Ephesians 4:21-33

When my mom and dad got married, like many here, the old version of the vows were used which made the woman vow to love and obey her husband. My mom and dad have often joked about the day of their wedding when the old Salvation Army officer got my mom to say her vows, when she repeated them back, she somehow left out the word ‘obey’, not as a conscious decision, she said it just happened. But she was quite pleased afterwards! It left the Salvation Army Officer conducting the wedding a little flummoxed at first, raising his eyebrow, he regained his composure and continued with the service.

Last week’s sermon examined the question from 1 Corinthians 14 over whether women should remain silent in church and by implication whether women should be allowed to preach. I won’t go into the detail of the argument but I suggested that a mis-translation of a small Greek word potentially changes the whole passage making Paul a supporter of women preachers and leaders rather than a misogynist who has been responsible for the oppression of women.

Today I want to pick up on one little line in last week's passage which reads as follows: “Women should remain in submission, as the law says.”

As I said in last weeks sermon, there is no law that says women should remain in submission.

But the law in Judaism was in fact more than just a list of individual dos and don’ts. The law, or the Torah in Judaism was a word that could also refer to the entirety of the first 5 books of the Bible. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Collectively they were called the Torah, which in our English Bibles is most often translated as law.

Now in the Torah, in Genesis, we do read a verse that speaks of women being in submission to men. But it is not written as a law.

The context of the verse is the so-called fall of humanity. In the Genesis story, the man and the woman have been told not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. They have disobeyed the command. In in response, the God voice in the passage begins to outline the consequences of their actions… One of the consequences is that the women is told she will be in submission to her husband.

In other words, according to this Genesis story, the submission of woman to men is a sign and a consequence of human sin. When humanity is out of sync with the spirit of God, hierarchies of begin to form and one of the hierarchies is the domination of men over women and the submission of women to men.

Genesis 2 is very clear therefore that this is not the way God had intended it from the beginning. Rather it begins to be expressed in human relations as a result of disobedience and sin. To put it bluntly, it is an expression of sin and not the way of God.

That is quite revolutionary because somewhere along the line religious people got this wrong. Religious people began to take this sinful pattern of dominant and submissive hierarchies of male and female relationships and asserted that it is the divine order of things.
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In some cultures today, women have less authority and status than young boys. But before we look down on such cultures, it should be acknowledged that this would have been true of Western European culture a few hundred years ago too. The general attitude that women should be submissive to men is still deeply ingrained in our modern western psyche, despite a century of the women’s liberation movement.

But in the mythical garden of Eden of Genesis 2, we discover, male dominance over women was not originally part of the Divine order of things. It comes according to the story in Genesis 3, as an expression of and a consequence of a humanity which is out of sync with the way and the spirit of God.

Now many modern day Churches continue to preach and teach that within a marriage, the wife should submit to the husband. Such preachers would appeal to the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians where it states in Ephesians 5:22 “Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord”. But unfortunately, those preachers ignore the other verses around it. Firstly in verse 21, Paul begins this section by saying very clearly “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The NIV Bible however puts a heading break in between these words and verse 22, separating two verses that originally in Paul’s letter belonged together.

Paul’s advice to married couples begins in verse 21 with the words “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Only then does he go on to say: Women submit to your husbands.

But what we forget is the instruction to the husband: “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church?”
And how did Christ love the church one might ask? By becoming a servant, and the least of all. Kneeling down as John describes washing his disciples feet.

This reinforces verse 21 which suggests that what Paul is actually calling for is a mutual submission from both the wife and the husband.

He is taking the curse of submission in Genesis 3 and he is turning it upside down, turning it inside out. He is taking the culturally accepted Jewish norm of women submitting themselves to husbands and now extending that submission into mutual submission between both the woman and the man.

Marriages become sacred and holy when both partners are able to humble themselves before each other. When both partners treat the other with equal dignity. When both partners are willing to step down from the throne of their own selfhood to love one another with Christ-like love.

By reading verse 22 about woman submitting to their husbands without taking into consideration verse 21 where Paul clearly states his true position of mutual submission, and without consideration for the instruction to the man in verse 25, Paul’s real teaching on marriage is lost, and we find ourselves back in Genesis 3 where the woman and the man have been expelled from the garden and are now living out of harmony with God and each other.

It is a reminder when interpreting the Bible, not to latch onto a verse without placing that verse in the wider context from which it comes. It is like a tabloid newspaper taking one line of a politician’s speech and turning it into a headline to make it mean the very opposite of what it was intended to mean.

Reading the Bible requires that we love God not only with our hearts, but also our minds. We are invited to bring our critical faculties with us.

In all our relationships, may we learn the way of Christ-like humility and submission that enables real tenderness, love and intimacy in a relationship. But just as Christ asserted himself sometimes as well, may we also assert ourselves when it is appropriate to do so. Mutual submission and mutual assertion together help to create the rhythm of a healthy relationship of love. Amen.

