He Set His Face

Covid was a hoax. It was all a hoax, they claimed. I was dining with people I'd known for more than 30 years; I was in California to do a wedding. I was given a nice meal. But during dessert the conversation turned to conspiracy theories ravaging evangelical churches. Covid was a hoax to control churches and destroy America. This is a common, irrefutable claim of evangelicals. Knowing evangelicals are right even when they are wrong. I didn't argue or seek to refute the claim. I said, well, I buried a lot of people. Four times what I would normally do. Covid was terrible. It was not a hoax for me.

Sometimes I feel like I'm double agent.  I have been trained in Reformed theology, know its history as well as a critical understanding of the Bible and philosophy.  But I also know the sincere delusion of those needing the bible to be literal, the decrees of God to be clear, clear to all with a conscience.  Mostly I know the way the world makes sense when you have the secret decoder ring of God's will and the history of salvation. There is a clear line of events from Adam to Jesus to America.

              A key aspect of evangelicalism is spiritual warfare.  You are in God's army now; you are waging war against the devil and all the demons of hell. You must be on guard, always watching.  Hyper vigilance is a common factor for those who need to ferret out the enemy, the phony Christians.  So often the forces of evil look civilized, look nice and they are well educated.  But underneath the facade, the mask of decency is a force ever trying to steal your soul, corrupt the youth, destroy your church, rob freedom. 

              In the late 1970s this spiritual battle, which has always been a part of religion in America, in the late 1970s this spiritual battle become a political movement.  Jerry Falwell created the Moral Majority; he changed our nation and culture.  What was once political division, doctrinal distinction, a difference of opinion of differing parties or creeds, with Falwell evangelicalism became a political crusade of the religious to destroy the devil in our nation.  Liberals were the opposing demonic forces according to Falwell.  In their league was the abortionist, the homosexual, the integrationist, the evolutionists, and the worst, the feminists. 

              To evangelicals I am misguided at best. I know my bible, I know their code words, I know more about the history of evangelicalism in American than the evangelicals do.  But then I am not on the team, I am not preaching fear and Jesus's return. My ideas of history and the arc of time comes from Nietzsche, the icon of the ungodly.

              Recently I read a fascinating book, Tim Alberta's, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. Alberta is the son of an evangelical pastor; he's a journalist with the Atlantic and author of books dealing with conservative politics.  His recent book though is about this union of evangelicals, spiritual warfare, conspiracy theories and politics.  He was led to write this book after his father died.  Going home for the funeral in Michigan, Alberta was surprised to find the people of his childhood had become consumed with fear and the insatiable need for sensational theories of evil and dark forces. 

              Over the course of four years, he interviewed scores of pastors and members of evangelical churches.  It became clear how a group of people who need the world to fit a very narrow definitions of creation and biblical inerrancy, miracles and purity codes, it was clear to see how people who could twist dinosaurs into six days and the sun stopping in the sky, you can see how this group was uniquely prepared to buy into crazy ideas of political conspiracy. 

              Covid, hoax.  January six, a peaceful protest ruined by FBI operatives.  Biden, the leader of an evil cabal.  Federal government, a deep state of shadowy illuminati.  There are unfortunately many, many more.  Alberta's book was painful to read when he described pastors harassed, run out of town if they did not propagate such crazy talk. Without absolute allegiance, you are of the devil.  I know the look of evangelicals when they discover, "you are one of them."

              The greatest help in the book, something that helps our teaching today, is his explanation of persecution, religious suffering.  I confess I've never really understood the notion that evangelicals feel persecuted in America.  Nice homes, nice cars, good jobs, healthy bank accounts, full fridges and vacations: persecution?  What Alberta helped me connect was the way anything offensive, any part of our culture evangelicals deem as wrong, but permissible, celebrated but considered evil by them, any acceptance offending them was hurting them, persecuting them.

              Even more this offense puts Jesus' return at risk.  America is God’s work and if you mess up God’s work, Jesus won’t come in glory.  Thus, if we are honest about slavery and talk about Critical Race Theory, this is an attack on America and by extension it's an attack on the evangelical who believes our country is the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of God. 

              If you are unaccustomed to this way of looking at the world, it will hurt your head.  But if you don’t believe a strict, literal misinterpretation of the bible lived out in real time, if you don’t know how our offenses delay the return of Jesus, if you are not living offended, you are the unrighteous, you hurt our chances, you are making America look bad in the eyes of God, persecuting the people doing all the work.

              I don't believe this.  But I can see the logic, the larger narrative.  This was an unexpected bonus of Alberta's book. I read his book trying to make sense of the recent interpretation of Samaria by evangelicals.  In the end I got that and more. 

              I was trying to make sense of a recent house and senate resolutions connected to our passage.  In the foreign affairs committee of the senate there is a resolution being considered to do away with, prohibit any reference, to Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestine.  In its place the state department is to refer only to Judea and Samaria.  The ancient names of the two Kingdoms of Israel.

