Joshua 2:1-14

May 25, 2008

Mark S. Bollwinkel




In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "...seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be provided you..." (Matthew 6:33) This verse concludes a section of the sermon during which he encourages his disciples....that means us....to combat anxiety about our everyday needs in life for food, clothing and/or money, with devotion to the reign of God's love, peace and justice. That's what the term 'kingdom of God' means.

Spiritually everything can be put into balance when we serve a purpose in life worth living for; love, peace and justice. That's what is worth living for.

Rather most of us invest our time and energy in that which we cannot control...such as tomorrow....or the material possessions in life that don't really nourish us and that which we certainly don't get to take with us into the next life.


Have you heard the story of the Newfoundland Fisherman? (Source unknown)

A boat was docked in a tiny Newfoundland fishing village. A tourist from Toronto complimented the Newfie fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the Newfie. "But then, why don't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the Torontonian.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The Torontonian asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take an afternoon nap with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The Torontonian interrupted, "I have an MBA from Queen's University and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Newfie.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to St John's, Halifax, or even Toronto! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the Torontonian.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the Torontonian, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Newfie.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take an afternoon nap with your wife and spend your evenings playing the guitar, having a few drinks and enjoying your friends."

Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:25)

The way to rid oneself of the power of anxiety in life is to seek first the kingdom of God and all else will then be provided.


It is often those who have learned and lived that truth that we remember the most, isn't it?


Rahab somehow knew that the kingdom of God was the most important priority in life. As our Hebrew scripture tells us this morning, Rahab is a Canaanite prostitute who shelters two Hebrew spies when they enter Jericho prior to its invasion by the children of Israel. This is during the period of conquest following Israel's forty years of wandering in the Sinai desert in search of the Promised Land.

The text gives us no introduction to this significant character. We know little about her. Rahab is a prostitute. Remember that in the ancient near east women had no social claim or rights other than in marriage. When a woman was widowed she would lose even that and at worse be forced to beg in the streets, work as a slave or sell her body. Once married her family of origin were not obligated to take her back under their care. One became a prostitute when there was no other recourse, no other option but desperation. And it is still true today.

Somehow Rahab knows "the Lord". How she would have come to know of the God of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is anyone's guess. The reputation of Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt and military victories over enemies had arrived before the spies. Rahab must have assumed that such a people had a powerful divinity behind their cause. But she not only knows of the Lord, she knows that this is the "One God to be feared"; in the original language the "One God in whom to be in awe". She is convinced that the Israelites empowered by this God will vanquish Jericho so she protects the men and agrees to coordinate with them when the armies return to the city in return for safe passage for her father, mother, brother and sisters and their households. Rahab is showing a compassion for her family of origin that they probably did not offer her or she would not have had to become a prostitute.

Later tradition will suggest that Rahab will convert to the Hebrew faith and marry Joshua, leader of the children of Israel. She will be one of five women mentioned in the 42 generations of Jesus of Nazareth's ancestry as the great-great-grandmother of King David (Matthew 1:5).

As we recall the story of Rahab we don't remember that she was a woman of 'ill repute' probably rejected by her own family, a traitor to her own people. What we remember of Rahab is her courage, her compassion and her openness to faith in the One God even when against all the odds that she so believe.

Rahab put God first in her life and it made all the difference. That's why we remember her even as a matriarch of Jesus.


What is it that we remember on Memorial Day? The names of the fallen warriors remind us of valor, sacrifice and the debt we owe those who have won the freedoms we enjoy, certainly. Listing the names of those Christian brothers and sisters who have died in the last year, reminds us of friends and family gone, love shared and the impact of good people on our lives, certainly.

On a day like this, we remember the best in each life knowing that there was much more to whom they were than that. Each life is a story, a journey with ups and downs, successes and failures. Each of us writes that story each and every day, with some chapters trite and others dramatic. A name represents a human life saga, just like the ones we are writing. The people we will always remember are the ones that have taught us what is most important in our own lives; such as the truth that when we seek first the kingdom of God, all that really matters will be provided as well.

Have you read any of Anne Lamont's fiction, the famous Marin County author of such as books as Traveling Mercies or Plan B? She is a radical Presbyterian and can be sarcastic, angry, powerfully moving and brilliantly true all at the same time. She writes, "You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do." (Traveling Mercies; although on page 22 of Bird by Bird she attributes this quote to "my priest friend Tom").

It's ironic that such a person could write such profoundly Christian material coming from her background as an alcoholic, drug abuser, teen run away, and single parent. But in the end what we remember of Anne Lamont's story is that God is the center of her recovery and healing in life. Jesus is no abstraction but a fellow traveler on her journey to wholeness. Seeking first the kingdom of God has made all the difference in her life.

Like it did for Rahab.

Like it did for so many of our heroes who put our safety and the future of their nation above their own.

Seeking first the kingdom of God has made all the difference in many, many lives.


How about ours?

Amen.


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