by the Rev. Judy DesHarnais
Click here to watch the sermon recording on YouTube.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. We may be harassed, but in Christ, we are not helpless and not without hope.
Jesus was traveling about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, curing every disease and sickness. He summoned his twelve disciples, and for the first time, Matthew names these twelve Jewish men as the apostles. And Jesus gives them authority so he can send them out to do what he had been doing.
I want to pause first to look at who is called in the Gospel of Matthew. First, we could name Mary and Joseph. Mary was called to carry Jesus in her womb by the Holy Spirit, even though this put her in a precarious position. Joseph was called to accept Mary and her child despite the questionable circumstances. Then we see John sent into the wilderness to call people to repentance and to baptize Jesus in the Jordan. Near the end of the Gospel of Matthew, we learn that women have been following Jesus from the beginning.
It is not until after recording Jesus death on the cross that Matthew includes, “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” Just in case you weren’t tracking, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, was also the mother of their brother Jesus.
The followers of Jesus, the disciples, included men and women, married and single, people of different ages, fishermen and tax collectors, perhaps farmers, shepherds, and day laborers. And at least one rich man. An eclectic bunch.
I expand this list of Jesus disciples so that perhaps you and I might find we can imagine ourselves as disciples. That we might join with disciples across the ages, in proclaiming the good news and bringing healing and wholeness into the world.
On reading this lesson, it is easy for me to see people who are harassed. It is more disturbing to think of others as being helpless. Early in my engineering career, I had an employee who was paralyzed from the waist down. He came into my cubicle once, looking to use one of the references on my bookshelf. I went to retrieve it for him as it was located on a high shelf. He asked me to let him get it himself and used his arms, chair, and the shelves to pull himself up and get the book. He taught me the valuable lesson that I can offer help, but should not assume that someone wants or needs me to do something for them. As my mother has lost most of her vision, I am reminded again and again not to assume she wants or needs me to do things for her. Visiting her, I have wanted to put things away for her, knowing I could be much more efficient, but then is it really more efficient when she does not know where I put everything? Neither the employee nor my mother is helpless.
Later in the service, we will pray in the confession for forgiveness not only of the evil that we have done, but also of the evil done on our behalf. This is where I often feel helpless. How can I stop evil done on my behalf?
When our church prays the land acknowledgement, we are remembering evil done on our behalf. But this is not just a remnant of the history of our country. When I read the news of the latest bombings in Iran, I see evil done on my behalf, evil I feel powerless to stop. While we pray for our immigrant neighbors, I am reminded that the laws restricting access to this country were enacted on my behalf. To protect me from dangers, real or imagined, physical or economic. Is keeping trans athletes from competing in women’s sports to benefit my granddaughters or me? So many wrongs that I feel helpless to prevent.
On my own, there is not much I can do. But I am not alone, you are not alone. We have God, and we have this community. We may be harassed, but in Christ, we are not helpless and not without hope.
In the midst of Pride Month and looking ahead to disability pride month in July, I want to take a moment to ponder the healing and restoration work of Jesus and the disciples.
We see early in the story of Israel that certain people were excluded from the life of the community and considered unclean. Those with visible sores on their bodies or leprosy were to live outside the community until or unless they were healed. Women were required to live in seclusion while they were bleeding each month and after the birth of a child. After a prescribed period, women were to wash and then rejoin the community.
In Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, even more people were excluded. Some were excluded from entering at all, and many others were restricted to specific courtyards away from the altar that stood in front of the holiest part of the temple. Only unblemished Jewish males could enter the area where sacrifices were offered. The lame and the blind were excluded from the temple because they were “blemished.” Lepers and menstruating women were excluded because they were “unclean”. In fact, even when not menstruating, women were only allowed to enter the court of women. Hence, when Jesus heals people with leprosy, those unable to walk, and the blind, he is also restoring them to full inclusion in the life of the community.
Yet women, who were not able to enter parts of the temple and were periodically excluded from the community, were not healed of being women. Though one woman was healed of 12 years of unceasing bleeding and thus restored to the community. Eunuchs were also excluded from the temple; yet there is no report of any being healed. We find in Acts that an Ethiopian eunuch was baptized. Initiated into the community of followers of Jesus.
As we are called to a ministry of healing, we need to ask what healing people seek. My legally blind mother often asks for my prayers, but she has never asked me to pray that her sight be miraculously restored. Or she hadn’t until I discussed this sermon with her last night. I do not want to discourage anyone from believing in miraculous healings. My own mother very much believes that such miracles can and do occur. But I encourage us to respect the agency of those with a disability. We should seek ways to accommodate and include all persons in the life of the community. Perhaps we are called to bring about restoration by tearing down the dividing walls. Whatever we do, we need to do it with the input of people with disabilities.
Part of bringing healing and restoration includes countering White Christian Nationalism. Many of our neighbors assume that if we are Christians we hold a number of view points that exclude our neighbors.
Twenty-five years ago, when one of my employees gave birth to her first child, she was surprised that I came to visit her in the hospital. She assumed that since I was a Christian, I would not approve of her and her wife’s relationship, or of their means of having a child. What should I have said or done earlier to assure this woman of my care and respect for her and her partner?
Last week, six members of St. John’s, along with about 50 people from other metro congregations, attended Isaiah training on Public Discipleship. Over the next few months, we will be interviewing many of you as we plan training to stand with neighbors and protect democracy.
We, as disciples, as followers of Jesus, are called to have compassion on those who are harassed. We cannot sit back while people are being harassed because of gender, gender identity, race, nationality, immigration status, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status. We should not hide our faith because we fear what our neighbors and coworkers will assume about us. We have a call to join with disciples across the ages, in proclaiming the good news and bringing healing and wholeness into the world.
We may be harassed, but in Christ, we are not helpless and not without hope.
Let us pray: Jesus, help us to love others with the compassion you have shown us.
Amen.