​Silence Speaks 
John 8:1-8

In the last two weeks I read an online article about Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple while Elon Musk is the founder of Tesla.  The article reflects on the fact that both Steve Jobs and Elon Musk display a capacity for sitting in what others might regard as uncomfortable silence.  In the flow of a media interview the writer gives examples of how both Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, when asked a difficult question allowed themselves the space to sit in 15 – 20 seconds of silence before answering the interviewer.  Now 15-20 seconds of silence doesn't sound like a lot on the face of it, but in most ordinary conversations it would be very rare for two people to allow 15 – 20 seconds of silence. After 10 seconds of silence between two people, many people would begin to feel a sense of discomfort. 

The writer suggests that part of the success of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk lies in this ability to sit in the uncomfortable silence and in that space they are able to access a broader perspective, and a wider or deeper intelligence that is normally short-circuited by our compulsive and reactive communication.  

Now clearly Elon Musk does not always live in this space because over the past number of years he has shown that he is quite capable of being reactive and of making some rather foolish statements.  I don't know a lot about Steve Jobs, but I don't think anyone would classify him as in any way a person of unwavering wisdom, but I do get the sense that there is some truth to the fact that when we create space for space, even if for fairly short periods, we have the opportunity to briefly step outside of our normal compulsive and reactive way of responding to life, and have access to something wider and deeper. A greater intelligence and even wisdom, that resides within us. 

I believe that we see that in the passage we read this morning about Jesus. It is a well-known and familiar passage to many.  Jesus’ opponents, the Pharisees, who are wanting to catch Jesus out and expose him as the fraud that they believe him to be, drag before him a woman who they had allegedly caught in the very act of adultery.  They confront Jesus with the requirements of their Jewish Law – that she should be stoned.  If Jesus contradicts their written scriptures, the Word of God, as many would call it today, then they will have a case against him. 

How does Jesus respond?  He creates a bit of space. He does not immediately react. He enters into what might have felt like an uncomfortable silence for those who had gathered around. Jesus takes his time. He bends down. He begins to write in the sand with his finger.  Some people have suggested that he was writing down the names of each of the accusers who had brought the women before him. But it is also quite possible that Jesus was doodling in the sand.  The Greek word “graphó” can be translated as either write or draw. 

With all these mindfulness colouring in books that have been sold in the last 5 years or so, it is has become more common knowledge that doodling and drawing have a powerful ability to change our head-space. 

As Jesus bends down to draw or doodle in the sand, he creates space for himself so that he doesn't respond reactively. And in doing so, he begins to access a deeper wisdom and a deeper intelligence.

Kakichi Kadowaki, a Christian priest, who also studied and practised Zen meditation writes that in this story, we see the Zen-Mind of Christ.  In fact, it was a Zen monk who told him how deeply moved he was when he first read this passage.  He added: ‘Don't you think we can infer from this incident in the Bible that Jesus had the same experience that we have in Zen?”

Kadowaki continues: “Certainly, a person who reads this passage with a silenced heart will perceive that the Christ pictured there radiates a peace and lucidity that could be called Zen-like.  Something about him resembles the ancient Zen masters. 

Kadowaki writes that in this passage, like a Zen Master who is presented with a Zen Koan, which is a frustrating spiritual riddle, Jesus is presented with a difficult problem that that cannot be solved intellectually.  Solving the problem, Jesus uses an unexpected action, he bends down and responds with silence.  Thirdly, out of the silence, Jesus begins to speak with a remarkable clarity. Although replying in simple language, Jesus leads his questioners to self-introspection.  His simple clear words produce greater clarity and impact than a long exhaustive discussion could ever have done.  And lastly, Jesus transcends the dualistic thinking of the Pharisees and Scribes of whether to punish or not to punish. Going beyond punishment and non-punishment, Jesus takes a stand of a higher dimension. He accesses a mind of higher wisdom. 

Kadowaki writes that at a point in his life, (probably in the 1960s) at the height of university campus unrest, he had an experience of being surrounded by 10 or so angry left-wing students, who made him a target of their vehement questioning. Carried away by the violent emotions characteristic of youth, the angry youths showered him with cutting questions.  Reflecting on that situation he says that every time he reads John 8 about the woman caught in adultery, that oppressive and dangerous situation on the university campus would come back to him. Wasn’t that the situation that Christ was placed in when faced with the angry, vehement questioning of the Scribes and Pharisees. 

In such a case, the ordinary person writes Kadowaki, is thrown off balance and cannot respond appropriately. But in the story, Jesus never loses his tranquillity. Not only that, by his silence, he calms the violent emotions of his opponents so that in the end, it is they who are now off balance and on the wrong foot. 

Reflecting on the Zen-like silence and wisdom of Christ, Kadowaki concludes that silence speaks. In the silence, wisdom is accessed, embodied and communicated by Jesus.  The silence of Jesus is not just a head silence, it is an embodied silence, as Jesus non-reactively bends down, creates space and begins to doodle in the sand.  In Jesus actions, we see that it is not only the silence that speaks, but also the body that speaks. Jesus is not only at one with the stillness, he is also at one with his body, completely at ease within himself, even in the midst of a tense confrontation with his enemies.  Calm, poised, at ease. 

True spirituality does not divorce us from our bodies, or cause us to see our bodies as enemies, but enables us to be completely at ease within our bodies with mind and body working together as one. 

