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 Being Witnesses |
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May 2006 Just because someone has been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, just because someone has witnessed his resurrection, does not mean that they are candidates for appointment as one of the iconic twelve apostles. Twelve not because that represents some perfect number-although it often does-but twelve because that is the theology of the writers. Theologically, the gospel writers claim that Jesus' ministry prepares the way for a new Israel, which is ushered in by his resurrection. Just as the already-existing Israel is composed of twelve tribes, each bearing the name of its leader, so the new Israel is envisioned as twelve tribes, each bearing the name of an apostle. It is a symbolic concern that is often lost upon those of us who are 21st Century disciples, but filling the vacancy left by Judas held meaning in the eyes of the first-century church. We call it 'apostolic succession.' The criteria to be an apostle were that the follower had to have been present with Jesus throughout his ministry, as well as a witness to his resurrection. Actually, there was a third criterion, but the third is so thoroughly ingrained in the culture of first-century Judaism that it is virtually invisible to the gospel writers. In order to 'count' as an apostle, the witness also needed to be a male. Even though women had numbered among his followers from the beginning. Even though women were the first witnesses to the resurrection regardless of the gospel account. Thanks to recent press, it's no secret that there are more gospels than those that made it into our official Bible. At least one of those gospels-the Gospel According to Mary Magdalene-called by some the 'Apostle to the Apostles'-suggests a role for this female disciple at least equal to that of Peter, James, and John. It also reminds us that issues of gender equality-and other forms of prejudice-have very long roots. So even though 'certain women' are referred to even in today's story, they play a secondary role in the ministry of Jesus' followers according to this gospel writer. These are not side issues as some claim, but go to the very heart of the gospel. Just as the earliest disciples fail to live fully into the vision to which Jesus calls them, our own attitudes may also keep us from fully welcoming others to the table. These attitudes are often more subtle than we recognize. Author John Killinger observes that the now well-established association of Judas with an act of treachery is alive and well. He and his wife saw the musical Jesus Christ Superstar on a London stage. During intermission, the cast came down and talked with the audience. When they met one actor who played Jesus and the one who played Judas, they were told that the two switched parts every few nights so other members of the cast wouldn't get to hating them. "Before we did this," they said, "everybody ostracized the one being Judas."[1,19] This is how people were responding simply to a role in a play. Imagine the ostracism when the subject is AIDS. Later in today's service we will commission Aaron Deckenback for nine weeks of service in a South African orphanage for children of AIDS victims. Coincidentally, one of the May issues of Newsweek ran a feature entitled "AIDS at 25." It reminds us that when gay men first began dying "of a strange array of opportunistic infections"[2,37] in 1981, the national response ranges from indifference to hostility. It took President Reagan another four years to openly discuss the epidemic in a public forum...and even then he didn't use the term "AIDS." By 1985, more than 12,000 Americans had died of the disease. Bob Hope joked about AIDS at the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. And I don't need to tell you about Pat Buchanan. To date, this horrible disease has killed more Americans than "every conflict from World War II through Iraq";[2,37] it has decimated the African continent. The global toll of this horrific disease stands at 25 million people. And counting. We know that many still treat AIDS victims as though they were Judas. But those who share in Jesus' ministry of compassion bring hope to those living with AIDS and extend Jesus' welcome to a common table. Those who see that resources are available to the world's needy, those who build schools for impoverished children, those who respond to the most recent disaster share in Jesus' ministry of compassion and extend his welcome to a common table. Symbols can give expression to rich, profound insights; symbols can provide deep meaning to the most important aspects of our living. Elizabeth Taylor's simple gesture of taking her friend Rock Hudson's hand after he shared publically that he was gay and that he was dying of AIDS was a powerful symbol of life-giving importance. But when a symbol becomes an artifact that obscures our vision, it ceases to function as intended and may even become an end in itself. That's The Da Vinci Code in a nutshell, but it applies to apostolic succession too. We can become so enamored with a symbol-whether it is apostolic succession or the holy grail-that its pursuit leads us to invalidate the values it stood for. We lose our focus and allow cultural norms and personal agendas to carry the day. At the first meeting with consultant Ed White and the Steering committee last week, Ed quoted one of the gurus of business management as saying that there are really only two fundamental questions when it comes to business: What business are you in? and, How's business? I am the first to protest that the church is not a business. But it's naive to suggest that a venerable institution some 2,000 years old doesn't have things in common with business-and Ed's application of that question to the church is a good one. Are we in the business of providing a spiritual home so welcoming that those seeking God's presence will find it here? Are we in the business of preparing ourselves through study and prayer and discernment to serve others as disciples of Jesus? Are we in the business of discipleship? Because of course, the issue isn't really apostolic succession. It's discipleship. Or as Mark puts it, those who do the will of God are Jesus' brother and sister and mother *** [1]
"Living by the Word," John Killinger, The Christian Century,
May 16,2006, Vol. 123, No.10, pages 18-19. |