Rev. George Miller
Nov 5, 2023
1 Kings 18:20-40
It’s been 60 years since we last gathered. King Rehoboam messed up everything by
choosing to overwork and abuse his extended faith family. So bad was this decision that he was chased
out of town into the south.
The northern part of the nation has split away, and
things have gotten out of hand.
Our distant 3rd cousins twice removed are
living in Carmel doing all sorts of unholy things.
Instead of worshipping God and following the 10
Commandments, the people are worshipping the pagan god baal who requires the sacrifice
of children.
These long distant cousins of ours believe that baal
brings the rain and causes crops to grow, so if baal requires burning their
first born alive, that’s what they’ll do.
This upsets and angers God. How could this have happened? How could 10 of the 12 Tribes of Father Jacob
resort to such a thing?
How could they forget God who freed their ancestors from
slavery and led them to the land of Milk and Honey?
The unholy, ungrateful actions of the people causes a
drought to spread across the land, limiting access to water, making it hard to
live.
The prophet Elijah sees the suffering of the people, he
knows their hunger, he is aware of their thirst, but he also sees their sin.
In a show of grandiosity, Elijah comes up with a plan to
pit God against baal to prove that God is real.
Elijah so wants the people to turn back to the way things were, turn
back to the Commandments, turn back to God.
But did ya’ll notice something in today’s reading? Did you notice that the story seems to be
more about Elijah than it is about God?
Pay attention to the text. No where do we ever hear that any of this was
God’s plan. At no point do we hear God
speak or confirm anything Elijah does.
What we get instead is Elijah being super zealous, openly
challenging the priests of baal.
It is Elijah who says “Hey, lets cut up a bull and see
which god sets it aflame!”
It is Elijah who taunts and teases the priests. It is Elijah who turns to bathroom comedy as
he suggests their god is asleep.
It is Elijah who puts on a grandiose show, rebuilding the
altar, digging a trench, slicing the bull like he’s a chef at Benihana, commanding
12 jugs of water being poured out.
Then Elijah’s prayer!
A Dios Mio! It is sooo self-centered-
“O Lord- let it be known that you are God, and I am your servant. Let it be known that I have done these
things. Answer me God, answer me.”
Yes, we are told a fire of the Lord fell and burnt the
bull to a crisp…but really? Really?
Really Elijah?
During a drought that lasted 42 months, Elijah thinks the
best use of God’s resources and time is to waste water and to send fire down to
bone-dry ground?
Really Elijah, really?
He couldn’t think of a better way to show the people the glory of
God?
He couldn’t think of another way to turn people’s hearts
back to God than burning a bull until nothing is left?
Really, Elijah, really?
…for the past 4 Sundays we have been asking the question “Why?” Why do we follow Jesus?
And today’s answer is a really big “why” to balance
Elijah’s “really.”
Our answer to “Why” is found in the Gospel of Mark, and
it is a beautiful “Why.”
In Mark 6:30-44 we have the story where Jesus and the
disciples decide to go out into the dessert to be alone so that they can rest.
Jesus and the disciples have been so busy preaching,
teaching, healing, that they just need some time in an Arizona-style spa.
But the townspeople hear about this and follow Jesus into
the dessert.
Jesus looks upon them with compassion, seeing them as
sheep without a shepherd.
So Jesus teaches this crowd, who are hungry for the
Word. But when nighttime comes, they are
hungry for something else.
Seeing how hungry they are, Jesus tells the disciples to
feed them. And although there are just 5
loaves and 2 fish, Jesus does something amazing.
In Mark 6:39, Jesus has the people sit down…on the green
grass.
Though they are in the desert, somehow, someway there is
a green pasture for them to sit upon.
As the hungry people sit on the green grass in the middle
of the dessert, Jesus takes the bread, takes the fish.
He looks up to heaven.
He blesses the bread.
He breaks it.
He gives the loaves to the disciples to set before the
folk.
Then he divides the fish.
All ate.
All were satisfied.
12 backets of leftovers are collected.
As far as we know Jesus did not give a grandiose prayer;
Jesus did not say “me, me, me, I, I, I.”
In the middle of a dessert, as the people sat in green
pastures, Jesus blessed, Jesus broke, Jesus gave.
How utterly and completely different than Elijah who in
the middle of a drought ridiculed, wasted water, and sought fire to burn a bull
to ashes.
“Why Jesus?” we ask.
Today we have another answer.
Because when Jesus looked upon the people, he had
compassion. When Jesus had the chance to
turn folk away, he welcomed them to sit down.
When Jesus had a chance to show God’s glory and might, it
was not done by wasting resources, it was not done by dazzling fire.
Instead, to show God’s glory, Jesus opted to take what
little they had…and turn it into much.
When Jesus had the chance to show God’s might, it was
through compassion, it was through food, it was through meeting the needs of people
right where they were.
Why Jesus? Because
Jesus didn’t just live the 10 Commandments, he embodied them.
Jesus showed Heaven on Earth not by sending down fire,
but by blessing, breaking and sharing bread.
Why Jesus?
Because in him we see how the Lord is our Shepherd, we
shall not want.
The Lord makes us lie down in green pastures, our souls
are restored, and goodness and mercy follows us.
In Jesus our cup overflows, and we shall dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
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