Do We Like to be Disturbed? 9/25/49
Scripture: Luke 23: 1-11
Text: Luke 23: 5; ... “He stirreth up the people...”
A novelist undertakes to picture the life of a certain clergyman in a western plains state. Rector of a church with an aristocratic sort of congregation, the pastor lived out his twenty years there comforting many and disturbing none. A stranger or a newcomer to that parish would soon have absorbed the feeling, expresses in Browning’s words, that “God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world.” When the good rector died his bishop extolled his virtues and spoke assurances about his having joined “the choir invisible.” But the bishop wasn’t happy; for he had reason to suspect that St. Alban’s parish had been content with only half a gospel under the pastorate of the late rector. For 20 years, people had doffed their hats to the little minister; comforted themselves at church and been comforted when he called; patronizingly called him “Little Robbie” and made him out to be a good fellow. For twenty years they had been undisturbed and so had unconsciously grown complacent.
The bishop could not help contrasting the life and work of “Little Robbie” with the life of Our Lord. Let down the guards of your imagination and see, with the bishop, what a contrast there appears between the little undisturbing minister and the Christ for the preaching of whose gospel he had been ordained.
It was never said of Jesus that he was undisturbed or undisturbing. He was one who was profoundly moved, both with trouble and with holy enthusiasm. He excited people. He irritated a host of folk. The gatherings of men and women whom he addressed were by no means lulled in complacent comfort. Those who loved their spiritual and physical ease considered him a troublemaker. At the so-called trials of Jesus on Holy Thursday night, about the only accusation which was brought against Jesus, which was true, was this: “He stirreth up the people.”
Indeed he did! He did not stir them to political rebellion or subversive activity, as his accusers inferred. But he certainly shocked and excited people out of their complacency. Those who wanted to be told how good they were, heard how bad they were! Those who wanted ease were offered a cross! Those who wanted to find a pleasant, assuring path in the cool shade of comfortable ideas were pointed toward a severely straight and narrow road, through the heat of uncompromising righteousness. Jesus was the most disturbing personality in human experience, feared and hated by people in political and religious hierarchies, profoundly disquieting the consciences of those who sought the right with some sincerity, setting men at variance. What was there about Jesus that troubled people?
1) For one thing, the quality of Jesus’ life made sinners uncomfortable --- and that means just about everyone. A couple of weeks ago I heard a man make a speech in the course of which he solemnly declared that everybody in that room, himself included, is basically dishonest - that all people are basically dishonest. He is a man who spends much of his life energy running down embezzlers for an insurance company, and in so doing has developed a philosophy of life both bitter and (oddly enough) tender. I don’t agree with the point of view of his contention. I would prefer to say “all people are basically honest.” The whole structure of our civilization is based on the assumption that people will deal honestly with each other. Even the compulsions and requirements of law are designed on this positive assumption.
But it is true that we are all prone to temptation and wrong. In his negative way, that after-dinner speaker evidenced the sound theological truth that “all we are sinners and have fallen short” of the requirements of a good God.
Like the brilliance of the sun showing the fingerprints and dirt which accumulate on my study window, the transcendent life of Jesus Christ exposes and rebukes the imperfections of people. No wonder peoples’ consciences get stirred and uncomfortable when they dare to come into the presence of the great Master! Luke tells us that, after Simon Peter had become intimately acquainted with his Master, he “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’”
[Luke 5: 8]. There is nothing unusual about Peter’s feeling. Paul voiced the same feeling when he referred to himself as the “chiefest of sinners.”
The thing that sets us at variance with each other is the way we react to Jesus. Some have hated him, plotted to be rid of him, gotten him crucified in the vain hope that their consciences would then be rid of him. Some have turned away sorrowful like the ego-centric young man who had inquired of Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” only to find himself morally unable to accept Jesus’ demands. [Mark 10: 17-22]. Some have loved Jesus, for all the severity of his standards, have willingly accepted the rebuke of a quickened conscience.
