Sermon: "The Last Verse" (1 Kings 18: 20-39)

As you know, I have – as a Christian pastor –  defended Islam from accusations that it is a religion that promotes violence and terror. Christians often say, “If Islam claims to be a religion of peace, why are so many acts of terror carried out in the name of Islam?”

Well, I’m not going to talk about Islam today. I’m not going to talk about the speck we see in the eye of our Muslim neighbor. I’m going to talk about Christianity. I’m going to talk about the log that’s in our own eye.

So instead of asking, “How can Islam claim to be a religion of peace?” I’m going to ask, “How can Christianity claim to be a religion of peace?”

The Christian Bible has verses like Psalm 137, verse 9, which reads: “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them agains the rock!”

The Christian Bible has a story about a prophet who, acting in God’s name, single-handedly massacres 450 prophets of another religion.

And throughout the centuries, Christians have shown themselves to be violent and destructive. It was Christians who all but wiped out the Native Americans. It was Christians who enslaved millions of African Americans. It was Christians who built the concentration camps in the 1930s and 1940s.

I’ve heard the question over and over again: How can a religion of peace be so violent and have so many terrorists?

Many Christians – especially evangelicals – support unlimited, unregulated access to guns. For them, God and guns go together. However, Rob Schenck sees things differently.

Rob Schenck is the chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance. He is a staunch conservative. He’s marched against abortion. He values what he calls the sanctity of life. And now, because he values the sanctity of life, he’s questioning how Christians can be such strong supporters of unlimited access to guns. It doesn’t make sense to him; but it does to many evangelicals, and his organization is losing support.

And about the prophet who single-handedly massacred 450 prophets of another religion…

Let’s talk about that.

The prophet I’m talking about is Elijah. Our scripture today included a scene from Elijah’s story. And it’s a great one, isn’t it? It’s fun! It’s a story I’ve acted out with the children at Vacation Bible School. In that room upstairs that we only use one week out of the year, we built the altar, we poured the water on it, and we talked about how God made the fire come down and consume the offering and even dry up all the water. It’s an exciting demonstration of God’s power.

But here’s the thing: when we tell that story, we always leave off the last verse. Always.

We ignored the last verse when we acted this story out in Vacation Bible School.

And we didn’t read the last verse today.

The scripture today is exactly as it appears in the lectionary. If you don’t know, the lectionary is a calendar of readings for every Sunday of the church year, used in many churches… Methodist, Presbyterian, Disciples… even Catholic.

And for every Sunday, there are four readings; normally there is one reading from the Old Testament, a psalm, a reading from one of the New Testament epistles, and a reading from one of the gospels.

Some churches use all four readings in their worship service. We usually choose just one.

What we heard today was the Old Testament reading exactly as it appeared in the lectionary, ending at verse 39. Even the lectionary didn’t want to include the last verse of the story, verse 40. Because what happens in verse 40 displays a part of our Judeo-Christian tradition that we wish wasn’t there. It shows something that we like to pretend only exists in other religions.

After the exciting duel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, after Elijah proved the power of God and all the people bowed down and worshiped God, we have verse 40, which reads:

“Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal.’” (We know from earlier in the story that there are a lot of them – 450.) “’Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.’ Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them.”

He killed them all.

In the Jewish faith, going back many centuries, stories from scripture are treated a little differently than we Christians treat them. We Christians like to assume that there is one simple, definitive answer for all time, made plain in any verse of scripture that you read.

But Jews will read a story from scripture, and then they will have a conversation about what the story means. It’s a conversation that never ends, a conversation that lasts from generation to generation. They’ll talk about the story, including its problems. One teacher will present his or her idea; eventually another teacher will respond, agreeing with parts of the first teacher’s interpretation, and adding new – perhaps different – insights.  Then another teacher enters the conversation… and so on.

What I find interesting and fascinating about this way of interpreting scripture is that different scriptures do this with each other! This is how the Bible interprets the Bible. You can read one scripture which tells a story, and based on that story you could conclude that “this is the way things are.” But then you read a different scripture from another part of the Bible, and that second story refines or challenges the conclusions of that first story!

For example: stories of Abraham – and other patriarchs and matriarchs in Genesis – suggest that God blesses those who are faithful… But flip over to Ecclesiastes and you have a writer who basically says, “Yeah, I’ve read those stories, but what I’ve seen in the world suggests to me that those who are faithful often suffer, and fools often prosper.”

