The Paradox of Faith
Pentecost 21A – NL2
October 22, 2023
Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN
2 Samuel 5.1-5, 6.1-5; Psalm 150; Mark 11.8-10
I love language, especially putting words together to both amaze and amuse. The events of the past few weeks and the texts this week prompted me to think of those things in language that we call oxymorons and paradoxes. An oxymoron is two words when put together make you scratch your head. My favorite oxymoron is “jumbo shrimp.” A paradox is two ideas which seem to be contradictory yet are both true. In the Lutheran church we say that we are both saints and sinners at the same time. We are saints because we have been fully redeemed by the blood of Christ. However, we are also sinners because we still mess up. To use another phrase, we are “already, but not yet.” Sometimes oxymoron and paradoxes seem to bleed over into each other as in these two wonderful desserts, a hot fudge sundae or Baked Alaska. These are paradoxically both hot and cold while using oxymoronic names.
There is a lot of truth in today’s readings today but there are inconvenient truths that are unfortunately left out. Last week we heard the story of Ruth, a non-Israelite living in the time of judges, who follows her mother-in-law Naomi to Israel with hesed, steadfast love and faithfulness. There Ruth marries Boaz and has a son Obed, who also marries and has a son Jesse, who marries and has eight sons. It is the eighth and youngest son, Ruth’s great-grandson, David, the boy shepherd, who becomes anointed king of all Israel. And, I should add, it is David who is the ancestor of the One anointed as Messiah, Jesus.
As I said, there is much truth expressed in our readings today. It is true that it is David who is able to unite the people of Israel, who is recognized as their de facto leader over and against the former King Saul. And it is true that it is David who chooses the neutral city of Jerusalem as his capital and who brings the Ark there ensuring that God is at the center of the life of the people. This movement is appropriately celebrated with unbridled joy. It is true that most theologians believe it is David who wrote Psalm 150, rightfully praising God. Finally, it is also true that Jesus enters Jerusalem to the cheers of crowds as the anointed Messiah.
Even so, there’s other truths lurking. David’s triumph has come with unbridled bloodshed, the killing of King Saul by his followers, the killing of those who opposed him, and the soon-to-be extinction of the Philistines. It’s also true that David brings the Ark to Jerusalem to consolidate his power and that this “man after God’s own heart” impregnates another man’s wife and then conspires to have him killed. Finally, it is true that Jesus enters triumphantly one day only to be arrested, tried, and crucified a few days later.
It’s important to recognize these paradoxes as we think about Israel and Palestine. It is true that Hamas is a terrorist organization that openly states that their goal is the annihilation of Jews and the Israeli state. It is also true that Israel openly states that their goal is the destruction of Hamas. It’s true that historically the Jews have been persecuted wherever they’ve lived in the world and it’s also true that the Jews who were once the oppressed have now become the oppressors of the Palestinians. They’ve had their knees on the necks of the Palestinians for 75 years.
It is true that Hamas is not the same as the Palestinian people but it’s also true that Hamas are the only ones standing up for Palestinians, albeit inappropriately. It’s true that Israel the political state is not the same thing as the religion known as Judaism and the religious and the secular often clash. It is true that Hamas is Muslim, but it is also true that most Muslims do not advocate terrorism. It is true that some Christians, especially in the US, support Israel’s oppression of Palestians because they believe in Zionism, that Jesus will return to Jerusalem.
So, what do we do about this? Does our faith tell us how we might deal with these tensions? I think so. First, we might humbly admit our part in this conflict, ask God’s forgiveness, and seek what we can do. Second, we recognize we can’t resolve the tensions but rather recognize them and live with them. Life is complicated and the Bible is honest, sometimes brutally so, about the human condition. Third, we realize that this is complex and will take time to work through. There are no easy answers, despite what some claim.
Meanwhile, we are to go where Jesus went: to the cross. The cross is the place where we stand with those who are oppressed and we do so by showing compassion, which literally means to suffer with others. There’s a phrase that might help, “Think Globally, Act Locally,” which could involve prayer for our leaders and advocating with them for just solutions. This could also include sending support to sufferers through Lutheran Disaster Response, the Red Cross, or other worthy organizations. And we can promote conversations and understanding, such as we are doing this next Wednesday.
It is meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise God. We do so even, and especially when, our hearts are breaking amid the brokenness of this world. The best Psalms are the ones that lament our situation yet proclaim God’s love and faithfulness. That’s the great paradox of our faith, that to live for others means to die to ourselves. Because the One who died for us did so that we might live and that’s not oxymoronic, that's the truth of faith. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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