The Authority of Charismatic Kindness

17 Pentecost, a p 21, September 27, 2020

Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32

Lectionary Link

Do you know what can often make us jealous, if we are insecure?  The charisma of someone else, especially if they are in our own field of "expertise."  We might have the degrees and the positions of authority, but then someone comes along who just is so charismatic that they get through to people and get such a response, that it makes us a bit jealous.  A real sign of emotional and spiritual maturity is when one can rejoice in the gifts and charisma of other people, especially if it is being used to help people and made them better.

Today, appointed Gospel is an argument motivated by jealousy.  Religious leaders were jealous of the appeal and the effectiveness of the ministry of Jesus.  They were jealous because they saw the response of people to his ministry of teaching and healing, and his ministry inclusion which included the declaration of sins forgiven.

"Jesus, where do you get the authority to practice your ministry, your teaching, your healing?  Show us your Seminary Diploma.  Did you graduate from the Shammai or Hillel rabbinical tradition?  We know that you didn't, so what gives you permission to teach without being licensed by us?"

Now the answer in John's Gospel to this was: "I do the work that my Father gave me to do."  But in this Matthew account, he did not want to play their game.  He only exposed their jealousy.  

"You want to know about my authority?  Well, what about John the Baptist?  In his authority, he required everyone to get baptized, even you observant Jews.  Was his authority to require baptism from God or was it just his own charismatic whim?"

Jesus stumped them because they only thought politically.  "If we say John's baptism is not from God, we have to worry about his popularity among the people.  And if we say John's baptism is from God, then we would have to accept the charismatic authority of Jesus to teach, preach, heal and declare the forgiveness of sins."

Then Jesus told a parable to contrast the end results of religious authority.  One type of religious authority resulted in hypocrisy.  The other type of authority resulted in a person repenting and changing his life.

Jesus was implying that some religious authority was a public proclamation of doing God's will, but in the practice of love and justice, God's will was not obeyed.  So, one could be religiously and ritually observant seeming to be say, "yes" to God, but then in one's actual behaviors one could be a complete hypocrite.

The charismatic authority of Jesus was appealing to the people who were publicly saying "no" to God, but in their actions they were converted to repentance and doing the right thing.

What is the conclusion?  Do we have the grace of charismatic authority to appeal to people's lives to change their lives?  Changed from being avowed deniers of God into being repentant people engaged in do acts of obedience to the Good News of God in Christ?

Jesus was saying, "authority is the charisma to help people change their no words, into yes actions."    And that is the kind of charismatic authority which we seek.  Charismatic means grace filled; we are charismatic when we can live the love and kindness of God before others in such a way that they want to become better people.

How does this happen?  The Christological hymn of St. Paul about Jesus gives us some insights.  Jesus is God emptied in human life; God reduced for humans to perceive and understand that God wants us to live up to the divine image on our lives.  God, in Jesus, is the invitation to find our Good News and change our negative words and experience the power of doing positive deeds.

You and I need to find through identity with Christ this emptying method; it is when we can empty our egos by making them fluid and encompassing in a way to let other people in so that they can be won by kindness, acceptance and love.

God has won us in Jesus by emptying the divine life into human form.  We too, are called to empty ourselves so that we can live our lives with winsome appeals to others so that they can know that they want to be better.

Today, you and I are invited to find the authority of the charisma of love and kindness in our lives.  It is an authority that cannot show up on a diploma or certificate.  It is the authority of winsome kindness, which cannot be faked.  Let us empty ourselves today so that the authority of charismatic kindness can be winsome in the lives of others today.  Amen.