Suddenly these two seemingly contradictory scriptures are in conversation with each other, they’re in a debate, and it’s up to the reader to discern where the truth lies.

Another example: We read in Deuteronomy that foreigners, and those who are sexually abnormal (like eunuchs, for example), are not welcome in God’s temple. But flip over to Isaiah, and we read that foreigners and eunuchs ARE welcome, because God’s house is a house for ALL people.

This particular conversation even continues in the book of Acts, when a man who is both a foreigner AND a eunuch comes to Philip and asks to be baptized, and Philip has to decide which teaching to follow: Deuteronomy, or Isaiah? Philip draws upon the Spirit, and draws upon what he learned from following Jesus, and decides to welcome and baptize the eunuch.

I actually find this back and forth conversation between different scriptures to be wonderfully fascinating. It used to frustrate me, but now I love it. The Bible truly is a living text, the living Word of God. It is alive, and the conversation that takes place in its pages continues in the life of the church today.

But here’s the thing: in order for the conversation to be genuine, authentic, and true, we must include those verses and passages that we just don’t like. If we don’t hear Deuteronomy forbidding foreigners and eunuchs, for example, then we miss how radical Isaiah was in saying something different.

And, in the case of Elijah who killed 450 prophets: it’s ok to read that and say, “That’s not an example for us to follow today. The scripture implies that it’s ok to kill prophets of other religions, but I disagree with that…”

Now of course, anytime you disagree with scripture, you must do so carefully. It must be based on more than just a feeling you have, right? You can’t just pick and choose based on what you like and don’t like.

In this case, we know from other scripture stories and passages that God is a God of compassion, a God of love. It’s almost a mantra that is repeated: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:8; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8; Jeremiah 32:18; Jonah 4:2).

We know from other scriptures that mercy and forgiveness are two of the most important values to have.

We also know from the stories of Jesus that even those who worshiped differently than he did were accepted and loved.

And one time some religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in adultery. They reminded Jesus (as if Jesus needed reminding) that according to the law, Moses commanded them to stone such women.

How did Jesus respond? He said: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” At which point, they all left.

Why did Jesus do this? Because he knew that the most important command, the most important law of all, was love. “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor.” All other laws and teachings should be evaluated based on the law of love.

How would Jesus have treated the prophets of Baal? Probably differently than Elijah did. That’s my guess. Moses commanded violent punishment. Elijah carried out violent punishment. Jesus did not deny that those stories exist, but he said, “Let’s try something different. Let’s try love. Let’s try forgiveness. Let’s try compassion.”

It’s not that love and forgiveness and compassion were brand new ideas. They are there, in Genesis, in Deuteronomy, in 1 Kings, alongside the ideas of violent retribution. Both ideas are there. You can pick any number of verses, from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, to justify just about anything you want, including violence. Slavery, the holocaust, the genocide against Native Americans, all were justified using scripture.

But Jesus tells us how we are to evaluate scriptures, how we are to judge them and discern the truth, and that is by comparing them to the rule of love.

Love of God, and love of neighbor. On these two hang all the other laws and commands of scripture. That is, as Jesus says, the most important thing for us to remember.

Killing prophets of Baal may be in the Bible, but it doesn’t belong on a door held in place by love of God and love of neighbor.

Stoning a woman for her sin may be commanded in scripture, but it doesn’t belong on a door held in place by love of God and love of neighbor.

Casting out foreigners and eunuchs, condemning homosexuals, committing violence against people of other religions – all that can be found in scripture! But these things do not belong on a door held in place by love of God and love of neighbor.

So why are such things even in our Bible? Why do we need verse 40, that last verse? Why not just get rid of it or keep ignoring it?

Maybe because that verse is a reminder to us, to not judge or condemn other religions simply because some have found in their scriptures images of violence. Maybe we need that verse to keep us from being hypocrites in our relations with other faiths. Maybe it’s there to prevent us from finding specks in the eyes of Muslims, while ignoring the logs in our own eyes.

There is violence in our holy book. There is violence in our history. There are genocides and crusades and salvery and world wars… horrible events, all justified by what the Bible says. Why are there so many homeless LGBT youth in America? Because their Christian parents saw in the Bible justification for their hatred and homophobia. We need to acknowledge that and confess that.

Only by knowing and confessing the history of violence in our scripture and in our tradition can we be a religion of peace. We need to read the Bible, to know that, yes, these things are in there. And we need to keep reading the Bible, to know that these things are not the final word.

