Dust & Yokes...

The Rev. Tommy Thompson
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Text for Preaching: Matthew 9:36-11:30
3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9A)
3 July 2011


Wow...what do we do with that? First Jesus scolds entire cities for not responding appropriately to His works of power. Next, Jesus prays to His Father, thanking Him for concealing “things” from the wise and intelligent yet revealing them to infants. Then Jesus says some words about the nature of of his identity and the logistics of divine revelation. Finally, he issues a grand invitation for ALL who are weary and carrying heavy burdens to come to him and find rest....What do we do with this?

Well the easiest thing to do would be to pick and choose what makes sense and go with that...and most folks today will probably be dealing with the last part of the reading...the “come to me all you are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest...” part. We can make a good, heartfelt sermon out of that portion of the text any day of the week (especially on our first Sunday together as pastor and parish)...But what about all of that stuff that came before the “good stuff?” What do we do with that?

Well, we do the same thing we would do if we walked into the room and a movie is playing and it is obvious that we walked in too late...many different layers of the story are piled on top of one another and we don’t know where to begin understanding the implications of some of the scenes we are presently watching. To help us understand the many layers of development thus far, we need to back the movie up to the beginning...or at least far enough to get into the dramatic flow of the movie...

That’s exactly what is needed for this Gospel reading. We walked into the room and the movie is almost over...what led to these current developments? Let’s take a look.

When we do press the rewind button and experience the sequential events that gave rise to to the place we were when we first walked in the room, the fog begins to clear and things begin to make sense.

Scene 1 is titled “Compassion & Mission.” Jesus is out doing the hard work of ministry...he is preaching, teaching, healing...and he is overwhelmed with compassion as he sees the people he loves wandering about with no real purpose or mission...like sheep do when they have no shepherd. In this scene, Jesus, with much intensity, calls to whoever will listen: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Immediately after giving the call for laborers to be sent into His harvest, new characters come into the next scene...they must have responded positively to Jesus’ call. They are gathered around their leader who gives them authority to go and do the work of ministry. But before they go, their teacher has them sit down and listen for a little bit as Jesus preaches a sermon that prepares them for the mission fields they will soon enter.

Just in case they assume it would be easy...even though surely they wouldn’t...i mean since when is harvesting easy work? But just in case they do not understand the full intent of the metaphor, Jesus makes it crystal clear to them. This mission is not as easy as 1-2-3. It is demanding, dangerous, and potentially demeaning. Here, let me press play...listen to Jesus’ words:

“Proclaim the Good News, ‘The Kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast our demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff... Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement that for that town.”

Okay...let me press pause for a brief observation...Before they ever set out on the mission, Jesus let them in on the truth. He didn’t tell them it would be as easy as 1-2-3. Instead he said, “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When [not if] they hand you over, do not worry what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death and father his child and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name.”

If they expected they’d go out and tell the world all about this Jesus and the hearers/observers would always receive this message with thanksgiving and all would be fine and dandy, now they’ve received their wake-up call! I wonder...maybe it’s because Jesus let us in on the arduous nature of this missional journey that we make excuses for staying focused inside the four walls of our wonderful church buildings, maintaining a much more comfortable and cozy life than the Gospel demands!?...well enough of that for now...back to the flow of the story....

And as we continue to hear Jesus’ sermon unfold, we hear Jesus say, “A disciples is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?!” He continues, calling his newly authorized missionaries (the disciples) to fear only God and not those who can only kill the body and not the soul...wow, this mission he is painting for the disciples is not looking much like a walk in the park, is it!?

Just in case they’re starting to think their master is a little on the crazy side, Jesus reminds them that shame is not the name of their game... “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”

Jesus made it clear to these being sent out that he came to confront...to bring not peace but a sword...to set set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother...a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law... Jesus isn’t foolish...he knows how alternative the kingdom of God is to the kingdoms and power structures of this world...he knows that acceptance of this kingdom is going to cause division amongst those who chose to be yoked to the powers that be in the world. But if the world is ever going to be free of the sinful power struggle of the world it is going to have to be confronted with the Kingdom of God...Jesus has made it crystal clear that the ultimate healing of the world outweighs the division that will exist due to the kingdom of God clashing with the demonic kingdoms of this age that is passing away.

