Simply Grace

Reformation Sunday 2020

The Problem is Idolatry

Happy Reformation Sunday! Today we give thanks for the life and ministry of Martin Luther and other reformers of the church. The church needed and continues to need reformation because it has fallen into the trap of the worship of idols. In the time of Martin Luther the veneration and practical worship of relics was widespread and was eroding true Christian devotion from within the church. The thinking was that if you paid homage to holy artifacts, or relics, this would buy you time into heaven. Visiting a holy site, or praying to a piece of clothing that an apostle wore, it was thought would give you spiritual power. Some joked that there were enough pieces of Jesus’ wooden cross supposed to be relics that if you collected them all you could reconstruct an entire Roman Armada or Naval Fleet. 

Luther didn’t have a problem so much with the relics. While some reformers insisted on gutting out churches, Luther was considered conservative, because he preferred to retain as much tradition as possible. The real issue was having faith in your own works, your own ability to earn God’s approval. This is the worst kind of idolatry. This is worshipping yourself and your works over and above God.

Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment, which we read about in Matthew 23. He said that it is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. This is the commandment number one in the 10 Commandments. Idolatry is worshipping something or anything other than God. Do you think idolatry is an issue still today?

Idolatry was an issue in the time of Paul the Apostle. We continue to study the First Letter to the Thesselonians today and we focus on chapter 2. Paul writes that his first trip to Thessalonica was not in vain. They were productive in calling people by the Holy Spirit to faith. Paul’s team, however, came to Thessalonica having just escaped mistreatment in Philippi. What happened in Philippi was that they had liberated a slave who was being exploited. A young woman was possessed by a demon. This demon gave her the ability to practice divination or fortune telling. Her owners charged people to interact with the girl they considered to be their slave. They offered a spiritual encounter with her as a “medium.” When the young woman saw Paul she would cry out declaring his allegiance and servitude to the most high God. After awhile Paul exorcised the demon out of the young woman, liberating her from this spiritual and physical enslavement. Her owners were very upset because Paul disrupted and destroyed their business model. So they stirred up a mob accusing Paul of being unfaithful to the Roman state religion of worshipping the emperor. Which was not a false accusation. Paul and his missionary team were arrested, beaten, put in jail, and after an earthquake they were released from jail and asked to leave the city. From there they went from Philippi to Thessalonica. 

Despite all of this suffering Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:2, “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.” What is the Gospel of God? In greek, the word, “Gospel,” is read, “Euangelion.” This is a super-charged word. In the time of Paul a “Euangelion” had a very specific meaning. It was an official royal pronouncement from the Roman Emperor declaring an achievement by him, usually in the form of conquering a new territory or city. Once the emperor or his army or navy successfully brought a rebellion down, or expanded the territory of the empire they would send out an “Euangelion” throughout the empire. It was supposed to be “good news” from the emperor, and the ex

Paul’s missionary activity and letter to Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki

Imagine people living in Thessaloniki, a prosperous port city in Greece. There are Jews living there under the Roman Empire. They believe in one God, and that there is a messianic promise of a king that will come to rule in righteousness, and to usher in the kingdom of God. 

Paul came to Thessaloniki with a message that the Jewish messiah has already come and began to rule on earth. This messiah rules not a nation, but the “Kingdom of God.” This rule was threatening to some people, to parts of the established political and religious orders. So Jesus was crucified. But three days later he rose from the dead. He sent the Holy Spirit to give power to all those who put their faith in him. What is more, he promised to come back to rule forever a kingdom of justice and peace.

Why would this message be attractive to people living in Thessaloniki in the year 49 of the current era? Christianity spread not in the center of either the Roman Empire, nor the center of Judaism. Christianity spread along the seams and edges between these and other groups. There were God fearers who were interested in Judaism: the rich prophecy, wisdom, and law therewithin. These God fearers who were previously on the edge of Jewish life found a warm and inviting place with the message being preached by Paul’s missionary team. 

