Scripture/Sermon of the Day

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival, 53 but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 And Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

I. What do you listen to at 11:30 at night when you decide to spend the next 30 minutes walking on the treadmill? I was tired of listening to the same music over and over. So I found these lectures on American Literature from the Great Courses series of lectures put out by The Teaching Company. Last night I listened to lectures on Huckleberry Finn. When that book was published it was banned in Massachusetts because it was critical of Christianity. In the last fifty years it’s been banned from many schools because it uses the n-word 200 times.

II. Why dild Twain do that? Why would he be critical of the Christian religion, and then use that word so many times? I thought he was one of America’s great writers? And why would Hemingway — even though he didn’t like the ending — say that Huck Finn is the greatest American novel?

III. Listening to these lectures, I realized it’s not as original as people think. It’s critical of Christianity, and it’s profane and vulgar and filled with violence. But if that’s what people want — why not just read the Bible, which has more of all those things?

IV. For Aunt Sally, only the death of a white person matters. In her Southern culture, people of color weren’t considered human. They were expendable. They are not mourned when they die or when something bad happens to them.

When Jesus was not welcomed by the Samaritans — when the village rejected him — two of his disciples, James and John, said, “Well then, lets kill them! Let’s destroy the whole village. Let’s kill everything living, the animals, children, women and fathers and grandfathers, and all the babies not yet born. Let’s kill everything.”

These were Jesus’ students — many churches today are named after them. This is more violent and profane than anything in Mark Twain. Why don’t we ban the Bible?

VI. Jesus rebuked James and John. But how could James and John have thought that after being Jesus’ disciples and hearing the Sermon on the Mount, and all his teachings about loving God and neighbor? THERE ARE STILL MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT THINK PEOPLE CAN BE CHANGED IF WE JUST PUT A COPY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN EVERY CLASSROOM.

VII. Jesus was rejected by both the Samaritans AND by his own disciples. He taught, “Love one another.” And the disciples said,“Kill the Samaritans -- obliterate them!”

Followers of Jesus still say it today. Just SUBSTITUTE “Samaritans” for any group or race of people you don’t like. Say “immigrants” or “aliens” or “the n-word,” or “foreigners”. And pray for God to obliterate them. Another word for “obliterate” is “deport.” Most people know that Genesis says every person is made in the image of God — but they don’t believe it. There are millions of people who believe that God made the earth in six days but can’t believe we’re all God’s children. Millions of people who call themselves "Christian" can’t believe that God actually wants us to love everyone — literally.

VIII. Many people believe the earth was made in six actual days -- but that's not important. It doesn't affect our soul. Six days or billions of years — it doesn’t matter. It won't change us. But actually believing — literally — that every person is sacred and must be loved as God’s creation — that matters. That belief will change us.

By the end of Huckleberry Finn, Huck saw this. At the beginning of the book, Jim was just a slave to Huck, the n-word. But gradually Jim became a friend that Huck loved — someone Huck would risk his life for — someone he’d go to hell for.

HUCKLEBERRY FINN IS GREAT BECAUSE IT’S A CONVERSION STORY. It is about the transformation of a soul into Christ. This is what Jesus promised us -- that in our lifetimes, we will be transfigured into him, as we walk together, day by day.