Naked (Luke 7:36-50)

 Nearly every moment of our lives, whenever we leave the house, until we come back home, we are forced to present a certain appearance. 

It began when we were young. Kids in school learn very early to act a certain way, dress a certain way, to use certain vocabulary, to sound cool… Kids learn early on to hide those parts of themselves that are not cool. 

Is it cool to still like Bluey when you are in 2nd grade? 3rd grade? 4th grade? I don’t know! At some point, I suspect, it’s not, at least for many children. 

There are so many other rules: can boys wear pink? Can girls be confident? I don’t know about now, but when I was in school, boys didn’t wear pink. It wasn’t cool. Now, in my 50s, I sometimes do wear pink, and I feel like such a rebel!

Because there are so many unwritten rules, about how to behave, how to dress, how to act… You wear the mask. You try to fit in. To do otherwise is a lonely thing.

Many adults go to work, and only present a version of themselves. We don’t get too real or raw with our coworkers. 

The deep stuff… the real you…the stuff that really matters…your struggles, your goals, your insecurities… you never talk about that.

We don’t want to be that person who makes a habit of oversharing. Not at work. Not among our coworkers… or classmates…

Among friends, there is a deeper level of sharing. But sometimes, even among friends, there is a limit. 

Have you ever poured your heart out to a friend, only to have the friend say something like, “Hey, lighten up.” And you realize that your sharing is making them uncomfortable…and that you need to modify your behavior…

If you do have a friend or partner with whom you can share anything, who will listen to you and with whom you can fully reveal your true self, with all your insecurities and doubts and emotions and struggles…consider yourself fortunate, and blessed, for that is a special thing.

****** Today’s scripture makes me wonder about the kind of pressure the Pharisees faced, to act a certain way, to behave a certain way, to present a certain image… and to hide from view their questions, their fears, their insecurities…

A Pharisee needs to set an example. A Pharisee needs to always have everything together and figured out. A Pharisee needs to be holy and righteous.

In a recent church email, I talked about how we are all “works in progress.” Youth, and adults; we are all always learning, always growing, always journeying toward what we should be, what God calls us to be.

But a Pharisee felt the pressure to appear as a completed work. A finished product. Not a work in progress. 

We are all works in progress. No person on earth is finished becoming who they are meant to be. And no one, aside from Jesus, is completely holy and righteous 100% of the time.

But a Pharisee was pressured to present an image of himself that was finished and complete. Those parts of himself that were not finished, that were still a work-in-progress, he had to keep hidden away.

Maybe, for the Pharisee, the hope was that if you keep it hidden away, maybe it will go away. If you ignore the parts of you that you don’t like, maybe they will disappear.

The Pharisees worked hard at this. And they expected everyone else to, as well. Conceal all those less-than-perfect parts of who you are.

Like Elsa in Frozen; she had to conceal part of who she was. And like whats-her-name from KPop Demon Hunters. She had to conceal part of who she was. And like so many others.

Conceal who you are. Don’t let your true self show. Be perfect.

 That was the expectation placed upon a Pharisee. That was what they expected of themselves, and of others.

But not everyone got the memo.

***** The woman in today’s scripture couldn’t hide who she was. Apparently everyone already knew that she was “a sinner.” 

What that meant, specifically, I’m not really sure. Lots of people throughout the centuries have speculated on the specific nature of her sin… But we don’t know.

It does seem weird that scripture refers to her as a “sinner,” when elsewhere in scripture, it says we are all sinners, every single one of us. We have all strayed from the path God calls us to follow. 

Which means this woman is a sinner, but the Pharisees are also sinners. 

So why does she get that label thrown at her, while others do not?

Maybe it’s because she didn’t (or couldn’t) hide her sin from view. Maybe it’s because she allowed others to see her whole self, her whole being, both the good and the bad. Her sin was not hidden or concealed…..

Pope Francis often referred to himself as a sinner. When he first became pope, those were the first words he said when he appeared in St. Peter’s square: “I am a sinner.”

And he often asked people to pray for him.

I wonder if it caught anyone by surprise the way it caught me by surprise, to hear the Pope publicly declare that he is a sinner, and in need of prayer.

It’s hard to imagine the Pharisees saying such a thing. 

But the woman who the Pharisees did call a sinner… she did not deny the accusation. She did not try to defend herself against their accusation. 

But she also knew that she could present herself, just as she was—sins and all—before Jesus. In his presence, she didn’t have to hide who she was. She didn’t have to conceal her true self. She didn’t have to pretend she was anything other than who she was. 

That… is faith.

Faith isn’t necessarily having the confidence of the Pharisees. Faith isn’t having all the right answers. Faith isn’t memorizing the most Bible verses, or spending the most time sitting in the pew at church.

But faith is knowing that you can present yourself just as you are to Jesus, not hiding or concealing anything… and Jesus will accept you, and love you, and bestow upon you grace and mercy.

In meditating on this scripture, I began to think of this woman as presenting herself naked before Jesus. Not in a literal way, but in the sense that she truly had nothing to hide. Just like Adam and Eve before they ate of the forbidden fruit, when they were naked and not ashamed… when they had nothing to hide from God.