The fact of the matter was that the prevailing political and religious orders didn’t work for everybody. The tremendous wealth and power of the Roman Empire, as impressive as it was, wasn’t accessible to many people. The Roman Empire was built around the cult of the emperor, that is, a state mandated religion in which the emperor was worshipped. His titles included: Christ, messiah, son of God, prince of peace, and everlasting savior. While on the surface everyone had to participate in worship rituals to the emperor, in their hearts many people questioned whether the emperor was as good and powerful as he claimed to be. Was he really divine?

Judaism already had a tenuous place in this society, because they maintained an unwavering commitment to worship only the invisible God of all the universe. Specifically Jews were not compliant in worshipping the emperor or venerating statues made in his image. These were idols. Non-jewish people throughout the Roman empire and the world found Judaism both attractive or threatening. So when word of Jesus spread, it spread like wildfire.

Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit moving through the ancient Roman Empire by the words of the gospel. Not only was there an invisible God that was greater than the Roman Caesar, and transcended all empires and nations, but this same God sent his one and only son Jesus, God born as a human being, to begin a new kingdom of justice and peace. Now the lie at the heart of the Roman Empire, the lie that the emperor was a god, would be irrefutably exposed. The oppression of the Roman empire would be broken, and a new order of justice would be ushered into all of the land, and for all people. 

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, share these words with power from the Holy Spirit, and people believe them. They hear in the words a message of hope, and they see in the character and life of the missionaries something beautiful, that they would like to experience too. People are baptized and confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. In doing so these converts to Christianity disrupt the established orders. They are persecuted for being different and some thought that they were bizarre. Yet the Christians tolerate the persecution, not fighting back, and continue to grow bec

Still Life with Mustard Pot by Henri Fantin-Latour

Isaiah 25:1-9, Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14

You are saved by grace through faith, and not by your works.

When I was an adolescent our family went to a wedding in Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix was and is the big city for us. The wedding was downtown at St. Joseph’s, a big Catholic church. After the service they had a huge party. When I went to make a sandwich I leaned over the table and got bright yellow mustard all over my pants. I threw a fit and wanted to go home. My parents helped clean the pants, and told me I should stay. I insisted on leaving. They explained that going home wasn’t an option, but if I chose to leave the party I could wait in the car. So I did. I fell asleep. After the party was over everyone came out laughing and signing. I was told that it was a fabulous party and that I really missed out. 

For quite some time when the story was told and became a legend in our family my mother would feel bad. She would say that she felt guilty for not taking me to get new pants. She felt guilty for letting my mope in the care. But as I look back on it, I think she and my dad did the right thing. They taught me a lesson about boundaries. They gave me a choice. I could get over my embarrassment and join the party, or I could be proud and wait alone in the car, in the darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

That is the point of the parable of the wedding robe. Jesus said that once upon a time there was a king who threw a party for his son. When the townspeople refuse to attend the King’s banquet for his son, there are consequences. They get to choose what they want to do. Later one of the guests refuses to wear a wedding robe, and they are asked to leave. Once again there are boundaries and consequences. There are boundaries in the kingdom of heaven. 

If you’re going to crash a wedding; at least dress up! The guy that gets thrown out of the wedding is so rude that he doesn’t even bother to explain himself to the king. He is silent when the King asks him why he isn’t wearing a wedding robe. He thinks that he doesn’t need one. He thinks that his clothes are good enough. He thinks that his clothes are better than the wedding robes which were provided to all of the guests by the king! This person refuses the generosity of the king. This person would rather trust in their own self, than that of the king. 

Works righteousness is the same thing. It’s when you think that you know better than God. It is when you think that if you take matters into your own hands and do them as you see fit, you can do a better job than God. God doesn’t tolerate works-righteousness. The idea that heaven is only for good people is an example of works righteousness. 

