Sermon for 22nd Pentecost
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff!
By The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer -
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff! Sermon for 22nd Pentecost, “C,” November 9 & 10, Mt. Olive, Santa Monica
Okay, today’s Gospel lesson must be among the silliest in the Bible. Some members of the Sadducees, part of the religious hierarchy of Jesus’ day, some members of the Sadducees decided to try to trap Jesus with an impossible scenario. Their question was, as you just heard, about marriage and resurrection. Now, of course, as silly as their scenario was - seven brothers all marrying the same widow - it was even sillier since the Sadducees were known NOT to believe in heaven. So, this was not a serious or important question for them. It was a question they really had no business asking Jesus, this question about a woman outliving seven brothers after marrying each of them! If their question was to be a trap for Jesus, it was a stupid one and, of course, Jesus did not fall for it. And, even if you take their question seriously you really want to say to these brothers, after three or four of them have died after marrying the same widow – just stop the marrying of this widow.
Anyway, I digress.
You can just imagine Jesus rolling his eyes at their question. I bet he waited a moment or so to respond. Then, Jesus basically blows them off, saying that such things are not important, that God is more interested in people on this side of heaven, that God is more interested in the living.
Or, in other words, Jesus is saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” focus on the what is important in this life and not on silly or petty issues or arguments.
I will have more to say on that theme, but, first, I think it is fair to ask why the heck this text is even in the Bible? And, not only is this text in the Gospel of Luke, but it is also included in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark! And, even if it “belongs” in the Bible, why did the lectionary editors determine it important enough to read at worship once every three years?
I think the reason it is in the Bible and shared in the lessons is what follows this text in all three Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all have the same story right after this silly one. And the story that follows is one of the most important in all the Bible – Luke tells us that the Pharisees, one of the other religious authorities of Jesus’ day and another group that did not like Jesus, Luke tells us that the Pharisees, after hearing what happened to the silly Sadducees, Luke tells us that the Pharisees sent one of their lawyers to Jesus with what they thought would be a really good trick question.
In Luke, the Pharisee lawyer then asks Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (For some reason, Jesus’ critics are fixated on heaven, even if they do not believe in heaven). Regardless, in Luke, Jesus responds to this question with his own, “What is written in the law?” It is as if Jesus is asking, “How do you, Mr. Attorney, read the Jewish law in this matter?”
The lawyer answers “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” This time there is no eye-rolling by Jesus, he doesn’t skip a beat and immediately responds, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Matthew and Luke tell this story with slight differences, but all three Gospels now get to what is important in this life – love God and love neighbor. And then, as you may remember, Jesus goes on to define “neighbor” as he tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a “neighbor” is anyone in need, even if they are of a different religion or race or ethnicity than you are.
Boom – this is not the small stuff, this is the big stuff. Love God and the way to love God is to love your neighbor, each and every neighbor not just those who look or believe as you do. Jesus says that everything is the small stuff compared to this commandment of God.
Richard Carlson in his book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – And It’s All Small Stuff, says “Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple revelation that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present.”
As I read this text, I thought of a number of questions which might be helpful as we, you and I, reflect on this text:
- What do I need rather than what do I want?
- How am I blessed rather than shortchanged?
- How much of my life is concerned with the accumulation of possessions and how much of my life is focused on building community with others and caring for others?
- Do I spend more time considering what I do not have rather than what I do have?
- How would people who live in poverty view my lifestyle?
- What can I do to alleviate the worries of others who are facing hardships much greater than any that I have faced?
What are the questions that occupy your days? Are they worthy of your attention, of your life? Or, are you stuck, as I sometimes have been, just wearing yourself out asking and answering the tiny questions, the petty ones?
Think of today’s Gospel. There is Jesus, healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, setting people free from whatever binds them, loving them and bringing them new life, and the Sadducees are trying to ask questions to prove that what Jesus teaches is not true, will not work. There is Jesus offering them and us a Word from the living God, and they, and sometimes, if we are honest, we, too, and they just try to beat the Word and doubt the Word and question the Word to death.
Maybe for them, and sometimes for us, maybe for them it is hard to believe in the big things when we have some many little issues and struggles that we let take up lots of space in our minds and hearts. When we are fixated on the little stuff, how can we step back and believe in life everlasting?
A good way to lift your heart above the fray, so to speak, is to listen to those, like Jesus, who push us to open our eyes and see the wonder and beauty and the terror and hunger in the world around us. And then to see the breath of opportunities we have to love our neighbors and see the heights and depths of the spirit when we love God with all our hearts and minds and strength and soul.
Jesus tells us that the way we love God is to love our neighbor. So simple, yet so difficult. And, the interesting thing for me is that the way to find the fulfillment that comes with following these two commandments, love God and love neighbor, the way to find fulfillment in this life comes not from addition or multiplication but by subtraction, the movement from a passion for possessions to a passion for service to others.
Who is married to whom in heaven? Small stuff. What kind of car to drive or clothes to wear? Small stuff. Helping a friend or neighbor or stranger – Big stuff.
Jesus is not much interested in talking about heaven. Jesus is more interested in talking about life here on earth and how we, you and I, can be part of Jesus’ mission and ministry to love God by loving others. And, especially since heaven is no longer our worry since it is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ, everything else, everything else beyond Jesus’ call to us to love God and to love others, everything else is but small stuff.
The big stuff, the important stuff, is how we love one another, those close to us and those we do not even know. Love God, love neighbor, the most important commandment to us from God.
Amen.
The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer
Senior Pastor - Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California
November 9 & 10, 2019
