The passage this week from the priest of Israel-turned-prophet,
Ezekiel, begins in several ways depending on the particular edition/translation
you are reading. I was immediately struck by the wording and the
punctuation of verse 7 in the NRSV: …you, mortal,… which is
repeated in verse 10…you, mortal,…because it felt as if I was
being engaged ~ me, right now, today, this minute. In
other translations instead of “mortal,” the phrase is son of man,
which according to one source occurs 93 times in Ezekiel. In one Jewish
translation it is ben adam, which is Hebrew for son of man;
“adam,” pronounced, ah-‘dom in Hebrew, is
essentially, a Hebrew word for all humans that God created, male and
female. It was not meant as a man’s name. Eve’s name is also not what our
contemporary word means. While the
word mortal leaves no misunderstanding or escape clause regarding
the we who are not “sons,” I, me, you, him, her, they are all inclusive
as a sentinel for the house of Israel, that is, the sentry, for the
house, the city, the state, the country, indeed the entire planet that we,
each, occupy now. And it was so for Ezekiel, as this was his personal call from
God to warn the wicked to turn from their ways and if they didn’t
they only had themselves to blame. At least Ezekiel tried and took note that
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Of
course we know that in the Christian/New Testament, Jesus self-described
himself as son of man in the human as well as the divine
sense. This passage to us mortals opens and prepares us to the
hear the lessons learned and given to us by Jesus in today's Gospel.
The psalmist asks
to be taught the way of God’s statutes and to turn his eyes away from the worthless to give
me life in your ways. This is the way of
God’s statutes, to spread the Word by how we ourselves live, not by taking
pleasure in or causing the misfortune of others.
And then, Paul reminds us, because we need to hear
again and again, that Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
I used to hear that as "love your neighbor as you love yourself"
and, of course, if one has difficulty loving oneself it would be apparent in
the way they treat others. Yet in the fuller sense, I now read it as written ~
love your neighbor as your self.
THAT neighbor is YOU. Loving him, her, and them is to
love yourself, to seek and discover a mirror image in another, and love that
part of them that is you, however miniscule and however
uncomfortable. Jesus promises that in unity and community, when two or three or
more gather in his name, we bring Him into our midst. It doesn't make it
easier, yet it gives us a place to start. We are to Owe no one
anything, except to love one another. "Love does no wrong to a
neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." [Romans 13:10] [and
also see Mt 22:35-40, Mk 12:28-34, Lk 10:25-28, Jn 13:31-35]
Jesus lays out a plan that some have interpreted as
a conflict resolution process for the Church. Yet, if followed without a
clear sense of sincere discretion, care, and sacred responsibility, it may have
the opposite and a dire effect for many individuals and the community itself. First
of all, the always and forever Jewish Jesus wasn’t starting a church. He
tells us in this Gospel passage, whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, which
should have a chilling and sobering effect on how we decide to act in any
moment of life with anyone. For one example, think initial desire to quickly comment
on social media! In its barest essential meaning, it is either to prohibit
or permit actions, to close off or open to, with regard to another, while the
consequences are borne by both parties. Conflict resolution is tenuous in the
best of times; a huge responsibility for all parties, and that’s merely on
personal terms. And some people make it difficult for other people to even want
to resolve a conflict! [Not even touching political issues.]
Pointing out faults is
always easy. I have trouble liking some people let alone loving them,
especially people who intentionally do serious harm physically, emotionally,
and spiritually to others. Yet try as I might, the reality is that I cannot
change what anyone else does; I can only stop, breathe, halt my reaction in
time to decide to stay with or change my response. No
easy task, no easy solution, but there is one certainty:
Salvation is nearer to us now, and
every passing moment brings it closer. The time is NOW to turn to Christ, to
act for Christ, to love in, through,
and as Christ would have us do ~ whew, hard work when there
are no guarantees that our efforts will be successful or understood by anyone
but Jesus now or ever. As humans, our own motives come into play and we
naturally want to know the results of our efforts, especially when loving them
is extra hard sometimes.
If only I could just
wait a little longer to do all that I should, to build my courage, to
reduce my fear. But, time's a-wastin' and for those of us who believe in the
word and teachings of Jesus, he tells us that what we do on Earth is directly
applied to Heaven. There’s that whatever-you-bind-you-loose-thing
again. But the light of Christ is always with us especially when
we stop, in the name of love, to weigh, pray, consider, and reconsider, our
intentions for our neighbor and our self. When do we think about how we tie another person or group down
in our opinions and behaviors? When do we think to unlock our own prejudices
and automatic conclusions to free ourselves and others from the yokes we apply
in haste and/or in anger? When do we recognize that all too often we do love
others in the ways When do we think about how we tie another person or group down
in our opinions and behaviors? When do we think to unlock our own prejudices
and automatic conclusions to free ourselves and others from the yokes we apply
in haste and/or in anger? When do we recognize that all too often we do love others in just the same
ways we judge/criticize our selves?
Closing Note: If you
search the internet for the biblical understanding of binding and loosing, your
eyes will cross and you’ll walk away to try and unscramble the multitude of
interpretations. The one I like the best is simply a verse from Isaiah 58:6,
with which Jesus was very familiar. For me, it clarifies everything…
Is not this the fast that I
choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Amen
and ManyWomen.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Lord God, Your
Love, through Christ, will give us life in Your ways at the moment we seek
to live into our life’s true calling. Guide us to forgive the unforgivable, to
live honorably and honestly, and to continue Your work to love everyone we meet
as if they are our selves.
Lord of Earth and Heaven
RESPONSE:
Bind
us together in Love
~ Lord God, as we put on the armor
of Light in Christ, we give witness to Your unending love for all who lead this
World, this Country, and this Community, with the express expectations that
they will act for the safety, wholeness, and health of all Your
people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord of Earth and Heaven
Bind
us together in Love
~ Lord God, comfort and heal all
who are chronically ill, live in the relentless demand of addiction, or have
lost their sense of home, and refresh all who give them care. We now join
our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Lord of Earth and Heaven
Bind
us together in Love
~ Lord God, grant us peace in
knowing that our loved ones now bloom again in the eternal sunshine of Life-
everlasting with You. We pray especially for: add your own
petitions
Lord of Earth and Heaven
Bind
us together in Love
~ Lord God, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other personal thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Lord of Earth and Heaven
Bind us together in Love
~ Lord God, prepare a special
place in Your eternal Kingdom for those who lead us in Your Church, who pray
with us and for us, preach Your word to us, and shepherd us to spiritual growth
in this Community of Faith in ever growing ways. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
Lord of Earth and Heaven
Bind
us together in Love
The Celebrant adds: God of All and Everything, awaken our hearts in
this short life, to see ourselves as You see us, with love, compassion, and
understanding for ourselves and all others. Illuminate our path with the Light
of Christ, that we may lay aside the works of darkness, and gather together in
the name of Christ our Lord. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer and Messiah;
and the Holy Spirit, the Counselor of our Souls; who live and reign together
with You, One God, Timeless,
Immortal, and Infinite. Amen.
