Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year B
May 28, 2006
Christ Church, Covington
“Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have
chosen” (Acts 1:24).
“Choice” is our theme, and we are going to start with Judas Iscariot, the
betrayer of Jesus, who figures in our first reading today. Judas makes one of
the epochal choices of history, that sets in motion everything else. The Gospel
of John tells us somewhere that Judas was a thief who stole from the common
purse and was moved by his crime to betray Jesus. Matthew suggests that Judas
was motivated by the reward, the “thirty pieces of silver”. There’s motivation
again. At the same time, the Gospel of John tells us that Satan entered into
Judas and it was this that propelled events forward. “The Devil made me do it!”
John also leads us to believe that Jesus himself prodded Judas forward to
fulfill the prophecy.
In short, the Scriptures offer just a few tangled threads on Judas and his
betrayal, but these few remind us of some truths about “choice”. First, human
motivation is often mixed, and that when we make choices there is usually more
than one thing going on in our minds as to motivation. Second, “choice” often
coexists with some form of compulsion, while remaining “choice” for which we are
responsible. When it comes to choice, it’s never very simple.
“Choice” is our theme, because modern people increasingly define themselves as
“people who choose”. Having choice is what makes us human. For instance, think
of the debate about “physician-assisted suicide”. People apparently want to be
able to make this choice, even if it is a choice to end all choice. Illustrating
another part of “choice”, part of what motivates a “living will” is the power to
choose while we can. Folks who can no longer choose don’t fare well in the
courts, and some examples will come to your mind. But beyond these “hot button
issues”, in every commonplace order of life, unfettered choice is our ideal. We
want to be who we choose to be, never mind constraints or limitations. We give
“choice” high value.
So think again about “choice”. Part of the take away from this sermon is the
chance to think about motivation and its complexity. What moves us is not that
simple, and so our choices are not simple. Still, “choice” is real, and not an
illusion. We make real choices, which we know from our own experience of
choosing. It’s not a trick. But “choice” also has its limitations. There’s more
to being human than being able to choose. Love, for instance: a human value and
a hallmark of humanity. Even if we can’t love, we are all loved, at the least by
God. At the same time, unfettered choice can only carry you so far, being a
recipe for disaster if it has no restraints.
Now we come to last part of the sermon, which brings us from Judas and his
choice to the contrasting example of the disciple Matthias who does not choose
but is chosen. The choice is left to chance, this “drawing of lots”, but the
choice is really God’s. So we see that on the one hand, there are the choices we
make; on the other hand, there is our the recognition that it is God who
chooses. “You did not choose me, but I chose you, so that you might go forth and
bear fruit, fruit that shall last” (Jo. 15:16), as Jesus says in the Gospel of
John. Our choices are real, and being able to choose is important, but the
contrapuntal truth which plays off the other is that our times and seasons are
in God’s hands. God chooses.
Christians are supposed to make choices prayerfully, and I challenge you to make
yours accordingly. In our choices, we want to discern God’s will, and bring our
will into accord with his own. We want to be conscious that it is God who
chooses. Being only conscious of our own choices leaves a peculiar kind of
interior emptiness, which is perhaps where Judas’ choice brought him. Let’s take
three things away: 1) the knowledge that God has chosen us, and that it is his
love rather than our ability to choose that makes us human; 2) the knowledge
that God is at work in our choices, choosing us before we make any choice; 3)
and the realization that these two truths are part of what constitutes the life
of faith, into which Jesus continues to invite us.
John Bauerschmidt is Rector of Christ Church, Covington.
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