Sermon – “No Litmus Test for Jesus”
Society in the United States in 1917 was one filled with much fear and misunderstanding. The end of the Progressive Era and its Social Gospel message of reform, the onset of World War 1, and the Bolshevik Revolution raised anxieties in the minds of many Americans. One significant manifestation of this fear was the rise of xenophobia; Americans grew more and more wary of outsiders. This nation, which was built on the sweat and blood of immigrants from many different countries, now turned its back on these very same people. Beginning as early as 1882, ideas of immigrant restriction had been circulating with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. A decade later, the Immigration Restriction League, founded in Boston in 1 8 94, argued that the best way to keep out “undesirables” was a literacy test. Their campaign bore no real fruit at the outset as the various initiatives passed by Congress in 1896, 1909, and 1915 were vetoed by presidents Cleveland, Taft, and Wilson. It wasn’t until 1917 that a literacy bill was finally passed and made to law over the veto of Wilson. The United States had created in essence a situation where immigrants had to pass a litmus test in order to gain entrance. There were already in the law books litmus tests for African Americans and former slaves. Now anyone wanting to become a citizen of the United States had to pass a test.
The immigration policy of the United States in the wake of World War 1, which was capped with the passage of the Johnson-Reed National Origins Act in 1924, presents a situation all too common in our human history, both personally and communal in. Similar situation said existed through out human history and still exist even today. We hear the echoes of these feelings articulated in the first lesson that we heard today from 2nd Kings.
Naaman, a commander of an alien army group, held power and influence, but because he was a leper it was ostracized by all. Not only were people afraid, due to the contagious nature of this affliction, a people considered first if they fell victim to this particular malady that was quite rampant in that day. Thus, while he was a man and influence, Naaman had no real opportunity because he could not pass the litmus test that society place before him. Most of the societies of, his day, including Israel, marginalized lepers. The victims of leprosy were to be shunned by all, far they would render a person ritually impure if any physical contact was made. Here was a man at the height of his power, physically commanding, wielding great power with a word spoken. His disease placed him outside the circle of acceptance. He was forced now to live on the margins calling out a loud voice to warn people to stay away.
He is afflicted with this disease to such a point that he solicits help from where ever he can find it. His sole desire is to find relief from the suffering and ostracism that he experienced. Understandably, when we experience continuous suffering, we will try every possible remedy that might bring comfort and healing. Ideally, we’d like to control when and in what way is relief comes, yet as our story tells us truly healing lies not in our wants or our schemes but only in the providence of God.
While the presence of suffering in the world is beyond question, miraculous healings are unsettling and to our modern lives almost unbelievable. One fundamental reason we are disturbed about miraculous and extraordinary healings is that they diverge from what we believe is normative and rational. Yet in our modern world, we know that for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. Comprehensible and repeatable cause-and-effect cures are the norm. When we can examine, recognize, analyze, and define, we can control. But when it comes to human suffering, control is exactly what we want. In the story, Naaman’s world is all about command and control.
Naaman realizes that if he is to continue the way of life that he has become accustomed to he must find healing. It is at this moment that the providence of God becomes visible in the person least likely to help Naaman, his own slave. She tells him of a prophet in Israel who can help him. Naaman is desperate and will try anything. He goes to his own commander in chief the king of Arum and asks for a letter of introduction to the prophet in Israel. Then leaving his homeland with an army and vast treasures, he departs for Jerusalem and the king of Israel. In a display of his might and power, he asks the king to heal him. Instead of following the directive of the messenger, Naaman goes to the one that he sees as being the most powerful in Israel the king. He has missed the message.
It is at this moment that Elisha, the prophet enters the picture. Elisha is not in any way afraid of Naaman but rather calls him to him and offers him a solution to his problem, a cure for his affliction. Initially, Naaman was not impressed by the prophet of God; he wanted some kind of miracle cure. The text tells us that he wanted arm waving and magical phrases to be spoken. He couldn’t believe that something so simple as bathing in the river Jordan would cure him. He was convinced that Elisha was playing him for a fool. If all it took was to wash in the river why couldn’t he have washed in one of the rivers in his own country of Aram.
Angry and upset, he leaves. I can almost see it now this man who wielded power with the wiggle of his little finger, storming off down the road with his retinue following along in his wake. Once again, it is someone whom Naaman would normally have discounted who calls him to task and asks: “What harm would it do to go and wash in the river Jordan.” Naaman goes and washes and is healed. Naaman’s cure demonstrates that God has no particular litmus test for people. All that is necessary is that they have the ability to trust and to do what God asks. All are acceptable; none will be rejected, even those outside Israel. God chose no favorites are partiality; there is no litmus test for the lord our God.
As God showed no partiality toward Naaman, to outsider from the community of Israel, a man afflicted with leprosy, one who was considered unclean, so Jesus of Nazareth accepted all who came to him. No one was rejected; all were accepted. As one who understood human nature very well, Jesus realized human frailty and the tendency we have to make judgments on people in order to measure them. In other words, Jesus understood that we often require people to pass a litmus test before we find them acceptable.
