So I’ve been thinking about getting some therapy. I wanted to show you a video of the therapist I’m thinking about going to. Would you watch it with me? I would really like your opinion.
[Show the video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyu9FdreMVk
Laughing…So what do you think? Should I go with this therapist? No?!
What are the details he’s focused on?
What are the details that actually matter?
In our passage for today, Jesus talks about two ways to pay attention to the wrong things, and one way to pay attention to the right things.
First, Jesus points out that the conflict is not what matters. I have a friend who just likes to argue. Do you know anyone like that? She doesn’t care what about. She just wants to argue. She doesn’t even care what side she’s on—you pick first and she will happily take the opposing view. So why does she argue? She argues not for better understanding, or to make a difference in the world. She argues to win, and she’s willing to completely demolish you and your point of view in the process, just to prove how smart she is, and because she thinks it’s fun. These days, we have lots of conflict all around us, in part because we have a curious mix of some folks who just want to win, and quite a number of folks who are focused on the wrong details. According to Jesus, some divisions are perfectly natural, because Jesus is focused on loving completely, living a life of grace and sacrifice—the baptism Jesus will undergo is dying on a cross, even for the folks who hate Him. To live a life of putting others first, of loving even when it’s hard, and refusing to stop showing grace even if it’s going to hurt—that’s going to put us in conflict with people who are focused on the wrong details and just wanting to win. Conflict isn’t the point—showing grace is. Winning isn’t what matters—faith expressing itself in love is all that matters.
Second, Jesus points out that we are always trying to predict the wrong things. So let’s think back to our video for a moment. At what moment did you know how the video was going to end?
[Take responses from the congregation.]
Ok, good! So now—imagine with me—what if the person paying attention to the shoes was the guy whose wife was having the affair, and the therapist was trying to get him to pay attention to the right details. What would that conversation have been like? If you were the therapist trying to help the guy focus on the right details, what are some questions you would have asked?
[Take responses from the congregation.]
In Jesus’ time, many of the folks listening to him had livelihoods that depended on knowing what the weather was going to be—farmers, merchants, parents. They paid attention to the details of the weather so closely that they could predict the weather with some accuracy. But they were not paying attention to the more important signs of the times—the conflicts between people, the economic divisions, people trying to earn their way into God’s graces, people thinking they had all the answers, people just wanting to be king of the mountain. Rather than trying to predict things that don’t matter, Jesus focuses our attention on what does—caring for the people around us and for the relationships between us.
Finally, Jesus says time is short—make peace now. If the conflict isn’t what matters, if we focus on loving and showing grace, then what matters is people and relationships. If we have broken relationships, then let us mend them. If we have a broken relationship with the planet, then let us live responsibly. If we recognize there are injustices around us, then let us strive to make them right. If there are divisions in our politics, then let us seek to heal them. Broken relationships, mistreating the planet, tolerating injustice, and destructive politics tell us really bad things are coming. Time is short—it’s time to seek peace together.
Part of what makes me belly laugh about that video is how clearly ridiculous the therapist is. He is so clearly clueless. As we engage the sometimes clueless people around us with grace, we are likely to experience division. Jesus knows that’s a little like stepping into a fire, but the encouragement we are given is these divisions, these conflicts are not a fire that will consume us. Stay steady. Stay focused on grace. Keep loving even the people who hate us. They may not understand because they are focused on conflict and the wrong details. The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love—loving God with our whole heart and loving our neighbors as ourselves. But time is short—and we need each other. It’s worth remembering that we, too, are often clueless. I wonder, if we sat with Jesus for awhile, if we told Him about all the things we thought were important, would Jesus agree? Who are the people who really matter in your life? How are your relationships with them? And your relationship with God…how’s that going for you? This week, I was reminded about how often the many details of my day distract me from thinking about how much Jesus matters in my life, and how I long to focus on what Jesus thinks matters most around me. Let’s sit with Jesus for a few moments to ask Jesus—what really matters?
After a pause for reflection, pray…not just to do loving things, but to become loving people. Not just do grace-filled things, but to be filled with grace until all we are looks like Jesus who never stopped loving the people who hated and opposed Him at every turn. He did not fear the fire of conflict, and stayed faithful and loving even if it meant a cross. Help us to love and live like that! Amen!