The temptation to use violence and to justify its use is an ever present temptation. It is the temptation Jesus had in mind when he taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Lead us not into the temptation to do violence. Lead us instead to a deeper understanding. Lead us instead to compassion, forgiveness, and peace. Lead us to always follow the two most important commands: love for God, and love for neighbor. 

Sitting on the Fence (1 Kings 18: 20-21, 30-39)

I remember, a year or two ago, acting out this story with our kids at Vacation Bible School.  It’s a great story for children. 

Elijah is the only prophet left that worships the Lord.  Yet there are hundreds of prophets serving the false god Baal.  The evil Jezebel, wife of the king, has been persecuting all the prophets of the Lord, which is why the number of those prophets is down to one.  And that one – Elijah – is afraid that soon, that number will be down to zero.

So he proposes a little competition.  It’s a last-ditch effort to save himself, and prove that the God he serves is the one true God.  The prophets of Baal will build an altar, and Elijah will do the same.  Then they will pray to their own gods, and see which god will send down fire to light the altar.

The prophets of Baal went first.  This part of the story gets skipped over when it’s told to children, and in fact, the lectionary reading skips over it as well, because the techniques these prophets use are a little disturbing.  It involves cutting themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushes out of them.  Worship of Baal also, at times, involved bizarre sexual acts and rites and rituals.

Yet when all this was done, there was no fire.

Then it was Elijah’s turn.  But first, Elijah had four large jars of water dumped on his altar.  Then he had four more jars of water dumped on his altar.  And then, for good measure, had he four more large jars of water dumped on his altar.

And then Elijah prayed to God, and the fire of the Lord fell upon the altar, consuming the offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even licking up the water that had been poured on it.

And then the lectionary ends the reading, and we stop  at this point when we tell the story to the children, conveniently leaving out the little postscript about Elijah gathering up and killing all the prophets of Baal. 

So.  With that little bit of “reader discretion, it’s a good story for children, full of excitement, drama, suspense.  But what’s in this story for adults?

In this story, Elijah says to all the people, before the contest begins: “How long will you go limping with two different opinions?”  How long will you sit on the fence?  How long will you waver back and forth?

It seems that the people had been pulled in two directions.  On the one hand, they had the teachings of their faith, which had been handed down to them through the generations. 

On the other hand, they had the culture that pulled them in a different direction, led by Ahab, king of Israel.  Ahab led the people in worshiping idols and false gods, those represented by the prophets of Baal.

Is this a story that should be applied to non-Christian religions, or at least non-Judeo-Christian religions?  Should we engage in contests with Buddhists to prove whose religion is better?  Should we perhaps put “God” to the test against “Allah?”

I’m sure that there are some who would interpret the story this way.  But with Bixby Knolls Christian Church’s historical involvement in the interfaith movement and connection to the South Coast Interfaith Council, I doubt you’d find many of them in this congregation.

And certainly, with my own involvement in interfaith activities here in Long Beach, and my understanding of how Jesus regarded people who worshipped God differently, I certainly would not interpret this scripture that way.  After all, Jesus said people did not have to worship God the way God was worshipped in Jerusalem, and Jesus praised the faith of many who were not a part of the Jewish religion.

I think the proper way to interpret this story for today is to start by asking what really are the false gods of today?  What is it that gets more attention, more worship, and more devotion than God?  What do we love more than God and neighbor?

Certainly, at the top of the list would be wealth. We worship wealth.  We idolize the lifestyles of the rich and famous. We bow before a growing economy. And in our personal lives, one of the strongest beliefs we hold is:  “more is better.” 

The problem with this is two-fold. 

First, in fighting our way to more wealth, we don’t hesitate to push others out of the way, push others down to the bottom.  This is a justice issue, one that both prophets and Jesus spend a lot of time condemning.  The current climate in our country is especially skewed in favor of accumulating wealth, and as a result wealth is being increasingly concentrated by the few at the top.

Second, in fighting our way to more wealth, we work harder and harder.  We literally work ourselves to death.  I heard a news report last week that said about a quarter of all U.S. workers take NO vacation time at all.  Many of them also work a lot more than five days or forty hours a week. 

No rest.  Little time with family.  A very low quality of life.  And very little joy or happiness. 

Is it really worth it?

The problem here is that we have been conditioned to want more than we have.  Our minds have been conditioned to never be satisfied.

