tells us that the wealthy have given out of their abundance. She, in her poverty puts in everything she had, all she had to live on.
The disciples are outwardly focused. The bigger offerings of the rich look like bigger offerings. But Jesus shifts the focus inward. The tiny offering of the widow who gave everything she had is far better than the excess given by the wealthy.
Which brings us to our Gospel lesson today. v5 Right after this, the disciples are sitting there rubbernecking in the Temple. After all, they’re a bunch of hicks from the sticks. But now they’re in the big town. Now they’re in the big Temple. And they’re overwhelmed by it’s beauty and grandeur. And the Temple was beautiful. The Roman historian Josephus saw the Temple just a few decades after Jesus. This is the way Josephus describes it: “Now the outward face of the temple in its front lacked nothing... It was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But this temple appeared... like a mountain covered with snow; for, as to those parts of it that were not gold they were exceeding white.” And Josephus goes on to describe the glory of the temple from top to bottom. He even describes the beautiful vestments worn by the priests.
So when Jesus and his disciples are in this beautiful Temple, it must have inspired the disciples with awe. They’re admiring the architecture and the opulence. They’re still focused on externals. Like the rich people throwing their money in the offering plate, the richness of the Temple grabs the disciples’ admiration. So to them, Jesus’ words must seem harsh and out of place.
v6: Jesus says, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
‘What?’ the disciples must have thought. ‘This beautiful, glorious Temple is going to be destroyed?’ It must have boggled their imaginations. Such a huge, beautiful building could never be destroyed. The fun little temple tour had become deadly serious.
Jesus says, ‘Everything you see, this Temple and everything else, will be destroyed.’ And then Jesus launches into a teaching about what it means to be one of his disciples. And further, he tells the disciples how to save themselves from this destruction. This is what they could expect as his disciples:
v9 Wars and insurrections
v10 Nation fighting nation
v11 Earthquakes, famines, plagues, natural disasters
v12 Arrest and persecution
v16 Betrayal by those closest to you
End of v16 Being killed
v17 Being hated by all
That’s a pretty tough list. That’s a tough list in the 1st century or the 21st. But notice v18: All these terrible things will happen. “But not a hair of your head will perish.” Do you hear what Jesus is saying? You may be killed. But not a hair of your head will ultimately perish. v19 “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Jesus is telling us, ‘You may die. But you won’t ultimately perish.’ So endure. Stay the course. Move forward. Live the Christian life. ‘In the face of hardship and suffering, endure. In the face of war and disaster, endure. Trust God. Move forward in faith. Your body may be killed. But God will save you. Not a hair on your head will ultimately perish.
What does the future hold in this world? I don’t know. But I do know that God does not promise us earthly security. His disciples may have to endure war and disaster and persecution and death.
But even if you die, not a hair on your head will ultimately perish. That’s the hard but Good News Jesus brings us today. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
One of the great Christian martyrs of the 20th century was the German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was executed by the Nazis a few weeks before the end of WWII. Shortly before he was hanged, Bonhoeffer wrote these tremendous words of faith about his impending death: “O wondrous change! These hands, once so strong and active, have now been bound. Helpless and forlorn, you see the end of your deeds. Yet with a sigh of relief you resign your cause to a stronger hand, and are content to do so. For one brief moment you enjoyed the bliss of freedom, only to give it back to God, that he might perfect it in glory.”
Our faith is not a magic ticket to help us escape the sufferings and convulsions of the world. We as Christians are called to live in that world. We are called to minister in that world and to that world. But as we do so, we need to trust in something other than the world. We are called to place our trust in the living God. Not in buildings covered with gold. Not in buildings filled with gold. Not in the might of armies. Not in our own strength. We are called to place our trust only in the living God.
After all, that’s what Jesus modeled for us. That was Jesus’ example. Jesus was no stranger to suffering. He endured the worst his enemies could throw at him. And he went to the cross to assure us that death is not the end. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. So trust in him. Stay the course. Live the Christian life. And follow our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Rev. James P. Haney V
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
Wichita, Kansas
November 18, 2007