You are saved by grace through faith and not by your works. This means that being invited to a wedding isn’t really about you or how good you are, how well you are dressed, or anything like that. It is about the people getting married and their generosity in inviting you. So you get dressed up the best you can and enjoy the party. Don’t make it about you. The kingdom of God is the same way.

I was married 13 years ago. My wife surprised me at our wedding with a really good mariachi band. They were dressed in their luxurious mariachi suits, and their instruments shined brightly. Sheri gave me this special gift because she loved me, not because I had earned it. It was grace. God loves you that much and even more! So have faith in God’s grace. Amen.

Renoir Girls Piano

You are saved by grace through faith, and not by your works.

Did you hear about the Lutheran pastor who died and went to heaven? He got a Chevy Impala from Saint Peter. Most people have to walk in heaven, but because he served so faithfully on Earth, he gets a perk in heaven, a car! Well this was great until the next day he saw the Catholic priest, Father O’Malley driving a Mercedes Benz. Well this isn’t fair, he thought. So St. Peter explained that the priest didn’t have the joy of being married or having a family of his own, so he gets an extra perk. This was okay until the next day the pastor saw a Lamborghini driving very fast. He did see inside enough to identify a Rabbi inside. This didn’t seem fair at all since the rabbi also had a family. So the pastor asked St. Peter. St. Peter said, well, the rabbi may not have earned it, but he is related to the boss, and so he has connections. 

So what makes this joke funny? The joke playfully questions what a person has to do to get into heaven. Some people think that you must do certain things to get into heaven. The joke, however, questions if perhaps a person can get into heaven not because they deserve it, but simply because they have connections. The joke also points to a more negative thought present in our minds, which is if the Jewish people are included within God’s covenant of salvation. Yes they are.

Your Work Won’t Save You

Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner and some hostile tenants. They have previously entered into a business relationship with the owner that they no longer wish to follow. The deal was this: the workers get to care for the vineyard, they can profit from their labors, but the owner expects to receive a portion of what has been produced. The workers decide that they don’t like this arrangement so they attack all of the representatives of the owner: his slaves, and his son. They kill the son. 

Some people have read this parable and tried to argue that it is about God ending the covenant with the Jewish people. That is a false interpretation which is not biblical. This interpretation is false for lots of reasons. Jesus warns that the vineyard will be taken from the workers who did not give the proceeds to the owner. This is a warning not directed at a religion or ethnic group. It is a warning directed at you and me, and every human being that walks the earth. It is a warning against works-righteousness.

Saved by Grace

Works Righteousness says that you are responsible for earning God’s blessings by your actions. The rebellious and hostile vineyard workers have been lured into works righteousness. They feel that they have earned and deserve all of the vineyard. They have a hard time accepting that it all belongs to someone else. They think that they can further secure their wealth and well being by becoming the owners. You and I make this mistake when we think that we can earn our salvation, and run things better than God. 

So what is an alternative? What is a better way to think? It is that you are saved by grace through faith and not by your works. Your salvation is a free gift from God. God saves you. God loves you unconditionally. God makes your livelihood and existence possible. God makes the grapes to grow, the sun to rise, the rain to fall, the soil to nourish plants. God owns the land. God owns the stones in the wall and the watchtower. The pit to crush the grapes rests in God’s earth. Your body belongs to God. Your soul belongs to God. Your life belongs to God. Your family belongs to God. Everything belongs to God. God’s work is forever and eternally greater than we are. God alone can save you,

Work Won’t Save You

Before I was a pastor I was a youth director. I worked for a church in San Clemente, California and I was responsible to teach the faith to the youth. We would organize youth group activities, fun outings that would bring the children and teenagers together. Then we would use those outings to teach deeper lessons about faith and God. 

One such outing we made was to a roller skating rink in Fountain Valley, California. We were there meeting up with a couple of other youth groups. The roller skating rink was a lot of fun. It had neon, strobe, black, and more kinds of lights. They played music that was loud and super popular. There was an arcade with the coolest video games. The people that were there were dressed cool, and they were so good at skating! Many of the youth in our youth group were new to skating and so they were scared to get out there. That’s where my job kicked in.

