Sermon for the Third Sunday after Trinity

Sunday 27th June 2004

Preached by Rev Brian Parker


Seeing Jesus

Our Gospel reading this afternoon tells the story of Jesus beginning his ministry, speaking in the synagogue, in his hometown of Nazareth.

There are plenty of familiar faces in the congregation – and as he speaks Jesus, as they say in showbiz, is going down like a lead balloon!

The atmosphere is resentful, even hostile and no way are they going to listen to him.

Why?

Well, isn’t this the carpenter?

A carpenter was a very respected craftsman. He did more than joinery – he built ships, houses, and temples and, not surprisingly, made fine pieces of furniture.

Jesus had done all this in Nazareth – he had grown up in this small town community, helping his mother with the family after Joseph’s death.

Now at 30 years of age he walks into the synagogue looking like a Rabbi, accompanied by his disciples, and tries to tell them about God.

Isn’t this the carpenter?

Just imagine that scene at the front of the City Hall in Belfast.

Isn’t that yer man who was helping you with the roof last week?

Who does yer man think he is – God?

Sammy – come here till ye see this – look who it is!

They are seeing Jesus as someone masquerading as a Rabbi. They are too familiar with ‘the carpenter’ – who does he think he is?

Their presumptions about him amount to disbelief and that soon turns to resentment. So they blank him out.

So how do we see Jesus this afternoon?

Yes, we can see him as an historical figure – a carpenter in a small town in Galilee, a carpenter who became a great teacher, a man of high principles and wisdom.

We may even see this carpenter alongside the likes of Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, and Mohammed or perhaps rate him as the best man who ever lived- the greatest.

But if we see Jesus only in those terms – if our assertion of Christian faith is based on such a notion - then our faith is a fallacy. A tragic delusion.

If the congregation that day in Nazareth had put aside their presumptions and listened to what Jesus had to say – really listened – they would have seen the real Jesus and heard the Word of God.

President Roosevelt once decided to play a trick on guests who were arriving at a grand banquet in the White House. On such occasions the guests would file past the President, offer some greeting, shake his hand and move on.

Roosevelt wanted to see how many of them really listened to what he said. So as each guest came along he shook hands and whispered: “Good evening, I murdered my wife this morning.”

So he continued down the long line of guests and not until near the end of the line did he get a response. The Bulgarian
Ambassador stopped and with a firm handshake replied: “Congratulations Mr President, she had it coming to her!”

Do we listen to Jesus?

Do we make the effort to see him for who he is –seeing him by faith, seeing him enshrined in the worship of the Church, in liturgies, creeds and in the Scriptures. Seeing him in the grace of ordinary people.

The Gospels give us a multi-dimensional view of his character, his way with people and his mission and his call to service.

It is a costly service – a Hard Gospel – learning to love our neighbours as ourselves, learning to put right our mistakes, learning to go the second mile, learning to be reconcilers, learning to forgive.

But that is His call.

So in St Mark’s Gospel we see how Jesus related to people – we see his mercy, his caring attitude, and his challenging observations about what is right and what is wrong.

In St Matthew’s Gospel we see the long promised Messiah coming to his people – and shocking them with his hard message that his Kingdom was inclusive – that even the Gentiles, those other people were welcome.

In St Luke’s Gospel we see the healer of body and soul who shows mercy and gives comfort to the outcast and joins in solidarity with the victims of persecution and injustice. A Hard Gospel indeed.

And in St John’s Gospel, the spiritual Gospel, we see Jesus as the Christ –“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” - the man sent from God.

In this vision of Jesus we see the great reality – the key to life.

Seeing Jesus for who he is.

And all the stories of his earthly life, all the lessons, all the directions for right conduct, all the manifestations of power – they all need to be seen and listened to in the context of this dynamic truth –God with us.

God was in Christ.

You ask what is God like? What should man be like?

Look to Jesus: listen to Jesus. We need look no further.

Jesus says: “I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself commanded me what to say and how to speak. The word you hear is not mine: it is the word of the Father who sent me”.

Always Jesus is pointing to the One who sent him – pointing us to God and giving us answers to our questions – if we have eyes to see and ears to listen.

Carpenter, Rabbi, teacher, friend, healer – the greatest! None of these descriptions reveal Jesus completely.

St Paul says: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself”.

The Nazarenes, not least the lads in the building trade, not least the skilled craftsmen who had worked with him – see Jesus as he begins his God given mission. Their response is cold and hard boiled, their sight blurred by presumptions and prejudice, their ears blocked to his Truth.

“Isn’t that the carpenter?”

But remember Thomas the doubter, when he saw Jesus; his response was one of awe and commitment:

“My Lord and My God”

So how do we see Jesus? How do we respond to his hard gospel?

In our prayers we thank God for His Gift of the Spirit and for “the likeness of Christ in ordinary people, in their courage and kindness, in their patience and sacrifice and in their humble acts of loving kindness.”

It’s in the daily routine, in the good neighbour, in costly service, in courageous witness for peace and justice – in the hearts and minds of people that we may see Jesus.

And in searching the Scriptures, in our worship, in our manner of living, in our relationships, in our attitudes - we are challenged to open our eyes and to open our ears to the Word of God- to see Jesus as he really is and with an open and humble heart follow in his way.

“Isn’t this the carpenter?” “My Lord and My God”.

Amen.