And I thought of Brian McLaren’s book Naked Spirituality, which he defines as a stripped-down spirituality, the opposite of a dressed-up spirituality.

And I also thought of the young man in Mark’s gospel, who is identified as a disciple, and who witnessed the arrest of Jesus. Mark’s gospel says that this young man was wearing only a linen cloth; and when the disciples fled, he, too, started to run, but someone grabbed him by the linen cloth he was wearing, and the linen cloth came off, and the young man ran away naked.

I always wondered why Mark thought this was an important detail to include in his gospel…

Maybe there is some symbolism here… maybe those who grabbed him wanted to keep him in this world, where power and wealth rule, but the young man wanted to strip away everything having to do with this world, and embrace the kingdom Jesus came to establish and proclaim…

Or, maybe Mark just thought it was funny, and figured that a story as heavy as the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus needed a little comic relief. I don’t know.

But I do know that this woman’s spirit was naked before Jesus…that nothing was hidden… and he covered her with grace and mercy and forgiveness and love.

And he said to her: “Your sins are forgiven.” 

And he said to her: “Your faith has saved you.” 

***** Whenever Jesus said “your faith has saved you,” he meant that your faith has made you whole; your faith has brought you healing; your faith has made you well; your faith has restored unto you the joy of living the abundant life God intends for you to live.

I’m also reminded that, in ancient times, it was common for those getting baptized to strip off all their clothes, and enter the water naked, to symbolize the stripping away of everything in this world that keeps us from God, and keeps us from being our true, authentic selves. Entering the water naked also symbolized that the one being baptized had nothing to hide, but was presenting themselves to God just as they were.

And then, upon emerging from the waters of baptism, they were given new clothes… clean, white clothes, symbolizing that God’s mercy and forgiveness has fully restored them to life—to new life.

I find the symbolism in that meaningful. Sometimes I feel that it’s just so hard to be fully open, to be my true, authentic self. Even before God.

Sometimes I think I have more in common with the Pharisee than I do with the woman who so courageously opened herself up to God.

Maybe we all do.

Yet this story tells us that nothing about who you are—nothing in your past, nothing you have done—can keep God from loving you. 

Quite the contrary.

For when you open yourself up to God, and present yourself to God as you are, God accepts that as a gift—perhaps the greatest gift you can give—and God surrounds you with his love. 

And, like the woman in today’s scripture, when you present your true self before God, you will find healing and wholeness, and you will experience the joy that comes from being welcomed into the presence of God.

Table in the Wilderness (Mark 6:30-44)

 The wilderness is not a welcoming place. It is far from any city or town; far from civilization. There are few plants there, and the plants that do grow there are tough; some are covered in thorns or needles.

In the wilderness, there is little food for you to eat, though if you are unlucky, you may be eaten yourself.

In the wilderness there is little water to drink. One could easily die of thirst or hunger in the wilderness.

So it is significant that the feeding of the multitude took place in a deserted wilderness.

The season of Lent is a wilderness season.

Many of the scripture stories that are often read during Lent take place in the wilderness. 

Sometimes during Lent, we hear about Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness, where they wandered for 40 years.

Often, during Lent, we hear the story of Jesus in the wilderness; he was in the wilderness, fasting, and facing temptation, for 40 days.

The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, are why Lent is 40 days long. 40 days of fasting. 40 days of focusing on the things that bring us back to God, and back to ourselves.

Lent is a wilderness season.

If you are planning a trip to the wilderness, you take what you need, and nothing more. Anything extra will slow you down, wear you out. 

***** Many years ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer on board the Endeavour, a replica of the ship that James Cook sailed around the world in 1768. The ship didn’t go anywhere while I was on board; it was docked, and I helped give tours. But I learned a lot. 

I learned that James Cook invited a naturalist named Joseph Banks to join him. Together, they sailed across the sea, and sailing across the sea in 1768 was a lot like taking a journey into a wilderness. In some ways, even more so. 

They were certainly traveling far from civilization. They took just what they needed, and nothing more.

On their journey, they made many discoveries and observations that added greatly to European society’s knowledge of the world.

Their voyage was a huge success, and the two men were hailed as heroes. They quickly began planning for a second voyage. 

However, fame went to Joseph Banks’ head. For this second voyage, he wanted to bring more than a boatload of scientific gear and personal items; so he added an extra deck to the Endeavour in order to accommodate all the stuff that he was determined to bring.

An entire extra deck!

I’m no ship expert, but even I can see that this is not a good idea.

The extra deck made the ship top heavy and wobbly. Any sensible person would know that this was not going to work.

Cook had that extra deck removed.  

Banks was so upset by this, that he refused to go on the voyage. If he couldn’t go with all his stuff, then he wasn’t going to go at all.

When you are traveling through the wilderness—or across the sea—you take only what you need. You don’t take more than you need. You don’t bring along extra stuff that’s going to slow you down… or threaten to capsize your vessel.

As we journey through the wilderness of this Lenten season, we are invited to consider the “extra stuff” in our lives, the stuff that keeps us from making progress on our spiritual journey, our journey with God. 

