God's Kingdom Has Room for More Than One Personality

Two Men, Two Styles, One Kingdom

In this strange parable that we read from Jesus today, we find an argument arising between Jesus and John. These are two men who loved each other very much but had very different perspectives and personalities.

Now, admit it—you think the world would be a better place if everyone saw things the same way that you did. So many of the problems in the world occur because people don't do things the way that I think they should be done. This is especially true in the church. For many churches, it's conformity all the way. If people are different, they tend to leave.

Perhaps this is why young people leave the church. We're not yet ready to hear their perspective. We're too set in our ways. But if our passage today tells us anything, it tells us that there is not one way to be spiritual, to be a Christian. In fact, part of following Jesus is learning to listen to voices that are very different from ours.

John: The Hard Man with a Hard Message

Our reading today requires a little context. Right before what we read, we see an interaction between two very different people—Jesus and John. They could hardly be more different.

Perhaps you've read about John the Baptist all the way back in Matthew 3. He was a radical. He lived in the wilderness, modeling himself after the Old Testament prophets. He ate wild locusts—I'm not sure there are tame locusts—and honey. And this was strange behavior back then, let alone now. Apart from Adam and Eve, who were naked, and Joseph, who wore a technicolor dream coat, we don't know how anyone was dressed in the Bible, except for John—he was dressed in camel hair. So people noticed, and it was strange.

But more than that, John was a hard man with a hard message. He did in real life what most of us only dare to do on Facebook. He spoke truth to power. Actually, he spoke truth to everyone. He told the crowds they were phony, he mocked the religious leaders for their false piety, and he even argued with Jesus. That's just the kind of guy John was.

It wasn't just John's job to be a prophet. It was his personality. He even argued with the kings and government—and it's what does him in at the end. He speaks out against King Herod for marrying his sister-in-law. Everyone else had turned a blind eye, but John couldn't stay silent. He said, "It's creepy, it's wrong. Stop it." Herod couldn't ignore this—or his wife couldn't—so he had John arrested, and eventually he chops off John's head.

A Question from a Low Place

It's while John is still in jail that we pick up the story. He's in a low moment, and he reaches out to Jesus, asking if he is the Messiah. Frankly, John is concerned about Jesus. He doesn't like the way Jesus is acting. He thinks Jesus is too soft on sin—not bringing the fire the way John had hoped.

John's ministry is decreasing, Jesus's is growing, and now John is in jail, wondering if Jesus has what it takes. He's worried that Jesus is too soft, emphasizing mercy and not judgment, and just doesn't have the right approach.

When Jesus hears this question, he responds pretty forcefully:

"Look, the blind and the lame are healed, the dead are raised, and good news is preached. It's obvious—I am the Messiah, maybe just not the one that you wanted or expected. Judgment is your strong suit, but mercy with power is mine. I know you don't like my methods, but is that so bad?"

Jesus rebukes John in such a gracious way and reminds him that it takes all kinds to make up the kingdom. And then he says, "Blessed is the one who does not take offense at me."

Don't Be Offended by Difference

When we encounter differences, our first instinct is to take offense. But Jesus says spiritual life grows when you are not offended by people who are not like you—when you can imagine that God's enormous, cosmos-spanning kingdom has a place for people like you and people who see the world differently from you.

Of course there's right and wrong. But some of what offends us is not naturally just right or wrong. It's style, personality, calling. There is no one-size-fits-all personality.

Jesus and John were so different. Even their followers were confused. But Jesus was not confused. He loved the difference and knew they were all working for the same kingdom.

There are so many visions of life out there, so many ways to be in the kingdom of God. So don't sit in judgment on others, and don't be judged by others either. Stay in your lane. Be about your business. You do you. Don't let anyone sit in judgment on your personality. The irony is that when we start to look more like ourselves, we start to look more like Jesus.

The Children in the Marketplace

This is why Jesus tells the parable we read today. He turns the conversation to the crowd—and to us—and says, "Enough about John. Let's talk about you."

"To what shall I compare this generation? It's like children sitting in the marketplace calling to their playmates, 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'"

Jesus points out that these kids are pouring their hearts out, and no one is responding. We can be so set in our ways that we are not prepared to listen or celebrate new voices.

Friends, for the church, this is true for how we treat our kids and our neighbors. We can be so set in the way we have done things, so attached to our personality styles, that we forget God is working a new thing through new people—a new generation.

The Lord Often Reveals to the Younger What Is Best

I was reading a while back the ancient Rule of St. Benedict, a guide to running monasteries written all the way back in the fourth century. There's this fascinating little rule: the head of the monastery is advised to take counsel on all matters, but to listen especially to those who are young, because "the Lord often revealeth to the younger what is the best."

That's why Jesus says:

"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven, for you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants."

Friends, God is revealing himself all the time. He always has a word for the church. But most of the time, it comes from a voice that we have a hard time hearing.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.