Keawala'i Congregational Church, Kahu's Mana'o

Kahu's Manao

Keawala‘i Congregational Church
United Church of Christ (USA)

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Rev. Kealahou C. Alika

Some of you knew him. At first he stayed with his mother at her home. His sisters and other family members provided their care. But as his immune system began to weaken and his health declined he decided it was time to go to his own home.

The family understood and as he settled into the familiar confines of the cottage he shared with his lifetime companion, he continued to be surrounded by family members. When I received the call for a home visit, it was evident that there was not much time left.

A call for hospice care had been made several weeks earlier. Now, it was time to talk about what he wanted for his memorial service. The family belonged to another church but they were told by the leaders of the church that it would not be possible to have a memorial service for someone who died of AIDS.

When I arrived at his home many members of the family were already gathered. I took a moment to talk with his mother and one of his sisters. Then we went to his bedside.

I was surprised to see so many in the room – including his other sisters, other family members and so many children. Some were on the bed. Other’s stood around the bed. We were able to all pray together. In that moment I knew that even if his illness was not cured he was healed by God’s love and the love of his family.

He died not long after that day. When his memorial service was held here in this sanctuary many came to remember and to celebrate his life. For some the decision may have been cause for controversy. What will others think? What will others in the community say of the church, of our church? This is a small island. The word will get out.

We learn growing up in some of our families, some of our communities that it is best to avoid controversies and confrontations of any kind. That is especially true when it comes to the life of our churches.

The dilemma we face is that for some doing what one believes is right may not be held in the same regard by others. So we avoid taking risks.

If there are any reasons to believe that Jesus avoided controversy and confrontation, such reasons will not be found in the Bible. At every turn in his mission and ministry he risked getting himself and others into trouble with those in positions of power – whether they were in government, in the church, in communities or anywhere else.

Our reading from The Gospel According to Matthew contains three such stories. The first is a story of considerable controversy. Matthew’s vocation or work is the source of the controversy. He is a tax collector and like other tax collectors of his day, he is considered to be someone who is morally corrupt.

Roman taxes were collected by those who bid for the right to collect taxes. More often than not they extorted the people to the limit. They were considered not only as oppressors but as traitors because they collaborated with the foreign imperial power of Rome. (Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1968, page 78)

That Jesus called Matthew and that Matthew responded with the same immediacy as the other disciples who were fishers was remarkable. That Matthew invited Jesus to his home for a farewell dinner with his friends who happened be tax collectors, and other social outcasts, was cause enough for the religious leaders of the community to react not only with surprise but with hostility.

Jesus does the unexpected. No decent religious leader could afford to be seen in the company of such people. Not so for Jesus. If it is true that one is known by the company one keeps to say that Jesus and his disciples were in deep over their heads would be an understatement.

“Why does your teacher eat with such tax collectors and sinners?” the Pharisees ask the disciples. Their question draws a sharp response from Jesus. The disciples do not even have an opportunity to say anything.

Whatever may be said about the Pharisees - their rituals of worship and their self-righteousness, Jesus makes clear that what God desires is steadfast love, not the sacrifices or offerings that they valued. (Hosea 6:6) Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees or religious leaders reveals that he has come to call on sinners - the very ones who sat at the table with him that day. That encounter caused others to wonder: Who is this Jesus? Who does he think he is?

Ironically the controversy surrounding Matthew’s call to follow Jesus is followed by the second story, one that is equally controversial. A religious leader calls on him for help.

Again, Jesus does the unexpected. It was one thing to sit down with Matthew in his home to share a meal, but quite another to go to the home of a religious leader who wants to have his daughter resurrected from the dead.

Jesus leaves Matthew’s home with his disciples and they all follow the religious leader. Along the way he encounters a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years and that brings us to the third story that was a cause of controversy.

The woman and Jesus do not talk. He does not even see her. But her disease has left her ritually unclean. Under such circumstances she is isolated and separated from worship and from the community. (Leviticus 15:25, 27) Anyone who has any contact with her will find themselves isolated and separated as well.

It may be for that reason that she chooses not to approach Jesus directly. Instead she decides to simply touch his cloak, believing that she will be made well. It may be that she was thinking, “I will not trouble him nor will I let others know lest they declare him unclean.”

Yet at the very moment she touches him, Jesus does the unexpected again. He turns and upon seeing her says, “Your faith has made you well.” (Matthew 9:22)

Some say the miracle occurred because the woman touched his cloak. Others say the woman was healed because of what Jesus said to her, it was his word, his speaking that brought about the miracle.

When Jesus finally arrives at the home of the religious leader, he asks those who had gathered to leave. A bit of commotion follows. Some laugh perhaps wondering what business he had showing up anyway. The man’s daughter is dead.

Young girls held little value in the society of Jesus’ day. There is no doubt that those who were in the crowd were aware of that fact. No doubt there were those who thought, “She’s a girl and she’s dead. That’s all there is to it.”

There is not doubt that those who were in the crowd were also aware that if Jesus touched her he would be rendered unclean. Once more, Jesus does the unexpected. He went in the house and took her by the hand and the girl got up.

Through each of the three stories we begin to realize that the good news of God’s compassion extends beyond all the boundaries we may set for ourselves and for the church. A tax collector? A woman with a disease? A religious leader? A girl?

Who cares? What value do their lives have anyway?

The same questions may be asked of each generation.

What we discover is that God cares and that each life has value and that each is restored to wholeness. Matthew finds a new life among the disciples. The woman is able to return to her community. The girl is restored to her father and family. A young man with AIDS dies surrounded by the love his mother and family.

Thanks be to God.