The justification that the U.S. used for invading Iraq in 2003 was that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that he was threatening to unleash on his neighbors. Two years later, no WMDs have been found, but more than 1650 American soldiers and about 180 U.S. allies have been killed. In addition, more than 20,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in direct violence since the beginning of the war, and some estimate that more than 100,000 Iraqis have died as a result of gunshots, bombs, disease, and starvation than would otherwise have been expected to die during the same period of time. Saddam Hussein had a reign of violence, and since the American-led invasion, the violence has continued and even increased. Iraq is hardly the only place in the world that is filled with violence today. Wars, skirmishes, and social unrest are present in many countries. Poverty, AIDS, and hunger are widespread. The unequal treatment of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and homosexuals, and other forms of injustice as well are rampant all over the globe. Violence has many faces, and God hates it. In the flood story, God promises to destroy the world because "the earth is filled with violence." The Hebrew word hamas is used in the Bible for many different kinds of violence, from murder to oppression of the poor. Unfortunately, in today's world we too often use euphemisms to hide the destructive nature of the violence we perpetrate. We whitewash war by giving it a name like "Operation Iraqi Freedom." We sanitize juridical murder by calling it "capital punishment." We downplay the devastation of AIDS by hosting conferences and promising to give not nearly enough money to solve the problem, then not giving what we pledged. We cover up the roles that rich nations have played in the exploitation of developing nations by blaming them for their people's poverty, when we could easily ease their pain. Hamas is not just a Palestinian militant group: it is a word that expresses the state of the world today, a state that many of us con ourselves into thinking doesn't really exist, or doesn't really matter. But it matters to God. The flood story isn't a fun children's story about Noah and his floating zoo. It is a terrible story about violence and destruction and God's judgment on those who refused to abandon lifestyles characterized by violence. God's deliverance of Noah and his family shows divine mercy, but it also challenges humankind today to show the same mercy to others that God showed to the family on the ark. Christians and other people of faith must refuse to participate in or support violence of any kind that one group of people perpetrates on another. I recently watched the movie Ray, which tells the story of Ray Charles. At one point in the movie Charles is about to give a concert in Augusta, Georgia, in 1961, and while he is walking inside past a crowd of people protesting the fact that his concert will be segregated, a young man in the crowd yells at him, urging him to forego the concert to make a statement. "That's how it is, man. This is Georgia," he replies. "Ain't nothing I can do about that. I'm an entertainer." "It doesn't have to be that way--you can change things right here and now," the young man replies. "He's right," Charles says, and directs his group to return to the bus. Though he was blind, Ray Charles saw the violence that was being done to the black population of the state, and he took a stand against the violence. Taking a stand against violence can be unpopular, and it can be costly. Charles was banned from playing in Georgia for life, and our opposition to all forms of violence of one group of human beings against another group may cost us, too, but it's the right thing to do. And who knows, your stand against violence might be the beginning of the end of the reign of violence in a particular place or of a particular kind. Ray Charles' ban from Georgia was lifted in 1979, when the state legislature offered a full apology. Your stand against violence, and mine, can make a difference, too.
On 7 February 1497, Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican priest, urged the people of Florence to bring all the symbols of their sinful lives and pile them in a square at the center of Florence, between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. There in the shadow of Brunelleschi's beautiful cupola adorning the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Savonarola lit the "bonfire of the vanities," and heaps of clothing, jewelry, cards, dice, books, and even a few paintings were destroyed. Encouraged by the reception of many of Florence's citizens, he repeated this event the following year, only to have the city (or at least the powerful in the city) turn against him and submit him to the flames only a few months later, on 23 May 1498. Memorial Day, which is celebrated in the U.S. on the last Monday in May, is designated as a day to remember and honor those who have died in our country's various wars. Typical celebrations include visits to cemeteries where soldiers are buried and parades filled with members of the armed forces. Those who answer the call to sacrifice their lives for their countries deserve to be honored, and Memorial Day celebrations can be legitimate ways of remembering them, as long as war itself is never glorified. I think, however, that the best way to honor fallen soldiers is to work to establish a peaceful world, one in which future soldiers will not be asked to die for their countries. The psalmist says of God, "He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire." Maybe we should take a page from Savonarola's book and burn our implements of war, certainly not to insult those who have used them, but to make the statement that we want to live in a world of peace. The United Nations building has etched on its cornerstone the verse from Isaiah about beating our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, but too many nations, groups, and individuals around the world seem to think that the way to peace is through increased militarism. Incredibly, the federal government is right now debating whether to put weapons into space, as though that outrageous act would make the planet (or even the U.S.) safer! The exaltation of weapons is a vestige of paganism, the worship of the god of war, emblematic of a nation that has lost its way (cf. Habakkuk 1:16, where the Babylonians bow down to their weapons). This Memorial Day let us indeed remember those who have died in war, civilians as well as soldiers, and let us pray that the scourge of war be lifted from the earth forever.
