Good Fish Bad Fish

 

 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling     

One of the Boston Sports writers once described his feelings about a certain Celtics basketball player as a binary flip flop between love and hate. This player was inconsistent and erratic, and therefore frustrating to watch at times. His amazing defensive plays were followed by bonehead offensive shots. But he was also known as the heart and soul of the team, and more importantly he was beloved in the community for helping kids with cancer. He was someone who gave it his all, who left everything on the court.

Now you may think I’m a little tiresome with my Celtics basketball analogies. “Oh, no, here she goes again,” I can hear you say. But Jesus constantly invited us to think about the realities of life to help us imagine what the kingdom of heaven may be like. Using five short parables, Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of heaven is like” and then He described quite ordinary professions: a farmer, a woman baking bread, a merchant, and a fisherman.

He also described real landscapes. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that grows into a large tree where birds can build nests and create new life. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that leavens the woman’s bread. It’s a treasure in a field, and a pearl that has great value. It’s like a net that is thrown into the sea, and later, when the boat returns to home port, angels will come and separate the good fish from the bad.

At that point, I imagine the crowd around Jesus beginning to murmur. They may wonder if the decision of God’s angels is a binary choice. Do good fish go to heaven and bad fish burn in hell? Will the truly evil people in our world face the consequences of their heinous actions? And will good fish like you and me go elsewhere? Where is our hope in a landscape that at times seems filled with violence and hate?

“God has a purpose,” St Paul declares in his letter to the Romans. Everything will work out in the end, and it will be for the good. We are destined for the kingdom of heaven, he claims; for we have been conformed into the image of Jesus, like bread that has been well kneaded by our suffering and pain. We will be justified, that is we will be made righteous, and then glorified by God because of Jesus. Or as Talitha J. Arnold once wrote, “Jesus transforms human life not by scaring the hell out of people, but by helping them see the heaven (that is) close at hand. “(Feasting on the Word, p.286)

Not so fast, you might protest. What about that judgment issue that Jesus describes in the last of these five parables today? Will those people get their comeuppance in the end, their time in the fiery furnace, for the choices they’ve made? Will those murderers, shooters, bad actors, and bad fish finally pay for the deeds they have done? And what exactly will the judgment of God look like for you and me and them?

Now, the judgment of God is often defined as a fiery furnace; however, it can also be interpreted as a moment of clarity, when the truth of who we are and what we’ve done is revealed to us. Or when the truth of a situation and a person is understood in new and different ways. We humans are good at judging others without ever knowing the fullness and the truth of a situation.

People who have had near death experiences have claimed that they have seen their whole lives pass before them in the presence of a loving God. Burning off the dross of their lives, they see themselves pass through a tunnel of light into the loving embrace of God’s arms. For some who have committed acts worthy of our condemnation and judgment such an experience has been life-altering. And yet, who wants to sit next to that so-called evil person at the great feast in heaven? While God may have condemned and then forgiven them, and indeed maybe even changed them for good, we’re not so sure.

The Rev. Alexis Vaughn recently reviewed a book called “The Light We Give” by Sikh educator and activist Simran Jeet Singh. She entitled her review “Can People be Evil?” and while the author of this book says “No” Vaughn says, “I’m not so sure.” Singh rejects the idea of a binary choice between people being either good or evil after “seven Sikhs were massacred as they worshiped together in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in 2012.” 

“While grappling with his personal anger and sadness following this massacre, Singh felt the need to speak to diverse audiences about the Sikh faith and the implications of hate for American society. He traveled to a summer camp to speak to Sikh children immediately after the massacre, and asked the children if they knew what had happened. A young girl responded, “A bad, bad man came and killed a bunch of us. He was evil.”

“Singh wrestled with how to respond because he found something unsettling about naming Wade Michael Page, the shooter, as evil. He explained: ‘On the one hand, I preferred this framing because it helped make sense of a seemingly senseless massacre. But on the other hand, hearing a child say these words out loud revealed a truth that upset me. I took comfort in seeing him as evil. But I don’t believe in evil as a reality of our world, and I certainly don’t believe that people are evil. Damaged and destructive, yes. But evil, no.’”

Now you and I know that I can name a litany of stories about the evil actions of people throughout our world. We hear about binary acts of love and hate, good and evil, on a daily basis. Unlike Singh, however, I believe that evil is a reality of our world.

But I also believe that people are not binary, that is 100% good or 100% evil. And so, the remaining ultimate question for me is whether or not there is a small seed, that is a kernel of God’s goodness, that lies at the very center of every human being. And if there is that seed, it can never be destroyed, and indeed it can even grow. Furthermore, I wonder if any evil person or action can exist in the kingdom of heaven. Has all evil and all evil actions been burned away in the fiery furnace, leaving only goodness and God to remain?

