Overhead in the corner of this coffee shop is a large TV monitor and a journalist is giving a report on how the Roman troops have stormed the Temple and slaughtered a group of Galileans while they were at worship. The Governor, Pontius Pilate, suspects Galilee is a breeding ground for terrorists and wants to send a strong message to Galilee: we tolerate no insurrection or rebellion.
Everyone stops and listens to the story – many of them are from Galilee themselves. So Jesus, says to his disciples, “Do you think that what happened to those poor Galileans was because they were worse sinners than anyone else?”
You see, back then people thought that when bad things happened to people, it was deserved because they or their fathers or family had sinned. Jesus was about to turn the tables again. Change society’s ideas of right and wrong and what was deserved and undeserved. He explained to them that evil is a power and governors influenced by power do evil deeds – that’s just how it is. He warns his followers: “Unless you repent, you will all perish just like they did.”
Suddenly rushing in comes a late arriving member of their group says, “The Siloam Tower has just collapsed, it has killed 18 people!”. People start talking among themselves, after all the tower is important and part of the wall built beside the Pool of Siloam, the only fresh water spring in Jerusalem. Maybe it isn’t surprising the foundations slipped then. Jesus asks them again, “Do you think those 18 were worse sinners than everyone else in Jerusalem?”
So let’s unpack this – The question is not were those people the worse sinners – I think we are folks have advanced our personal theology beyond that - We know that people don’t get cancer because they were rude to the parking attendant. I’m asking – WHAT IS SIN? HOW DO WE MEASURE IT? IS MY SIN GREATER THAN HER SIN? WHY REPENT?
Jesus teaches us that sin violates the great commandment, “Love God and your neighbour as yourself”.
Then what is sin? SIN IS ANYTHING THAT SEPARATES US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, our neighbour or our self…and we do the separating. The absence of God, living without His love. It’s a lonely place and somewhere I surely don’t want to be.
Now how about, if we’ve only sinned a little bit? Let’s say, not a whole cup of flour, just an ounce and the neighbour has a pound of flour! Jesus says sin is sin and even a little is too much.
How does sin affect us? I heard a friend say it quite plainly the other day. She said GUILT. She said, we live with guilt and then turn on the TV to hear how inadequate we are. I’m not going to turn this sermon into one of those sermons of prosperity from a mega church, you know – everything is good, we are good, God is good, we shall be rewarded. No, neither am I going to turn this into a fire and brimstone sermon from one of the old day preachers. I’m going to ask you, to look inside yourself, and see if there is anything that stops you from feeling the love of God. The whole love of God and a reciprocal love with God. It is unpacking that relationship, I believe helps us to understand the role of sin in this world. It’s the nagging feeling after you didn’t love your neighbor as yourself. You know, there are actually some denominations that believe if you work hard enough you can actually become “sinless”. At U of T., a doctoral student recently explained his Wesleyan denomination. They believe that someone can actually achieve absence of all sin in this life, it’s called sanctification. All Christians strive for it, but Wesleyans believe it can be achieved, however there is a catch-22. If you claim to be sinless, you already aren’t because you are proud!
Repentance is a major emphasis in this Gospel, it is not a nagging call, but instead it offers an implicit promise of salvation. We need to live lives of repentance because we never know when a tyrant will rise up against us or a Tower wall will fall – or our plane will crash-or a truck will crush our car – or a spasm stop our heart. Repentance helps us in life and in death – it helps us to live as forgiven people – helps us to face death without fear.
I have an absolute favourite movie, and for anyone under 30 in the congregation – I’m sorry. This movie came out in in 1986, called The Mission, starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons. The film is set in 1750s when a Spanish Jesuit builds a Mission in the NE Argentina and Western Paraguayan jungle. Captain Mendoza (a mercenary and slave trader) has killed his brother in a dual about a woman and as a suitable self-appointed penance is accompanying the Jesuit to his mission carrying in a pack all the weapons of his former life (armour, swords, knives, metal shackles). The weight is absolutely killing him as they climb the high falls.
