Greatness is the Enemy of Goodness – 1/22/2017

Gree

Sermon based on Matthew 4: 12-23. In 2001, business and leadership writer Jim Collins wrote the bestselling book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't. Collins conducted research on 11 companies that had "made the leap" and chronicled why "good is the enemy of great."

At that time, business and church leaders gobbled up the book and had their organizations read it to move them toward "greatness." "Greatness," Collins defined as "distinctive impact" and "superior performance" shepherded by as he called it, a "level five leader." I thought about that book on Friday, the US inauguration day, as we in peace although divided made the transition to a new president. So in my opinion, it is no coincidence that one of the major slogans of the recent presidential campaign of President Trump, was "Make America Great Again." It's no wonder the slogan or Collins book was so popular as many love this concept of "greatness."

We tend to adopt that language in the American church as well. We often think that the measure of a church's greatness is in using Collins language how "distinctive" an impact we might have with our "superior performance," with "greatness" defined by being bigger, faster, stronger, richer and more famous.

Of course, as you all probably have figured out, greatness among many problems, is not easy to sustain and comes at the expense of others. For example, of the 11 "great" companies that Collins profiled in his wildly popular book have either disappeared or not what they used to be. Circuit City, one of the most successful companies profiled in the book, went out of business in 2009. Fannie Mae --- the Federal National Mortgage Association --- had to be bailed out by the US government during the mortgage crisis, and is seen by many as contributing to the cause of the crisis in the first place. We could go on discussing the other nine, suffice it to say, none would be "great" anymore.

So, it would be easy for us to scoff in hindsight at Collins' study, but I am simply using the book to illustrate the principle that past results do not always predict future performance. But more importantly, I think this raises something more important for us here at Good Shepherd: Is greatness really the best goal for a nation, a business or even a church? When Jesus says to "follow me, and I will make you fish for people" is that the same as or leads to greatness? Because if we turn to other places of Scriptures, we begin to realize that greatness is finicky, vastly overrated and as various places in scripture point out not our model. "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' ²He called a child, whom he put among them, ³and said, 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." In fact, rather than the good being the enemy of the great, biblically speaking, greatness is the enemy of goodness.

Granted, it's tempting to go after greatness. Greatness gets our name on the cover of the magazine. It gets us large church membership, awards, branded buildings, the recognition we believe we so richly deserve. But based on scripture, God doesn't require greatness --- only goodness. Greatness come and goes, goodness however is much more sustainable and more importantly views and treats the world from a different mindset. When we focus on doing God's will, being faithful to God's covenant and being attentive to God's leading, when we focus on love, hope and faith, we have done all that we were meant to do --- regardless of the results.

That's our measurement as well. Are we doing justice, seeking the will of God in everything we do? Do we love faithfulness, living out the covenant with God we made in our baptism? Are we walking humbly, paying attention to what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us?

Jesus certainly was. Jesus begins his ministry, the gospel of Matthew says today by going to Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee, precisely because he sees his mission as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: "On the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles -- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." Light however, is not the same as greatness.

Jesus moves to Capernaum by the sea so that the people sitting in darkness can see a great light. He begins his ministry with a focus on replacing the shadow of death with the light of life. Jesus did not go to Jerusalem or even Rome, instead we are told Jesus "withdrew" to Galilee meaning he returned into the territory governed by Herod Antipas, the very ruler who arrested John the Baptist.  He is not going to centers of power.  Quite the contrary.  He's going into the lion's lair! Jesus is "withdrawing" to take up the reins of the resistance in light of the imprisonment of John. The darkness of despair needs to be replaced by the light of hope.

We see that expressed as well, when Jesus called the first disciples along the same banks of the Sea of Galilee. We are told that Jesus sees two fishermen, the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, casting their net into the sea. Jesus says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." This is an interesting follow up to last week's story from John, where we hear of the same Andrew along with an unnamed disciple who follow Jesus after being told by John the Baptist that he is the "lamb of God." So, which is it, as fishermen or as disciples of John? I tend to believe that it is both, as it reinforces what many of us know, following Jesus is not a momentary decision but a lifelong process. Although today's story points elsewhere because we are told that they "immediately they leave their nets and follow him."

