This morning we begin with a ‘Trivial Pursuit’ type question. (Slide 1)
The United States Army once had a Camel Corps. The year the Camel Corp was organized was: A) 1917 B) 1856 C) 2003 D) 1943
The correct answer is 1856. According to wikipedia, some of our national leaders felt that having camels to traverse the difficult and hot places of the southwestern United States was a good thing to do as they could handle the desert climates better than horses and mules. So some men were authorized to go to North Africa buy some camels and bring them home.
After a journey that lasted 10 months, 33 camels and 5 drivers were brought home to the US and placed on duty with the US Army. The camels proved to be successful but because of their temperament, and the US Civil War, the experiment failed and the corps was disbanded.
Many of the camels were sold to individuals and some were bought and sent to Canada to work the Yukon Trail. Some of the camels were turned loose and became wild and were seen in the southwestern US as late as 1942.
What do you know about Camels? Has anyone here ever ridden a camel? I have ridden one and it was a bumpy ride. I rode with 2 or 3 other people and sat the farthest back and it was a rather uncomfortable ride compared to both horses I have ridden as well as an elephant.
But what does the camel have to teach us about Jesus? Actually quite a bit and before we hear from Professor Junglefuss and Juanita, let’s read Matthew 23:1-12 and 23-24.
‘Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called ‘rabbi.’ Don’t ever let anyone call you ‘rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Master,’ for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
Then over to verses 23 and 24: “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!
What does this have to do with Lent and Easter and Jesus’ death and resurrection? Let’s hear from Professor Junglefuss and Juanita and find out!
(Dramatic reading from Living Lent; the animals tell the story, the camel reveals a warning savior’ by Creative Communications for the Parish © 2008)
(Slide 3) Jesus is very blunt in this passage and He uses the camel, as already noted in our dialogue, as a metaphor for the ability to ignore the obvious while focusing on the mundane. I think that it is safe to say that the camel represents both pride and denial.
One of the things made clear in this dialogue is that by the time Jesus walked this earth, the Jewish faith had moved beyond the Ten Commandments and the laws we read in Leviticus and other early Old Testament books and into an immense system of rules and rituals. There were so many rules to follow that no one could keep them all. But there were those who thought that others should keep them no matter how difficult and no matter if they kept them or not.
This immense system led to a religion of ‘showmanship’ and ‘status’ rather than servanthood and service. This is why Jesus says to the disciples, ‘don’t let yourself be called ‘rabbi’ or ‘father’ because it is not about power and influence but about humility and serving others.’ Hence the pride issue.
But it is also about denial. What Jesus points out in this passage is that the Pharisees, one of the three major Jewish schools or sects of that day, were inconsistent with their practice and their proclamation. They made a big deal about others not following the rules to the letter, but they did not follow the rules themselves. We need to remember that the Pharisees were admired and respected by society. That is made known as Jesus talks about in the opening segment of our text how admired and honored they are. Today we would say, ‘They talk the talk but not walk the walk.’
We are challenged in the same way. Granted, we are not perfect and we struggle to do what is right. This is where humility and honesty come into play. This is where the story of the Publican and the Pharisee over in Luke 18:9-14 is helpful to remember.
Jesus tells the story of probably a very common situation: There is a Pharisee, who with great self-confidence and pride says, “I am sure glad that I am not like Joe over there. Look at him! He is dirty and unclean and is a terrible man.’
Meanwhile, there is Joe over there. He is dirty and unclean and has done terrible things. But what is He praying about? Listen to Luke, ‘he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
Jesus then goes on to say, ‘I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”
Today we say, ‘there is an 800 pound Gorilla in the room’ when we talk about unresolved conflict or an issue that needs to be addressed, like our health or a relationship. Back then they might have said, ‘there’s an 800 pound camel in the room.’
Camels are difficult creatures to deal with. They are dirty and they are very, very temperamental. One of the things that I read about why the US Camel Corps experiment failed is that the camels would sometimes take revenge on certain people they did not like. So they often were penned up and left alone.
Can’t you see a big camel, all loaded down, tired and hungry, being unloaded and forced to squeeze itself through a very small gate in a city wall? Probably a lot of commotion and whipping and yelling and other things went on to get the job done.
Our text today is a gut check for us. In this season of Lent one of the things we need to give up is our pride, and our self-confidence in our ability, a part from God, to become people of integrity and purity; of faith and service.
In Matthew 7:11 Jesus speaks of another narrow gate when He says, ‘You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.’
We must become like the camel and we must humble ourselves and allow the Lord to cast of our burdens and baggage of sin and our self-confidence.
This morning I ask all of us a question that I have not asked for a while. But it is a necessary question in light of our text.
(Slide 4) Are you right with God this morning?
Are you saved? Have you confessed your sins and turned around and starting living the right way?
Has your faith weakened because of pride? Has it weaken because you have been disobedient? Has it faded because of being too confident in yourself and not confident enough in the Lord?
I invite you this morning to respond as you need to… the altar is open for prayer. Obey God this morning. Amen.
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘021708slideslent’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