Jesus wraps up his sermon of preparation for mission preached to his disciples and then does something very interesting. He himself goes and preaches the exact sermon again, this time without so many words. Before the disciples are sent out, Jesus goes out and demonstrates for them exactly what he had preached to them. So he goes out into the surrounding cities and announces the good news of the kingdom of God, which is at hand. But no sooner than he begins the work of ministry in those cities does word get to John the Baptist...the last one we’d think would question Jesus‘ message...John must be confused...maybe he thought the Messiah should be doing something other than what the reports suggest...so he sends his curiosity to Jesus saying, “Are you who I thought you were or are we to wait for another?”

Jesus himself is questioned! There is doubt among even the greatest of those who have ever been born! As Jesus continues his mission in these surrounding cities, His ministry is likened to flutes being played yet no one dancing...wailing yet no response of mourning. Flutes are supposed to cause dancing...wailing is supposed to bring about mourning...and the Gospel is supposed to bring about transformation...but instead they call the Son of Man a drunkard and a glutton who hangs out with “those people.”

And now we can press pause again for a moment. Now we are back to the place when we first walked in the room. The dust should be beginning to clear. The whole time Jesus had been preparing his disciples for the mission to which he had authorized them. And so far, it is revealed as demanding, dangerous, and even demeaning. What will Jesus do with such rejection, mockery, and indifference? ... But before we go there...you know what this whole chapter reminds me of? It reminds me of a Christian baptism...do you see where I get that?

In baptism, persons respond to the call of God to join the church in the satisfaction of salvation which, from beginning to end, is immersed in the mission of God on behalf of God’s world. The call is accepted, the person responds and is given the opportunity to prepare for baptism. Throughout the season of Lent preparation is made where the soon-to-be-baptized learn a very similar sermon as we just heard when Jesus himself preached and lived out the nature of His mission to his newly authorized disciples. After a long lent of baptismal preparation, Easter day comes...the church is celebrating resurrection and is overwhelmed with joy as another child of God no longer wonders like sheep without a shepherd, but is now on track...following in the footsteps of her shepherd....but just in case the soon-to-be-baptized has failed to realize how arduous the journey in these footsteps can be, before she comes to the waters, she hears one more sermon that prepares her even while reminding the rest of the baptized...she learns that persecution and death are the seeds that give way to the fruit of resurrection and life in a whole new way as the Gospel is once again proclaimed. She thinks to herself, this is the most serious of commitments ever made...to reject the evil powers of this world...to be in opposition to them...to trust and serve Christ as Savior and Lord, and no other, from this day forth. The sermon ends, the baptismal covenant is once again declared, the waters splash and out of the font comes forth a new disciple, a new citizen of the coming age--the kingdom of God, which is by nature at odds with the rebellious age that is passing away.

Just as the twelve responded to Jesus’ call, were authorized by Jesus to join in His mission, but first were made aware of the demanding, dangerous, and sometimes demeaning nature of this work, so we, the baptized have been made aware. Jesus has trod the path before us, not only in word, but most especially in deed. And when he stands in that transitory place between rejection and hope, where he has played the flute and yet no one danced...where he has wailed and yet no one mourned, when he preached the good news and no one repented, what does he do?

I’ll tell you what he didn’t do. He didn’t hang his head in shame. He didn’t get choked up in all the unsettled dust of his last missionary effort, unable to see the new possibilities in front of him...No, he did exactly what he taught us to do: he shook the dust off his feet and kept on journeying with his eyes focused upon his goal.
To the baptized gathered in this space this morning, Jesus has a message to give. Maybe, he says, that last missional effort that didn’t go as well as you had hoped...the one you’ve accepted as personal failure is actually faithfulness? Maybe what you’ve allowed to paralyze you in fear is actually grounds for thanksgiving to God? Sometimes, Jesus says, rejection and indifference is the response of faithful ministry. It is not failure but rejection. It is only failure if we fail to give the world Jesus to either accept or reject. If rejected, the disciple has still succeeded in faithful proclamation of the Gospel, which truly is the only thing the disciple has been called to do. Failure and rejection of the message we carry to folks are two totally different things.  The truth is that successful mission is in the proclamation of truth (faithfulness), not in what is done with that truth (fruitfulness)--only God can cause the latter to come to fruition. Successful mission may even result in the rejection of the Messiah.  Good news is that when in our story this Messiah is rejected and crucified, resurrection happens! The question Jesus asks us this morning is this: are we giving them the ever-crucified but risen Messiah to accept or reject or something else?

