Matthew 10: 40-42
I have a question for you, is today's gospel another rule? Is it kind of like a commandment or instruction from Jesus; "Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." Or is it an observation? Or is it something else entirely? The reason I ask is that at times I find that many of us approach the words of Jesus regardless of what it says, as simply another layer of rules to live a good life. So before we get into today's gospel lets think through, what if you and I took the rules of the Bible literally? Now before you and I answer no, let's think about it.
A.J. Jacobs, a writer, decided to give it a try. Jacobs committed himself to a year-long experiment in living the Bible literally. The result is a humble and humorous book on his experience titled The Year of Living Biblically.
Before he began Jacobs, a self proclaimed agnostic, read through the Bible and compiled a list of "every rule, every guideline, every suggestion, and every nugget of advice" he found in both the Old and New Testaments. When he finished, he had a list that ran 72 pages with more than 700 rules, guidelines and observations. Jacobs saw that some of the rules would be good for him — things like telling the truth, not coveting, not stealing, and loving neighbors, for example. But, like those of us who wade through Leviticus, he saw plenty of rules that did not seem to make people righteous at all; stuff like not eating fruit from a tree planted less than five years ago or paying the wages of a worker every day. He also noted that there are those biblical rules that are just plain illegal today, like killing magicians.
Well given the wide range of rules, Jacobs did what many do, establish some criteria for which ones he could actually follow. With the advice of Christian and Jewish scholars, he figured out that there were certain rules that were unquestionably figurative or symbolic. And, Jacobs decided that anything that involved voluntary donation of body parts should probably not be part of his quest.
Armed with this revised list and with the continued help of human and written guides from both Judaism and Christianity, Jacobs began his year as a new persona for the year named "Jacob" and began following the Bible as literally as possible. He grew out his beard and hair to the point that he looked like Moses or the Unabomber, depending on your point of view. He dressed all in white (Ecclesiastes 9:8), making sure not to wear any clothing of mixed fibers (Leviticus 19:19). He walked around with money rubber-banded around his hand (Deuteronomy 14:25). He carried around one of those combination cane/seat things called a "Handy Stick" so that he could avoid sitting where a menstruating woman might have sat (Leviticus 15:19). He even "stoned" an adulterer in the park, but since the Bible does not specify say how big the stones are supposed to be he just tossed pebbles at an admitted (and annoyed) adulterer on a park bench.
The rules that Jacobs followed and the reactions of people around him made for interesting comments in his book. One of the more interesting observations that Jacobs makes is what is obvious to many of us, that while many religious literalists scoff at the idea of a "cafeteria" style of religion --- picking and choosing what rules to follow and what to leave out --- the truth is that there is really no such thing as a true biblical literalist. Even fundamentalists have to browse the scriptural salad bar and cannot heap every biblical rule onto their plate.
In other words, it is possible to commit idolatry on the Bible itself, worshiping the words instead of understanding and embracing the Spirit in which it was written.
Let's return then to today's gospel. Today's words are at the end of a chapter of Jesus' instructions to his disciples. His words were designed to prepare the disciples for the missionary journeys they would undertake both during their time with Jesus and we know later, especially after his ascension. The disciples were not to be people merely bound by rules and simply dressing the part of the righteous in order to share the faith --- that was Jesus' critique of the Pharisees, after all. Instead, the disciples were to act as Jesus' own representatives by reflecting his character, mission and message to the world.
That means for example that today's words from Jesus are not criteria but guidance. Like ambassadors in a foreign country, the disciples were to be the embodiment of Jesus and, by association, of God, to those they would meet and live among; that association however, can cause a lot of grief as we see earlier in this chapter in the form of persecution for example, (10:16-20), alienation from family (10:21, 35-37), and even martyrdom (10:28).
People steeped in rules, regulations and worldviews have a hard time seeing an alternative, which was precisely what Jesus was offering --- a view of God's kingdom that would upset the status quo, turning over human power structures and ushering in God's rule of justice, love and peace. As Christians' we have been given a model of thought and behavior that transcends written rules. We have been given Jesus. If we're looking to be literal at anything, we should be most literal in modeling our lives after his. That is why the church to which you and I belong understands that we follow the "living" word of God.
In the midst of their mission of representing Christ, the disciples were to concentrate their best efforts on modeling him in their relationships, starting with each other. Perhaps that is what the verses that follow may mean. The role of "prophets," the "righteous" and "little ones" perhaps means that first two were specific role definitions, while "little ones" refers to what we might call the "laity" today. Nevertheless, representatives of Jesus were to welcome one another and care for one another with the love of Christ. For example, giving a "cup of cold water" is a simple act, but following it literally may miss the main point that it's those simple acts of kindness, compassion and obedience that best represent Jesus in our everyday lives. Our faith is not about how well we follow a code of rules but rather that we should make an effort to be faithful to walk in the light that we have.
A.J. Jacobs learned from his year-long experiment that even as a non Christian there was a lot he could learn from taking on the character and lifestyle of a Biblically based person. Jacobs wrote, "The experience changed me in big ways and small ways. There's a lot about gratefulness in the Bible, and I would say I'm more thankful. I focus on the hundred little things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four things that go wrong ... I also really liked what one of my spiritual advisers said, which was that you can view life as a series of rights and entitlements, or a series of responsibilities. I like seeing my life as a series of responsibilities. It's sort of, 'ask not what God can do for you, and ask what you can do for God.'"
It is a very easy to make what we read or hear in the Bible, into some literal explanation or description, but that is not what Jesus is challenging us to do. Jesus' words in this week's Gospel text demonstrate that what God really wants from us is hospitality. We are all called to welcome God - into our lives, into our community of faith, into the world. The implication behind Jesus' words is that we welcome God into our midst every time we extend ourselves in hospitality and grace to another. It is more of a challenge but more rewarding for us to model our lives around Jesus and that is not a rule to follow but a way to be. Amen.
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