EVEN THE LONE RANGER HAD TONTO
PART FOUR: IT'S A BIG BAD WORLD
Matthew 12:22-28
Romans 14:1-12
It's doubtful that neither Little Red Riding Hood nor Grandmother could have taken on the Big Bad Wolf all on their own. Any beast that could swallow an elderly woman whole, clothes and all, had to be quite a monster. No, they needed help to overcome this evil beast.
On June 16, 1858, in a campaign speech for the Illinois race for U.S. senator, Abraham Lincoln quoted Christ in Matthew 12:25, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." It is as true now as it was when Jesus was defending himself against accusations that he was in league with the devil. Division was an issue in the early Church.
During Paul's time, there was a faction of the Jewish Christians that believed that Gentiles had to first become Jews before they became Christians and were required to follow the Jewish law. That sparked arguments as to whether it was proper to eat meat from sacrificed animals at the pagan temples which was cooked and sold by temple food vendors. And which day was supposed to be the Sabbath? Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday, as the Jews practiced it, or Sunday, the day of the resurrection of Christ? Around and around they argued until egos got involved, and people became judgemental and intolerant of anyone else's beliefs except their own. Division was tearing churches apart and weakening them.
We will always have different opinions and view points, but when ego, intolerance and the devaluing of other human beings become part of that, then I believe it becomes one of the evil conditions of this big, bag world -- division. I believe it's evil because it does produce goodness or acts of love. It runs counter to God's will for human beings to co-exist in loving, edifying, interdependent communities, and it seems to be rampant these days:
- Civil wars tearing countries apart from the inside out, causing human suffering and death.
- Our own national politics that has divided us "red" against "blue." What has happened to the ideal that our leaders should be working for the common good of our country?
- Hot button local issues, as we've seen in our own community, pitting neighbor against neighbor, town against town.
- Families who are torn apart by dysfunctional relationships, addiction and abuse.
With all that's going on around us, Christians and the Church don't need to perpetuate it. In order to overcome the evil of division in this world, we need offer an alternative, a different way of living to people.
I think that what Paul was saying to the Romans and all the other Christians who would read this letter is this -- remember the main thing, and the main thing for us as the Church is Jesus Christ. Our differences in our spiritual practices and how we interact with God through Christ is not as important as what we hold in common -- our faith in the saving grace of Christ.
We focus on the main thing, Jesus, we unite around him and find strength. Within the united body of Christ, we also receive encouragement, compassion and hope from our relationships with others.
John Wesley said it best. In the essentials, unity. In other words, keep the main thing, the main thing.
In our differences, tolerance. That means accepting others who serve and interact with Christ in different ways we do. And in all things love, seeing each other through the eyes of Christ and recognizing the image of God we are all created in.
A house divided against itself cannot stand, because we can't take on this big, bad world all on our own. Remember, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. Together, there is not only safety in numbers but also strength and victory.
The church, united in Christ, can stand up against anything the big, bad world can throw at us.
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