Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

For most people, life is a treacherous sea to navigate. Consider a man who lived through this: He failed in business at age 22, was defeated for the legislature at 23, again failed in business at 25. his sweetheart died at 26, had a nervous breakdown at 27, was defeated in election at 29, was defeated for Congress at 34, was again defeated for Congress at 37, was defeated for Congress a third time at 39, was defeated for Senate at 46, was defeated for Vice President at 47, was defeated for Senate at 49 again; and then he was elected President at age 51. This man was Abraham Lincoln.[1] Lincoln epitomized the spirit of, “Never Give Up, Never Surrender.” Lincoln got knocked about by life and had the perseverance to try and try, and in the case of running for Congress, try again.

“Never give up, never surrender” is a theme in our reading from Luke today. “Never give up, never surrender” is something we need to hear, from our Lord and from one another. “Never give up, never surrender” is something we need to say to one another.

Our reading can be broken into two different pieces, the first focusing on sin and repentance and the other on perseverance.

The first five verses of the selection begin with the people who are present telling Jesus about a group of Galileans who were slain by Pilate. These people are slaughtered with the animals they had brought for the Passover sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem. It is likely that many Jews had taken exception to Pilate funding public works projects from temple donations. And when their objections became a distraction, Pilate sent his troops into the crowd and dispatched the ringleaders.[2] While there is no specific record of this particular event, Pilate had a tendency toward harsh discipline and violence during his rule. Even if this was not historically accurate, the movie about these events would be “based on a true story.”

So the people asked this question, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?” Jesus tells the crowd no, he does not think so.

He then offers another example, an example of eighteen who perished when one of the towers of Jerusalem’s wall, the tower of Siloam, fell. This time Jesus asks them, do you think these people who were crushed under the rubble died because they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? Jesus answers for them. No, he does not think so.

But neither time does Jesus answer the questions with a simple no. He adds to his response, “but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Unless you change, you will die the same way they died. So, how then did they perish?

It is always tempting to say that people died because of their sins, a sort of divine retribution for the shameless. You know, the old, “God’ll get you for that one.”[3] This thought reminds us of John’s gospel when Jesus is asked if a man’s blindness was because of his parent’s sin or his own.[4] And it is so true, none are without sin, but Jesus does not blame their deaths on the degree or amount of their sin. In each case, Jesus tells the crowd that their deaths are not due to being more sinful than their peers.

What their deaths have in common is that they perished suddenly and their devastation is total. Without warning, worshippers in Jerusalem find themselves overcome by the power of Rome by the hand of Pilate’s guard. Without warning, the tower of Siloam collapses on the people taking care of daily business near the old city wall. No chance of repentance remains for these victims. In this way, there is no difference in their deaths. Their deaths are very different; one group died as the result of a politically motivated massacre and the other died in a horrible accident. In these cases, the point is that they perished without repenting their sins, regardless of what their sins were, and to Jesus this similarity is more important than the differences.

Isaiah shows us the means and value of repentance in our Old Testament reading: “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

The second half of our reading gives us an image of the Lord’s abundant pardon.

In this part of the reading, Jesus tells the story of a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard talking to the man who took care of his vines. The land owner has been patient waiting for three years for fruit to appear on the tree. This would not have been unusual. Deuteronomy directs the planter of a tree to dedicate the fruit from the tree’s first three years to the Lord before harvesting any for personal use. But after three years, his tree had yet to produce any figs, so why should it take up valuable space and soil and rain in his vineyard. This precious space should be dedicated to a tree that will produce fruit; this one should be cut down. Then the vine dresser says leave it. Leave it for one more season. I’ll dig around it, fertilize it, and take care of it. If it produces next year then all is well and good, but if not, well then, cut it down.

What an image. The vinedresser tells the master if after a little more care and attention the tree doesn’t repent from its fruitless ways then cut it down. Boy, I’m glad Jesus was just telling a story. Oh wait, he wasn’t just telling a story, this is a parable.