The Gospels provide many examples of Jesus reaching out to all. Jesus had no litmus test for one’s physical condition, one’s gender, once nationality, one’s particular up occupation, or one’s sexual orientation. We are told in various places in the Gospels how Jesus cured lepers, women who suffered from continual hemorrhages. We are told how he called and ate with sinners; women who were considered prostitutes, a man who was a tax collector, and religious zealots, all considered outcasts by the society in which they lived. Jesus was not concerned with such laws of purity; what was important to him was meeting the needs of those who asked for his assistance. Jesus broke all the taboos of his day by speaking to foreigners, eating with sinners and tax collectors, and the even touching the lepers who were considered an anathema in his day. What Jesus was teaching his apostles (and those who would follow him) were the values of being inclusive. Just as Elijah showed of partiality toward Naaman, Jesus demonstrated that he had no particular litmus test that a person was passed in order to gain his attention or help.
Jesus reached out not only to his own people but to those who were different, those who lived outside the bounds of proper society. He reached out to those that had been brushed aside by the ruling elite. Those who were in power, the Pharisees and Scribes, often accused Jesus of associating with tax collectors, prostitutes, drunkards, and sinners. that Jesus gave no apology for outreach to these people; on the contrary in some ways he seemed to seek them out in a preferential way. When his actions were questioned, he responded forthrightly, “Those who are well have no need of a Physician, but those who are sick; I have come not call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2: 17”
Jesus synthesized his teaching of acceptance when he said: “Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does the will of God are my mother and brothers.” (Mark 3: 35) For Jesus, all who were willing to follow him were members of his family. Yes Jesus never required a litmus test for anyone-nor should we!!!
The Christian community needs to hear once again the message of Jesus’ inclusion of all people and rethink how it treats people both as a church and is individuals. Acceptance and tolerance must be the trademarks of our day-to-day existence, but unfortunately these important virtues are not the hallmarks that characterize our lives together in this community.
This past Tuesday, at the meeting of the Presbytery, ministers and elder commissioners were asked to vote to delete G. 6.106 b from our Book of Order. This paragraph known as the “fidelity and chastity” amendment was added to our Book of Order in 1996 in order to exclude certain individuals from ordained office in the Presbyterian Church USA. This amendment as it stands now has created grief, pain, suffering and great hurt too many individuals within our denomination; and has cost our denomination money in litigation, as well as loss of vital membership.
Last year, our own Presbytery sent an amendment to the General Assembly asking that this particular statement be rewritten in the Book of Order to bring the guidelines for ordination into line with Reformed Theology. On Tuesday night the Presbytery was deadlocked on the vote to remove G. 6.106b, and replace it with less polarizing and exclusive regulations,as a result of the amendment failed, relegating our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender and anyone else that the Book of Confessions defines as sinners, to the status of second class citizens in the church. By the actions of our own church, we have set litmus tests for those who seek membership and the opportunity to serve God. We must reject these attitudes and seek to become a truly inclusive church, one that welcomes all people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, or belief. Too often in our contemporary society we classify the poor, certain races, ethnic groups, religious denominations, and life-styles with the tag “to be avoided.” This pattern has been a persistent problem with our human society, but it does not mean that it should be tolerated. Systemic prejudice in our world can only be eliminated when people first recognize its existence, understand its sinful nature, and resolve to change institutions, laws, patterns of operation, and beliefs. Such changes do not happen overnight, but, as was dramatically demonstrated two weeks ago when we inaugurated our new president (the first African American to hold that office) takes time. It took us almost 138 years to achieve this remarkable change in the political landscape.
The transformation of society into to one that is more tolerant and accepting of all individuals must begin on the individual level and move upward. As the expression goes, “Think globally, but act locally.” This calls us as individuals and as Christians to make the perilous inward journey, to see the prejudices and the ways of exclusion that we practice in our personal lives and then make every effort to change. We exclude people, consciously and unconsciously, by their appearance, ethnic and national origin, religious persuasion, economic prosperity, gender, orientation, physical condition, and yes even the level of education. Whether you realize it or not, the people we encounter, even a regular basis must often pass a litmus test to be found acceptable. While our admission requirements are not as obvious as passing a literacy test, they are at times even more restrictive. This attitude however is inconsistent with the message of Christ who welcomed all.
But the Christian life is filled with many challenges, most of which we would probably choose to avoid. Yet, it is of the great challenges of life that we learn the most significant lessons. Once we are forced to reveal how we treat others, how we set barriers before them, we come to the realization that we miss so much by excluding others. From diversity comes the spice of life. But we will never to know by how sweet the taste of this diversity will be if we’re not willing to take a chance on others. So let’s not be conformed to the way that our society categorizes and excludes groups and individuals. We are to work to break the barriers that institutions, governments and even churches place upon others .Let us be like Elisha who called Naaman to him and through his action brought healing and the power of God. Let us all take up Christ’s work to be the Physician to those who need us most. Let us do as the author of the letter to the Hebrews suggests: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13: 2).
Amen