Today’s fifth parable by Jesus reminds us that we are accountable to God for our behavior. He reminds us that God oversees that great Dragnet that will eventually gather all of us, good fish and bad fish alike, into God’s loving presence. No one condemns except God. No one can eternally save except God.

Parables also beg questions about our Creator. If God has created all those fishes in the deep blue sea like you and me, then is it not God who oversees all eternal judgments? And if so, will God create a new heavenly rest for everyone where evil acts can no longer exist?  Where we can all build nests and create new life safely?

St. Paul acknowledges that we are weak at times and in need of help; and so, he names the Holy Spirit as our intercessor, who Steven D. Paulson calls our “personal groaner.” When we cannot pray or do not know how to pray or when we are appalled at the evil and hateful actions of others, or ourselves for that matter, we can turn to our “personal groaner” to intercede for us. We can ask God for help.

And St. Paul reminds us that God has not only given us a “personal groaner” called the Holy Spirit but also God’s very own Son who will intercede for us. In the end St. Paul offers us hope. “If God is for us, (then) who is against us?”  Who indeed will separate us from the love of God. Nothing, St. Paul professes. For St. Paul himself, a convicted murderer, and a religious zealot, was converted from a hater of Christians to a lover of Jesus. He flipped!

St. Paul became convinced, and then was convicted, that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All people, once separated by divisions, hate, and violence, are reconciled to God through Jesus.

The first four parables today also give us hope. Jesus can be the leaven in our daily bread, the treasure that can be found in our fields at home, work, school, or in the community. He is the pearl of great price, which Jesus bought with his very own blood, and is now ours forever. In the kingdom of heaven, He is the Tree of Eternal Life, a place where birds from all nations can build nests and create new life. And for us Christians, He has become the heart and soul of our team, and the Son of God who left it all on the court for our sakes.

That being said, I still wonder, can people be evil? Like the Rev. Alexis Vaughn, some days I’m not so sure.

 Romans 8:26-39                Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

 

The Light We Give            How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life    By Simran Jeet Singh

A book review by Alexis Vaughan entitled “Can People Be Evil?”

Alexis Vaughan, a Disciples of Christ minister, serves as director of racial equity initiatives at Interfaith America.                     Published on July 6, 2023 Christian Century

The Sower of Seeds

 

Church of the Redeemer             The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling                   

The women’s Bible study group that meets on Thursday mornings recently has been working our way through the gospel of Mark. Presumed to be the first gospel written after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Mark describes Jesus as an action figure. Implicitly suggesting that Jesus has divine power, Mark tells us that Jesus was someone who healed the sick, cast out demons, and challenged his religious leaders straight from the jump. Then he began his teaching ministry by telling parables.

            Now recall that people in those days didn’t have church bulletins in which every word was printed. In fact, in those days, many people didn’t know how to read, and so religion was an oral tradition. Pointing to the obvious activity in front of them, whether he’s inside or outside a house, whether he’s in the city of Jerusalem or the countryside of Galilee, whether he’s in Jewish or Gentile territory, on land or at sea, in a synagogue, a boat, or on the plains, Jesus repeatedly told the crowd around him to “Look.”  If you are not blind to the spiritual realities of your lives, then you will see the kingdom of heaven right there in front of you. God is at work.

Jesus also said, “Listen.” If your ears are willing to disconnect from the latest political dramas, the talk that sabotages your well-being, or fears that burden you, then you will hear the good news of God. Just “look” and “listen” Jesus told his followers. The kingdom of heaven is right here in front of you. Can you see it? Can you hear the good news of God in the cacophony of voices that is surrounding you?

            Apparently Jesus often used parables to invite his listeners into a deeper and wider understanding of God and our responses to God and others.Today’s parable about the sower, the seeds, and the soil is famously entitled “The Parable of the Sower” for that’s where it all begins. “Who is the Sower of these seeds,” we may well ask? Is it God? Is it Jesus? Is St. Matthew? Is it me in this pulpit today? Or perhaps, more importantly, is it you?

            I know there are many gardeners here at Redeemer, and let me confess right away that I am not one of them. While I may have a green thumb as a Celtics fan, I tend to kill plants. In fact, I have never carefully placed any little seeds into a small patch of soil in order to watch it grow. A plant whisperer, I am not; and while I appreciate the hard work of gardeners, I don’t like gardening.

