August 2022
"Controversy"
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost; based on Luke 13:10-17 (text at end of post)
August 21, 2022
This week, our friend Jim Shaw (who’s a member of Temple Beth El Synagogue and a columnist with the
Forum newspaper) wrote a story about the controversy over the Fargo School Board dropping the Pledge of
Allegiance from its meetings. A debate that has become, in his words, “ugly, vicious, profane and racist.” In
response, School Board members have received hundreds of emails and phone calls not just from local
citizens but people from around the country. The most hateful messages and threats were directed at school
board member Nyamal Dei.
Nyamal came to the United States as a refugee from South Sudan. I met her not long after when I moved here six years ago. Nyamal was one of the first renters in our church office and founded a nonprofit. And this past June, Nyamal became the first African American elected to our School Board (or any political office in Fargo).
Jim included these quotes from her in the article: “I am very disappointed,” Nyamal said. “I’m shocked with
the foul language and the use of the N-word.” On Thursday, the school board voted seven to one to reinstate
the pledge at their meetings. Nyamal voiced the lone dissenting vote.
I called Nyamal on Friday to see how she was doing and to offer my support. Most people in that kind of
situation would give in to the pressure she’s faced. But not Nyamal. She even told me she’s not angry and
prays for those people who are “so mean” and those who “hide behind their Christianity.”
She told me she held firm because someone had to stand up against the racism and bullying. Someone had to stand up for the kids from her and other communities who face the same kind of racism and bullying at
school. Which is what keeps her at the center of this controversy in our school district.
Today’s Gospel reading also features a woman who becomes the focus of a controversy.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Seated in the congregation is a woman
with a severe curvature of the spine. A woman with a disability possibly caused by osteoporosis or other
degenerative condition. A woman who had suffered with pain and immobility for 18 years—without any of
our modern treatments or pain medications.
Now as a pastor, if a person with a disability like that came to our worship service, I would walk to where
they were sitting to talk with them. Instead, Jesus calls her to come forward to where he’s standing. And
everyone present stares at her as she slowly gets up and shuffles to the front of the congregation.
Which reminds me of a college friend whose mother had multiple sclerosis. Craig once told me how when his mother went to church each week, she dreaded having to walk up for communion—feeling like everyone
noticed each awkward, jerky step.
Of course, it’s easy for us who can walk without any problems to say the point of this Gospel story is that
Jesus is going to heal the woman. You could argue any embarrassment she experienced was worth it. A truly ableist perspective. And nobody seems to care what this woman feels.
Then suddenly, the focus shifts away from her to a controversial religious issue: that Jesus heals her on the
Sabbath. A day on which according to his faith community’s practices, no work should be done. Most
Christian preachers today focus on that detail. And on how awful it is that the leader of the synagogue
condemns Jesus for breaking the third commandment. Making it seem like Jewish people are the bad guys.
And like only Jesus feels compassion for this woman.
But I have a problem with that interpretation. And hopefully you do too. For here at St. Mark’s, we worship in a truly unique context—in this synagogue. Three years ago this month, we were invited to start sharing this space with the people of Temple Beth El. And I think we would all agree that their welcome has been sincere and at times simply amazing.
Of course, from the beginning they made it clear that there were a few ground rules. To honor their Jewish
traditions, they asked us not to bring any pork or shellfish into the building or to any meals we shared. They
also graciously agreed to let us put up our paraments and crosses and Christian symbols (something never
done before in the history of this sanctuary)—as long as we took them down each Sunday.
Something most Lutheran congregations don’t have to worry about. I have to admit that I sometimes secretly wish we didn’t have to do that every week. Those of you who serve on our altar guild might have had similar thoughts. And yet, I also believe it’s a worthwhile and respectful practice that reminds us each week what hospitality really means—especially in terms of maintaining an interfaith partnership with our Jewish hosts and friends. Along with that of course, comes the awareness of how certain New Testament passages (like this story from Luke) carry with them a not-too-subtle anti-Semitism. Something most Christians completely miss.
I read a long article about that this week as I was recovering from COVID—written back in 1994 by Darryl
Schmidt and entitled “The Sabbath Day: To Heal or Not to Heal.”* In it, Schmidt talks about this story and
six other passages in the Gospels where Jesus heals someone on the Jewish Sabbath. Three of them are the
same story about a man with a crippled hand told in slightly different versions by Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Today’s story is only found in Luke.
Schmidt questions whether the controversy over healing on the sabbath was not so much a concern of Jesus,
as that of later Christians, who during the time the Gospels were written—40 to 60 years after Jesus died--
were concerned about how to differentiate themselves from their Jewish origins. Especially after 70 A.D.
when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Romans. And Jews were forced to redefine their religious
practices.
