The Park Road Pulpit
Sermons from Park Road Baptist Church
Russ and Amy Jacks Dean, Pastors
A Glimpse of Heaven
Matthew 18:15-20
Amy Jacks Dean, September 8, 2002
**Preparation for the reading of Scripture**
A review: we spent the summer studying the 10 commandments – ancient words that have withstood the test of time. We moved into the fall and made a transition by looking at Jesus’ answer to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?” We heard him answer – to love God with all of who you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. Then we asked ourselves the question, “How do we love God?” and concluded that the only sure way to love God was to love our neighbor. Now we have committed ourselves for the fall to learn how to love our neighbor by studying the teachings of Jesus as found in Matthew’s gospel. And in looking closely at these teachings, commit ourselves anew to following in the way of Jesus.
This week, in my study, I came across some important ideas – a different way to interpret this text than simply reading these words as verbatim quotes of Jesus. Fred Craddock says that the words recorded in Matthew were probably not words of the historical Jesus. In this passage, Jesus is giving instruction to the church – which had not been formed yet. To give instruction to the disciples about how to handle conflict within the church would have been confusing to them. Instead, these words were more likely from the writer of Matthew’s gospel to a specific Jewish congregation in conflict - years after Jesus died. The writer perhaps drew from the well-known teachings of Jesus on conflict resolution and incorporated this into the text in order to help a specific church.
This is but one explanation – one that makes sense to me. But either way you read this text, it is clear how Jesus feels about how we handle situations of controversy.
** Sermon **
Kathleen Norris writes, “I once had a dream of being seated at a long banquet table, so long that I could not see the end of it. I am a dedicated bread baker, and I recall noticing that the quality of the bread was excellent. I also was pleased to recognize some of the people in the crowd. Emily Dickinson seated next to St. Therese of Lisieux, Soren Kierkegaard seated across from them. I longed to hear the conversation. My grandparents were there, my aunts and uncle, my mother and father. Family, friends, and strangers. A whole raft of Dalai Lamas, including the current one, his immediate predecessors, and also several infant Lamas-to-Be. Seated not far from them was a good friend, a Benedictine monk. He was grousing about having to wear his habit for all eternity. There was much lively conversation, but it all sounded like song and was profoundly joyful. Not much happened, as I recall. But I woke with a sense of wonder at the grace of it all.” (Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, page 368) It was for Kathleen Norris – a Glimpse of Heaven.
The story is told of two images: one an image of hell, the other an image of heaven. The image of hell is that of a long banquet table, filled with the most scrumptious of foods. It was a fabulous feast. A buffet to behold. A delectable delight. The only problem was that the people’s elbows would not bend. The people at hell’s banquet table were moaning and groaning in starvation as the most beautiful table of food sat right under their noses, but they could not partake of even one bite. Now the image of heaven was that of a long banquet table, filled with the most scrumptious of foods. It was a fabulous feast. A buffet to behold. A delectable delight. The only advantage was that the people’s elbows would not bend. The people at heaven’s banquet table were eating to their hearts content. They were well fed and enjoying every minute of the banquet for, you see, it did not matter that their elbows did not bend – for they were feeding one another. A Glimpse of Heaven.
Have you ever caught a glimpse of heaven? If you have, then you know that it is enough. All we really have of heaven is earthly words. We can only describe the unknown with earthly images. We can only image a Blessed Hope with earthly thoughts. We can only see heaven as some form of earth. That may not be what it actually is, but it is all we know. I tell you this: whatever Heaven, or what I call The Blessed Hope of the Forever Presence of God, is – I know that we can catch a glimpse of it here and now, and it is enough.
Our passage for today reminds us of this in these words, “Truly I tell you, [Jesus says,] whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (verse 18) These words point to everlasting issues based on our very earthly relationships. It was just two weeks ago when Russ preached on Peter’s confession. Jesus said, “But who do you say that I am?” “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church . . . and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-19)
Do you see that there is a distinct connection between now and forever. I grew up understanding this connection in terms of reward and punishment: there would be eternal consequences to unrepentant wrongs; there would be eternal reward for faithful accomplishments. I don’t think that was what Jesus was saying in his thoughts on binding and loosening. In Matthew’s telling, this earthly binding and loosening, has to do with how we deal with one another in conflict. He is not speaking here of eternal consequences or rewards based on the way we handle ourselves when we have been wronged by another. Rather Matthew is saying that Jesus spoke in terms of there being a connection between here and forever, and that connection is the very presence of God. And because of the very presence of God – in all of our dealings with others of God’s children – we are reminded that what we say and how we act has forever meaning.