I did my best to show everyone that you did not have to be an expert to have a good time roller skating. This wasn’t hard to do, because it was obvious that I was far from an expert at roller skating. I got out there with my wobbly knees and made my way around the rink without falling. This helped to encourage the more timid youth to give it a try. 

Meanwhile there were some very talented and aggressive skaters that whipped around us and weaved through our group. At one point I was a little off balance and struggling to not fall over. At that precise moment I felt a swoosh of air as another roller skater passed me, and I also felt the smallest of nudges, but it was just hard enough that I lost my balance and I fell hard on my behind. I quickly got up and looked at who had passed me, he looked over his shoulder and laughed. It was one of the really good roller skaters and his friends laughed with him as they pointed at me. 

Obviously I was not a super strong roller skater, and for a moment, I felt as if I was not a very good youth worker at all. I was trying to work at teaching the youth how to skate, and I was failing at that work. One of the other youth directors talked to me to try to help me feel better. Her church was located in Fountain Valley not far from the roller rink. She said to me, “Did you know that the motto for Fountain Valley is, ‘A Nice Place to Live’? The thing is, if you have to put that on a sign to tell people, then it’s probably not as true as you’d like it to be.” I chuckled and it did make me feel a little better.

You are Saved by Grace

It’s true. If you have to make a point to tell people to be nice, then they probably aren’t all acting nice all the time. Consider Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He says that if you get anything from Jesus, be of one mind and one heart. Think of others and not just yourself. If Paul had to write these things to the church in Philippi, then you can imagine that there must have been division. Paul inspires the church by focusing on the gorgeous work of Jesus the beloved. 

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 2:8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus was so full of unconditional love and beauty that he came down from heaven to spend time with you and save you. He teaches you how to love, and he gave his life for you, to save you, that you might have life. Jesus’ work is powerful enough to save us. Jesus loves you with grace. You are sav

When I was in high school my friend had a party at his house. It was on a Saturday night. Everyone was talking about what they did that day. People were basically bragging. One person went golfing. Another played tennis. Another was at the spa. Someone else went shopping in the city. It was my turn to speak. I had worked all day for my father. I was doing some kind of hard manual labor. We were building a house for the pastor of our church. It wasn’t far away from my friend’s house. Nobody really said anything after I shared. They were just kind of quiet. I think I heard some crickets chirp. It was because of this kind of interaction with my peers that the next Saturday I was working on the jobsite I felt depressed and didn’t want to be there. 

Jonah most likely suffered from depression. There are a number of times he says that he wants to die, and he makes choices that are self destructive. He rebels against God’s call to go to Nineveh, and nearly drowns when he is thrown from a ship during a terrible storm. God saves his life by providing a fish to swallow him, and then spit him out on shore. Why did Jonah want to die so badly?

Sometimes when a person suffers deeply the pain is so great that death would seem to offer relief, because it would be the end of pain. Jonah had to go to spend time caring for his sworn enemies. Nineveh wasn’t simply some foreign town, it was the epicenter of the Assyrian empire which was known to persecute and conquer Israel. Jonah was caught between a rock and a hard place. Because the only thing worse than the job to go love your enemy, is not having a job at all. 

When you don’t have a job to do you suffer terribly. First of all you don’t have money to survive. Secondly you feel as though you don’t have a purpose, or a reason for living. Thirdly, without a job to do you cannot show God how good and worthy you are of God’s blessings. It’s for a good reason that economists call mass unemployment “depression.” Not working at all can feel and be very destructive. God had in mind to destroy Nineveh because they were not doing the job God had given them. Without a job life becomes unbearable, and even death would appear to be a better option.

God also suffers for not having a job. God's job is to create, save, and make sacred. When creation dies or is destroyed, God suffers for no longer having the privilege of caring for it. God was suffering from the destructive actions of Nineveh. What God wants more than anything is for Niniveh to not be destroyed, because it’s existence is pleasing to God. We learn this in the last words of the book of Jonah.

