“Blasphemy!” – April 21, 2013 Sermon
April 21, 2013
Scripture: John 10:22-38:
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews circled around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ —and the scripture cannot be annulled—can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Acts 9:36-43: Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.”So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
Sermon Notes (dialogue): Blasphemy!
by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Will you be with me in a spirit of prayer? May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O God who is the ground of my being.
− Today I’d like to have a dialogue instead of a sermon. I thought we could talk about the scripture passages, highlighting some really interesting questions they raise. Now we may also see some ways we might connect the events of this past week to our discussion, but I wanted to check in with you first about how you are doing with this.
− Did anyone find themselves praying, during this time. How did your faith help you or not in dealing with it? Did anyone find themselves wishing the church held a vigil or something?
− Moving on to the Gospel passage now, from John. Jesus has been traveling with his disciples, teaching and healing. The religious leaders have been hounding those he has healed, as well as Jesus himself, interrogating them about whether healing really occurred, and if so, how, asserting that Jesus is a sinner, or has a demon and is out of his mind. Jesus keeps responding in shepherd metaphors – I am the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. So that’s what has led up to this point – the festival of Dedication, or Hanukkah. He’s not really teaching here, is he. What’s happening (defending himself?)
− Why do you think they insist that he “tell them plainly.” Does he?
− Which statement is it that gets the interrogators to pick up stones? Why?
− They accuse him of blasphemy. What is blasphemy?
− Definition: a) the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God; b) the act of claiming the attributes of deity; c) irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable.
− Which of these did Jesus do, or which was he accused of doing? Agree?
− Do you remember what the charges were against Jesus that resulted in his death sentence? Was it blasphemy? (No – declaring himself King – crime against Rome, Jews can’t execute?)
− So what is with this stoning? Blasphemy is one of the seven capital crimes in Jewish Law, cited in Leviticus 24:16 states that he that blasphemes the name of the Lord “shall surely be put to death”.
− What do you think constitutes blasphemy?
− We don’t put people to death for it anymore – accdg to Wiki, the last Christian blasphemy was in Britan, in 1697. A 20-year-old man was executed for denying the veracity of the Old Testament and the legitimacy of Christ’s miracles.
− But are there things that just feel wrong to hear from a Christian? (story of being invited to “dress like a goddess”)
− As Christians, many of us accept, even build our faith around the idea that Christ is indeed the son of God. But would we consider it blasphemy if someone else was making such a claim?
− What is Jesus’ rebuttal to their accusation? (He points to his works.)
− Also, he talks about what is written in the Hebrew scripture. “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ can you say that I, sanctified and sent by God, am blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
− He is quoting Psalm 82, verse six, which has God speaking these words: “I say, ‘You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you.’” What do you make of that?
− God is actually speaking to the “divine council” which my bible notes say consists of subordinate deitys, not humans. So why would Jesus quote this?.. (those to whom the word of God came?)
− So Jesus talks about receiving the word of God, doing the work of God, and that those things justify his claim to be the son of God.
− Let’s go to the second passage read this morning, from Acts. What happens there? (Peter brings someone back from the dead.) Was God in Peter and Peter in God when this happened? Could Peter have claimed to be “Son of God?
− Jesus told his followers that they would be able to do anything he did, and even more. He never out and out claimed to be the Messiah. He sent his disciples out to heal and teach and live “in his name.” Is it possible he was trying to teach that we were, or could be, as much in the Father and the Father in us as he was?
− What would that mean if it were true?
− Did Jesus “earn” his Divine status by the things he did? Could it just be that he was more aware of who he really was, and so believed in himself, hence could actually do the things he did? Could he have been anything but “of God”? Could the bean be anything but a bean?
− What if we don’t “know” who we are, so we don’t believe we can do the things Jesus did?
− What are we? Made of the same stuff as stardust, everything made of the same stuff. We all are One. What do you make of that?
− Avon experiment (tell me about your hair, chin, jaw, most prominent feature) Had been told to get to know another person, artist did each person via their own description, then via description by another. What happened? We can’t even register the full beauty of who we are externally – what we see in the mirror, how likely that we register who we are internally?
− Could it be more blasphemous to forget who we really are as children of God than to follow Jesus and Peter into claiming it in our works and in our love – love of God, love of others, love of self?
− Could we see life in the metaphor of a tree? The flowers of the tree bloom, then fall away, signaling that the tree is reading to bear fruit. The tree is rooted firmly in the ground. The flowers and fruit return to the ground and nurture the soil for the tree to again blossom and bear fruit. Life begets life, begets life. And we, together, all of us, each flower blossom, each piece of fruit are in truth, the tree, the tree that springs from God, who is the very ground we walk on, the ground we spring from. May it be so.
