Another
appropriate epistle today would have been Ephesians, where Paul reminds us that
we are members of Christ’s body. He then quotes both Genesis and Jesus
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Going on to say this mystery
is great and applying it to Christ and the church.
And it is in
this sense, applying this to the Church that I’m speaking of tonight. Quite
frankly the way we here in the industrial US understand marriage bears little
to no resemblance of marriage in the time of Jesus. Frankly I don’t see the
point of getting into all that; though I will begin with a broader notion of kinship.
I had a
friend who upon looking at her first born child, and seeing both her and her
spouse in the child said, “This is what the Bible means when it says the two
become one flesh.” Her mind turned to scripture in this holy and sacred moment.
It was a genuinely touching and meaningful response to the miracle of new life.
And while I
think she meant it quite literally as in the genetic combination of the married
couple, in a broader sense she did touch upon the meaning of “Therefore a man
leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one
flesh.” This does not merely refer to sexual union, but rather to forming a new
kinship bond.
The echo of
Adam saying "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,”
reverberates throughout the Bible as way to name kindship bonds. Laban says to
his nephew Jacob, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” (Gen. 29:14).
Abimelech says to his mother’s family, “Remember also that I am your bone and
your flesh” (Judg. 9:2). The tribes of Israel say to David, “Behold, we are
your bone and flesh” (2 Sam. 5:1). David says to the elders of Judah, “You are
my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh” (2 Sam. 19:12; cf. 19:13).
And it was
not too many weeks ago that we read here the words of Jesus, “Those who eat my
flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” This from the chapter in
John’s Gospel of establishing Eucharistic practice. The Eucharist is many
things. It is ritual cannibalism; it is an intimate encounter with Christ
himself, a union of flesh. We digest Christ; he becomes literally part of our
flesh. It is also communion, a community experience, one that forms us all into
the body of Christ.
In becoming
one flesh with Christ we also become one flesh with each other, in the kinship
bond sense. We become siblings with and in Christ, as the author of Hebrews
tells us: “For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one
Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
The author
of Hebrews also refers to us specifically as children, while Christ today tells
us that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will
never enter it. Now I commonly hear this interpreted as one must enter the
Kingdom innocently, or with simple minded acceptance. But I believe those are
relatively modern conceptions of children born out of romanticization. A
romanticization I think that is part and parcel of a notion that the miracle of
new life ceases to be a miracle as that life gets older. I don’t believe Jesus
thinks that way.
I rather
think Jesus is speaking to children’s lack of wealth, power or status in his
times. Children, especially fatherless children, are mentioned throughout
scripture as those in need who have no resources – who in fact God especially
cares for. It is in this sense, in powerlessness, poverty and lack of status
that one enters the Kingdom. The first shall be last and the last shall be
first.
I’m reminded
here of the woman who put a mere pittance into the Temple treasury. Jesus tells
us she gave more than those who gave large amounts because she gave everything
she had. You are not your wealth, status or power, clinging to that makes
entering the kingdom harder than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle. You enter into the kingdom free of all that, an equal brother or sister
or sibling under one Father alone.
I do not say
this naively. Our order developed in part out of recognition of the great
sibling rivalry that disrupts and divides the Body of Christ. Yet, how much of
that rivalry comes out of not entering the kingdom as child or sibling? Our
society truly lacks a notion that we have intrinsic value, and so value is
measured in terms of superiority – if not with wealth, power and status, than
with some sense of moral superiority. We speak of good and bad people, right
and wrong people all the time. Believing we can enter the kingdom without all
that is pretty difficult. Believing that our siblings don’t need any of that
either takes work. The one who sanctifies believes that, and so I direct you to
him, and the encounter with him we all soon will have.
And so we
come to table tonight with this in mind. We are not simply a community who
worships together; we are entering into a kinship. Giving our all not just to
God but to each other and to living out of the kingdom. We are becoming
brothers and sisters and siblings who abide in Christ as Christ abides in us.
Therefore
what God has joined together, let no one separate.
Readings for this sermon:
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