Half-Empty? Half-Full? Full-Filled!

[PowerPoint, slide 1 on monitor: “Contrary to Darkness: God’s Word Is Fulfilled.”]

We are in the church season of Epiphany until the end of February. “Epiphany” means “upon the showing or upon the lighting.” During this season our scripture lessons will all speak of moments in Jesus’ ministry when the power and glory of God was revealed through him.

Keep that in mind and listen again to what Jesus told that hometown congregation after reading from the prophet Isaiah: “These words have been fulfilled in your hearing.” Or, as our plain English version read: “While you heard me reading these words just now, the words were coming true!”

Those were amazing words to say [slide 1, bullet 1: “When Jesus said it…”] considering all the darkness around them. When Jesus said it, Rome still had power over them. People were still captive—often unjustly. Blind people still couldn’t see. Hearts were still broken all around. But Jesus made it sound like a universal miracle had just occurred while he read God’s old promise from Isaiah.

This was a favorite passage for them. It spoke of a day they looked forward to, a promise they longed for. And Jesus said, “The promise is here, fully!” as if they would walk home from synagogue that day and Rome would no longer be oppressing them, the jails would be empty, but the roads would be safe, and all ailments and brokenness would be healed.

Guess what [slide 1, bullet 2: “The Synagogues reaction…”] the congregation’s reaction was to Jesus’ little sermon? Any guesses?…[Shock. Disbelief. Anger.]

I’m very glad that Luke wrote about this scene. Mark and Matthew wrote very little about it. Let me read what Mark wrote in his sixth chapter:

From there [Jesus] went to his home town accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue; and the large congregation who heard him asked in amazement, “Where does he get it from? What is this wisdom he has been given? How does he perform such miracles? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?” So they turned against him.

That’s all Mark and Matthew told us. We often assume that the congregation scoffed, saying, “Who do you think you are, Jesus? We know your parents and your family!”

But Luke gave more detail. (I don’t want to give too much away since next week our lessons will pick up where we leave off today.) After Jesus said, “These words have been fulfilled in your hearing,” Luke 4:22 went on to say, “And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘And isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”

So, at first they loved it! And they took personal and hometown pride in him. “He’s our boy! We know his dad!” It’s kind of like when the hometown hero comes back with Olympic gold medals. There’s a parade and she speaks some words of thanks and motivation. And the crowd is cheering, “Yeah! That’s our girl!” Sound familiar?

It’s what Jesus said next that upset them so much that they went from loving him to trying to push him off a cliff. But that’s next week. I’m not going to steal Pastor Joe’s thunder, nor mine! So for now, they loved Jesus and his sermon.

Some Bible scholars (And let me mention something. We hear the word “scholar” and imagine some brainy authority. Do you know what “scholar” means? It means “student of.” We are all and always students of the Bible. We are all Bible scholars). Anyhow, some Bible scholars are pretty sure that Luke just gave us a one-sentence summary of Jesus’ whole sermon. Normally, a preacher sat down and went on for some time.

I’d like to think those scholars are wrong. I’d like to think that Jesus sat down and simply said, “This is fulfilled in your hearing.” And everyone was thrilled, not only for the gracious words, but some were thinking, “Praise God! I like this guy! We’re finally gonna get outa here on time!”

They might not have known that the “Word fulfilled” was Jesus himself. But they liked it. It was powerful and affirming. It was not only optimistic about the future, but it affirmed that God’s power and promise is eternal and immediately present and happening. These were words, and an idea, of which they hadn’t heard or thought before. “Today. Fulfilled. Even as you listened.”

What about us [slide 1, bullet 3: “When we hear it…”] when we hear it? In some ways we live in a different context, a different place. We are not under some Roman power. But even on top of world powers, we are still oppressed by our own darkness. We are depressed by politics and cynicism. There are captives both justly and unjustly imprisoned. Diseases of all kinds hold us down. Hearts are still, to one degree or another, hearts are still broken. So, we know that darkness remains. Disease, depression, destruction, death—darkness is real!

[slide 1, bullet 4: “Our reaction?…”] What is our reaction? We can’t wish it away. Unlike some Christian groups claim, we can’t just believe it away. We shouldn’t try to sanitize and ignore it away. But also, we Christians shouldn’t passively accept darkness.

God is contrary to darkness. Jesus physically embodies the defeat of darkness. And, like Jesus, our message and belief is contrary to darkness. God’s Word—not just was, not will be—God’s Word is fulfilled!

You know the common proverb. Here’s someone who is jealous, is down, or not quite where she wants to be. Someone else saunters up, clears his throat, leans over and wisely says, “Well, [slide 2: “Half-Empty?”] is your coffee cup half empty or is it…” [Half full]. And he’s lucky if the she doesn’t knock in his nose.

Half empty, half full. Jesus tells us that neither idea is true. The cup is fulfilled. Full-filled.

The person who sees it half empty is the [slide 2, bullet 1: “Pessimistic”] pessimistic one. The pessimists often call themselves, “realists.” Murphy’s Law is their gospel. (You know Murphy’s Law? If something could possibly go wrong it will.) I say “they,” but we all invoke pessimism like the “Truth.”

