"The Myth Of A Savior"

Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - March 20, 2005

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Matthew 21:1-11

    Long before Jesus engaged in his ministry, the Jews were waiting for a savior who would bring back the romance of their glory days under the reign of King David.  This Messianic tradition grew very strong during the period between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.  The Jews were always hopeful and expectant that the next charismatic leader would be the miracle worker for whom they had waited for hundreds of years.             

     There is little question that this long and rich tradition of the Jews was what inspired the streets to be filled with people when Jesus entered Jerusalem in the way that he did.   The first Palm Sunday must have been quite a spectacle to observe.  Each resident or visitor to Jerusalem hoped beyond hope that this man was “the one” that the prophets had foretold would come.            

     This morning I would like for us to consider how widespread the savior mythology is since such thinking remains a fairly dominant theme in the lives of most Americans.  The savior icons are activated more often then we might imagine.  Many of them have no basis in anything that we consider sacred.  

     For example, each time the Power Ball or the Mega Bucks lottery totals climb to obscene levels and we buy a ticket, fantasies begin to play in our minds.  We think about the liberating salvation that such a windfall would bring.  Imagine, unlimited travel, our economic worries gone, being able to help others, paying off the new wing of the church or financially underwriting a kidney transplant for someone who had no medical insurance.  As strange as it sounds, that potential pot of gold inspires messianic dreams, i.e., thoughts of being saved by something external.   

     Another example is found in the drama that frequently unfolds during romantic relationships. Anyone who has ever been bitten by the romantic bug believes that emotional salvation is just around the corner.  These feelings occur when partners project on to each other qualities that neither one can possibly sustain.  In our culture, in spite of the liberation of both genders, the knight in shining armor is still a favorite symbol used by some women to describe the one who will take them away from where they are. 

     This common theme of romance is so well scripted that most of us can recite the lines from memory.  They go something like this:  “When we were dating, I was so delirious with happiness I could no longer concentrate. We would take long walks on the beach.  We would sit and talk for hours uncovering all the things we had in common.  My loneliness was gone. I finally found someone with whom I could share my life.  When we were on our honeymoon, every experience melted my soul.  My greatest joy was watching him or her sleep.” 

     If we put this relationship on fast-forward we discover the myth of a savior becoming somewhat tarnished.  This erosion process sounds something like this:  “I had no idea that he would insist on owning titanium golf clubs.  Honey, why do you have to buy a new pair of shoes each time you purchase a new blouse?  None of my friends are married to men who play in two softball leagues.  Darling, you either have to do something about your snoring or sleep in the other bedroom.”   

     There is nothing like a dose of reality to dilute our messianic dream.  Of course, when we add to the mix the invasion of three or four children, the memories of the honeymoon are relegated to a picture album we have not looked at in years.            

     There are countless illustrations of how messianic ideas appear in our lives.  In fact, most advertising agencies use this theme to capture our attention.  The supplemental insurance program offered by Aflac, for example, will save us from having financial worries if an accident causes us to miss work for an extensive period of time. Ditech will save us from mountains of paper work when we refinance our home.  

     Every automotive commercial takes us into some alternative universe where we are the only imagined driver on the road, or where the featured driver is in the wilderness, miles from gasoline stations that are required to fill those large SUV gasoline tanks.  Our experiences tell us that our saviors have clay feet.           

     In Christianity, Jesus appears to be a different kind of savior. He brought a Kingdom that will save us from the evils of this world and from sinful mistakes in judgment.   Yet, can Jesus actually save us from ourselves in the same manner as the imagined winnings from a lottery ticket or as an idealized spouse?  Even Jesus taught that he could not save us from anything.             

     Once he warned his listeners, “You must enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But, small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)   In other words, Jesus never claimed that he could carry people into a realm of spiritual security.            

     When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, it was as though he was saying, “Jews, I am using your imagery and symbols to show you how empty your chronic expectation is.  There are no messiahs!  No external being will ever arrive to take away from you your decision making responsibilities.”            

     In the final analysis, Jesus could only point, encourage and weep for those who chose blindness over sight. Our saviors do not have the power to replace our low self-esteem and lack of faith because of something that promises a sense of completeness. What Jesus does, however, is to lead people toward a different level of consciousness when they choose to follow him. The homework remains ours to do just as it would if a sudden windfall of wealth came to us, or we found ourselves in a relationship that was worth cultivating.            

     As we return to our lesson, we observe how easily Jesus lost the attention of the crowd.  It was as though the curious and those celebrating Passover left their gatherings and came into the streets to observe his entrance into Jerusalem.  As soon as it became apparent that Jesus did not intend to deliver what they wanted, the crowd quickly disbursed.                 

     Such a response can be found on all levels of humanity.  We are most enthusiastic when someone does something for us.  We become cautious when someone begins to hint that we have some responsibility for achieving the outcome we desire.  We run in fear when someone tells us that we are the only one responsible for choosing thought patterns that will help us achieve our goals.   