That “what we say and how we act” should simultaneously frighten us and liberate us. It terrifies me to know that the hurtful words that I say may hold the everlasting power to always be hurtful. Words that spew forth from my mouth might as well be carried on an unending wind that blows where it will – stabbing and piercing all who feel its breeze. Yet it liberates me to know that the encouraging words that I utter may bring life in an eternal meaning. Those words might as well shine on the rays of the sun bringing hope and light to those who dwell in darkness. And when light shines in the darkness, the darkness will not overcome it. (allusion to John 1:5)
We hear words today to a 1st century church that was trying desperately to follow in the way of Jesus – even in conflict. Matthew recounted the teachings of Jesus to this Jewish-Christian community (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol VIII, page 95) to say “how we treat one another – within the church – has forever meaning.” (My own paraphrase) And we read those words today in the midst of this 21st century church, and the teachings of Jesus have not changed – how we treat one another in this church has forever meaning. M. Eugene Boring says profoundly, “Matthew’s community orientation and our individualistic one come into sharp conflict . . . To be Christian [he says] is to be bound together in community; to pray is to say `our Father,’ even in the privacy of our own room.” (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol VIII, page 379)
How timely it is then that even today, many of you sat in this sanctuary to hear about a Master Plan for our church – a vision that will take Park Road Baptist Church into its next 50 years. Let’s admit it, We will not all agree on every jot and tittle. We will be in conflict over some ideas that spring forth from this plan. Some will think we need to clean up the water in this building; some will think we need to build a new building while some will think we need to renovate what we’ve got; some will want to fix up the Youth Building. We are not going to agree on everything. I am not afraid of the disagreements and conflicts – that is what will bring life to the Master Plan – the church will be better for the diversity of ideas and the process of listening and compromise and consensus. It is how we handle the differences and conflicts that may arise – with the Master Plan or anything else for that matter – that will be the telling tale of how capable we are of following the teachings of Jesus. Russ and I are excited, and we see a bright hope for the potential of this congregation in this community and in this world. The history is too rich and the present is too full to see anything but Glimpse of Heaven in our future.
But if you will allow me some liberty with this text, I feel compelled that these concepts put forth by Matthew as being the teachings of Jesus have a far greater reach than just how individuals within churches handle conflicts. We sit here on September 8th – knowing that 9-11 is coming. How have we, how are we, and how will we handle our world’s current conflict? The truth is that the teachings of Jesus do not include war. The teachings of Jesus beg and plead for peace, resolution, negotiation, and reconciliation. How can we, as followers of Jesus, call for anything less? I pray for wisdom for our president and for all of our world’s leaders. What they say and how they act have forever meaning.
I do not speak as one with simple solutions for the evils of terror in our world. I do not speak as one with simple solutions for falling apart marriages, family strife, stressful work environments, community race relations, or any other conflict areas in our lives. But we were never promised that the way of Jesus would be an easy or glorious path. As a matter of fact, the way of Jesus is far from simple – it is a difficult row to hoe – it will include hardship and difficult sayings; it will include speaking out; it will include making crooked ways straight; it will include saying what we say and acting the way we act and realizing all the while that there is forever meaning in every word and with every action.
This whole passage from Matthew this morning has unspoken words that call for a release of revenge and not an acquiescence to anger. What we carry in our own hearts today affects our families and our community and our nation. So it is my hope that in what we say and how we act that our families will be restored. It is my hope that in what we say and how we act that our community would thrive. It is my hope that in what we say and how we act that our world would be at peace.
That means we must learn how to eat with elbows that won’t bend and when we do, we’ll catch a Glimpse of Heaven. And a Glimpse of Heaven is almost heaven enough. The truth is that a glimpse is probably more than we could even stand. May it be so.
O God, this day, give us your words.
Help us to mend broken relationships with your brand of conflict resolution.
O God, this day, may we act the way you act –
Working always toward reconciliation in our homes, in our church, in Charlotte and in the world.
Help us, O God, we pray. Amen.