Suddenly one of the Aboriginals takes a knife – and instead of killing Mendoza as the viewer and Mendoza himself fears – the Native cuts the ropes. It was the Natives on whom Mendoza preyed and that took away into slavery that relieved him of his burden. Now that is reconciliation.
The name our Gospel of today is usually given is The Fig Tree, so that shows you, how important this part of the reading is. Today’s Gospel came in 3 parts – two stories and a parable: The Temple, The Tower and The Fig Tree.
If you are a gardener, you have a long view. You know that when something is planted, it may be months, maybe even years before you see the beauty or the fruit of this mature plant. When Jesus is teaching about this parable, there are a few things we need to keep in mind, especially people like me, with a decidedly non-green thumb. When this certain man came to the garden with an expectation of fruit, that Fig tree had been planted quite some time ago. It wasn’t just three years the plant had been around. The gardener had planted it years ago! He had planted, tended, grafted, and pruned especially. Cutting off the bits that pull the energy off the main plant and its desire to bear fruit. We in the Diocese of Niagara, should really understand the idea of pruning in a plant that you won’t gain anything from for years. For you see, it is written in Leviticus and the Jews would have followed this law about the Fig tree – “Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten; But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year are to eat of its fruits that its yield may increase for you…” The vineyard owner was ready to eat the fruit but there wasn’t any! It was the 7th year of looking. Symbolically, this parable seems to be teaching that the Jewish leadership has had enough time to repent of their sins, and not just them but us! Remember that John the Baptist said to the multitudes going to see him, “Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance”.
For us Christians, what are the fruits that should be manifest in our lives? These are the fruits of the Spirit – taught to us by St. Paul in Galatians. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Apparently the Jewish leadership were not manifesting the fruit of the Spirit nor the fruit of repentance. Maybe we can ask ourselves, “What fruits are we bearing for the Lord?” “Are we showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control?” These are internal characteristics, but what about external manifestations of those fruits? Ministry to others? Are we bearing fruit in furthering the Kingdom of God? Are we giving, praying, forgiving, leading others to Christ, etc. Each of us is different and has different gifts and fruit, but we are all of the same body.
I heard a story at school this week that I’d like to leave you with.
On Valentine’s Day, 2011, Michael Fassbach was boating on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez where he studies whales. You may have been this story on Facebook or the internet somewhere. His crew spotted a large, young humpback whale. It was not moving. Just a small portion of it back was showing above the surface of the water. They came alongside it for several minutes, but it did not move. The concluded it was dead. Then it exhaled and still did not move. Michael cautiously entered the water with his diving mask, knowing that though the whale was near death, it could still kill him with one flick of its tale. He discovered the whale was entangled in a nylon gill net of the sort used by local fishermen. The net pinned is pectoral fins to its side and covered the dorsal fin. The massive net was so heavy that the whale’s tail was fifteen feel below the surface. The radioed for help but none was available. The whale would drown. Though they had only a six inch knife, from the side of their boat they began cutting. It took 30 minutes to free one pectoral fin. The whale, mistakenly sensing freedom, took off towing their boat behind, but after a kilometer it stopped, exhausted. The labored for another hour, cutting and pulling, cutting and pulling, and finally freed the tail. The joy of these 5 people was one thing, their shouts and laughter. For the next hour the whale leapt out of the water high in the air, about 40 times, they were not sure if it was in joy or thanksgiving.
This event can be a parable for us. Some say it is about sinful fishing practices using gill net. Some might focus on the power of sin to ensnare and weigh us down. Like the Native in the Mission and Michael Fassbach cutting the whale free – I hear today’s Gospel about Christ cutting us loose to the joy of freedom after repentance.
Creator, Lead us all in the dance of joy like that humpback whale, as we repent and reconnect in our relationship with God, each other and our world.
AMEN.
