Tuesday, September 28, 2021

28 September 2021 - responding to opposition


When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem

Jesus knew what his journey to Jerusalem meant and how it would end. He was resolutely determined to accomplish that mission. Isaiah prophesied about this moment, saying, "I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame" (See Isaiah 50:7). We can learn from this steadfast resolve, just as the Letter to the Hebrews recommends.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame (see Hebrews 12:2).

The question that today's Gospel brings to us is how we respond when we have made such a decisive decision and we encounter an obstacle.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

No doubt Jesus would have delighted to welcome members of that village into his fold. He ought to have heard from them, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." But they would not welcome him, not just due to coincidence or inconvenience, but precisely because of his destination. They were against the very thing which he had made such a strong determination to do. The response of the disciples was like our own tends most frequently to be in situations like this.

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”

When we have strong resolve and encounter push back we tend to respond by struggling against the opposition. Jesus taught a different way, saying that we ought simply to shake the dust from our feet and keep going (see Matthew 10:14). This morning we see that he himself practiced what he preached. Rather than pushing back against the negative force of opposition against him he simply let it slip off like Aikido or Tai Chi. 

For us, it often seems hard to simply redirect and keep going. Our egos are so fragile that can't bear to go on without acceptance or recognition. We feel as though if we leave the problem unsolved it will remain unsolved and probably somehow bring the whole world collapsing down with it. After all, Jesus seemed to be headed there. Could his plan even succeed by another route? We need to learn from Jesus that the key thing is the mission. Our firm resolution is not meant to tie us to this or that specific path, necessarily, but rather the destination in view. We are meant to be flexible so that Jesus can redirect us dynamically, like the Holy Spirit version of Waze. The disciples recorded in Acts were good at this sort of flexibility:

And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them (see Acts 17:7).

The one thing that really has the power to overcome any opposition we encounter is the mystery of the cross and resurrection of Jesus himself. It is this display of the love of God that is meant to draw all nations unto him (see John 12:32). Rather than getting lost in specific minutia, as if all depends on those specific details, we are free to chart our course toward that goal, toward Jerusalem, by whatever paths are open, through whatever cities will welcome us. We do better by those who oppose us to continue to the place where we die to ourselves and live by the power of God, to the heavenly Jerusalem. For from there we have a better hope of revealing God to them than we do by argument, opposition, or calling down fire.

It is the Paschal mystery that has the power to inspire the inhabitants of the Gentile nations to say, "Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD"; and, "I too will go to seek the LORD.

Many peoples and strong nations shall come
to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem
and to implore the favor of the LORD.

This nations can only be gathered by the power of God. We must learn to remain committed to the goal without the need to rely on feelings of aggression or violence as a crutch to help us remain steadfast in the face of opposition. We must let the peace of Christ control our hearts so that we can have the freedom we need to follow Jesus where he is going. Without it we will doubtlessly get sidetracked on the way. We will remain outside like the elder brother of the prodigal son, rather than entering into the party.

They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
    “This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
    “My home is within you.”


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