In that sense, focusing on how this healing story takes place on the sabbath is “anachronistic.” A term for
when we take attitudes and beliefs and political perspectives of a specific context, and project them onto
people and situations of a different time and place. An example of that might be taking our modern laws for
driving a car at a specific speed and applying them to riding a chariot in Jesus’ time. It just doesn't work.
Today, many Reform and Conservative Jews don’t see healing on the sabbath day as a problem. Most would
argue that it is the right and righteous thing for any doctor or medical professional to do.
Of course, today we have our own controversies. Abortion has become a huge political issue since the
Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this June. With many states taking steps to make abortion illegal
even when the life of a mother is at risk.
It would be really nice if Jesus could appear at the front of this synagogue and tell us his view of those
Christians who are forcing others to abide by their perspective on a difficult medical and ethical issue. I
believe Jesus would not side with those religious leaders and their rigid beliefs, but instead stand with the
woman who is seeking the best answer for her situation and faith and family.
For Jesus, the moral axis of God always leans towards what is compassionate, rather than what is lawful or
politically correct or socially acceptable. For Jesus, the absolute law is grace and mercy. Any other law
always bends to that standard.
So today I can’t help but wonder, what are the rules we have set up as today’s Church that might seem more
important than God’s love and the needs of our neighbor? For example, whom do we exclude from the grace of God because they don’t fit our personal beliefs?
Or, when will we as believers dare to stand up and speak out against racism and for justice? Or, what kind of healing do we offer those who suffer the trauma of rejection by our fellow Christians?
I think I know what Jesus would do. The question is what will you and I do?
As we gather around this welcome table here in this sanctuary, I am reminded how radical it is to worship in
this space and in a community that honors differences. We come to this table acknowledging our fears and
failures, our pain and disappointments, our hopes and dreams.
We gather together believing things can be different. We pass this bread, proclaiming a promise for our
shared present and our children’s future. Not a promise that Jesus will magically cure every illness, or even
rescue us from the rising evils around us, or always save our loved ones from death.
But the promise that nothing—nothing—can separate us from the love of God, our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Daryl D. Schmidt, “The Sabbath Day: To Heal or Not to Heal” (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter 1994, Vol. 27, No. 4; University of Illinois Press) https://www.jstor.org/stable/45228052; pp. 124-147.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Gospel Lesson: Luke 13:10-17
Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and theentire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Forum newspaper) wrote a story about the controversy over the Fargo School Board dropping the Pledge of
Allegiance from its meetings. A debate that has become, in his words, “ugly, vicious, profane and racist.” In
response, School Board members have received hundreds of emails and phone calls not just from local
citizens but people from around the country. The most hateful messages and threats were directed at school
board member Nyamal Dei.
Nyamal came to the United States as a refugee from South Sudan. I met her not long after when I moved here six years ago. Nyamal was one of the first renters in our church office and founded a nonprofit. And this past June, Nyamal became the first African American elected to our School Board (or any political office in Fargo).
Jim included these quotes from her in the article: “I am very disappointed,” Nyamal said. “I’m shocked with
the foul language and the use of the N-word.” On Thursday, the school board voted seven to one to reinstate
the pledge at their meetings. Nyamal voiced the lone dissenting vote.
I called Nyamal on Friday to see how she was doing and to offer my support. Most people in that kind of
situation would give in to the pressure she’s faced. But not Nyamal. She even told me she’s not angry and
prays for those people who are “so mean” and those who “hide behind their Christianity.”
She told me she held firm because someone had to stand up against the racism and bullying. Someone had to stand up for the kids from her and other communities who face the same kind of racism and bullying at
school. Which is what keeps her at the center of this controversy in our school district.
Today’s Gospel reading also features a woman who becomes the focus of a controversy.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Seated in the congregation is a woman
with a severe curvature of the spine. A woman with a disability possibly caused by osteoporosis or other
degenerative condition. A woman who had suffered with pain and immobility for 18 years—without any of
our modern treatments or pain medications.
Now as a pastor, if a person with a disability like that came to our worship service, I would walk to where
they were sitting to talk with them. Instead, Jesus calls her to come forward to where he’s standing. And
everyone present stares at her as she slowly gets up and shuffles to the front of the congregation.
Which reminds me of a college friend whose mother had multiple sclerosis. Craig once told me how when his mother went to church each week, she dreaded having to walk up for communion—feeling like everyone
noticed each awkward, jerky step.
Of course, it’s easy for us who can walk without any problems to say the point of this Gospel story is that
Jesus is going to heal the woman. You could argue any embarrassment she experienced was worth it. A truly ableist perspective. And nobody seems to care what this woman feels.