We are journeying through the wilderness, and we are to take only what we need. Everything else is a distraction and a danger to our voyage. 

Lent gives us the opportunity to do a little “spring cleaning” in our lives, to clear away the clutter, so that we can more effectively journey with Jesus.

***** So what is the significance of the fact that the feeding of the multitude took place in the wilderness? Well, the people were hungry. They were hungry for spiritual food. They were hungry for physical food. Yet they were in the wilderness, where no food was to be found.

The scripture says that the people were like sheep without a shepherd. They needed a shepherd, to show them where to find food; a shepherd who would lead them to green pastures.

A lot of people today are looking for those green pastures. We need someone to show us where that food is, that good, nourishing food, that will help us on our journey.

For this world is like a wilderness. There is so much all around us… so much everything. This world is a lot. You know what I’m saying?

And yet, despite this, many are lacking what they truly need. Food that is good. And real. And nourishing. 

Not the junk food that is all around us. But good, nourishing food that sustains the body; and good, nourishing food that sustains the soul. 

***** The prophet Isaiah said: “Eat what is good. Delight yourselves in rich food” (55:2). There is junk food all around, but let God lead you to the food that nourishes, the food that sustains.

It’s so hard to find good, nourishing food. Everything that is offered to us contains harmful ingredients. Refined carbs. Toxic oils. Harmful sweeteners. Carcinogenic nitrates… 

…And I’m not just talking about the food we put into our mouths. I’m talking about the spiritual food we consume, spiritual junk food that is sold to us by opportunistic influencers peddling their spiritual quackery. 

They are false shepherds. Wolves in disguise. Leading us to pastures that appear to be green, but that grass is fake.

The good food that Isaiah speaks of—the good food that nourishes and sustains—is hard to find.

When Jesus saw how the people longed for some good, real food, he had compassion on them. He told his disciples to give them something to eat. 

The disciples were confused. What is he talking about? They didn’t have any food!

Then Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down on the green grass.

***** That, I think, is an often overlooked detail in this story.

Jesus had the people sit down on the green grass.

Green grass… in the middle of the deserted wilderness.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention the green grass. A lush pasture, in the middle of the desert.

Where did this green grass come from? Green grass doesn’t grow in the desert! 

In the deserts and foothills of southern California, places where I’ve gone on many hikes, and where our southern California Disciples camp is located, we have yuccas and prickly pears, and trust me, you don’t want to sit down on those!

The desert wilderness Jesus experienced also has prickly pears. Yucca plants are not native to that part of the world, but other similar plants do grow there. 

Yet somehow, out there in that desert wilderness, there was a field of green grass. A lush pasture, if you will. 

And it is there that the people receive the food they need, from the one who leads them like a shepherd. 

Are you in the desert? 

Are you wandering, tired of chasing after false shepherds, and receiving food that does not nourish?

Are you weary from the long journey?

***** Well, Jesus has prepared a table for you, right where you are, right in the middle of the wilderness.

Jesus has prepared a table for all who are lost, all who are tired, all who are hungry. 

Jesus invites to this table people from the north and the south, the east and the west; people from every nation, speaking every language. 

Jesus invites the poor, the lonely, the forgotten and the left out. Jesus invites those who have more doubt than faith, and more questions than answers. Jesus invites those so burdened by the weight of the world that they walk bent over, and have forgotten what it is like to stand up straight.

We come to this table, and we feast together. No one has to dine alone. 

Our Lenten devotional talks about the importance of eating with one another… and how some people experienced more of that during the COVID pandemic, eating at home with their family members instead of eating on the run… and how, during the pandemic, some people experienced less of that, because they lived alone, and could no longer get together with friends or loved ones outside of the house to eat.

Ginger and I were quite fortunate, to have had some neighbors who became good friends. In the little patio between our two homes, we would often eat outside, they on one side of the table, us on the other. Our friendship grew even stronger during the pandemic. We didn’t go inside each other’s homes, but we did gather regularly for meals together on the patio.

When we had our Ash Wednesday worship last week, we gathered for soup at 5:30, and worship at 6:30. I’ve thought to myself: we really don’t need an hour for people to eat a bowl of soup. 

But we weren’t just feeding our bellies. We were feeding our souls. And the extra time was a blessing as we nurtured our friendships through conversation around the tables.

The meals we share in together—and especially, the meal where we remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood—are glimpses of life in the kingdom of heaven. 

No matter who you are, or where you come from, you are welcome here.

The gospels tell us of many of the meals Jesus ate. Some were in the wilderness. Some were in the homes of influential, powerful people. 

At some, he acted as host. At others, he was an invited guest.

But at every single one of those meals, there was love and there was compassion.

And when someone showed up who wasn’t supposed to be there, who didn’t have an invitation, or who didn’t have anything with which they could repay the hospitality offered to them…

Jesus let them know that they were welcome just as they were. They didn’t need an invitation, for all are welcome. They didn’t need money to pay for the meal, because what Jesus offers, he gives freely. 

As long as they were hungry, there was food for them. As long as they were hungry, they were allowed to receive their fill of the food that nurtures and sustains… the real, rich, good food… of Jesus.