April 8, 2007 Easter Sunday

Source Scriptures: Luke 2:25-38, Ephesians 6

I’ve come with some questions today as we worship that are deeply relevant for my life and may be for yours: What was the meaning of Jesus’ life? Did Jesus come to die and that is it? To do something we couldn’t do, to make us clean, to forgive us, and that’s it? Nothing more to the story? Why is Easter hope-filled? Simply because Jesus rose from the dead?

Or did Jesus come to represent something more than these things? Something richer and deeper and more transformative and dynamic and beautiful than that? What did Jesus come for? And is there a way for us to consider the possibility of a deeper more practical, more life-changing meaning than him dying to forgive sinners while simultaneously agreeing that the cross is the climax of Jesus’ faithfulness and mission and meaning, and that the resurrection is the capstone that cements the reality that death has no ultimate hold on us?

I think so, and I think that reality is embedded in the very beginning of Jesus’ life, when as a baby, by custom as firstborn son, he is brought to be dedicated at the temple (Quote Zechariah in Luke 2:25-38) (bright words in 29-32, foreboding in 34-35)

As the story of Jesus unfolds, as his message grows clearer and brighter, the scene around him turns tense and dark, twisted, ugly, and filled with hatred and conspiracy. Jesus’ enemies are out to get him, and he isn’t being careful. Instead, through parables and direct conversations, he taunts and teases them, inviting them to retaliate.

Take, for example the events of what we call Palm Sunday, five days before Jesus’ crucifixion: the triumphal entry into Jerusalem when a crowd treats Jesus as a king and the religious leaders tell him to stop but he refuses, or the “cleansing of the temple” when Jesus disrupts the way the temple has come to operate, or him telling religious leaders that little children understand more than they do. He seems to be intent on goading his enemies from disgust to fury, from fury to conspiring, from conspiring to outright violence.

Why does Jesus do this? Is he some sort of idiot, a hothead with a serious problem of losing his temper? Or is this sort of approach deeply important to his message of the kingdom? What if the message of Jesus was so deeply profound, so transformative, that the standard way of doing things wouldn’t work, or was terribly inadequate to address how deeply broken humanity was?

Now, this may be a strange way to go about talking about this issue, but I think that among all of Jesus ministry of preaching and teaching and signs and wonders, one of the most important, as well as one of the strangest aspects, was his confrontation with evil powers. I believe Jesus’ demonic confrontations give us a window into what his message was all about.

There’s a significant amount of skepticism these days when it comes to talking about demons, because many folks have lived and died without a direct confrontation with the demonic; but that does NOT mean they have not encountered the demonic realm. There are different ways the system of evil works, and quite often it does not look like a scene from the Exorcist with a little girl with her head on a swivel, or crabwalking backwards down the stairs while talking in a deep gravelly bass voice. In the most extremely personal cases, this can be true, but the reality of the demonic can look a whole lot different than that as well; I’d like to suggest that evil is directly at work in any alternative kingdoms or groups or systems that would claim to be higher than or take the place of God. This is intensely relevant for us today. And Jesus understood that in order for that evil to be exposed, it must be drawn out of the shadows where it hides in secret.

On the level of direct and obvious demonic confrontations, this drawing into the light happens again and again. (Boy thrown into convulsions, struck deaf, foaming at mouth, spirit throws into fire or water to kill him Mark 9, Man lives in tombs, cutting himself with stones with superhuman strength, Jesus casts out multiple demons from man (soon sits clothed and in right mind), thousands come with various afflictions (Jesus draws into the light whatever oppressive, disease-causing, paralyzing forces that hide within them so they can be freed). This liberation and restoration are part of Jesus’ message of the kingdom. That’s part of the story: the kingdom liberates and heals individuals from oppressive spiritual powers, but that’s not the whole story

The apostle Paul tells us directly in Ephesians 6, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood (against people), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” What do you think Paul means when he talks about these rulers and authorities and power and forces of evil?

