LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Thursday, February 25

The Question about David’s Son: Matthew 22: 41 – 45

         So far, in much of this chapter, it has been sounding a lot like a fractious, Baptist church’s Annual General Meeting -  everybody with their own point of view, cliques, arguments, counter arguments, accusations, questions and more questions. (Wait until you read chapter 23 – yowzer!)  Maybe, nobody was waving around Robert’s Rules of Order, but opinions were flying around with great gusto.  At least, they were arguing over the practice of theology, and not church budgets, auditor reports, and leaky roofs.

        I am not sure what I would have done if, during a church meeting, someone had ever suggested that we should discuss what we thought of the Messiah.  But now that Jesus has brought it up; what do you think about God’s Messiah, God’s Champion? There are even Christians who get hung up on this important title for Jesus of Nazareth. It is a totally odd and alien notion for those on the outside of the Church.

       It is a tough question. Hundreds of books, written by theologians and biblical scholars, have tried to address it.  Some are very good; very fresh and relevant and make you think. Some have turned the topic into dry, dusty, boring, and dull reading and thereby make this powerful image nearly irrelevant.

      Obviously (?), Jesus wanted to get people out of the rut of thinking of God’s Champion in Davidic terms only. The Pharisees gave the correct, orthodox answer to the question. But Jesus challenges them to think outside the box.  He has re-interpreted the whole mission that goes with being God’s Champion. The model of a new King David, uniting the kingdoms, leading an army, claiming victory over all their enemies didn’t work for Jesus. It certainly doesn’t really work in today’s context either.

       So Jesus makes his break away from the traditional expression of Messiahship. He is in new theological territory by doing so. It certainly won’t be popular. It is radically different, in that he seeks his following in the least likely people, draws them together with compassion and love, offers a healing hand rather than a closed fist, treats all with equanimity and respect, and in the end, he does the strangest, most peculiar, illogical thing for any champion – he dies ingloriously on a cross. Some Champion he is.

       But it should make you think. Don’t just spout the same old answers because it is the safe, predictable answer.

       I am not sure any of this fresh approach makes any more sense in today’s secular world than the idea of a new King David let loose among us.  But for me, this “new” Messiah, God’s Champion who rides the “clouds” of compassion, grace, mercy, justice, and exemplifies God’s unconditional Love is far more fascinating, alluring, challenging, commanding and outstanding in his field than any other Champion who claims that he or she is the “right one” and has all the answers.

       But for argument’s sake – what do you think of the Messiah?