Boundaries

Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 20:17-28

The story is told of a ship's captain who looked into the dark night and saw faint lights on the ocean's horizon.  Immediately he issued the order to his signalman to send the message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south".  The signalman sent the message, and promptly received a return message from those 'faint lights': "Alter your course 10 degrees north."

The captain was angered that his order had been ignored, so he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south - I am the captain!"  To which the response soon came: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am seaman third class Jones."

Immediately the captain sent a third message knowing this message would command some respect: "Alter your course 10 degrees south - I am a battleship!"

To which the response came soon thereafter: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am a lighthouse!"  - Leadership magazine, 1983

Love Dare© #12 states, "Love lets the other win".  Not all situations would be as dramatic as the story we share and sometimes such willful if mindless submission without question can lead to more trouble than safety.  The most dramatic example I can think of is a troubled marriage in which the woman mistakenly believes "submission" to mean taking a beating every now and then - or having her life monitored and controlled to within an inch of her sanity.  And as we learned a couple of weeks ago from our ministry partners at "Living Water", this really does happen and probably more often than we would be comfortable knowing.

Regardless of specific circumstances, too many instances suggest spouses - and Christians in general - fail to understand or appreciate the Bible's clearer - and EDIFYING rather than DEMEANING - meaning behind "submission".  We fail to take into account the certain biblical reality that we are ALL called to submission - but we do not often appreciate the divine wisdom that is in submission.  Very simply put, we can by submission defuse a heated situation rather than allow it to escalate unnecessarily.  In human relationships, we can alter our own course - as the ship's captain discovered he must - OR - we can stay the course to "show who's boss" and face inevitable disaster ... regardless of who "wins".

It has probably been since the beginning of time that humans have claimed more "rights" than they are actually entitled to as a means to individual empowerment, control, or independence.  It seems especially so today with the many who are claiming "rights" which do not seem so clearly defined, questionable "rights" that come dangerously close to trampling the "rights" of others.  So it is when we begin to try and exercise some of these spiritually questionable "rights" that we actually begin to defy everything our Lord has tried to teach us, "humility" not being the least among these lessons, as we "run aground" and do harm to others rather than alter our destructive course - irrespective of the other person's choice of action! 

It is the misappropriation of these "rights" by which our Lord's sovereignty and role as "Lord" of our lives is called into question; when His lordship is actually challenged as we seek to establish our own "lordship".  It is at this moment when we begin flirting with spiritual disaster as we begin to cross a line we dare not cross, failing to see future ramifications.  "Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same (and we do by our examples rather than our words), will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven ..." (Matthew 5:19).  So says our King, our Master, our Lord.

I cannot say I've done a very good job of staying out of the Chick-fil-A situation, but I think I've done better than many.  This company's president stated recently in an interview with a Baptist publication that he believes in the traditional, biblical definition of marriage.  Having read the article and others associated with it, I found no "anti" statement from Dan Cathy; he didn't "condemn" anything or anyone - he merely affirmed what he believes to be true.  I found a man whose foundational basis of living and working is in Christ, the Bible, and the Church.  He is "for" the traditional definition of marriage, he is "for" rest and worship on Sunday, he is "for" radical hospitality, he is "for" leading by example, and he is "for" philanthropy and selfless giving.  To my knowledge, what he may or may not be "against" is only inferred by what he is "for".

No one should argue that Mr. Cathy has a right to believe what he believes and say so, and no one should argue that others have a right to disagree as they obviously do and say so.  It is troubling, however, that one statement from one man to one publication can have nation-wide implications.  I do not fear Mr. Cathy's remarks were taken out of context because he does clearly and unapologetically affirm what he believes and that if his belief makes him guilty of anything, then he is, as he stated, "guilty as charged". 