Just to give an simple example of what these realities might look like, in the world of sports, there are some folks who are extremely dedicated Washington Redskin fans, but there are equally dedicated Dallas Cowboy fans as well as committed Philadelphia Eagles fan, and let’s not forget about the Giants fans. Now, there are varying levels of commitment amongst fans, but in all of those camps, there are some who live and die by their teams, and if anyone DARES to wear the opposing colors in their stadium or the sports bar where they’re watching the game, their blood pressure rises, their faces turn red, their palms get sweaty, and their fists ball up. These folks have what you might call “team spirit” that is very real and controlling in their lives; something that at its extreme can take healthy competition and make it turn downright nasty and evil.

Taking that example a little further, the same sort of thing exists in business. Just a few years ago, the head honchos at Enron Corporation knew their business was in trouble, partially because they’d messed with the books and lifted some cash for themselves from retirement accounts, and partially because of the market. And because the executives knew this, they made sure the regular workers couldn’t sell off their stock options (many had their life savings and pensions wrapped up in these areas), and they froze their employee’s stocks so they couldn’t sell. Meanwhile, the executives sold off all their stock and made a KILLING, and when the company stocks fell to virtually nothing, they unfroze the assets of their employees and said they could sell them. Well, by then the stocks were worthless and folks were destitute, while these executives made off tremendously well. This is evil, unjust. But we shouldn’t think that just because Enron was exposed in this that this is the only example of a company treating their workers and everyone else like dirt to line the pockets of the big boys. I could tick off on more than my two hands the companies in recent years that have been exposed on some level in this sort of evil. We could call that spirit “corporate evil,” the kind of twisting of capitalism that’s all about profit-making at any expense.

All throughout human history, this sort of phenomenon crops up, a kind of groupthink that “takes over,” “possesses” a group, drives them. Nazism, terrorism, nationalism, are patriotism are some examples of forces that if they drive human beings to evil acts, if they fragment and destroy the world, are a demonic force or power or authority in the way Paul is talking about here.

And Jesus dealt with both the personal demons and the system demons in the same way: directly. And just as he confronted the spirit causing the boy to foam at the mouth and be thrown onto a fire, Jesus drew out, exposed, named, and rejected the evil on a larger scale: evil hiding beneath robes and crowns, hiding in temples and palaces, carried out in policies and laws and traditions, seeming to “possess” groups to move in evil ways. This reality of evil can possess, sicken, and drive insane whole nations, religions, political movements, jobs in societies, families, and communities, just like the personal demons can possess individuals

There are two invisible but clearly real forces in specific that Jesus exposes. First, Jesus confronts the Roman Empire as a source and focal point of evil. Ironically, when we read the story of Jesus, we are struck not by the power of the Roman Empire but instead by its weakness. This comes to a climax when Jesus stands before Pilate, who is anything but a frighteningly powerful governor. He’s manipulated by crowds, pressured by his wife, conflicted and paralyzed, fearful of making decisions. Jesus stands before him flogged, mocked, bleeding, and bound, and Pilate, frustrated, says to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus quietly answers him, “You would have not power over me if it were not given to you from above.” You’re not the one who controls my destiny. In the face of the simple authority of Jesus, the power and authority of Rome seems pathetic and hollow. In another account, Pilate almost literally cries out in desperation to Jesus, “What is truth?!” Pilate’s life is empty and he knows it; his prestige, power, and wealth are bring him no true satisfaction.

Second, Jesus confronts the equally dark spirit of the religiously elite. It one thing to show the evil of the apparently powerful, it is another to show the evil of the apparently righteous. And Jesus confronts them as well. He violates their taboos, honors their enemies, tells the truth to them, not caring about their anger. Their fury and rage boils beneath the folds of their robes. They shout “Crucify him!” and even more scandalous, the chief priests declare, “We have no king but Caesar!” Faced with the kingdom of God, they choose Caesar. These religious leaders (like so many today) pretended to be about faithfulness to God and to Israel, but they show their true desires; to continue holding power, to keep their little religious money-making business going, and because Jesus threatens their domain, they conspire to bring an end to his life.

And so, what seems to be the end of the story comes: the religious and political powers get together for an final solution; the religious authorities whip up the mob and the Romans execute Jesus as seditious, an enemy of the Empire. He will be nailed to a Roman cross-a visible symbol of the power of Rome, the instrument of torture and execution that brings an end to those who dare to stand up to Rome.

