Diversity in the Church and beyond, Matthew 9:35-10:23

This past Sunday the Scripture which I chose to preach over was found in the Gospel of Matthew 9:35-10:23.  This is the first commissioning of the 'Twelve' to go and preach and heal in the villages of Judea.  They are instructed not to go beyond the children of Israel, though there is the curious reference in verse 10:18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.  Which seems to leave an opening even here for a ministry to the Gentiles.

I preached these verses on Sunday at both First Baptist Church and at Woodlawn Christian Church.  The two sermons were different with the sermon at the Baptist Church being the longer and more involved sermon.  We had a number of other things going on during the service at Woodlawn and I had to cut the sermon in order to keep the service from becoming overly long.  It was Father's Day and we also were celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for our Sanctuary.  The sermon at First Baptist was honestly a much better sermon and I wish I'd have recorded that one, the one linked is the sermon as given at Woodlawn Christian Church.  It isn't a long sermon at just twelve minutes and though it wasn't as impactful as the more involved sermon, I still think it's worth a listen.

The primary point that I stressed at First Baptist was the difference in the Disciples.  We see Jesus selecting men from very different ends of the political spectrum.  We have Matthew the Tax Collector, who was as such a Roman Collaborator, then we have at the other end Simon the Zealot who was involved in a movement striving for the violent overthrow of the Roman occupiers.  It's worth also noting that some scholars believe that Judas Iscariot was also a member of the Zealot movement, a fact that if true I believe helps one understand better the betrayal in the garden.

The end point is that Jesus was working with an incredibly diverse and likely divisive group of men, Jesus purposefully selected for this diversity of opinion, background, and talents.  We are often guilty in this world (and with the Internet, it's getting far, far worse) of only 'hanging out' with those that we agree with.  One of my favorite personal quotes is that "if I only talk to people I agree with, I'll never learn anything... and I'll never teach anything either."

One of the things I like about both the Disciples of Christ and the American Baptist is that both denominations are incredibly diverse.  You have very liberal thinkers and you have very conservative thinkers in both denominations.  This diversity is our greatest strength and trying to lessen this diversity shall only serve to weaken the Church as a whole.

We're seeing this in society as a whole as well in the Church, and as I added in parenthesis above, the Internet has served to allow us to gravitate to listen only to those with whom we agree.  This phenomenon is going to be our undoing as a Nation as well as a Church if we don't take strides to open doors of dialogue and understanding.  Sad to say I have listened to leaders who claimed to want to make such inroads... to only hear them turn around and bash those which whom they disagreed in a very insulting and belittling manner.  I pray that someday soon we'll all learn to communicate and listen to one another in love and understanding.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 9:35-10:23  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

10 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,[d] cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.