"Unsportsmanlike Conduct"

Sermon 01.31.10
“Unsportsmanlike conduct”

Two friends, Bill and Tom, were drinking at a all night café. The got into a discussion about the difference between irritation, anger and rage. At about 1 AM, “Bill said, “Look, Tom, I’ll show you and example of irritation. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number at random. The phone rang, and rang, and rang. Finally, when a sleepy voice answered on the other end, Bill said, “I’d like to speak to Jones.”

“There’s no one here named Jones, “ the disgruntled man replied as he hung up.

“That”, Bill said to Tom, “is a man who is irritated.

An hour later, at 2 AM, Bill did the same thing, saying to Tom, “Now I will show you what anger is.” He dialed the same number and let it ring. Eventually, the same sleepy voice answered the phone. Bill asked, “May I speak with Jones>’
“There’s no one here named Jones, came the angry reply, this time louder than before. The man slammed down the receiver.

An hour later, at 3 AM, Bill said, “Now I will show you an example of rage.” He pulled out his phone and dialed the same number for the third time and once more it rang, and rang, and rang. When the same sleepy man answered, Bill said, “Hi, this is Jones. Have their been any calls for me?” (David Holdaway)


Such would seem to be the case in today’s text from Luke, which is a continuation from last week, but has a dramatic ending.. After Jesus says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” the gospel tells us that the all the people in the synagogue spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. Then, in the space of 4 verses, all of this atta boy stuff turns ugly and Jesus is grabbed by both ears and dragged out of town to be thrown over a high cliff. It is the epitome of unsportsman-like conduct.

What on earth did he say to elicit such a dramatic response? Essentially he tells them what they do not want to hear. He has spoken the words of Isaiah the prophet, then told the priests and educated men that he is the fulfillment of the reading. And the people wrongfully assume, Wow – we finally have our own prophet here in Galilee. They are thinking – this is what we really need. The stories that we heard about you in Capernaum were smashing and we’re just so glad that we have you here now and that you’ll minister to us. There are lots of warm fuzzies going around when people think they have an exclusive – something that they have acquired and can claim as their own, do miracles just for them, cater to whatever spiritual condition was needed.

Jesus responds by recounting the stories other prophets, trying to explain that his ministry was not to be controlled and would not be centered in one small area and to one small group of people. He speaks of Elijah, who could not minister but to one widow, when many others in Israel were dying of thirst when there was no rain for 3 and a half years. Similarly, he tells them that the prophet Elisha only cleansed one leper when Israel was full of people in the same condition. Jesus has not come to be their personal prophet gopher to the people of Nazareth, but to all. He reminds them that prophets are never received with honor in their hometown.

What a crushing disappointment, an inconvenient confession, a turn of the tables. Jesus will be calling the shots and will take his ministry to places of his own choosing. His anointing by the Holy Spirit cannot be contained within certain borders. This is nothing but the truth. His reading from Isaiah mentions no specific boundaries and instead, clearly does not include a privileged class. He will be sent to the poor, the captives, the blind. Jesus has told the synagogue nothing but the truth and this has left them irritated, angry and enraged.

When the radical inclusiveness of Jesus’ message becomes clear to those gathered in the synagogue at Nazareth, their commitment to their own community boundaries took precedence over their joy that God had sent a prophet among them. In the end, because they were not able to be open to the prospects of others’ sharing in the bounty of God’s deliverance, they themselves were unable to receive it. It is a sad and bitter moment.

Their reaction is over the top, and in the space of an instant, mob rule takes over and the crowd, whose feelings have been dearly hurt, react in violence. I have seen this happen at youth soccer games, which is unbelievable. Parents who cheer for their children suddenly are upset by a referree’s call and end up rushing onto the field. Unsportsman-like conduct is an understatement. But for Jesus this is just a foreshadowing of what is to come.

This episode will be repeated on Palm Sunday when Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph amid a grand procession and is dead on the cross 5 days later.

Anger and violence are the last defense of those who have been made to face the truth of their own traditions, which they have long defended and embraced. Learning what we already know is often painfully difficult.

All of us know what it is to be at war with ourselves, sometimes making casualties of those who are guilty of nothing but speaking the truth in love. As Christians, even we are offended that God’s grace would be extended to all. It’s especially hard when it is to people of whom we do not approve. We like to claim Jesus as our own, and speak in terms of personal salvation, rather than view Jesus as the savior of the world. One of my old pastors used to say that the most frequently used word in heaven will be “OH”. Many of us will be surprised and shocked to see who shows up. There may be the poor, the lepers, the marginalized peoples, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, and even those who profess to call themselves “Christians”.


Sometimes, (imagine this), Christians judge other Christians. Many times when I am out in public looking very pastorly with a big cross around my neck, I will find myself engaged in conversation with a person who usually asks, “Are you a Christian?’ Somehow in the course of discussion, I mention that my church is open and affirming to those in the GLBT community, that it includes those who are educated and those who did not finish high school, that it allows strangers to sit in the front pews and embraces all peoples, just as Jesus did, I find out that I am not quite the type of Christian that this person had in mind. They have their own rules about Jesus and religion, and if you don’t want to play, you are ostracized. Unsportsmanlike conduct pops up again. Some of you may have experience as well. This is the mindset of the folks in the synagogue at Nazareth, who expected to have a savior to serve only them, as they saw fit and whom they could control.

Perhaps this is the good news that we are to take from the text this morning. Church arguments will never go away and people will be continued to let their emotions rule over any rationality at times. Congregational divisions will occur and split the church with some degree of regularity, and we will travel the road together from irritation to anger to rage. We will have the truth preached to us by others and sometimes we will listen eagerly, and just as many times, we will be ready to bite off heads and throw the minister off the cliff (but hopefully not in the near future.)

We don’t own Jesus anymore than the people of the synagogue. He did not exclusively come to St. Mark’s UCC, or to all white people of the upper class or to African American pentecostalists who preach in tongures. Christ has come freely to all peoples at all times and in all places. As it says later in Mark’s gospel: For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." For many. This is the good news, that we have a Savior who is gracious to all and came to bring all into the kingdom. Praise God for this freedom. Amen.