     Look at how many people respond to what was once looked upon as their saviors.  Some squander their financial assets believing that their money supply is endless.  Some walk away from their marriages believing that their spouse no longer makes them happy.  Some leave a church family because they believe they are no longer being fed what they need.  People want someone to save them instead of learning how to become the person God created them to be.   

     Transformation is a choice, not an automatic gift simply because we mouth some words of faith or accept certain beliefs.  When we learn this lesson, our neediness is transformed into our taking responsibility. There is no magic pill.  God’s love is free, but we have to decide to extend ourselves in a fashion that honors that love.  This process is the bread and water that prevents us from hungering and thirsting again.

     How, then, is Jesus our savior?  He was an external being. What he gives us is a new game plan, a different frame of reference, wholesome principles by which to live and the thought that a major attitude adjustment may be required.  This is like Jesus saying to his current listeners, “Stop floundering in the deep water and praying for deliverance; start swimming!”           

     Jim Cummings was assigned to me to mentor by the Board of Ordained Ministry some years ago prior to his entrance into our annual conference.  During one of our sessions, he described for me how Jesus had literally saved his life.              

     Jim had been a very angry man.  Very little in his world was the way he wanted it.  He was always finding fault; in fact, today he would be diagnosed as a toxic personality.  Jim used fear to control the associates who worked under him.  His wife and children had to live as though they walked on eggs because the least little thing not to his liking evoked his wrath.   The stress in the family was barely tolerable.  His wife threatened to take the children and leave him on numerous occasions.             

     One day his pastor said to him, “Jim, why do you permit everything and everyone to control you?  You allow so many things to rob you of the happiness you could have. Everyone makes you feel threatened or victimized.”  His pastor’s words were firm and yet Jim knew that they came from a kind spirit that was authentically trying to be helpful.              

     As he listened, Jim sat motionless.  His pastor read words from a book that Jim had seldom opened. He recited verses from Acts 9 that described the dramatic entrance of Jesus into the life of Saul of Tarsus who also had been a very angry man.             

     The words were like a mirror that allowed Jim to see himself as others saw him.  Jim’s change of mind was not a slow, evolutionary process.  It was instantaneous.  Jim had always wanted his external world to match his expectations.  He discovered that the tyranny of such a belief had prevented him from developing the skills of mercy, forgiveness, tolerance and patience.             

     Jim said, “Jesus gave me a different set of blue prints for my life and I have never looked back at the person I used to be.  It took my being in pain all those years to realize that his Kingdom was always a decision away and I had been too angry to see it.  I cannot imagine what my life would be like today had I spent the rest of it with a frame of reference that served absolutely no one.”            

     Today he is an outstanding pastor in our conference. Of course, Jim Cummings is not his real name.  His transformation occurred because of his willingness to be open to change.  Jim said that he remembers the day and the hour when the change happened.  He said it was like Ebenezer Scrooge abandoning his self-absorption in order to become the creator of a generous and kind presence that enabled others to feel loved.  Soon after this discussion, Jim decided to leave his financially secure job and become a minister.            

     This is the kind of savior Jesus can become for us.  The path of love enhances our spirits, our perceptions, our values, our communication skills and our relationships.  The shift is away from “Getting what I want” to “How may I serve?”  When we make that leap, only then do we understand how Jesus becomes our Messiah.  Our external world with all its cast of characters may not change.  The miracle is that we can change in spite of it.  Clearly, Jesus is the one who will lead us there when we decide to follow.

THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

     Ever present and merciful God, thank you for giving us a glimpse of what is essential in life.  We have learned that our vision is often blurred when life presents us with a crown of thorns.  There have been moments when our friends have misunderstood our most sincere desires.  We have known times when we have experienced feelings of abandonment, when our visions were ignored and when it was a challenge to make love visible.  God, help us to remember what Jesus experienced when the enthusiasm of that first Palm Sunday quickly faded.  He was alone in the garden when his disciples slept.  When he was taken prisoner, his most intimate friends fled.  Awaken us to the same sustaining presence with which you blessed your son.  Amen.

THE PASTORAL PRAYER

     How wonderful it is, O God, that we can remember Palm Sunday with all the mixture of emotions that must have been displayed that day by the participants.  There was the pride of the disciples who enjoyed being with such a popular figure. There was the mood of expectancy that Jesus might be the Messiah promised by the prophets.   

     How often we are tempted to want someone in our world to save us with a promotion, to rescue us from our loneliness, to help us lose weight without self-discipline, to stabilize our emotions with a magic pill, to supply us with inspiration to reach our dreams and ultimately to grant us immunity from heeding the voices of this world so that we might receive our eternal reward of Heaven.  Clearly, Lord, we have been looking for a savior in so many areas of life.  Yet Jesus taught us about choice when he said, “Follow me.” 

     As we continue our journey, we do so knowing the imperfections of our world.  Jesus called us to be a light in darkness, a darkness that can produce an aloneness that is frightening.  Comfort us with the knowledge that as we follow Jesus, he too experienced the same darkness, the same sense of betrayal and abandonment and many of the same challenges when they enter the stage of our lives.  He won his inner battles and so can we.  Thank you for that.  We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, who taught us to say when we pray . . .