Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt. 23:1-12,
Josh. 3:7-17
Rev. Rona Kinsley

Does God Vote?

In a recent email, Jim Wallis, Christian author, activist, and founder of the Sojourners community, in Washington, DC, wrote: Everyone seems to agree that this is an election like no other in modern times. It’s more uncertain than ever how it will turn out, whether both sides will accept the results — even whether we will have a peaceful transition of power. Pastors tell me that they have never seen an election season sow such anxiety and fear, anger and conflict, and real depression within their congregations and among individuals who come to see them for help as spiritual leaders or counselors.

I have heard some of you express anxiety, fear, anger, conflict, and depression, around this election, and I have been feeling them, too. This election season has brought to the forefront deep divides within this nation, divides that have, perhaps, always been there but have never before been quite so starkly highlighted, or so openly inflamed, for political advantage. This coming Tuesday, the voters of this country will make a vital choice about who we are, as a nation, and who we will become. Knowing this, we can understand the importance of prayerfully seeking God’s guidance when we vote.

In the United States, there is a long and healthy tradition of separation between government and the establishment of any one religion, but that doesn’t mean that the God we follow is disinterested in who we choose to lead us. God’s purposes can be furthered by good leaders, or perverted by hypocritical and self-serving leaders, like the ones Jesus criticizes in our gospel reading. The biblical record shows us, again and again, that God works through human leaders, calling certain men and women to lead God’s people, even when, like Moses, they didn’t want to take the call, or, like the boy, David, they were an unlikely choice. God understood that the people needed guidance, and raised up leaders to remind them of God’s purposes and lead them in God’s ways.

It’s easy to be cynical about the quality of some of our contemporary leaders, but we should remember that God relies on us as partners to raise up leaders who share God’s concern for justice, mercy, and peace. We should also remember that the work of government, is done by leaders who represent our beliefs about how our lives, and the lives of our neighbors, should be ordered. Christian theologians disagree about whether government was part of God’s intention for us in creation, but I think we would all agree that we need some method of ordering our common lives.

Think, for a moment, what life would be like if we had no rules about how to treat one another, or, if we had rules, but had no way of making them stick. You may have heard the saying that, without government, life would be nasty, brutish, and short. We need some way to decide how we are going to live together, whether it’s as simple a matter as agreeing that we’ll drive on the right-hand side of the road, or something much more complex, like deciding how a just society will care for its weakest and poorest members. All of these decisions take the form of rules and laws, laws which are made, and carried out, by our leaders.

Our elected leaders, like the leaders in our Scripture readings today, have a special relationship with the law. Today’s reading from Hebrew Scripture tells us what took place when the People of Israel reached the Jordan River, after their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The Jordan River was all that now separated the people from the Promised Land, but Moses’ successor, Joshua, still had to get them across safely. God told Joshua, to chose twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to carry the ark of the covenant. The ark contained the tablets of the law— the terms of God’s covenant with the people— which gave them instructions about how they were to order their lives in relationship to God and to each other.

The twelve representatives picked up the ark, carried atop two long poles, and walked in front of the people. As soon as their feet touched the river Jordan, the waters upstream rose up in a single heap. The ones bearing the ark stood in the middle of the river bed, on dry ground, until the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan. What a wonderful image this is, just as compelling for us today as it was for the people of Israel, over three thousand years ago. Twelve people— a representative from each tribe— carry the ark— literally upholding the law— which guarantees the safety of all the people. Just as in Joshua’s time, it is important to elect leaders who will uphold the constitution and laws of this country— laws that incorporate our understanding of justice— in order to guarantee our safety.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells his followers to listen to the Pharisees because they sit on Moses’ seat— they have legitimate authority as teachers of the law given to Moses— but do not do as they do, he warns, “for they do not practice what they teach.” The Pharisees’ teachings were sound, but their actions were not. As one commentator puts it, we should be suspicious when high and lofty slogans are contradicted by mean and low behavior. Good leaders practice what they preach.

Jesus also condemns the Pharisees because, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.” We should be wary of leaders who place heavy burdens on others— and who are unwilling to share those burdens or to provide relief. Good leaders don’t seek to impose burdens unfairly. Their concern is to relieve those who carry heavy loads.

Jesus also has some scathing things to say about the way in which the Pharisees use their position to further their own honor and glory. The Pharisees live for adulation. “They do all their deeds to be seen by others . . . They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.” By contrast, Jesus tells his followers that, “The greatest among you will be your servant.” Good leaders act as servants, interested in the advancement of all people, not as demagogues intent only on their own glorification.

Jesus cautions his disciples not to allow themselves to be called by the honorary title of “rabbi.” We have only one teacher— God, and, before God, we are all students trying to learn and understand God’s will for us. Nor are the disciples to be called instructors. The Greek word, which the NRSV translates as instructor, means one who goes before, or guides. For the disciples, and for us, the only instructor is the Messiah. Jesus is to be the guide whose teachings and actions give us the model for right leadership.

Jesus also tells his followers, “call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father— the one in heaven.” Fathers had absolute authority in the families of Jesus’ time. For those seeking to follow Christ, no earthly leader can have this kind of authority. We must give such respect only to God. When God is our ultimate leader, we have a standard by which to judge all our leaders, a standard given to us by Jesus, our instructor.

Jesus teaches that God intends us to live in relationships of justice and peace. Which candidates will work to build just societies, both at home and abroad— just societies that are the only true basis of peace? Jesus teaches us that God has a particular concern for the least among us. Which candidates care about the poor and the oppressed, those who suffer discrimination, those on the margins of society, and those, like children, who have no voice in government? Scripture tells us that God has given us stewardship of creation. Which candidates have demonstrated their concern for the health and well-being of the environment?

It would be great if we were given sure signs to tell us that God smiles on particular candidates. Imagine how much confidence we would have if we had leaders like Joshua— leaders whom God “exalted” in our sight, leaders who could part rivers at their command. What if you could stand on the banks of the Lamoille River to watch each of your local candidates give it a try? Or how about gathering in the middle of Montpelier to see whether Minter or Scott could make the waters of the Winooski rise up in a single heap? And think how easy it would be to pick the President if only one of the candidates could part the Potomac. Unfortunately, God doesn’t act quite so directly, or so dramatically, in giving us leaders today. The choice is left up to us.

Let us pray:

O God, keep this nation under your care. Guide us as we choose the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer)