March 30, 2022
Hope Lutheran Church
Rev. Mary Erickson
Luke 12:13-21
Seeking Self-Justification
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Why do we seek Jesus? For direction, for help, for forgiveness. There are many reasons. And if we’re truthful, not all of our reasons for seeking him are pure. We may seek Jesus for selfish ends. After all, it’s good to have Jesus on your side!
But there’s a tricky balance in our seeking. When Jesus approached his disciples, he asked them to follow him. In seeking Jesus, are we following him or are we asking him to follow us?
We hear the story of a certain man who approached Jesus. This man had a dispute with his brother. He asked Jesus to help in the arbitration process. “Jesus, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me!”
We don’t get any more details than that. We don’t know any of the nitty-gritty that’s occurred between the two brothers. The point is, he’s trying to employ Jesus’ credibility and influence to settle a dispute favorably for himself. He’s trying to triangulate Jesus into this family disagreement. Jesus is a person of influence and this man wants to use Jesus to help him pressure his brother into action.
This story reminds us that the motivations behind our faithful response need our careful consideration. Throughout history, faith has been used to further personal or even national benefit.
• Faith has been used to keep others “in their place.” Biblical arguments have been made to keep women submissive and without power.
• Biblical arguments have been used to justify great social evils like slavery. The reasoning went like this: African people were descendants of Noah’s son, Ham. They therefore lived under the “Curse of Ham,” and that’s why they were enslaved. Even within American Lutheranism, during the days of slavery, biblical arguments on the topic of slavery were split down the Mason-Dixon line. Lutherans living to the south of the line justified the institution of slavery.
Biblical scholars draw a distinction between two ways of interpreting the Bible. One is called “exegesis.” In exegesis, we consider the context of the biblical text before us and what it’s trying to say to us. We try to read OUT the message of the text.
But the other method is known as “eisegesis.” In eisegesis, we encounter the text with our own opinions and world view. We interpret the text from our own attitudes and judgments. In eisegesis, we read INTO the text. This method, eisegesis, is not the correct way to interpret a text. Eisegesis uses the Bible in order to justify our personal perspective and actions as right. It uses the Bible as a club to condemn the actions and position of those we disagree with.
In our bondage to sin, our motives have been corrupted. We don’t necessarily seek out Jesus for pure motivations. That’s why Paul urged the Philippians “work out your faith with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12)
St. Ignatius also knew how slippery our human motivations can be. He derived the daily spiritual discipline which has come to be known as The Examen. In the Examen, at the close of the day we revisit all of the events that filled our day. As we consider them we pay special attention to our emotions. What are we feeling as these events and interactions unfold? Do they lead to peace? Are we feeling nervous? Embarrassed? These emotions will reveal if our thoughts and actions are drawing us closer to God or further away from God. That’s the goal, to move closer to God and repent of the things that lead us away from God.
Another tool we have is the commandments. The commandments act as a mirror. As we look into them, we see reflected back an image of ourselves and of our inner motivations.
You shall have no other gods before me. That declarative statement tells us that God is our chief and ultimate concern. Gaze into the mirror of this commandment: is there something else in my life that I hold more dearly? Is there something that I yearn to have and to hold more that the God who created and sustains me? Jesus urged this man who approached him to consider his treasures. What are the treasures you most desire to store up? Do they reside on earth or in heaven?
The second table of the law concerns our relationship with our neighbor. Are we respectful in our relationships? Do we honor our and respect our neighbor as ourselves? The commandments towards our neighbors shed light on our inner motivations and actions.
Our story today reminds us that we might seek after Jesus for reasons that are less than life giving. Jesus gave the man who approached him a firm “no.” Sometimes, that answer is exactly what we need to hear.
