For the Good of the Nation

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.  But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done.  So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.  If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place^* and our nation.’   But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all!   You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.’   He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation,  and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.   So from that day on they planned to put him to death.Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.  They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?’  Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

John 11:45-57

I have often heard people say “Jesus was never a political figure.”  One could probably argue one way or another, but it is hard to dismiss that the reading for today is deeply political.  Caiaphas’ answer regarding Jesus shows how political Jesus’ presence was.  This was a political power grab.

The Pharisees and the Scribes saw their power slipping right out of their hands due to what Jesus was doing.  After all, he was breaking Levitical laws, he was sitting with people he should not be sitting with, and he was welcoming those that society deemed unclean and unworthy to be people.  They just didn’t like it because it was undermining their authority and their power was at risk.

Caiaphas’ answer: Kill one for the good of the nation.  Of course, we see the irony in his statement.  Jesus’ death would be for the good of the nation and not only that nation, but nations to come.  But, obviously this is not what Caiaphas meant.  It was sad really.  Here was a high holy man, who was missing the Savior walking right by him, all because he was staring at himself and his own power.

Well, we could mock, but how often do we not let Jesus in for our own pride?  How often do we not allow God’s light to shine in our darkness thinking we can hide?  How often do we protect our own “nation” so to speak?

Christ though continues to walk to Jerusalem and comes out of hiding.  He knows he must be killed, so that we might live.  This is what he did for us for the good of the nation of God’s people.  He gave up his power and set aside his crown, so that we might be lifted up.  For this we give thanks.

Heavenly Lord, We can never imagine how much you have given up on our behalf.  For that we thank you and give you praise always.  Help break down the walls that we might build up between ourselves and neighbor and between ourselves and you.  Help us see past our own private palaces to see the true Kingdom of God.  Amen

Does God need a Guardian?

“But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” -from Matthew 1:18-21

Today the church commemorates Joseph of Nazareth, a descendant of King David, a carpenter and builder (we might say construction worker today).  Joseph was Mary’s husband, (probably arranged from an early age) and functioned as Jesus’ human stepfather through his childhood.  The last we hear of Joseph in any of the Gospels is in Luke’s account of Jesus in the temple as a boy (age 12-13).  He is also mentioned in Matthew and John as people question whether Jesus could possibly be Joseph’s son.  It turns out that questioning the legitimacy of someone’s birth circumstances is indeed a very old tactic to discredit them

The bigger question for Christians is not about Joseph’s genetic relationship to Jesus, but really whether he is important in the story at all, especially since Jesus’ public ministry is clearly grounded in a profound sense that the God of the Torah is also his Abba.  There are apocryphal stories of Jesus as a child that feature him doing some astoundingly divine and yet childlike things, making birds out of dirt, levitating or flying, and zapping a neighborhood bully with a bolt of retribution.  Does a child with such power need a foster father?

Yet, our affirmation of the full humanity of Jesus means that like all other humans, he grew, learned, changed and experienced his life as all children do.  Studies have shown how vital positive adults are in the lives of children.  Matthew’s witness places the responsibility for the flight to Egypt and handling their stay there with Joseph.  In some small part, Joseph’s patient willingness to be a dad to a child that was not his own, and to provide the love, protection and guidance needed was a harbinger of the longstanding Christian ministry of adoption and caring for orphans.

That is the power of all parenting, both birth and adoptive, that the child may surpass the parents precisely because of what they give to the child.  For Mary, what an honor to give life in the flesh to the life-force that spawned the galaxies.  For Joseph, what an honor and a privilege to be the protector and the rescuer of the one who would rescue and save us all.  God’s ability to work through the most ordinary people, and to do the extraordinary amazes me every day.

Let us pray:

Loving God, for Joseph and for all parents who foster, adopt and protect the children who were not born to them, but who were entrusted to them, we give you thanks.  Go with them and with all parents this day, who in sharing your unconditional love with a child, reveal the might of your love for your own Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.