Was Jesus Bitter?
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Matthew 9:35—10:20
Generally speaking, when people think about Jesus, what do they feel
about Him? He's nice. He's loving. He's a servant. Generally speaking,
people think of Jesus as a great person. He was a famous teacher who
did a lot of good for this world.
Have you ever known someone who was like this? They were a good
person, dedicated to helping others, selfless with their time and
kind-hearted. But as time went by they became hardened. Their words
and demeanor showed an increasing bitterness. It was sad to see how
this person who had been such a positive influence on others now was
becoming more and more of an emotional drain on others. You would
listen to them and wonder how it was that after so much giving that
they could now be so bitter.
Does this describe Jesus? As Christians, we're probably quick to react
against such an assertion. Jesus? Bitter? Of course not! Jesus was, in
fact, loving, kind, generous, a force for good in the world. The
things He said were positive. There's a reason so many people think of
Him as a nice person—because He was.
But there are two definitions of bitter dictionaries that give a telling story:
• characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: for example,
bitter hatred.
• resentful or cynical: for example, bitter words.
Do these apply to Jesus? Can we say that He was bitter? I can think of
someone people who would not hesitate to say that Jesus was in fact
bitter. The Pharisees, I would think, would characterize much of
Jesus' words to them as bitter words. The relationship between Jesus
and the Pharisees was very much antagonistic and hostile. And it
wasn't that the Pharisees were the mean guys and Jesus was always like
a dove. It wasn't even that the Pharisees perceived Him as bitter.
Jesus' words toward the Pharisees were often harsh and judgmental.
So does this mean that Jesus was bitter? Our Gospel reading today
paints a picture at the beginning of the Jesus we know and love so
well: compassionate and humble. Here to serve and help. No bitterness
there, only positive and loving things to offer. But as the Gospel
reading goes on, do we see a change toward a darker and bitter Jesus?
It's almost a subtle enough of a change that it might not be noticed
at first. He's talking about reaching out, helping, bringing the
Gospel to others. Sending out servants to carry out the good work of
the Gospel.
But what about when things turn sour? Does Jesus continue with a
positive disposition? Or does His disposition turn sour as well? How
are the apostles to react when they are met with resistance? Jesus
says that "if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if
it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not
receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet
when you leave that house or town." What is behind this kind of
treatment? Couldn't the loving and nice Jesus just say to His trusted
disciples, "If they don't listen to you, that's too bad for them, but
just be on your way"? Wouldn't it be kinder and gentler not to go on
about the horrific judgment that will befall them? After all, do these
words sound like one who isn't bitter?: "Truly, I say to you, it will
be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and
Gomorrah than for that town."
Plus, what is all this judgment about anyway? Why does a loving God
need to hand down judgment against those who reject Him? Doesn't it
take one who is bitter to bring down upon others such harsh punishment
on others? Jesus is God. He is the Creator of humans. Is there some
bitterness, then, to Jesus' prediction about what the apostles will
find when they go out? "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware
of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their
synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for My
sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles." These aren't very
high hopes for those whom He has created.
But it gets even worse. Remember what He ended up saying about these
very own apostles: that they would all fall away from Him. Did Jesus
become cynical toward the end when He knew it was all about to come
crashing down? He did pray three times for His Father to take the cup
of suffering from Him. Was He bitter that the cup of God's wrath had
to fall on Him? Was He bitter that He stood before Pontius Pilate, a
peon in the scheme of the universe that Jesus Himself had created,
when He was humiliated before this peon who thought that he, Pilate
himself, was really something as Roman ruler? Is that why Jesus
attempted with His words to "put Pilate in his place"?
You and I may think some of these questions as strange. You and I may
wonder why they would even be brought up. But there are many in the
world who do not see a kinder gentler Jesus. They see a bitter Jesus.
They see one who acts out upon the people of this world with undue
harshness. In fact, out of bitterness. Pettiness, even. Shouldn't the
God of the universe be above that sort of action? But they also look
at Jesus' followers. They look at you and me. They look at Christians.
