no zombie sheep allowed

It occurs to me that after Sunday's sermon, Against All Odds: Sheep Among Wolves, it would be tempting for us to think that since Jesus sends us out as sheep among wolves, we might want to fight back against those wolves, using any means necessary.  This reminds me of a film that came out a few years ago - a film I have not seen, will not see and do not recommend seeing (but the trailer was amusing), just to be  clear.  It was called, Black Sheep and was the story of genetically engineered sheep in a rural New Zealand town.  In the story the sheep become zombie sheep.  Yes. You read that correctly.  They become zombie sheep and attack and devour human beings in the village.  This is not what we are to become, even though Jesus sends us out among wolves.

Jesus uses the imagery of wolves not to say that we should take up arms and fight back against the wolves, but that we should realize that the call to follow him and obey God is a call to take up our crosses and deny ourselves.  This does not mean that if we are in an emotionally or physically abusive situation we must simply "take it" for the sake of the kingdom.  It is, after all, unloving toward our abuser to continue to allow them to abuse us, to say nothing of our own safety and needs.

Furthermore, God promises us victory, even though we may suffer.  He promises us his peace, even in the midst of war. He promises us resurrection, even though we die.  Our call is to be faithful to God when we are up against the odds, not to give in to the temptation to "fight back" and do damage to those who oppose us.

It's interesting to me that in the list of Jesus' disciples is one named "Simon the Zealot" (Mt 10.4).  A zealot was a Jewish activist who was unafraid to take up weapons and fight to the death against the oppressive Roman forces in Jesus' day.  Zealots may have even killed Jewish people who collaborated with the Roman government - Jewish tax collectors, for example, like Matthew (Mt 10.3)!  The call to follow Jesus was a call to lay down arms and pursue God's purposes instead.  It was not a call to become zombie sheep amid wolves.

I know that all of this is quite challenging when the rubber meets the road.  But however we might answer the questions we have has to begin with the reality that Christ's methods are different than the world's methods, that disciples behave differently than zealots and the sheep ought not imitate wolves.  Our model is Christ who, though he was mocked, spit upon, tortured and killed, went to the cross like a sheep to the slaughter.

May we all find the grace we need to carry out crosses.  Amen.

P.S. - if you would like to have a version of Sunday's title slide for your smartphone background, go here.