2) Again, Jesus disturbed people with his ideas. For he was not only good, but wise. He thought about the accepted practices of his people, and had no fear of criticizing them. He put new content into old forms. “Ye have heard it said by them of old, but I say unto you ...” [Mathew 5: 21,22; 27, 28]. He came not to destroy but to fulfill. In doing so, he laid the axe at the root of many a cherished institution and many a venerable idea.
The one who stirs us up and makes us think, jarring us out of our ruts, runs the risk of losing our good will. For change in ideas or practice is often painful to us, especially in the intellectual realm. Was it not William James who once surmised that the best thinkers among mankind never developed more than one tenth the capacity of their brains. Small wonder then that Jesus met stiff resistance to his saying that “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” [Mark 2: 27].
One of Jesus’ most upsetting ideas was the essential worth and enduring value of the human individual. All pre-Christian people took human slavery for granted. One man might, and did, control another, directing his work, prescribing his activity, owning him as a complete possession. Disparity of class and caste were considered an unaltered law of creation. Jesus’ emphasis on the dignity of each personality has considerably upset all that, and has become the basis of the long slow drive toward personal freedom, individual responsibility, and democratic government wherein each has a voice in and a duty toward the governing of himself. Jesus’ ideas have been upsetting.
3) In the third place, Jesus disturbed his contemporaries with his ethical considerations. Deeds, rather than the display of prayers on the public square, were his measure of one’s ethical stature. He annoyed and angered churchmen with his request that they project religion beyond synagogue and temple into the market place. He pushed ethics to unheard-of extremes: “love your enemies.” [Luke 6: 27]. “Pray for those that despitefully use you.” [Luke 6: 28]. “If a man compels you to go a mile, make it two miles.” [Matthew 5: 41]. To be perfectly honest, I suspect that every one of us finds it hard to face the demands of this disquieting figure, for he expect us to go so far beyond the demands of simple justice. We do not find it easy to go any second mile with some arrogant, ignorant, unlovely character. We are afraid it won’t work any good, and frankly, we don’t much want it to!
Someone has remarked, with compact wisdom, that “the business of religion is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” That is a very fair estimate of Jesus. When we give ourselves to him in faithful discipleship, he both disturbs and comforts us. He makes us sensitive to the hurts of those who can not find hotel accommodations because of the shape of face or color of skin. He makes us uneasy over the poverty and crime of the slums. He asks us again to consider our trust in force of arms. He wants to know why we are too squeamish to look at the pictures of children too weak from lack of food to live and yet still too strong to die. He expects us to sit in judgment on our never ending attempt to get something for nothing, our scandalous drunkenness, our trifling with the sacredness of the home, our easy-going neglect of the churches of our choice. He makes us ill at ease with his demands and expectations and we don’t like it! -- or do we? Are we ready to receive his word, accept his way, assume his burden (he says surprisingly enough that it is “light” and his yoke “easy.”) Perhaps after all it is not so hard as our self-determined way. Though we like to direct ourselves through the affairs of mankind, perhaps we can accept his leading to a better way.
Notes: 3 practical expressions of our willingness to accept his disturbing.
1) Federal Council emphasis on evangelism. Next Sunday, October 2nd through December 31, 1950 - 1 year & 3 months.
First - pledge ourselves to faithful, consecutivve attendance at the worship service of our church every Sunday in October. 5 Sundays beginning with World Wide Communion Sunday.
Second - be alert to invite others to church, enccourage them to become active members, accepting the way of Christ and contributing to the fellowship of Christians.
2) Willingness to subscribe greater support to the Christian program of this church during coming year.
Need for major repairs and improvements on our building. Pointing the stones of the walls. Improving the lighting in Sunday School class rooms. Better facilities for young peoples’ groups and big department of social services, improvement of parking lot, more work on windows, etc.
Need for more support of our Congregational Church colleges and seminaries.
Keeping our world wide missions (benevolences) at high level.
3) Immediate aid for Displaced Persons before the end of this year.
What they are
How get them here
Sponsoring responsibility
When the question comes to us, “Do We Like To Be Disturbed?” I hope the answer of each of us will be: “Lord, whether we think we’re going to like it or not, if it be thy will and for the sake of making effective thy gospel, we are willing to be disturbed, and we will throw ourselves into thy work.”
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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, September 25, 1949.