And make no mistake, they base judgments on Christ and Christianity on
you and me and how we act. Bitter Christians reflect poorly on Christ
and the Christian Church. They wonder either why Christians would be
bitter if God is so great or they would say that it's expected that
Christians would be bitter considering that their Master, Jesus
Christ, was bitter.
We have to cut through all of this to get at who the real Jesus is.
Was Jesus bitter? We know better. We know He wasn't. But it *is* true
that Jesus was "characterized by intense antagonism or hostility."
There's no doubt about this. We've already pointed this out in His
dealings with the Pharisees. His relationship with them was
antagonistic. He was intentionally hostile to them. It's even more
important for us to recognize, though, that Jesus is this way with us.
How, you wonder? And maybe why? Well, first it's important to realize
that it's not in the way of the other definition of bitter that we
heard, resentful or cynical. But it is actually in a way that is the
opposite of bitter. It's perhaps best described at the beginning of
the Gospel reading, telling us that Jesus was compassionate toward the
people. His heart went out to them. His words and His actions
followed. Ultimately, His life itself followed. Delivering Himself
even up to death. Taking the bitter pill of the Cup of God's wrath
upon sin and sinners.
No, there's no bitterness in Jesus. There's nothing in Him that seeks
retaliation, revenge, or even hatred. It's all pure love for us and
all of the crown of His creation, the human beings that He created in
His very own image. Every once in a while you hear something that goes
to the essence of an issue. For me, one of those things was what I
heard on Monday: a professor from the Fort Wayne seminary giving an
answer to the very troubling question of why people have to go to
hell. His response was that everyone—note, everyone—gets better than
what they deserve. We might wonder how it is that those who are in
hell get better than what they deserve. It's because God is in fact
not a God of bitterness but of mercy. What we all—again, note,
all—deserve is eternal damnation. There are any number of twists we
can put on this—God is too harsh, God is unfair in this judgment,
etc.—but the fact remains that God is just and we deserve
nothing—nothing—from Him of His blessings. But blessings are exactly
what He gives. Grace and mercy are exactly what He rains down upon us.
People don't deserve life, they deserve eternal damnation. But God
doesn't go around damning everyone, He gives freely and willingly life
to people. He provides them with many blessings in this life. But
especially, He gives His most precious gift of all: His own Son.
This is not what can be described as bitter. It is what can be
described as indescribable. Beyond comprehension. It is pure mercy. It
is receiving what we do not deserve. It is being offered freely and
without strings attached, eternal life and glorious life beyond
compare. It is being handed keys to the eternal mansions of glory in
return for no price to you. It is all at the cost of His own Son who
was in fact not bitter but joyful in His serving you in this way.
Even though Father's Day is a day to honor and give thanks for the
gift of fathers, for those of us who are fathers, today is a day also
to give thanks for the privilege of being a father. But how often do
we end up not graciously and lovingly guiding our children but instead
being bitter over our frustrations with them? How much can we provoke
our children before we end up embittering them? We fathers are to love
our children in a patient and gentle way, but so often we let our pent
up stress and annoyances get the better of us and our children see in
us not God's grace but fear. Let's not be bitter but joyful in our
loving and disciplining our children, being compassionate with our
children as our Heavenly Father is with us.
It's so very sad when we know of those we love who are Christians who
become bitter. It eats away at them inside and spews forth on the
outside. It's sad when we begin to see in ourselves bitterness welling
up. Questioning the goodness of God and harboring ill thoughts toward
others because they are causing us hurt and harm. It is a tragedy when
faithful people of God lose sight of the grace and immeasurable mercy
of God and can think only on what is wrong and what might have been
and what should be. Who can only count the grudges they have against
others and the reasons why they have so many doubts about God.
The world and our own sinful flesh would respond to this by either
blaming God or giving up on Him. Thank God He has given us hope. It is
in the bitter pill swallowed by Jesus Himself. If He appears to be
bitter it is only because His eternal and compassionate love for all
of us is driving His every word and action. The only way we can know
this is because of what He actually came to do and that is suffer in
our place. That is to die the death of eternal damnation so that we
may not know the bitterness of eternal separation from God but eternal
life with Him. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
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