What kind of Messiah?

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 -- Week of Proper 13

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 979)
Psalm 119:97-120 (morning) // 81, 82 (evening)
Judges 7:19 - 8:12
Acts 3:12-26
John 1:29-42

In our Judges reading, Gideon defeats the armies of the Midianites through the instrumentality of God. Enemy commanders are executed. It is a story of a holy war. God puts the enemy to panic and the armies slay them. There is a lot of bloodshed.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter uses the healing of the lame man as an opportunity to witness to Jesus near the Temple. He speaks in classical prophetic language.

It is unlikely that the progression of his argument would have been convincing to all. There is a weak point, or at least, a point of contention. Peter says, "God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer." I can hear the mumblings of the crowd. "Whoa. All the prophets? Where does it say that? Most of the prophecies about the Messiah speak of his triumph and power. We await the Messiah who will fight the holy war and expel the Romans and raise Israel again as the highest power."

A Messiah who suffers and is shamefully executed was a hard sell. It might still be.

Today we hear some Christian voices spinning the news of war and violence in the Middle East with their hopes in the same kind of Messiah that didn't come 2000 years ago. The expectations they have for Jesus' return look a lot more like Gideon than they look like Jesus of Nazareth. The "Left Behind" series and the "Late Great Planet Earth" and other apocalyptic Christian preaching anticipates the return of a Messiah who will fight the holy war and conquer all enemies and rule the world from Jerusalem. There is a lot of bloodshed.

But what if the Jesus who returns is the same Jesus as the Lord we know? What if the Messiah really works through suffering and compassion instead of through power and violence? It is as tempting for our generation as it was for theirs to hope for victory through might. That's not how God has manifested power through Jesus Christ. His is a victory through healing, compassion, forgiveness, and love. He is a vulnerable Messiah who takes upon himself the suffering and death of all the world, and raises it to new life. There is no bloodshed, except his own. And that blood is transfigured into the cup of salvation.

Many of those who listened to Peter rejected his words. They didn't want a Messiah who would suffer. Many voices in the Christian world seem to be of the same mind.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR