After Jesus’ death, Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles, is making the case for Jesus. Peter asserts “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs” of healings. But Peter unfortunately goes on to link the commendable healer Jesus with the lamentable ruler David, “the patriarch David… died and was buried… but … knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne.” Peter is in the beginning stages of turning “a man commended to you by God” into the Messiah.
What does it mean to be the Messiah? In the Jewish tradition it means reestablishing the throne of David with a favored warrior ruling over a favored tribe. Modern day perspectives continue to link Messiahs with such favored rule and favored tribalism. This is evident in a recent T.V. marketing article in The Atlantic. It notes studies that show people tend to follow Messiahs because they need security, especially in insecure times, and believe the Messiah will favor them with that security. The description is more fitting of a dictator. Some people in the U.S. are feeling insecure about the coronavirus and secure about their chosen Messiah / dictator, Donald Trump. Trump demonstrates no “mighty deeds, wonders, and signs.” Instead Trump demonstrates weak deeds, magical thinking, and violent signs. Yet, he promises he, alone, can provide favored rule to a favored tribe; self-titled Christians. They believe he, not Jesus, is a man commended by God. Dutifully supplicant, they minimize, rationalize, project, and even forgive the insecurity their man causes them. They do so because they believe he more importantly causes insecurity among their enemies. But their current Messiah / dictator in Stalin style offers a sweeping statistic disproving that belief, “So we have between 100,000 and 200,000, (die from Covid) and we altogether have done a very good job,” Such is the lamentable nature of a Messiah / dictator who favors the current rising statistics of stock markets even though it is accompanied by the current rising statistics of deaths. Such too is the gullibility of his protest-bent cult members who favor the same things even though the rising statistics of death includes them. Peacemakers like Jesus do not claim Messiah status, nor lone savior status, nor the provision of a secure life. Peacemakers teach us that all persons, together, are commended by God for a vulnerable and risky life. In that communion we will know mighty deeds, wonders, and signs that bring about healings.
Two of Jesus’ early followers in today’s Gospel are learning the difference between a Messiah / dictator and “a man commended to you by God” for healings. They were leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus and, with a stranger, “were conversing and debating… downcast (about)… the things that happened to Jesus… how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him… Some women from our group, however, have… announced that he is alive.” Then, while the stranger “was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, but he vanished from their sight.” “So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem.” The disciples decided to return to the insecurity. They decided they would not be cult statistics to a Messiah, but peacemakers commended by God for “mighty deeds, wonders, and signs” of healing.
Prayer: Spirit, we vow courage in this time of insecurity and communion in this time of cult.
Question: How can I help cult members who spread insecurity?
April 26, 2020 Gospel Luke 24:13-35 Third Sunday of Easter