Love Isn't Control

Short Evensong homily based on Ezra 1 and John 7:14-36

There’s a lot of confusion in this evening’s gospel reading as people are trying to figure out who Jesus is- is he the Messiah? The Jewish people, and the temple officials are both puzzled by this man, not knowing how he knows the things he does when he’s just some bloke from Nazareth. How could he possibly be the messiah?

The way Jesus deals with this is not in an authoritarian way but an encouragement to get people to think about who he is and what he’s doing. Is he just Mary and Joseph’s son or is there more to him? He tells us he’s a product of where he’s from and the one who sent him, meaning he’s more than a simple man from Nazareth.

He’s learned much, I’m sure, from his mum and dad but his real power, the tools he needs to fulfil his ministry and purpose, are from God. Jesus is saying “look at me, I’m a simple man from an insignificant village so how can the things I’m saying or doing be from anyone else but God? I’m not educated, I’m not rich, I’m not anyone. Draw your own conclusions. Look at the evidence and you decide who you think I am”. Jesus rarely spoon feeds us.

There is so much we can learn about God from this. Firstly the encouragement to doubt, reason and think for ourselves. Institutions of religion and Christianity in the past have attempted to supress this. It’s been about rules and control, much like the Pharisees, and so far-removed from what I believe God intends for us.

God wants us to engage our minds. Religion which operates just within a set of overly-prescribed rules, or at the other end of the spectrum just attempts to engage our emotions, is not a true reflection of God. We’re designed to be curious, inquisitive and questioning. It’s the only way we can fully engage with God.

Ours is a relationship of love. If a relationship is built upon control that is not love. If any of you, like me, are fans of The Archers you’ll probably be aware of a recent change in the law which now defines coercive-control as abuse, for which you can be prosecuted. Jesus opposes the Pharisees control and his encouragement to think and question makes our relationship with the divide more rounded and whole.

Secondly it’s an encouragement to not judge people by how they appear but by the fruit they bear. If we look at the basic facts Jesus is an uneducated man from an insignificant place, but when we look at what he achieves we know he is much more than that. We can’t judge anyone on face value, but on the fruit the bear, evidence of God at work through them by what they produce in the world.

We may see people claim to have no faith and yet clearly see God reflected in them. Others may claim to lead a devout and god-focused life and yet their behaviour and choices say otherwise, like the Pharisees.  We can examine ourselves in this way- how do I appear, what do I want people to think of me? Is this reflected in the fruit I bear and the choices I make?

Finally it’s a reminder that all we need comes from God. We see this in the passage from Ezra where God sees people in a position to achieve what he needs them too and he stirs them up, giving them the ability to pull together and do what needs to be done. Everything Jesus needed to fulfil his ministry came from God, not his upbringing, education or the place he was from.

So God gives us everything we need to bear fruit in the world, but also to keep questioning, looking for the signposts of where He’s at work, and how we can be part of that.