The story was told by the author through
many years of regret as to what happened on that fateful day when he was
allowed to go hunting with his father and his friends. It was a day of great anticipation because he
had never gone hunting with his father before . . . and, because they were
taking their new hunting dog out for the first time. This was a dog that the author’s father was
quite proud of . . . constantly bragging to his friends how great a hunter the
dog was. Best in the county, he would
tell them.
Then there was the reality. The poor dog did miserably on the hunt. It was constantly running off and causing all
sorts of trouble. The boy and his father
did not kill a single bird that day.
They spent most of their time chasing after the dog. The father was frustrated. The boy was embarrassed.
At the end of the day all the hunters
had gathered around their pickup trucks.
They were all showing off their trophies for the day . . . and, they
were teasing the boy’s father quite hard over the “best hunting dog in the
county!” They were all giving him
suggestions as to what to do with the dog.
The boy felt bad for his father.
Then suddenly his father turned towards him and asked, “What would you
do with the dog?”
Without hesitating, the boy blurted out:
“Shoot ‘em!”
A gunshot rang out . . . and the dog
dropped to the ground . . . dead.
The author explained how he had lived
for years with the guilt and remorse for those words that had escaped his mouth
. . . even as an adult. How he regretted
how those words caused the death of beloved pet . . . one that was probably
still very much a puppy when it was placed into the role of hunter. It was his words that brought about its death
. . . a death well before its time. He
said that he learned that day to be careful with the words that he spoke . . .
words could hurt, they could even kill.
Our scripture reading is a continuation
of the story what we began last week. As
you remember, Jesus has brought a child into the discussion with the disciples
about what they had been talking about on the road to Capernaum. You know, the conversation about who was the
greatest. With the child next to him,
Jesus tells the disciples: “Whoever welcomes one of these little
children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me
but the one who sent me.” It was
a teaching moment for Jesus with the twelve.
Do you also remember how they were
embarrassed to answer his question about what they were talking about . . . they
just stood there silent. Well, whether
they understood what Jesus was doing or not . . . that it was a teaching moment
. . . they weren’t ready to admit to any wrong-doing. Instead they attempt to divert the subject
and shift the blame. They don’t hop onto
the lesson being taught or the lesson needing to be learned. No, they point their fingers at a rival
exorcist who was using Jesus’ name to throw out demons. They tell Jesus that the man was not one of
“them” and that he shouldn’t had been doing what he was doing. So, they tell him to stop.
I guess they figured being tattle tails
would win them some points with Jesus.
It didn’t. In fact, Jesus
basically tells them to lay off, because “whoever is not against us is for us.” There were no brownie points earned for their
finger pointing . . . in their judgment of this outsider who was acting in
Jesus’ name. No, what Jesus wanted them
to focus on and pay attention to was their own behavior.
In a flash, Jesus turns the tables on
the disciples. He turns the spotlight on
the disciples themselves . . . warns them that they are the ones in danger of
doing harm. Jesus is not concerned with
those who are outside of the group, he is more concerned with those within the
group and how they can be the problem by getting in the way of the gospel . . .
of making others stumble.
Have you ever caught yourself in that
hypocritical moment with another where you are urging them to do what you say,
while at the same time you are doing the exact opposite of what you are telling
them? You, like that famous parental
statement made to children of all generations . . . “do as I say, not as I
do.” We all know that our actions speak
louder than our words ever do, even if we shout them. That is why children imitate adults . . . why
people imitate those in power . . . and so on down the line. Even though it is preached against, it must
be okay if it is being done.
This is Jesus’ warning . . . do not
cause others to stumble. Through that
whole section about drowning one’s self or lopping off body parts, Jesus is
telling them that it would be better for that to happen than to make another
stumble because of one’s behavior or actions.
And, Jesus wants them to know that these stumbling blocks are not other
people or things that are outside of the disciple, but they are a part of who
they are . . . they are the hands, feet, and eyes. Things that we hold dear . . . things we
think we need. Through these bodily
images, Jesus makes it clear that it is not things that are outside, but that
they are a part of us.
I think of it as a matter of
congruency. Our actions need to match
our words, and our words need to match our actions. If they do not, well then there is a good
chance that someone . . . somewhere . . . will notice it. And, based on what they see or hear, they
will decide on what they will believe and do . . . especially when it comes to
matters of faith and living the faithful life.
If that incongruency makes another stumble . . . to cause harm, then it
would be better if that person were drowning in the sea with a millstone around
his or her neck.
Thus, it is that Jesus encourages the
disciples to “be careful out there.” In
order for us to “be careful out there”, we need to be examine our faith through
the words that we speak and the actions that we take . . . examine whether
these things are stumbling blocks among those we encounter, especially those
who are the most vulnerable—like children—among us.
As the followers of Jesus we must be
careful . . . we must be careful because words can hurt, they can even
kill. We must be careful in remembering
that we are called upon to love . . . to love God . . . to love one another . .
. to love all of God’s children. We must
be careful in understanding that we are called to build up and not tear down .
. . that we are to seek the best for those who are loved by God . . . all of
God’s creation. The consequences are not
worth the risk to do anything less.
If I remember correctly, the title to
that little story I shared at the beginning of the sermon was Loose Lips. Everyone knows what loose lips do . . . they
sink ships. In the story the loose lips
cause the dog to lose its life. If we
are not careful, our behavior can do just as much harm when it comes to us
following in the footsteps of Jesus. We
must be careful . . . love is not something to play around with. It is serious business . . . God business . .
. and, if we are going to do it, we had better do it well. May our words and actions of loving faith be
one and the same.
I don’t know about you, but I am kind of
favorable towards my body parts. Be
careful out there . . . God is depending on you. Amen.
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