This year, advertisers will spend over $500 per American, all in an effort to get Americans to spend more, buy more.  And most of those ads use the strategy of convincing you that your life would be fuller, more meaningful, if you buy what they are trying to sell you.

$500 per person. 

Just in this room, that’s about $30,000.

For just the people who live in Long Beach, that’s about 250 million dollars.

And with this money, big corporations have you convinced that you need to drink coke, that your year-old smartphone is now obsolete, that your car that you’ve been driving for three years needs to be replaced, and that your kitchen appliances are no longer up to the task. 

And if you don’t spend money on these things, consumer confidence will go down and the economy will collapse.  So it’s your patriotic duty to spend money on stuff.  The economic system depends on it.

Well, it sounds to me like we need a new system.

The apostle Paul has a solution to this.  Writing to the Philippians, Paul said “I know what it is like to have little, and I know what it is like to have plenty.  In any and all circumstances, I have learned to be content.”

To me, in this day and age, that seems like a lost art: being content.

It bothers me that, every year in November, we have a day to celebrate being grateful, a day of giving thanks; and then, before that day is even over, people are flocking to the stores to buy, buy, buy.  The message of Thanksgiving has become:  “We’re thankful for what we have, but it’s never enough.”

I have already begun working on a series of sermons for the summer, which I will start next week.  The theme of these sermons will be the parables of scripture.

Well, one thing I’ve learned I can’t wait to share with you, because it fits in so well with our topic today.  It concerns the Parable of the Talents. 

In this parable, a master gives each of his three slaves some money.  To one slave he gave five talents, to another he gave two talents, and to the third he gave one talent.

A talent, just so you know, is a huge sum of money.  Today’s equivalent would be about 2.5 million dollars, one million dollars, and half a million dollars.  In a story like this, these are fantasy amounts.

Well, the first two slaves who got the largest amounts of money, they invested their money and earned interest for the master; but the third servant hid the money he received, and returned it with no interest when his master returned.

The master praises the first two, for investing their money and making it grow; but the third slave gets tossed out into the street, much like Fantine in Les Miserables, and who knows what horrible misfortune will await him.

I don’t know about you, but usually, when I’ve heard this parable explained, I was told that the lesson here is that we should be like the slaves who invested their talents.  We should invest our talents, our gifts and abilities, and watch them multiply.

I’ve since learned that that is NOT how people in Jesus’s time would have understood this parable.

In his study on the parables, John Dominic Crossan (who I’ll talk about more next week) realized that for those who listened to Jesus’s parables, they wouldn’t have quite known what to make of this story.  First of all, they would not have looked favorably on the wealthy, land-owning master, because most of them were poor peasants.  Some people have interpreted the master as representing God, but that doesn’t seem to be Jesus’s intention here.  The master is just a wealthy bourgeoisie elite slaveowner… someone who’s not exactly a friend to the general population.

Second of all, Jesus’s audience would have been familiar with some of the many scriptures that condemn interest.  Every time interest is mentioned in the Old Testament, it is condemned.  Charging and earning interest goes against the Torah.  It was a common practice of the Roman Empire, but it was not an accepted part of the Jewish tradition.

So here is how people in Jesus’s time would have heard this story.   The master – a man who is described in the parable as unfair and greedy – rewards those who go against Jewish teaching and earn interest.  He rewards those who do what their faith teaches them NOT to do.  The one who, according to Jewish teaching, does what is right by not seeking interest is the one who is thrown out into the darkness.

Imagine the reaction the people would have had to this story.  Some would certainly be offended by it.  Just what exactly is Jesus saying?

Well, maybe the point is to simply contrast the way of Caesar, which accepts interest as an economic practice, and the way of God, which does not; the teachings of their culture, which rewards those who charge interest, and the teachings of their faith, which does not.

I’m sure a lot of Jesus’ followers were on the fence when it came to issues like that.  They were of two opinions, just like those who heard Elijah.  Follow the culture, or follow the faith?  It’s not always an easy decision.  Especially if, sometimes, one is going to be punished, thrown out into the darkness, for practicing one’s faith.  Because we know that happens sometimes.  We’d like to think otherwise, that we’re always rewarded for our faith. 

But Jesus, certainly, knew better than that.

I’m sure you can think of many ways that the culture pulls you in one direction, and even rewards you for going that way, while your faith pulls you in a different direction.  That’s just the way it happens sometimes.

The question is: which way will you choose?

It’s the same question Joshua asked the people of Israel at Shechem:

Joshua said, “Revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”