Then suddenly, the focus shifts away from her to a controversial religious issue: that Jesus heals her on the
Sabbath. A day on which according to his faith community’s practices, no work should be done. Most
Christian preachers today focus on that detail. And on how awful it is that the leader of the synagogue
condemns Jesus for breaking the third commandment. Making it seem like Jewish people are the bad guys.
And like only Jesus feels compassion for this woman.
But I have a problem with that interpretation. And hopefully you do too. For here at St. Mark’s, we worship in a truly unique context—in this synagogue. Three years ago this month, we were invited to start sharing this space with the people of Temple Beth El. And I think we would all agree that their welcome has been sincere and at times simply amazing.
Of course, from the beginning they made it clear that there were a few ground rules. To honor their Jewish
traditions, they asked us not to bring any pork or shellfish into the building or to any meals we shared. They
also graciously agreed to let us put up our paraments and crosses and Christian symbols (something never
done before in the history of this sanctuary)—as long as we took them down each Sunday.
Something most Lutheran congregations don’t have to worry about. I have to admit that I sometimes secretly wish we didn’t have to do that every week. Those of you who serve on our altar guild might have had similar thoughts. And yet, I also believe it’s a worthwhile and respectful practice that reminds us each week what hospitality really means—especially in terms of maintaining an interfaith partnership with our Jewish hosts and friends. Along with that of course, comes the awareness of how certain New Testament passages (like this story from Luke) carry with them a not-too-subtle anti-Semitism. Something most Christians completely miss.
I read a long article about that this week as I was recovering from COVID—written back in 1994 by Darryl
Schmidt and entitled “The Sabbath Day: To Heal or Not to Heal.”* In it, Schmidt talks about this story and
six other passages in the Gospels where Jesus heals someone on the Jewish Sabbath. Three of them are the
same story about a man with a crippled hand told in slightly different versions by Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Today’s story is only found in Luke.
Schmidt questions whether the controversy over healing on the sabbath was not so much a concern of Jesus,
as that of later Christians, who during the time the Gospels were written—40 to 60 years after Jesus died--
were concerned about how to differentiate themselves from their Jewish origins. Especially after 70 A.D.
when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Romans. And Jews were forced to redefine their religious
practices.
In that sense, focusing on how this healing story takes place on the sabbath is “anachronistic.” A term for
when we take attitudes and beliefs and political perspectives of a specific context, and project them onto
people and situations of a different time and place. An example of that might be taking our modern laws for
driving a car at a specific speed and applying them to riding a chariot in Jesus’ time. It just doesn't work.
Today, many Reform and Conservative Jews don’t see healing on the sabbath day as a problem. Most would
argue that it is the right and righteous thing for any doctor or medical professional to do.
Of course, today we have our own controversies. Abortion has become a huge political issue since the
Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this June. With many states taking steps to make abortion illegal
even when the life of a mother is at risk.
It would be really nice if Jesus could appear at the front of this synagogue and tell us his view of those
Christians who are forcing others to abide by their perspective on a difficult medical and ethical issue. I
believe Jesus would not side with those religious leaders and their rigid beliefs, but instead stand with the
woman who is seeking the best answer for her situation and faith and family.
For Jesus, the moral axis of God always leans towards what is compassionate, rather than what is lawful or
politically correct or socially acceptable. For Jesus, the absolute law is grace and mercy. Any other law
always bends to that standard.
So today I can’t help but wonder, what are the rules we have set up as today’s Church that might seem more
important than God’s love and the needs of our neighbor? For example, whom do we exclude from the grace of God because they don’t fit our personal beliefs?
Or, when will we as believers dare to stand up and speak out against racism and for justice? Or, what kind of healing do we offer those who suffer the trauma of rejection by our fellow Christians?
I think I know what Jesus would do. The question is what will you and I do?
As we gather around this welcome table here in this sanctuary, I am reminded how radical it is to worship in
this space and in a community that honors differences. We come to this table acknowledging our fears and
failures, our pain and disappointments, our hopes and dreams.
We gather together believing things can be different. We pass this bread, proclaiming a promise for our
shared present and our children’s future. Not a promise that Jesus will magically cure every illness, or even
rescue us from the rising evils around us, or always save our loved ones from death.
But the promise that nothing—nothing—can separate us from the love of God, our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Daryl D. Schmidt, “The Sabbath Day: To Heal or Not to Heal” (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter 1994, Vol. 27, No. 4; University of Illinois Press) https://www.jstor.org/stable/45228052; pp. 124-147.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Gospel Lesson: Luke 13:10-17
Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and theentire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.