Jonah sat on the west side of the city outside its wall. The sun scorched Jonah with its strong rays. Suddenly a plant grew to give Jonah shade and joy. The next day the plant died from a worm. Jonah again wanted to die because of his rage. Then God said to Jonah, Why do you want to die? Because the plant died, whose existence before gave Jonah joy. That’s how I feel about Nineveh, said God. Its existence gives me pleasure, joy, and purpose to live. Caring for her is my purpose. I delight in it. God says, I delight in your existence too. God delights in you too. It’s God’s job. 

God

Old hurts can replay in your mind making you feel trapped. God can liberate you from old hurts, so that you can leave that past behind and move into a better future. Forgiveness is the key to liberation and freedom.

Broken Glass

On one of my birthdays almost thirty years ago I got into big trouble. My friend and I were throwing rocks and beetles outside in a parking lot. They were rhinoceros beetles. One rock bounced of the sidewalk and broke a window. We ran for it. After a few paces it was obvious that running wouldn't work. My parents' car was parked right in front of the window. We were busted. I had work off half of the cost of the door even thought I was pretty sure I hadn't thrown the rock that broke the window. I couldn't stop thinking about how unfair it was.

Old Hurts Replay in Your Mind

You are stuck dealing with pain from the past over and over again. Your mind and body remember painful things that happen as a survival mechanism. Your memory is a good thing because it helps you to avoid dangerous people and situations so that you are not hurt again. The problem is that a memory may be so strong that you keep reliving a painful experience. It is unresolved in your mind. You think about and analyze why it happened and what you could do differently to protect yourself. You feel trapped in a past hurt.

A painful and traumatic memory may be so terrible that you repress it, and do not allow yourself to think about it. But it is still there inside of your, perhaps in your subconscious. You are still “trapped” by suppressed memories because they influence how you live your life, who you spend time with, and basically every choice you make. Your choices aren’t free but are influenced by your collective past experiences. 

You are like the indebted slave in Jesus’ parable from Matthew 18. In this story the slave seems to be forgiven an absurdly large debt by his owner. However, he squanders this new opportunity because he fixates on a relatively small debt he is owed by a fellow slave of about three months wages. Because he demanded payment from his fellow slave, the owner finds out, and makes him pay the millions and millions of dollars he would have been forgiven. Jesus says that the slave is tortured until he could pay back every cent. It is torture to relive in your mind over and over again a past wrong that was done to you, or one that you yourself have done. This is your guilty conscience. 

Joseph was sold into slavery. He was almost murdered. 

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Consider Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob. They had done an unthinkable thing to their brother. They beat him up, almost killed him, and sold him into slavery lying to their father that he had died. This pain and shame haunted them and Joseph for many decades. Finally when Jacob died, who was the patriarch and held the family together, there was a moment of great uncertainty. Joseph had the power to punish them for all they had done. When the brothers approach Joseph they all cry, because they all still felt the pain of this horrible incident. 

Joseph chooses to forgive. He says:

Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. Genesis 50:20

Joseph accepts God’s free gift of salvation and forgiveness in his own life, when he shows forgiveness to his brothers. 

There are times in my life when I might think about a wrong that has been done to me. I might feel tortured by the injustice and impunity of the actions of others.

Shoes Restored

You suffer because of other people’s bad behavior, and allowing that behavior to continue. God doesn’t desire to punish the wicked, but for them to repent. God promises to be with any two or three people who gather in his name. So go to your sibling who has sinned, and tell them their sin in private. And tell them of God’s love and mercy too!

Stolen Shoes

I like playing baseball. Hand eye coordination is a challenge, but it feels very satisfying when you connect with the ball. I caught a line drive in the outfield during practice, and I was praised for my performance. That felt good. 