Indeed if I were a sower of seeds, I would be like the one Jesus described in today’s parable. I would throw my seeds carelessly everywhere, wherever I walked, disregarding the terrain, and not caring, nor even seeing where the seeds have landed. And so, I wondered, why would Jesus portray such an irresponsible sower, someone who is like me, as a lesson for his listeners?

Every time I hear this parable, I remember my short-lived occupation as a sower of seeds which I have told frequently. Paul and I had just moved to Glastonbury, Connecticut, a town which is known for its many farms that produce berries, corn, fresh vegetables, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. Oftentimes you can pick your own products in the fields on their farms or buy them fresh off the shelf at their shops along the roadside.

When we began looking for a house, our realtor wisely guided us away from a new housing development on land which had previously grown tobacco. Chemicals were known to infiltrate the water systems and could be harmful to your health. Despite the flat terrain, the beautiful red drying barns that populated the landscape, and the very green grass that was growing around these new houses, this location was not a good place to raise children nor to grow organic fruits and vegetables.

            So Paul and I bought a home that had been owned by two professionals, a pediatrician and a teacher, who were also environmentalists. They loved to create gardens and grow plants, flowers, and vegetables on their property. In one corner they had created a garden for vegetables, enclosed by a fence, where the sun and shade were well balanced. Paul was excited to sustain this garden, planting his own vegetables of tomatoes, green peppers, and squash.

 And, truth be told, I was not. Initially, I didn’t want to become involved in this gardening endeavor; for I knew my history and track record with gardening. Besides I was starting a new job as the rector of a parish and I was excited to plant my spiritual seeds of love there. When Paul asked me why I wouldn’t want to be engaged with God’s creation at our home, I responded arrogantly. “I care for the seeds of new life in God’s garden at the parish all day long, and I’m too tired when I get home.” And yet, Paul, who also worked long days in his own job, responded, “But so do I.”

            And so I agreed to participate, albeit reluctantly, and certainly not whole-heartedly. I was wary of some history between us. He would start projects and I would finish them. He is an entrepreneur and I am a day laborer. So I decided to start my own garden, on a much smaller scale and closer to our house. I wanted the boundaries, responsibilities, and the ownership of our gardens to be crystal clear.

I placed my plants in a raised bed next to our side door, on the sunny side of our house, right next to the water hose. Trying to minimize my labor, I planted only green beans. Unprotected by a fence, my green beans became a feast for the rabbits. Because I was closer to the garden hose, I thought that I would be more attentive to watering my plants, but I didn’t. The sun scorched my green beans.

In passive aggressive resistance, I did nothing with my own garden. Sure I sowed those new seeds; but I didn’t water them, weed them, or protect them. I trusted that God and Mother Nature would do all the work; and secretly, I hoped to eat the fruits of Paul’s garden and his good labors, unwilling to put in the hard work, or the daily care that was required for my own. My heart wasn’t really in it, and my actions betrayed my words.

            Truth be told, we both learned from our Sowing Seeds ministry. The busyness of our day jobs became the hard path upon which our good seeds fell; and so nothing grew in certain spots of both our gardens. Neither of us, in our haste, had prepared the soil well. There was too little soil in mine and his soil had been overused and was lacking in nutrients. Weeds, pests, thorny roots, not to mention New England rocks, hidden below the surface, often crowded out or strangled our plants.

Look and listen, Jesus told his followers. We are busy, rocky, thorny, shallow people; and so God’s seeds don’t always land on the best of our soils. At various times in our lives, at different stages in our growth, whether we’re at home, at work, at school, in our parish or the community at large, we will find ourselves tired, hurting, struggling, and less than enthusiastic about caring for our gardens. Preoccupied with physical, mental, and emotional challenges, we may let our spiritual lives languish.

            Jesus reminds us that God is the Sower of all seeds, perhaps irresponsibly, but surely God sows God’s seeds of love extravagantly, indiscriminately, and indeed even with radical generosity. Unworried about where they land, God knows that even if they die, these seeds will rise again in ways that we cannot see, nor even imagine. 

When life gets too hard, when the sun gets too hot, the rain seems relentless, creatures appear to be dangerous, and the weeds overpower us in our daily lives, it’s time for us to turn back to God, to remember that Jesus is our Master Gardener, and the Holy Spirit is always at work, even when we’re asleep. No matter what path we’re on, or in which part of God’s garden we live, God will always plant new seeds of faith, hope, and love to sustain us.

So trust the Sower of the Seeds. And then sow a little of your own with that very same Spirit: extravagantly, indiscriminately, and perhaps even with radical generosity.

 Romans 8:1-11    Matthew 13:1-9,18-23