Can't Get Any Respect! A Lectionary Reflection
Can’t Get Any Respect!
Rodney
Dangerfield is well known for his claim to “get no respect.” Now Dangerfield has made a fortune with this
persona, but respect is hard to get. It’s
especially difficult to get respect in your own home or home town. It’s probably a case of being too well known. People know your foibles and your faults,
especially if you’re young and inexperienced.
It’s always best to get away from home and make a new life. That was true, at least, for me. Moving to California to go to seminary was
the best move I ever made. I was able to
escape from perceptions of who I was and what I was capable of doing. So, what does it take to get respect? Do you
have to be a war hero like David?
Despite all his exploits, Paul seems to struggle to get the respect of
the Corinthians, and as for Jesus, his visit to Nazareth didn’t go so
well. Perhaps there’s a more pertinent
question to be asked and that has to do with the nature of respect we
desire. Is it from the neighborhood or
from God?
Our
reading from 2 Samuel describes David’s ascent to the throne of All Israel. The shepherd boy from Bethlehem has grown up
and now reigns supreme in Israel, though it took time for him to consolidate
his power. He had become king of Judah
at the age of thirty, but it took nearly eight more years for him to gain
control of the entire country. In this
case, his own tribe was open to his leadership, but the rest of the nation
wasn’t as sure. Eventually, they came
around and he would reign for another thirty-three years from Jerusalem. And as Mel Brooks said: "It's Good to be the King!"
It’s interesting how the writer
speaks of David’s reign. Although most
certainly he had gained control through military conquest and marriage
alliances, we’re told that after he took control of Jerusalem, “he became more
and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty (YHWH El-Shaddai) was with
him” (vs. 10). In this reading, it
wasn’t his fortress or military prowess that gained him his power; it was God
who enabled this growth in power. Of
course, as we read further we discover that there are two sides to the
story. There is blessing, but there is
great suffering and sorrow. There are coups
by his sons, and there was that affair with Bathsheba, all of which shined a
light on David’s darker side. And then
as the story continues beyond his death into the reign of his son, Solomon, the
nation goes to its greatest heights of power, but then in a moment of time, the
empire crumbled. It goes back to the
original arrangement, before David is acclaimed king of all Israel at Hebron.
Was YHWH no longer with the nation? What
kind of respect was there at that point?
How does one come to be seen as a person whom God stands with?
Our
image of David is defined in many ways by the stories we learned in Sunday school. We love to hear the stories of David and
Goliath or David the Shepherd or maybe the David who sings soothing songs. We have this image of David being a man of
great spiritual depth. But, like I said,
there’s that darker side as well. What
does that say to us? Who is this David
who reigns in Israel, the one who will be the shepherd of the people and rule
over them? Yes, to shepherd is to rule,
and are we ready for that?
If
David got some respect in his home town (though maybe not always in his
household – consider Absalom’s revolt), Paul wasn’t always able to garner
support for his work. The Corinthian
letters continually raise this issue.
Paul was the founder of the church, but there were forces present who
constantly challenged his leadership.
They seem to have embraced a different gospel, one that defined
spirituality in hierarchical ways. In 1
Corinthians 12-14, we see the debate over spiritual gifts unfold. Some in the community seemed to have highly
valued the ecstatic nature of speaking in tongues. Paul answers by noting he can speak with the
best of them, but ultimately that ecstatic expression of faith is of little
value without there being present the love of God (1 Cor. 13). The debate emerges again in this second
letter, and there are those who claim to be especially spiritual, and want to
hold this over Paul. If Paul is an
Apostle, then certainly they’re “Super-Apostles.” As you read the letters you discover that
this isn’t about the work of God, it’s about power. Power politics is a constant dilemma, and it
has nothing to do with external partisan politics (though that can enter in). This is “spiritual politics.”
In his
response, Paul makes it clear, though he starts by telling his own story in the
third person (“I know a man in Christ . . .), that he’s had his share of
ecstatic experiences in the Spirit. He’s
seen things, whether in body or spirit, that are too unspeakable to even put in
to words. But all of that is of no
value. No, if he’s going to brag it’ll
be about his weaknesses. He could brag
about his spiritual experiences, but by doing that he would only make a fool of
himself. Having spent time among
Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians, I know the temptation to glory in
ecstatic experiences. I remember the
stress some placed on speaking in tongues, an emphasis that did little for my
own spiritual development. But, it’s not
just in charismatic circles that this temptation is present. People can place bible memorization or the
eloquence of prayers at such a premium that they come to believe they are
especially holy. Whenever I hear people
using “thee” and “thou” in their prayers, I stop to wonder whether this is from
the heart or for effect.
As for
Paul, well, he’s had some outstanding revelations, but he’s also been humbled
by what he calls a “messenger from Satan sent to torment so that I wouldn’t be
conceited” (12:7 CEB). You hear echoes
of Job’s experience – though in this case Satan sends the messenger, rather
than God sending Satan. This thorn in
the flesh – whatever it might be, and scholars have been speculating for centuries
-- won’t go away, despite Paul’s requests of God. So, since it won’t go away, he will see in it
a reminder that God can work through and in our own weaknesses. Indeed, he closes – “When I’m weak then I’m
strong.” Why? Because if he’s weak in his own power, then
he can be empowered by God. That takes
humility, something the “Super-Apostles” know little about.
David
seems to have been welcomed home – though it took time to bring the entire
nation under his rule – but Paul struggled to maintain his leading role in
Corinth. He’s not concerned about his
own power, but rather about the Gospel that he had planted there. Starting in the first letter we see that the
church is constantly under threat by outside forces, including social ones,
which divide the community along socio-cultural lines. Then there’s Jesus. He goes home and the people don’t know what
to make of him. He goes to the synagogue
and tries to teach, but they’re “amazed,” and the amazement isn’t necessarily a
positive response. Who does he think he
is? We know his family. We know his father. He’s but a carpenter, a common laborer. We know his mother and his brothers, whom
Mark names – James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, as well as sisters. We know this family, and knowledge of the
family doesn’t seem to put Jesus in good stead with the people.
The town takes offense, and Jesus seems to
throw his hands up, saying “a prophet is not without honor except in his own
town, among his relatives, and in his own home.” How true is that?! So, since he couldn’t do
any miracles, other than the ordinary ones like healing few sick, he moves
on. As he does so, he sends off his
disciples in pairs, telling them to take nothing with them except their
staff. They couldn’t pack a lunch, a
back pack, or even take along money.
They had to live by faith, which meant, living on the benefice of the
people. That was much more possible then
than now. We’re not nearly as
hospitable, especially in the west.
Whenever they entered a home they were to stay there until moving on to
the next town – don’t wear out your welcome.
If you’re not welcomed, well, move on, shake the dust off your feet, and
leave their fate in the hands of God.
And so they go, preaching and healing, and making the Gospel known! Are we able to do the same?
What
does it take to get some respect?
Perhaps we’re asking the question of the wrong person!
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