These truths are not new.  Steve Jobs and Elon Musk have only been tapping into a wisdom that goes back into our ancient past as humanity. Even in the Old Testament we see an intuition of this teaching that Jesus seems to embody with completeness and fullness. 

In the book of Proverbs we read: 

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 17:28  Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Ecclesiastes 3:7  A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.

And so, when life is crowding angrily in on you, may you, like Jesus, pause, create space, bend over, doodle in the sand for a moment, and access in that stillness, a mind of greater wisdom and compassion,  than the mind that would want to react without pause and without thought,  the mind of grace and truth (John 1:17), that Paul refers to as ‘The Mind of Christ”. Amen. 

​Psalm 1 The Way of Happiness
Today I would like to do something a little different as I reflect on Psalm 1 under the title: The Path to Happiness.

​1. Psalm 1 begins with the Hebrew word ‘esher’ which means ‘happiness’ or blessedness’.
The first word of the book of psalms is a reminder that the divine intention for us all is that we should live in a state of happiness and blessedness.
We were created for happiness. The desire for happiness is part of our default programming.
When we are not living in a state of happiness, we are falling short of the divine intention for us. It could even be said that not living in a state of happiness is a sin in the truest sense of that word. To sin is to fall short. To live without happiness is to fall short of all that God has placed within us to be.


2. Secondly Psalm 1 points us in the direction that which leads us away from true happiness.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
The psalm uses three phrases in parallel, each phrase seeking to cast meaning on the others:

• the counsel of the wicked
• the way of sinners
• the seat of mockers

“The seat of mockers” can also be translated as the seat of the scornful. In what way does sitting in the seat of mockers or of the scornful lead away from the path of happiness.
The seat of mockers or the scornful is the seat of arrogance, considering oneself higher than others, a law unto oneself and from that place of arrogance and looking down upon others, treating them with contempt. The counsel of the wicked is the counsel of those who would teach the way of gain by criminal or deceptive and false means.
What the Psalmist is saying to us, is that the way of selfish, deceptive arrogance is not a way to true happiness. Instead of helping to connect us with us with others and with life with God, the way of selfish, deceptive arrogance divides us from others, from life and from God, and as such is no path to happiness. It is interesting that the word “diabolical” means literally to throw across, which means to divide. That which causes division, which breaks the unity of the wholeness which God has made is a path that leads away from true happiness.


3. Thirdly, Psalm 1 points us in the direction that leads towards true happiness which it describes as delighting in the law of the Lord, and meditating upon this law day and night.
Before Jesus, a definition of the law of the Lord in the ancient Hebrew scriptures would have referred to the 613 laws of the Old Testament, written laws that Orthodox Jews continue to seek to observe even today in their tiniest detail.
But with the coming of Jesus, Christians were invited to a new understanding of the Law of the Lord, what Paul refers to as the Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), not as a list of written commandments, but rather, the law of the spirit which according Paul is summarised as the Law of Love (Romans 13:8-10). Love does no harm to it’s neighbours, therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
For Paul, the written law brings death, but the Law of the Spirit, which is the Law of Love, brings life. The letter kills, but the Spirit brings life as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6.
The true path of happiness is therefore to delight in the law of love, the spirit of love, and to meditate on that law of love day and night.

4. Psalm 1 describes what happens when we take delight in the law of love and when we meditate on that law of love night and day…
The Psalmist says we become like trees planted by streams of water, constantly refreshed and given that which is essential for life and growth. One could say that in this psalm, love is compared to a river, which waters us at the roots of our humanity and at the roots of our personalities, helping us to grow into the fullness of all that we can be as human beings.
I get the sense that one of the great delights of a parent is seeing a child growing into all that they can be. We were all made to grow and flourish as human beings. True religion and true spirituality is meant to nurture our growth as human beings, helping us to become all that we can be.
It is just the most wonderful thing in the world to see another human being shine. We were all made to shine, and according to the Psalmist, our ability to shine in life and in this world comes as we take delight in the law of love, the way of love, and as we meditate on that way and law of love night and day.


5. The way of those caught up in the way of the arrogant self and who do not follow and meditate on the way of love, find their life of growth,wholeness and fullness undermined.
In verse 4 “not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”
A life of emptiness with no real substance, and no real meaning.
A few months ago, there was a documentary series on rich kids who go homeless. We only saw one episode. It was a young man in his 20’s who bought clothes for thousands’s of pounds and who would spend easily 1600 pounds on a night out with his friends. But after 3 nights of living on the street and meeting a homeless man, who spent his days and nights clearing rubbish from the river and recycling cans and bottles that people left lying in the street, this young man reflected on this and admitted that this homeless man was a person of greater substance than any of his friends with all their money. The homeless man was living a life of love, love for the God’s creation, and love for the streets and the city in which he lived.
And so may you recognise that you have been made for happiness. May you discover that happiness as you take delight in the law of God’s love and as you meditate on the way of love day and night. May you become like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, with leaves that do not whither, that as you grow, flourish and blossom, your life may be a life of blessing to others. Amen.