The good news of the Gospel this morning is that, when rejected, Jesus did not hang his head in defeat. He did not drown in the unsettled dust of his ministry...instead he did exactly what had instructed his disciples to do...he shook the dust off his feet and kept on going.

Jesus wants to teach us, his precious people, that with faithful ministry will come rejection...it is inevitable. Many times, maybe even most of the time, folks will respond to the Gospel with flat out rejection or even worse, indifference. The question is, will we accept the Spirit’s propelling power to keep on going, accepting each proclamation of Jesus Christ as faithful success or will we attempt to usurp the role of God and expect fruitfulness with each and every missional attempt and drown in the despair of our own perceived failures?

Jesus modeled for His newly authorized disciples the picture he painted with his sermon that prepared them for their mission. Jesus went to the surround cities and He was rejected. He played the flute of God’s kingdom and they were indifferent...they just sat there while the most beautiful music ever made was performed. Instead of hanging the hat and becoming paralyzed by fear of further rejection, he shook the dust off his sandals and kept going, knowing full well that He and His Father are in the business of bringing new life from the dust of the earth.

And this is how he knocked the dust off his feet. Instead of wallowing in the unsettled dust of rejection, he offers this prayer to His Father: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

Renewed by the power of prayer and in the center of His Father’s will, he keeps going, the dust of the last missional effort left to settle in the creative hands of God the Father. Not walking around in the dust storm of the last missional effort, he is able to see clearly, again, the harvest in front of his very eyes and continues to announce the good news to all who would hear:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Sisters and brothers in Christ, I do not know of a better context to share this particular section of Matthew’s Gospel with you than right here and right now. Everyone of us in this room knows what it feels like to experience rejection in mission. Any of us who have attempted faithful Christian ministry have met rejection and disappointment time and time again.

Today Jesus offers a bit of perspective for those of us who have become weary or heavy-laden due to our own perceived failures in the mission field. He offers us a brand new start. And that start begins with an invitation to simply come before Him who is gentle and humble of heart...that we might learn the truth from Him. He invites us to let him break the yoke of bondage that has so weighed us down over the years...the lies that say we are failures...that tells us the Gospel will not bring forth fruitfulness in our town, county, and surrounding areas. He wants to take that heavy load from us and refresh us with His yoke which is easy...with his burden which is light.

May the Holy Spirit blow away the dust we are not meant to carry, letting it settle in the only hands that can form life from the dust of the earth.  May the songs of the "infants" who have truly accepted the Good News we have offered (even in the midst of the "wise and the intelligent" who attempt to silence them) ring and resound in our hearts and minds so that we, like our Savior, may be thoroughly and joyfully thankful even in the face of rejection and right out indifference.  And may that thankfulness propel us forward to crowds full of “infants” ready to hear--those who are weary and heavy-laden, which may include some of us gathered here today...for Jesus seeks to be the Good Shepherd for His sheep who’ve been wandering for too long without a shepherd.

Will you accept the invitation walk with the God who has time for you? Will you allow him to heal you of the past hurt that has arisen from the dust of rejection and indifference and empower you for present and future ministry that will include both rejection and acceptance? Will you let him free you of the unnecessary guilt associated with mistaking faithfulness for constant acceptance of the message of the Gospel? Will you accept that all he asks you to do is proclaim the Gospel in word and deed and nothing else? And, then, will you we do it?

May we be free from the yokes the world has placed upon us and renew our acceptance of Jesus’ invitation to the restful life of being yoked with Him in Christian ministry. Amen.