This much is true and real about it: eventually, bad things do happen. Eventually, the best plans do show glitches. Eventually, winter rains cloud over the sun. Eventually, we will all be taxed. Eventually, we will all die. But Murphy and the pessimists speak it like these bad eventualities are ultimate Truths, the final words. They are not.

And to imagine so, to live your life with that sense of doom [slide 2, bullet 2: “Hinders motivation”] is an excuse to remain passive in life, to limp around from task to task and chore to chore with hindered motivation. It’s used as an excuse to cover up, or even to relish in, old failures and grudges. It uses pessimism as an excuse to avoid taking chances and to avoid investing your heart in people and action, now.

It is a way to feel [slide 2, bullet 3: “’Protected’ peace”] protected. You expect the worst, so when it comes it’s no surprise, just accepted. Often you don’t battle it, but just sit and suffer with a kind of superiority. “I told y’all! I knew it! This is just the way it is!”

They are called “realists,” but they’re not [slide 2, bullet 4: “Not realistic”], not from a Christian perspective. Because—in spite of darkness, in spite of all this—we believe that something happened, is happening and will happen through Jesus Christ that overcomes all of this! Contrary to all the surrounding darkness a Light shines. Once a light shines, it is not and cannot be complete darkness. Once even a pinhole of Light shines, that pinhole dominates and conquers the surrounding dark. So, a Christian cannot be pessimistic and realistic at the same time.

However, those who view the cup [slide 3: “Half-Full?”] half full have the same problem. These people are those of us called [slide 3, bullet 1: “Optimistic”] optimistic. Pessimists call them “unrealistic,” at which the optimists pat the pessimists on the head and merrily skip away.

It’s harder for me to be critical of optimists—I tend to fall in their trap too often. But the optimists are also wrong to focus so intently on the full part of the cup so that they can blissfully ignore the empty half. The so focus on the light-ness, they pretend the shadows around don’t exist.

Optimists tend to have [slide 3, bullet 2: “Limits motivation”] limited motivation. The level of their action depends and is limited by how full they imagine their cup to be. “Is it still fun? Do I feel personally filled?” You might even hear them make claims that basically say, “No one has a right to bring me down!” They have a tendency to close off relations with those things, people or projects that begin to feel burdensome. Optimists are often the “fair-weather fans.” When the going gets tough, they’re the ones that are suddenly gone. They may even have trouble holding a job, or keeping a new marriage because of unrealistic expectations of relationships, marriage, jobs and vocations. They limit their motivation.

They also tend to seek peace [slide 3, bullet 3: “’Sanitized’ peace”] in their lives by sanitizing things. When they don’t cut the ties, optimists are those irritating people who immediately try to find or force good into every situation. They cannot let the bad be bad. They don’t want to grieve. They don’t want you to grieve. “Be happy! We shouldn’t cry; always celebrate! Hide the body, don’t confront the disease, slather on the make-up, put it in the closet, hide it in the hospital, the prison or home, don’t talk about it—and maybe it’ll go away! If you only believe hard enough the darkness will become fake and go away.”

No! Optimism, pure optimism is not real. It is [slide 3, bullet 4: “Not realistic”] not realistic. God may be victorious over darkness, but that means that the darkness over which he is victorious must be real, a real enemy. It can and should be confronted and felt.

So, laugh if it’s funny. Enjoy it when it’s good. Cry if it’s sad. Be angry if it’s wrong or unjust.

The truth to hold onto from the optimists is to know that ultimately, when light shines, it is not and cannot be, by definition “dark.” The last Word belongs to God, the Word embodied by the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Contrary to sin, God says, “Forgiven!” Contrary to disease, destruction and death, God says, “Eternal life in Heaven with me!”

So, the person who listens to Jesus and believes him that he is [slide 4: “Full-Filled”] God’s Word full filled, that person is the most [slide 4, bullet 1: “Realistic”] realistic of all. Contrary to any darkness—even though they know the darkness is real and even though they respond to it with reasonable human feelings and responses, even in the midst of darkness—that person seems to carry a strength, [slide 4, bullet 2: “Unburdened peace”] an unburdened sense of peace. They know that their destiny, the destinies of loved ones and even their enemies and the world, are all in the hands of God. They are in the best hands, the most just and merciful hands.

The one who believes Jesus, that he is God’s Word fulfilled, has [slide 4, bullet 3: “Unhindered motivation”] an unhindered motivation. When you know that your destiny is in God’s hand, you have a freedom to act and move and to take chances. You know that when you make a mistake and blow it, you can grab hold of that free, unearned and undeserved gift. What’s it called? [Grace.] Grace: allow it to sink in and try, try again—from now unto eternal life.

Way beyond half empty, even beyond being half full, Jesus full fills God’s Word. And because he gives that victory to us and creation, God’s Word is truly fulfilled in its hearing and preaching. We are filled full and overflowing, even now.

[slide 4, bullet 4: “Faithful belief”] Our peace is unburdened. Our motivation is unhindered. Contrary to all Darkness, our Light has come, and God’s Word is fulfilled. It is filled full. Believe it! Live it! Amen! [slide 5: “Contrary to Darkness: God’s Word Is Fulfilled.”]

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