From the Daily Lectionary for Tuesday in the Seventh Week after Pentecost
Matthew 26:47-56
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Throughout this Gospel Matthew has pointed out the extreme difference between those who possess and wield “earthly” power, the elite, and the modus operandi of the Jesus movement. The first is characterized by coercion and violence. The movement is characterized by kindness, inclusion, and compassion. But perhaps the most telling aspect of corrupt power is its habit of betrayal. As I have pointed out before, Dante considered betrayal the most egregious of sins. It is an intimate violation of trust, and therefore the Truth. Betrayal undermines the very fabric of the human community. If trust is lacking then there is no sustainable community. It feels as if Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is as much a tragedy as Jesus’ arrest and execution.
The second aspect of this brief passage worth noting is that Jesus in the face of tyranny chooses nonviolence as his means of response. So-called Christian nations over history have found a way to justify warfare, but clearly, the Jesus movement was a form of resistance that rejected violence as a means to an end. Again, another contrast for Matthew. The ways of God run contrary to the ways of empire.
So the marks of empire are betrayal and violence. The marks of God’s vision for the world are justice, peace, and vulnerability. Our own nation now bears the marks of empire. Warfare defines our history. Betrayal has often been our calling card: African Americans were freed from slavery only to see it morph into another form, specifically Jim Crow laws and the erosion of civil rights. Promises broken. Betrayal. Violence, not de-escalation, is the means taught to our police forces for keeping social order. Wealth is held by an elite few while millions suffer the debilitating effects of poverty. Justice, the very rule of law, has been co-opted for the purpose of enriching the powerful.
We, sisters and brothers, are citizens first of God’s gracious rule, which means we stand against the destructive and callous forces of empire. That doesn’t make us unpatriotic. It just means that we have a higher calling; that we serve the greatest good for the greatest number of people; and as Americans it means that we work towards the egalitarian ideals of our founders, so that they may mirror one day the high call of God, that is to say, loving our neighbor first; welcoming the immigrant, taking care of our poor; being stewards of this land, its water, air, and climate; treating our least with dignity. It’s a long list.
The contrast between the ways of empire and the way of the Truth has never been so clearly drawn. The choice of what direction our work shall take is before us; don’t doubt that the choices we make have profound historical significance. We have been formed to be on God’s side of history, and the stakes have never been higher. Do not desert and flee. Trust your gut. Trust your passion… not to do so is mere betrayal.
A Prayer for Guidance (adapted BCP p. 832)
O God by whom the meek are guided in judgement, and light rises in darkness for those who love you: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