One day after practice my shoes were stolen. That didn’t feel good. They were a pair of black skateboard shoes. I had taken them off and stowed them while I wore cleats out to the baseball field. Earlier that afternoon there was a girl who had told me that she wanted my shoes. I knew who she was. At first I didn’t say who had done it. I was embarrassed of what happened to me. I had done nothing wrong, and yet was suffering because of somebody else’s actions. My parents implored me to tell them who had done it.

Complicit in Bad Behavior

Have you ever felt like you suffered because of other people’s bad choices? God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel that you are called to be a sentinel. You are called to keep watch and speak up when there is danger or wrong doing. When you fail to speak up, you are complicit in the evil that happens. You suffer because you passively allow other people’s bad choices to happen.

God Wants to Bring People Back

Thankfully God doesn’t delight in making the wicked suffer. Rather, God wants all people to turn from their sin and return to a path of righteousness. Furthermore Jesus promised that when two or three people gather in his name, he will be there among them. Jesus will be with you when you have difficult conversations with people. You won’t be alone.

Invite People to Come to Jesus

The key, then, is to speak up and not silence yourself when wrong has occurred. Your motive is not to seek to punish or relish in the suffering of a wrongdoer. You are called to gently speak up when wrong has occurred, especially if it has occurred to you. In this way you are God’s vessel of healing and new life. 

The first step is to speak to a person privately and directly. If they don’t listen, then bring witnesses. If they still don’t listen, there could be a church meeting to address the issue. Finally if they refuse to listen in any way treat them like a gentile or tax-collector. How did Jesus treat sinners and tax-collectors? With love and mercy. You are to never stop loving anyone, not even your enemy. But you are to love in such a way that does not condone or enable sinful behavior. 

The Shoes Restored

Eventually I told my parents who had probably taken my shoes. They suggested we talk with their family. We did. I remember one day seeing my shoes in the middle of the floor of the house. They looked good. When I put them on, they felt different. I saw the girl at school. We smiled at each other. She was kind to me ever since. So speak to your brother or sister in peace. Amen.

Once upon a time I wasn’t married. Sheri and I were just dating. So it came to pass at a social gathering she hosted on the Fourth of July in her beach house, there was another guy who expressed an interest and desire to take Sheri out on a date. This proposition happened right in front of my eyes. My blood instantly boiled with jealous rage. I will not say out loud what my reptilian brain imagined doing to this other guy. And besides all that there was a problem. This guy was at least a 100 pounds bigger than me, and that 100 pounds was all muscle. He was huge! I was not. But I didn’t appreciate the things he tried to say to Sheri during that party.

I didn’t want to cause a scene, or have things escalate for obvious reasons, so I waited until Sheri stepped outside. I very calmly went up to him and said, “Excuse me but, Sheri is with me. So you don’t need to talk about her like that.” 

He cocked his head to the side and said, “Do we have a problem here”? 

So I said, “Sheri and I are together. This is her Sheri’s house. So I think you should leave.” 

The guy looked angry and annoyed. He began to walk out the front door and said, “I am going to leave for a little while, but when I come back, you better not be here, or we will have a problem.” I was relieved to see him walk out the door, but also kind of started panicking as to what I was going to do! 

I can sympathize with Peter who also panicked not knowing what to do. Peter understood that Jesus had come to be an earthly and a heavenly king. However, he had no idea how Jesus would rule. Jesus said that he would go to Jerusalem, but that his enemies would cause him to suffer and die. Jesus would not fight against his enemies, but show love and mercy to them. Peter went out of his way to try to dissuade Jesus. Kings, in Peter’s mind, do not willingly suffer and die, they command armies to make their enemies suffer and die by use of violence. 

Today you might struggle with Peter’s temptation to use violence as a way to solve problems. This is the age-old problem of works righteousness. You might be tempted to believe that you must earn your salvation and God’s love through your actions. The problem is that you, and all human beings, are fundamentally flawed and damaged in your hearts and soul by sin. This means that even when you try to do something good, noble, honorable, and just, you can end up making matters worse. Taking justice into your own hands is a bad idea. 