And so they crush him and his movement. And it appears Jesus has failed. But it is here that we find the message of the kingdom of God blow everything wide open. In his entire life and most completely in his willingness to die for his message, Jesus clearly shows that a new force, a new spirit is in the world- not the demonic, but the Spirit of God. Just as fallen humanity is twisted by the forces of evil, this new Spirit is entering people and transforming them into a healthy, creative, God-honoring, and new kind of community- the kingdom of God. This kingdom is a counterforce, a countermovement, a counterkingdom that will confront all corrupt human and spiritual powers and show them for who and what they really are. But the new kingdom goes about its business in a radically different way than its counterparts.

When its message of love, peace, justice, and truth meets the principalities and powers of government and twisted religion armed with spears and swords and crosses, they unleash their hate, terror, and force to crush what threatens their authority. It seems to be hopeless to go up against this system. But what is the alternative?

Could the kingdom of God come with bigger weapons, stronger force? Or would that, as the apostle Paul says, corrupt the kingdom of God so it would not be “of God” at all but just another twisted earthly power?

What if the only way for the kingdom of God to come as a kingdom “not of this world” is through weakness and vulnerability, sacrifice and love? What if it confronts the powers of this world, exposes their twistedness, and allows itself to be crushed by them in order for them to see and understand the darkness of their hearts so that they long for the light and the truth?

Maybe it is at this moment that we get a glimpse into one of the deepest mysteries of the kingdom of God. Maybe it shows us how Jesus could stare down those who opposed him, who hated him, conspired against him, and murdered him, knowing that they had no power over him, and that death was nothing to him. The agony of dying hurt, but death was no end, and he showed it, God stuck it right in the faces of Rome and the enemies of Jesus when on the morning of what we call Easter, a violent earthquake took place, an angel of the LORD came down from heaven with clothes that shone like lightning, causing the guards to shake and become like dead men, and rolled the stone away, and Jesus AROSE FROM THAT PLACE ALIVE. ALIVE!!!! And so Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection showed us as human beings powerfully that we need not fear death as his people, only reverently stand before God in awe and serve and love him and others with radical faithfulness, confronting evil in all of its forms (sometimes within us) and redeeming the world.

You see, the death and resurrection of Jesus shows us the most beautiful and tremendous sign of all, that the hope of humanity lies in what seems to be an impossible truth: the only way the kingdom of God can be strong in a truly powerful way is through a scandalous weakness and vulnerability, the only way it can live is by dying, the only way it can succeed is by failing in the world’s eyes. Looking back on Jesus’ life, Paul said that the Cross was the weakness and foolishness of God. But that weakness and foolishness were more powerful than all the wisdom and power of evil with all of its wealth and prestige and power. Somehow, the defeat of Jesus on that Roman cross- the moment when God seemed weak and foolish and powerless- was how God exposed and judged the evil of empire and twisted religion and every human being, so that humanity could be forgiven and reconciled to open relationship with God.

You know, Jesus wasn’t just out to give a message of how to get to heaven when you die. Jesus didn’t just come to hang on a cross and forgive our sins. He came to transform EVERY ELEMENT of human society through a radical commitment to God and his neighbors and enemies, preaching and living into a message about the transformation and salvation of the earth and ALL that is in it by winning people over to a different way of seeing, living, and thinking. One of my favorite authors wrote a book here recently called the The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything (a catchy book title that’ll sell well because it kicks up people’s interest), but in the back of the book, the author wrote “I wanted the title to be The Secret Message of Jesus: His Surprising and Largely Untried Plan for a Political, Social, Religious, Artistic, Economic, Intellectual, and Spiritual Revolution.” The editors thought it was awkward and not catchy, so the other title won out, but that doesn’t take away from his point. Jesus came, died, and arose not so we could sit on our hands and wait for the sweet by and by, but rather to transform EVERYTHING, and he taught that to us in the Lord’s Prayer, which says, “God, may your kingdom come, and your will be done” Where? (On earth, as it is in heaven). May we never settle for less than this reality.

Here's the video we watched this Sunday, an excerpt from a sermon preached by a certain S.M. Lockridge called "That's my King"