St Bartholomew

Trinity 14 24/08/08

Isa 43.8-13; Acts 5. 12-16; Luke 22.24-30

“I am among you as one who serves” Luke 22.27

Team GB

The final tally of Olympic medals 19 Gold, 13 Silver, 15 Bronze, 47 in all, the most successful for 100yrs, did not happen by accident. Imagine the manager of the coxless four, the cycling team or the sailing crews preparing them for the race of their lives. (Quote) Going over the race strategy again, when to mark time and when to accelerate, who to watch out for and where the main challenge will come.

After the final pep talk, they begin to argue about who is the best performer, who is the strongest oarsman, who has raced in an Olympic final before, who should speak to the media after the race. Does that sound like a winning team?

The manager tries again. This is going to be the toughest game they have played in their lives. It’s going to be so hard, they are going to struggle. He won’t be there with them so they’ll have to think for themselves. Unlike some famous managers of Sheffield United who have been so loud on the touch line, they’ve been banned from the field.

The Battle

Jesus is on he eve of the greatest battle of his life. He will go into it with no armour, no bodyguards, no bullet proof vest, completely vulnerable. He will be hunted down like a violent criminal. He has shared the Passover meal with the disciples, broken the bread and drunk he wine. “I eagerly desired to share this Passover with you before I suffer. I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. I will not drink the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.”

Tom Wright, bishop of Durham has pointed out the sheer loneliness of Jesus at this time. He is with his disciples for the last time and they can’t grasp what he is saying to them. At the point where they need to be strong, they are looking lamentably weak. Not only do they misunderstand him, but one of them will betray him. Later when he is praying they will all fall asleep and when he is arrested they will desert him. Part of his calling in bearing the weight of the world’s sin, our sin, is that he should do so alone. As any athlete will tell you, it can feel very lonely, the night before the big race with everything to play for.

Jesus leaves them with three things to think about:

Jesus is among his followers like a servant waiting at table. We can think of plenty of leaders in the world of business and politics who like to lord it over their people. You’re fired!

But Jesus overturns the world’s ideas of greatness by coming as a servant and allowing his captors to do their worst. It’s the hymn of Philippians 2: He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave … and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Paul can therefore say: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourself.”

Jesus is fulfilling prophecy “I tell you this scripture must be fulfilled in me “He was counted among the lawless.” This comes from Isaiah 52, the suffering servant we hear so much about at Easter “Despised, rejected and acquainted with grief.” When Jesus is abandoned and defeated, yet offering no resistance, he is completing exactly what the scripture had foretold.

Jesus looks forward. Just as his father has given him the kingdom, he confers it on his followers. “Fear not little flock, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” They don’t understand what this means or how the kingdom is to come but the important point is that God has promised that it will. God’s work will go ahead despite human failure all around, because it is all derived from his grace, and will achieve its purpose.

There is plenty here for us to reflect on. Did you ever hear of a group of individuals squabbling over who is in control? “The Police” high profile group from the 1980’s, busy making a comeback, say that they still argue relentlessly over most things they do. Yet they can still draw millions to their tours and are electrifying on stage.

Have you ever tried to do something but encountered misunderstanding and even opposition doubt and denial from friends and associates? Many Christian politicians, business entrepreneurs and leaders in their own field, have spoken about how difficult it is when having to face hard truths and make unpopular decisions. Any government will experience this at some time.

Have you ever felt part of some enterprise that was bigger than you and hard to get a grip on. How do you think Archbishop Rowan feels as he faces the impossible task of holding the Communion together? He has been insulted and misquoted in the press, undermined by colleagues and wilfully misunderstood by some sections of the church he serves. Yet some of his public statements have been full of grace and truth, in a genuine search for integrity.

As it was for Jesus’ followers at the last supper and beyond, so it continues to be for the church in the 21^st Century. Bartholomew, about whom we know very little, is a reminder that we are called to a servant ministry, to each other, but more importantly to the wider world and the communities in which we are placed. I am among you as one who serves.” Amen.