Regardless, Matthew reminds us that Jesus challenges them to follow him in a life of discipleship, not greatness. Greatness is never even implied. Then, to prove that this is no fluke, Matthew tells us that Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He calls them, and we are told that they leave the boat and father and follow Jesus. Jesus is now four for four in terms of succeeding in getting people to follow him, but not by persuading them that what follows leads to wealth and power. Rather just the opposite, for later the same James and John, ask Jesus if this "following" will lead to star seats in heaven to which Jesus replies, seats are for God to configure, instead we are about God's character.

Our passage ends with Matthew telling us that "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people." Jesus is entirely consistent in word and deed. He teaches and preaches about the kingdom of God, and then shows one sign of this reign comes by curing disease and sickness among the people.

In other words, Jesus did not indicate that this reign would mean that Israel would become "great again" or that faithfulness leads to wealth. Jesus could have gone that route, because greatness was in their vocabulary and expectations. For example, in Genesis 12, where God promised Abraham that his offspring would become a "great" nation through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed.

But greatness can be one symptom of goodness over time, and Israel demonstrated that it is unsustainable. The kingdom that had reached its height of greatness during the days of David and Solomon and, at the time of some of the prophets, was now a shadow of its former self. Micah for one historically chronicles how goodness in pursuit of greatness had gone off the rails with oppression of the poor, corruption in its courts, dishonest economic practices, false prophets, greedy priests, loss of order and, most tellingly, a rejection of God's desire for justice.

Take this all forward thousands of years later to the 21^st century American church and we might ask, "With what shall we come before the Lord? With great buildings, filled seats, or million-dollar budgets? Will God be pleased if we show that we are Collins defined successful? Is bigger, better, faster and stronger the sign of the kind of church God is after?"

The early Christian church seemed to have embraced a goodness-over-greatness strategy for its own growth. In his book, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, historian Alan Kreider looked at the rapid growth of the early church and wanted to see what exactly caused the church to grow during a time when it was underground and persecuted. We would expect him to find that it was about measures of greatness --- grand evangelism strategies, great preaching and leaders, attractive worship with good music, superior leadership, better methods, better martyrs --- all things that we measure and value in a good-to-great culture.

The truth is that, in every case, Kreider discovered that the real virtue of the early church was patient faithfulness. For example, up to three years were spent in education before officially taking anyone into membership, during which time they trained together in faithfulness; to represent the character of Christ. Membership was the least of their concerns.

An interesting tidbit for us Americans is that the early documents also reveal that the early church did not have much of a focus on evangelism or on preaching or moving to where people where moving. Instead, it was about cultivating faithfulness and strengthening people who represented Jesus.

When Jesus called disciples to follow him, he was not interested in an exercise in developing "great" disciples but in genuineness, as examples of God's loving, grace filled character, redeemed as followers. When Jesus began his training with these first four, in the land of resistance, Jesus began with the poor rather than in the centers of power, with the meagre rather than the wealthy and educated. Jesus did not build on false hope that it was going to be about trading in a small boat for a yacht because the fishing would be better. We will see that immediately after this proclamation for with this story the gospel of Matthew sets the stage for Jesus' first major speech, the Sermon on the Mount, which expresses Jesus' "new law" of how to live out that gospel rather than becoming great.

Jesus made a strong link between the life we live today and the life of the Kingdom of God. We each struggle with brokenness and God's forgiveness. We wander in confusion and need the clarity of the Holy Spirit. We take actions grounded in ignorance --- as individuals and communities --- and need God's insights. Just as we are often tempted to dwell on grandeur rather than living out faith in places of murky struggle.

Today is a reminder that the light of Christ has come into our lives, and we should never hide it from others, but it is not greatness that we are about, after or offer. Jesus has called each of us to follow him, and to "fish for people" by being patiently faithful in authenticity and goodness. Amen

Comments

[Sammy MB]

THIS... was really very good. Thank you for it, and thanks for reminding us all the line may not move in one strict direction from good to great or onward. How circular yet always moving forward the Way seems!