              I was surprised when I read in the NY Times a month ago that such a change was in the works.  And not just congress.  The nominee for our ambassador to Israel said in confirmation hearings there is no such thing as Gaza, no West Bank, no Palestine.  There are only the lands of Israel, Judea and Samaria.  The nominee for to the UN made the same claim.  Judea and Samaria; no Palestine.

              I was taken back we are proposing a theological map of the near east.  Strange to think we are mirroring the claims of Osama Bin Laden.  He too sought to define the near east, northern Africa, and western Europe with a theological map known as the maghrib.  His theological map directed his act of terror.  How is it possible we would follow his lead?

              If our reading today was unimportant, I would not have crawled under the rock of evangelical conspiracy theories.  But our lesson today is not only extremely important, it is, by most scholars' view, the most important pericope in Luke.  The gospel hangs in the balance here.  The importance is hinged on two factors: first, he set his face to Jerusalem; and second, he entered Samaria.  Understanding these claims changes how we read, and more importantly how we live, the teachings of Jesus that follow.

              Quick primer on Judea and Samaria.  These are the names of the two kingdoms of ancient Israel after Solomon.  These two existed for a few centuries until the Assyrians wiped out Samaria and then the Babylonians destroyed Judea.  A century after this a remnant of Judeans, now called Jews, were sent to colonize their lost land.  When they returned, they found a group of people living in Samaria whose religion was similar but different.  These Samarians were considered outcasts, untouchables.

              Leap forward 400 years to Jesus and the land of Palestine has been divided by the Romans into three regions: Galilee, Samaria, and Judea.  In Matthew Jesus tells his disciples they can go and preach anywhere, just not Samaria.  In Luke, and only Luke, we see Jesus lead his disciples into the cultural wasteland of Samaria.  A radical leap; a bold departure.  And then for the next fifty teachings in the gospel of Luke, containing some of our most treasured sayings of Jesus, he records a long walk through Samaria.  Jesus hung out with the outcasts.

              The last biblical reference to Samaria was in the book of Acts. Jesus' parting words.  You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.  Jesus offered them a theological map.  This is important.  Not a political map, not a geographical map.  The biblical land of Samaria had not existed for 800 years.  Jesus gave a theological direction not a geo-political one.

              But more important than the map of witness in Acts is the description of Luke in his gospel. Jesus entered Samaria, walked their villages.  Samaria: he sought the lost, the forgotten, the despised.  Luke's gospel, the majority of his gospel, has Jesus walking with the despised.  This is what makes Luke unique, and the most profound.  Like the shepherds at the beginning of Luke, the good news is given to those no one would speak to; Jesus offers the bread of life to those no one would invite to dinner.  His table was filled with refugees. 

              For an evangelical like Mike Huckabee to claim Palestinian lands as non-existent, to void the sufferings of the poor with a theological map used as a lang grab, this is heartbreaking.  Angels weep right now in eternity.  But it does make sense when you consider the intent of the evangelicals.  Restoring the ancient lands of Israel is seen by evangelicals as a precursor, a requirement for Jesus' return.  Judea and Samaria need to be restored as Israel so Jesus can come in glory.  All thanks to America.

              This a terrible interpretation of scripture.  And this is also not true.  The theological map Jesus gave was for the good news, not for conquest.

              All of this misses the point of our passage.  The point: Jesus walked Samaria, offered his teachings in Samaria.  The least were given extravagant grace.  From our lesson forward Luke is pleading with us: the church brings good news to the most broken, the outcast, the untouchables.  This is the kingdom of God. 

              Our reading today is a door you enter; it is not a destination, but a direction. 

              What is more, "he set his face."  This is a declaration, a direction.  From here on out Jesus is facing the limits of life, the reality of violence, the powers of greed and fear and evil.  He is walking into persecution.  Not the persecution of the offended or the fearful.  Jesus is blessed; he is not offended.  He is not whining; he is living with courage.  He gives his life to the least as he faces death. 

              Resist the temptation of offence today.  There are so many moments to scoff and be filled with disdain.  Have courage, not disgust.

              There are times when the order of Luke is almost as important as the teachings. This is one.  Luke ordered his gospel so we spend more than a year considering one question: how do you face the challenges of life with humility and courage? 

              Covid was not a hoax.  Critical race theory does not destroy America.  If anything it makes us stronger with a moment of honesty.  Transgendered folk are not persecuting evangelicals.  And Gaza is Gaza.  The Ukraine is the Ukraine.  If America is to be an instrument of Christ, we will bring good news not land grabs.  Judea and Samaria are a theological claim of hope not a conspiracy theory to hasten Jesus's return.  He set his face and walked through Samaria.  May we do the same with humility and courage.  Amen.