God, unlike human beings, is a perfect administer of justice. God sees into your heart and mind, and will hold you accountable for your actions. In both Romans and Deuteronomy God says, “Vengeance is mine.” Furthermore Jesus told Peter and the disciples: 

For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Matthew 16:27-28

God is righteous and will serve judgement swiftly. So when did that happen?

It’s just like Jesus told Peter. He went to the holy city, Jerusalem, suffered at the hands of his enemies, and then died meekly on a cross. To most of the world this seemed like utter foolishness. But to those who have been called to faith, Jesus on the cross conquers: sin, death, and the devil. The almighty power of God was poured out from Jesus’ wounded side and this is the power to forgive sin, and give eternal life. Jesus accomplished this most powerful act not with violence, but with peace and humility. 

The good news is that if Jesus didn’t need violence to change and even save the world, then you don’t need it either. What you do need is faith. Have faith that God will b

I was looking forward to voting. It was the first presidential election in which I was at least 18 years old. I knew where my polling place was. I knew how late they were open. So I took my time finishing all of my homework, and with minutes to spare I sauntered from my dorm room to the polling place a few buildings over, that served all the college students in “north campus.” I handed over my driver’s license. The person ran their finger down the list of registered names to vote. Mine wasn’t there. “You’re not registered to vote here,” they said. Well where am I registered? She looked in another book, “Central campus. But you’ll have to hurry. There's only minutes left until the polling stations close.” My eyes widened and eyebrows raised. I hitched up my pants and jogged in the crisp autumn air down to central campus. The public university I attended sat at almost 7,000 feet above sea level so running was a challenge. I wasn’t dressed in athletic clothes, but in comfortable study clothes. 

I reached the central campus polling place. Just as I did a man stepped outside with a megaphone and began to shout, “Hear ye, hear ye, the polling place for the 2000 presidential election will be closing in 15 minutes!” I had arrived just in the nick of time. They found my name on the list. The poll worker asked me to confirm my address. It was wrong. It was my address from my freshman year dorm. I don’t live there anymore, I moved to the north campus this academic year. Well then I couldn’t vote here. I had to vote in the precinct where I lived. I explained that I was just there, and they made me run down here. No, you need to go back and explain to them that you live there now. I thought they were joking, but they were not. I turned on my heel and set off into the night running once again, this time up hill. 

We live in a challenging political environment. The next few months are going to get more political, with more attack ads, more misinformation, and more shenanigans. There could be more arguments with family, friends, and neighbors. There will probably be more propaganda, bumper stickers, lawn signs, flags, buttons, conventions, and speeches. It is exhausting. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were an alternative? There is!

Jesus is a viable alternative to political earthly power. How do we know this? It all has to do with the Bible reading from Matthew 16. There are two very important and interrelated terms: “Son of Man” and “Son of God.” What do these terms mean? Why is their meaning counterintuitive? Well I’m glad you asked. 

“Son of Man” comes from the book of Daniel and refers to an apocalyptic vision of when God comes to rescue the earth with an eternal kingdom of salvation. There is a vision of a divine and Godly ruler who comes from God and yet appears like a “Son of Man.” So the title “Son of Man” refers to a divine figure who happens to look like a human. 

“Son of God,” however, is a title used for an earthly king. It was used for Jewish kings before the time of Jesus. Even though the people knew that the king was a mere mortal, they had a special calling from God to rule the people. “Son of God” was a title for an earthly king. Even the Roman Emperor was called “Son of God” and this inscription can be found in the archeological record. 

How fascinating, then, that when Jesus asks the disciples who do people say that the “son of man” is, they speculate either John the Baptist or Elijah. These were godly prophetic men, but not with great political power. They were not kings. Then Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am”? Peter identifies Jesus, not with the spiritual title “Son of Man,” but with the political title of “messiah,” anointed