What I do fear, however, is that many Christians - including those in "name" only, those who claim to have been "saved" but do not "follow" Christ in daily living - have chosen this private, for-profit company on which to take their stand whether they agree or disagree - and whether they also support their local church ... or not.  I cannot help but to think that if those THOUSANDS who showed up on Wednesday would actually show up in worship on Sunday, there might not be so many empty pews!  Those on both sides probably mean well, but there is also the potential to do more harm than good depending on how far one chooses to push - irrespective of how far many believe they are already being pushed!

The psalmist writes, "When you are disturbed (or angry), do not sin; ponder it on your beds and be silent.  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord" (4:4-5).

Over the centuries and into our modern time, some Christians have been rather confrontational in expressing themselves and defending the faith.  For some the faith has been worth fighting, killing, and dying for.  Well, this may be partially true but in accordance with Jesus' example, there are "boundaries".  As Jesus points out to His disciples, whether they like it or not they will "drink His cup" if they remain faithful to Him; that is, they will face the same opposition from the world as Jesus did ... and they will have forced upon them every opportunity to die for the faith ... and many did ... and still do today estimated by some accounts to the tune of 270 per day. 

No martyr ever had to go looking for trouble, and we recall Peter was admonished by Jesus to put his sword away even though Peter was trying to protect Jesus as Jesus was being unjustly arrested.  The righteous and genuine martyrs did not and are not thrusting themselves upon the sword willfully - like those misguided "Islamists" who think they are doing a good and righteous thing for their cause by killing as many innocent persons as they can - and dying with them.  Genuine martyrs do not have a death wish, and they are certainly not willing to harm others for their cause.  Even for the faith and for the sake of Eternal Life, there are "boundaries".  Martyr's troubles did come - and will come - soon enough and in due time according to how faithfully disciples of Christ embrace that "cup".

It cannot be reasonably said that Jesus Himself had a death wish, as His prayer at Gethsemane would reveal His desire to have that "cup" taken from Him, and He did not willfully walk into the presence of Pontius Pilate to confront him.  Jesus was arrested, shackled, and taken by force all the way to the Cross.  Jesus did not place Himself on the Cross but was nailed to that Cross by evil men.  Max Lucado is a preacher and Christian writer with a real gift for words, and he stated once that "sin placed Jesus on the Cross, but Love kept Him there".  Well, no disrespect to Bro. Max or the ideal he sought to express, but we should not deny the reality that it was indeed spikes that kept Jesus nailed to the Cross until He was dead.

What distinguishes Jesus and the sacrifice He made in showing us the way we should go is so well expressed by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians when he stated that Jesus "emptied [denied]  Himself [and the reasonable "rights" He was certainly entitled to!], taking the form of a slave"; "to serve rather than to be served".  This is to say, Jesus completely submitted Himself to the human reality that the "cup" of submission which is His - is the same "cup" of submission you and I drink from when we proclaim Him as Lord of the Church, Savior of the world, and Master of our lives and homes.  It is the "cup" of submission that gives life even as the world seeks to deny the genuine life-giving power of that "cup".  It was the "cup" of submission that was the Cross, not a sword.  Not a gun.  Not a sign or placard with hateful messages, and certainly not a curse upon those with whom we disagree.

There are "boundaries" to which we must yield as disciples of Christ, "boundaries" that define our faith rather than defy our Lord.  There is the certain reality there is only so much we can - or should - do in proclaiming and defending the Gospel, that same Gospel which gives life rather than takes it.  It is the same Gospel that calls the faithful to "empty ourselves and take the form of a slave" as our Lord did rather than to defend ourselves regardless of the cost to others. 

The ideal is best portrayed by John the Baptist who insisted that having fulfilled his call to "prepare the way of the Lord", he must "decrease" so that Christ and the Gospel may "increase" (John 3:30).  John saw his limit and respected his boundaries.  So, too, must we; for the sake of the Gospel and the promise and power of the Kingdom of Heaven which is to come. 

In the name of the Holy Father, the Holy Son, the Holy Spirit.  AMEN.