Is the Lord Among Us or Not?



Exodus 17:1-7

Matthew 21:23-32
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The chief priests and the elders in the Temple had certainly heard of Jesus. There was no doubt about it. The stories of his miracles and his powerful teaching had spread like wildfire. And, they had rippled from the country-sides he travelled all the way back to Jerusalem.

But, what was he to them? There always seemed to be rabbis wandering the deserts, gathering disciples, teaching them in the ways of the Torah. True, the buzz about this Jesus was so much more than the others before him. Then again, John - that wild man wearing camel hair and baptizing people in the desert - attracted quite a following, too. And look where he ended up... his head on Herod’s platter.

These wandering wise-men - these faith healers - they never seemed to last very long, unlike the Temple leadership... the priests and the elders. Instead of providing excitement, they provided stability and tradition. They kept the ritual requirements and upheld all the structures and the administration required to maintain the Temple sacrifices. There were always plenty of pilgrims coming to offer sacrifices, so there was always work to do... and meat to eat. And, with the Temple tax, they were well taken care of.

And, they were the ones that the Romans officially recognized and dealt with. It was an unenviable position in some ways... that uncomfortable position in between the people of God and their pagan overlords. But, they were well-compensated... and well protected... as long as they kept the peace.




Which, to be honest, was getting harder and harder with Jesus around. Earlier, in the week, he had made his entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey - hearkening back to King David. The crowds had gone wild, and the Romans got antsy. The next day, he was in the Temple turning over the tables of the money-changers and chasing out the merchants selling animals to be sacrificed. The priests - heck, the whole sacrificial system - relied on these merchants and money changers. What was he doing?!?

So, we come to our confrontation for today. It was there chance to settle things with this trouble-maker… to get things back in order. “Why are you doing this Jesus? Who gave you the authority to do all this?” It was really less of a question and more of a reminder that THEY were the religious experts, especially here in Jerusalem... THEY were ones managing the Temple... THEY were the ones who represented the people before God and the Romans... THEY were the ones in authority.

And yet, in their response to Jesus’ question - rather, their inability to respond - they reveal just how little they understood of God’s authority.

It was an easy question… really. “Was the baptism of John a human thing or a God thing?”

The people that flocked to John - to hear his message and receive his baptism in the wilderness - knew that God was up to something. They left their lives behind and turned them toward God. Tax collectors stopped exploiting their brothers and sisters on behalf of the Romans and their toadies in the Temple. Prostitutes gave up making money by degrading themselves. These - and many more like them - went to John in the desert because they were ready for something new. They were thirsty for new life.






In the fullness of time Jesus came, the One John was preparing the way for. And, the crowds grew. Not only the prostitutes and the tax collectors followed him, but also the blind who were given sight... the lame who were made to walk again... the dead who were brought back to life... the thirsty who were given Living Water.

“Is the Lord among us or not?” This was the question that the thirsty Israelites asked in the desert, and this is really the question that Jesus was asking the Temple leaders.

To the crowds who followed Jesus, to all of those who were desperate for the Living Water he gave, the answer was simple. Not so for the Temple priests and elders. They were supposed to be the God people. But they could see God’s presence when it was right in front of their faces.


So, instead of opening their eyes to God’s presence, or at least to the people who had been restored to life around them, they argued until they came up with an answer that would protect them. And, in all their calculating, their answer of, “We don’t know,” revealed their inability to perceive God’s presence in their midst.

But, if their answer didn’t reveal their lack of faith enough, Jesus’ parable sealed the deal. For, of course, they were the second son. They were the ones who came from generations of priestly families. They excelled in Hebrew school and in Torah school. They were the ones who said they were doing the work of God. But, when God’s work was tangible in their midst... they refused to turn their lives and get on board.

But the tax collectors and the prostitutes, and all the others who had once turned away from God’s invitation, they changed their minds. The ones who had originally seemed farthest from God were actually the ones who turned around and responded to God’s presence in their midst. They were the ones already entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

In our Old Testament lesson, the Israelites cried out for water. They were in danger of dying of thirst in the desert and, trust me, to die of thirst is a horrible death. From our years of living in the desert, we heard too many stories of migrants who got lost or who ran out of water while crossing the desert from Mexico to the U.S.

Make no mistake, the cries of the Israelites were no mere complaints. They were cries of desperation. They were so upset, so angry, they took it out on their leader Moses, who got them into the mess. They were ready to stone him. Human flesh doesn’t stand a chance when struck by a rock.

Instead, God, who seems to flip everything on its head, says to Moses, “Strike the rock.” Go to Horeb, the place I first revealed myself to you and strike the rock with your staff. Moses did, and living water burst forth. God was with them, indeed.

Friends, the good news is that we don’t have to have all the scriptures memorized. We don’t need to know all the right words to the prayers or the right words to say. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to be honest. Sometimes, we find ourselves like the tax collectors and the prostitutes... empty and hollow because of our choices. Sometimes we find ourselves like the Israelites in the desert... desperate because of our circumstances. Sometimes we find ourselves like the Temple elders… stuck in our ways, unable to see God. The good news is that - however we find ourselves - when we cry out and turn our lives, Living Water awaits us.

So, if your friends... from work or school… or if someone at Spirit of Beacon day asks you, “Is the Lord among us or not?” what will you say?

Amen.