For another discussion of this passage, click here.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book The Cost of Discipleship, warns his readers against adopting the notion of "cheap grace." As others have said, the grace of God may be free, but it's not cheap. Grace is the path that we all must take to God, and we first step onto the path through faith. The first two verses in today's reading from Romans comprise Paul's thesis statement for the book. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God resulting in salvation to everyone who has faith, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Paul recognized something that many of his contemporaries, and many of our contemporaries, don't: that salvation, or deliverance, is available to everyone, not just those of a certain ethnic group, nationality, or social class. Everyone who has faith has access to God's deliverance. But what is faith? We will discuss in the next commentary on Matthew more about what faith is, but what it is not is mental acceptance of a set of doctrines. Paul continues, "For in it (the gospel) the righteousness (or justice) of God is revealed from faith to faith, for those who are justified by faith shall live." Although the traditional translation of the end of this verse is "the just shall live by faith," it is clear from Paul's argument throughout the rest of the book of Romans that "the just" are those who have been justified "by faith" in Jesus Christ: these are the ones who will live. God's salvation is totally encompassed by faith (from faith to faith). Paul rejects the notion that people can achieve salvation through works. Faith isn't just as easier way to salvation, it is the only way. But, in fact, faith is not really an easy way at all, as Bonhoeffer points out. Faith involves a commitment of one's whole life and a rejection of one's past. It is necessary for salvation because "all have sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God." It is sufficient for salvation because God has justified them through grace. Just as faith is not simply assent to a set of doctrines, and just as grace is not cheap, so salvation is not a fire insurance policy. The biblical concept of salvation involves deliverance from slavery of all sorts, both literal (as in the exodus) and figurative (e.g., deliverance from illness or from the bondage of sin). This rich passage is full of theological gold with many wide-ranging applications for Christians in today's world, so I will content myself with one other observation. The phrase "faith in Jesus Christ" that appears in 3:22 and 26 is probably better translated "faith of Jesus Christ." In other words, Paul says that God justifies those who have the faith of Jesus, that is, those who have the kind of faith in God that Jesus had. What kind of faith was that? Among other things, it was a total trust in God to guide him through thick and thin. It was confidence that God would stand by him during the toughest times of life. It was assurance that God rewards those who do what is right.
A new movie called "Kingdom of Heaven" is in the theaters now. It is set during the Crusades, and it follows the fortunes of a Christian soldier during the twelfth century. Though I haven't seen the movie yet, I understand that the soldier in question comes to understand that the Crusade in which he is involved is a perversion of the gospel of God's love for all nations. Unfortunately, most of those involved in the wars never came to that understanding. Soldiers volunteered to fight in the Crusades because they were promised entrance into the kingdom of heaven should they die in combat, and Christian leaders praised the war as God's will. If the Crusades had had a slogan, it might have been "Kill a Muslim for Jesus (or a Jew, if you can't find a Muslim)." How can such a perversion of the gospel ever have been condoned by the church? Somehow, somewhere, someone seriously misunderstood or misrepresented the gospel message. Jesus knew that people would one day distort his message yet claim to be his faithful followers. In today's reading from Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples that actions speak louder than words. Jesus' followers are not those who claim his name the loudest but those who imitate his example the most faithfully. Jesus then tells a parable about one man who built his house on a rock and another who built his house on the sand. The house on the sand washed away when the storm came, but the house on the rock stood firm. I've usually heard this parable explained by saying that the man who built his house on the rock represents those who put their trust in Christ. That's true, but only if "trust in Christ" is defined properly. Trust in Christ does not entail adherence to a certain set of beliefs, nor does it involve exhibitions of spirituality. Trust in Christ involves simple obedience to the teachings of Christ, and that is the true essence and the proper outcome of faith. I don't think this parable should be understood as absolute in the sense that it refers to some people who are completely faithful and others who are completely unfaithful. On the contrary, we all build houses on the sand sometimes, and those houses will be washed away. When we forget to show mercy to the poor, we build our house on the sand. When we put the flag above the cross, or equate the flag with the cross, we build our house on the sand. When we pray for the safety of our countrymen and for the destruction of our enemies, we build our house on the sand. When we get complaisant about millions who are infected with AIDS or other infectious diseases, we build our house on the sand. When we spend every last dime we have on ourselves and neglect those in need, we build our house on the sand. In the previous commentary on Romans, I asked the question, what is faith? According to this passage in Matthew, faith is really faithfulness: doing the will of God, as revealed through Jesus, to the best of our ability.