We are called to repentance. We are called to turn from the things that take our attention from the Lord who gives life. The joy in being like the trees in the parable is that we are cared for by the greatest gardener in the vineyard owned by the one who gives life.[5] We are tended with great care; we are planted in the waters of our baptism and fed with the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper. When we abide in the soils of the Lord our God, we have all that we need.

We are called to turn to live abundantly in Christ, and we are reminded that life is short.

Returning to the parable, the land owner’s patience with a tree that does not bear fruit does not last forever. The intervention of the vinedresser is a great gift, but it does not last forever. The tree’s day of reckoning will come to pass in one more growing season. In the same way, the Day of the Lord is coming, and while it may be mercifully delayed for the unrepentant, we are called to turn to the Lord[6] because in the Lord we bear fruit. Neither political intrigue nor faulty mortar may cause of our deaths, but life is short and can end suddenly.

Grace abounds, but grace is not cheap. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field, it is the pearl of great price, it is the kingly rule of Christ for whose sake people will remove the obstacles which make them stumble. It is the call which causes the disciples to leave their nets and follow. [7] But grace must be sought again and again; it is the gift for which we must continue to ask.

Grace is costly because of what it cost Jesus. If even for just a brief time, it cost Jesus a time away from his rightful place at the right hand of God the father. It then cost him his life on earth, life taken in the most degrading way known to humanity. Grace is costly because of what it costs us. There are times when we walk the path, paying the price of discipleship instead of enjoying the distractions of desire.

The path of grace can never take us from the Lord. And while Jesus can travel it perfectly, we, well… we tend to follow it in fits and starts. There are times we don’t walk the path, we stop. And there are even times when we back pedal from the journey we are called to take.

This is why our journey of faith, our journey of discipleship is just that, a journey. There are seasons when we will bear fruit and seasons when we won’t. While the Lord’s pardon is abundant, it is not without end. When the day of the Lord comes, there will be a reckoning for us as there will be for the fig tree in the vineyard. But we stand resolute that our Lord is ready for us with patience and nourishment for those willing to seek it.

As I was writing this sermon, Turner Network Television, TNT, was showing a 1999 movie called “Galaxy Quest.” It is the story of a group of washed up actors who continue to ride the coattails of an immensely popular science fiction television show. The show was such a popular culture touchstone that even years after the show was cancelled the cast continues to tour science fiction conventions earning personal appearance fees. If you are familiar with the phenomenon of Star Trek since the original series was cancelled in 1969, you have an idea of what they are spoofing. And like so many television shows, this one has a catch phrase that one character uses over and over again. In this case, the line belonged to Captain Jason Nesmith played by Tim Allen. Whenever the crew was in dire straights, the Captain would cry out, “Never give up, never surrender!” Then, as so often happens in television, the crew perseveres to face adventure again.

“Never give up, never surrender” is a theme in our reading from Luke today. “Never give up, never surrender” is what we hear as we are tended to in the garden. “Never give up, never surrender” is what we need to say to one another. “Never give up, never surrender” is what we need to hear from one another. Just as the cast of “Galaxy Quest” faced new dangers weekly; we face danger and temptation constantly. Our attitude can’t be that we have repented so we’re fine. In our world we must continue to turn toward God through remembering our baptism and coming to the table. We need to hear these life affirming words from one another as we continue to turn toward God; as we continue to repent.

As we travel together, we need to resolve to bolster one another because while we are nourished by God we are also to share God’s nourishment with others. God doesn’t give up on us and we can’t give up either.

[1] Attributed to Anonymous, http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln, accessed March 10, 2007, edited to reflect age instead of year.
[2] http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/printer_friendly_installment.asp?installment_id=2767 accessed March 8, 2007.
[3] Bea Arthur is Maude.
[4] John 9:2
[5] Ordinarily I do not like to place definite labels onto the principle players in a parable. It offers certainty into the mystery of God which is too presumptuous. Yet today, I take that leap.
[6] Ibid, Homiletics.com
[7] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Cost of Discipleship, The. New York: Touchstone, Simon and Schuster, 1959, page 45.