A Mustard Tree
Please read today’s passage here: Luke 13:18-30
Some people like to congratulate themselves that we in the West live in a “Post-Christian World”. They point out how only a century ago the percentage of the general population that attended churches regularly was much higher, and that today Christian—or even theistic—thinking no longer predominates in the educational and entertainment worlds. I would not doubt that such statistics and surveys do indeed reveal something about the trends of our times. Since it is no longer accepted behavior to attend church or synagogue, people who only did this in the past out of convention have discontinued the practice. The question remains, however, whether the “Christian World” that we have supposedly jettisoned had very much to do with genuine Christian faith or with discipleship.
The other factor that such premature boasting by critics of Christianity tends to overlook is the reverse trend in other parts of the world. It is myopic of these self-satisfied Western intellectuals to ignore the tremendous growth among Christian groups south of the Equator: in South America and Africa, as has recently been pointed out by Philip Jenkins in his influential book The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (Oxford University Press). Jenkins bases his prediction not only on the rates of conversion in these southern lands, but on their exponential birthrates, the same factor that he predicts will result in a similar large growth in the percentage of the world’s population by Islam.
Jesus did not use statistics and probability curves to make the statements in today’s passage. He spoke as one with intimate knowledge not only of God’s own secret plans for history, but knowledge of the true inner dynamics of the Kingdom of God. He also took account in the two sections of today’s passage of the difference between outward or formal allegiance to the Faith, and inner commitment. The one will always be much more numerous than the other.
Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke connects this passage with his story of the “Bent” Woman, using the word “therefore”. He wants us to see a connection: how Jesus’ words here grew out of the hubbub created by his healing of the woman and his explanation of his miracles as part of the undoing of Satan’s work in “binding” and tormenting humans in his power. In that imagery, Jesus cast himself as the Liberator, who appropriately on the Sabbath Day, freed another of the victims of Satan. In an incident narrated earlier, which we have studied together, Jesus replied to his critics, that if he by “the finger of God” did these miracles of liberation, then “the Kingdom of God” is breaking in upon you. Jesus’ arrival as the Savior was the D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, of God upon the realm of Satan. And just as D-Day did not end the war, so the war of God against Satan continues today. But, also as D-Day marked the inevitable eventual doom of Nazi Germany—it was only a matter of time—so the victory of Jesus through his ministry, his sacrificial death as our Substitute and Savior, and his resurrection, has set in motion a rollback of the powers arrayed against God that is irreversible.
In his first parable Jesus used two examples. The first was the mustard seed, which was considered at that time to be the smallest seed of all. When planted and given time, it grew to huge proportions, so that even small birds could nest in it. The second image was leaven (or yeast) mixed into the dough and causing it to expand (or “rise”). These images were intended to picture how the faith in Jesus was to grow from small beginnings and eventually become very large. Unlike with some of his other parables, Jesus gave no explanation of the symbols, at least none which is recorded in the biblical text. But the point of both images is a simple one: the numbers of believers will grow rapidly and exponentially. And this certainly happened in the centuries following his death and resurrection. It is only in the past century that we have seen the trends that have led to the rapid decrease in professed faith in Europe (and to a lesser extent in North America), but even greater trends in the opposite direction in areas south of the Equator.
The mustard plant is only a picture of outward progress among the masses of nominal followers of Jesus. It does not measure either the numbers or the quality of true disciples. With true disciples, God is not concerned about large numbers. They are the “shock troops” of God’s army. They are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”, to use Jesus’ own terms. While, like a lamp set in the middle of the house, their presence cannot be hidden, this does not mean that their numbers will be great.
And so, Luke gives us the next episode. In v. 22 Luke writes—pregnantly—that Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem. This doesn’t refer to a quick trip southward and back. Rather it is Luke’s commentary that the overall direction of Jesus’ ministry, which he will take many more chapters to describe, was toward that final visit to Jerusalem, when he will become our sacrifice: suffer in his death the penalty for our sins against God, and rise triumphantly. And Luke throws in little reminders to us along the way that this will be the true goal of his ministry, and that we must keep that goal in mind as we read these early episodes and interpret them in that light.
In one of his stops, a listener asked him if those who are saved will be few or many (v. 22-23). In answer Jesus described two limitations on entry into God’s Kingdom. The first is that it is narrow. Matthew gives us more of Jesus’ words on this point: “For the gate that leads to life is narrow and difficult, and few people find it. But the gate to destruction is wide and makes no demands, and many people find it.” As we have seen in the preceding readings, Jesus never made discipleship easy. He never toned down his demands. Although his critics constantly accused him of watering down their religious traditions—such as the ban on healing the "Bent Woman" on the Sabbath—he never relaxed the moral and ethical demands that Scripture places upon the servants of God.
The gateway to life through belief in Jesus is indeed restrictive. You must believe that he was who he claimed to be, the Son of God. You must believe that you yourself are incapable of earning eternal life by your own “record” of being “a good person”, but instead acknowledge that like everyone else in the world you have failed God during your lifetime and need his forgiveness. And you must believe that God’s forgiveness comes to you at a cost: Jesus’ suffering the punishment that you and I deserved, when he died on the cross and then rose again. There are no exceptions or loopholes to these requirements. This is indeed a “narrow” gateway. And it is true that in the enormity of the population of the world today, “few” people find that gateway and enter it.
The second limitation is time. In Jesus’ parable “When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock’ (v. 25-26). In the words of the parable the knocking people are those who ate and drank with Jesus when he visited their towns. They had a friendly acquaintance with him, but they did not believe in him or follow him. Many people today have a “friendly acquaintanceship” with Jesus, in that they acknowledge the historical Jesus as a wise and gentle man who taught nice ethics and loved peace. But these people have no intention of asking him for forgiveness, or of reading his words in the Bible regularly, or of worshiping, or of becoming his disciples. The householder in the story represents Jesus. He refuses to open the door. He says “I never knew you”. Your “friendly association” never led to real knowledge and discipleship. Now it is too late.
This side of the story—the frantic last-minute knocking on the door— seems to refer to a change of mind after death. Then it is too late. The time of opportunity to know and follow Jesus is now, while we are alive. People can talk about “deathbed conversions”. And I do not discount this. Better at the end than never at all. But the time to enter into Life, is not at the gateway to death. It is now.
Brothers and sisters, if you have never entered this gateway, do so without delay. And if you have entered, then let us not worry about churchgoing statistics in Europe or America. Let us not be fazed by the boasting of “intellectual leaders” that we live in a Post-Christian World. They may live in a Post-Christian World. I, on the other hand, live in the Kingdom of God that grows and grows inside me, and I have entered the narrow gateway that is leading me to Life.
No comments:
Post a Comment