Of Androids, the Good Shepherd and the 4th of July

MATTHEW 11:  Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way before you.” 
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!

 ‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, 
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
   we wailed, and you did not mourn.” 
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
   No, you will be brought down to Hades.
For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’

 At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

(Forgive me for including an entire chapter of Matthew for this post. It is just that there is so much here, and it is all too vital – especially in these conflicted times – to leave anything out.)

I just finished watching again for the first time in years the Ridley Scott 1982 cult classic Blade Runner, based on the novel Of Androids and Electric Sheep. It is an amazing movie. I assume most of you know it, but I’ll recap for the uninitiated:

Harrison Ford is a former cop and “blade runner” in 2019. His job is to terminate renegade android slaves. He is pulled back in to hunt down a group of particularly nasty ”replicants.” These creatures were implanted with a lifetime of false memories, but were programmed to wear out (that is, "die") after only four years. The renegade replicants have returned to find their maker and to ask to be modified to live longer. By midway through the movie, you realize the androids feel as much or more than the humans, and the climactic scene – the final conflict between the chief android (played by Rutger Hauer) and Harrison Ford’s bounty hunter – blurs the lines between US and THEM so completely as to leave the viewer befuddled as to the desired outcome. So strong is the gradually built identification with OTHER, and the recognition of the innate drive to survive, love and thrive.

 

It seems to me that much of the spirit of this movie could have been lifted directly from the 11^th chapter of Matthew. No, seriously:

·       Jesus comes to a broken, violent and confusing world and teaches all who would listen to value life above all else, and to define more loosely and think and see more broadly in welcome of the other.

·       John the Baptist, in prison and soon to be executed, has a moment of doubt about his cousin and asks through an intermediary if Jesus truly is the messiah or if they should wait for another.

·       Jesus’ proof of his messiah-ship is the degree to which he has reached out and healed and helped the OTHER in Judea…the blind, lame, leprous, deaf, dead and poor – that is, everyone society would crush or try to forget.

·       Jesus goes on to challenge all who would hear: “What are you looking at? What are you looking for? The key to the Kingdom is so obvious and so simple that a child can grasp it. Indeed, only those who can open themselves unselfishly (like a child) will come to the great humble, gentle key to life abundant. The burden of liberty in me is sooooo light!”*

When questioned by John as to his legitimacy, Jesus offers as evidence all he has done for the other: the outcast, down-trodden, ailing and persecuted. He further challenges all who are protectors of the status quo that they are in serious danger of missing the kingdom of heaven.

The ministry and path of Jesus are all about a brash, fearless, even RADICAL openness and love for (indeed, IDENTIFICATION WITH) the other, aren't they? Our faiths and religions should necessarily follow that lead. But we don’t always do that particularly well, do we? Often, our religions and political actions rally around what we aren’t and who we won’t accept. We end up choosing "long-standing tradition" or "strategic interests" over that which represents love and self-determination. In other words, we one day wake up and find that we are on the wrong side of some important event.

July 4^th is the perfect time to bring this up. When we reflect on the promise of the great human experiment in self-governance, it behooves us to realize that our nation is founded on the very Christ-like principle of a far-flung, wildly varied us-tent, not an us and not them fence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL* men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Doesn’t this foundational document clearly state how radically wide open and welcoming America and Americans are supposed to be?

But the most important part of all is not that famous quote from the second paragraph, but the last sentence of the document:

“…with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

That’s right, every participant in the American experiment has thrown his/her lot in with the rest. We each pledge our lives, resources and sacred honor to the happiness, liberty and well being of every other American!!

Neither Christianity nor democracy are exclusionary, but EXUBERANT. Neither Christianity nor democracy are museum-grade pure, but five-second-rule PICNIC. We all want more life, and life abundant. We should all help each other get there, regardless.

May our lines of demarcation be evermore blurred. May our political leanings be ever harder to pin down. May we learn to pity piety and go wild with wideness. Wouldn’t that be marvelously human, gloriously American, and wonderfully Christian of us?