When you look through the lens of your camera you’ll see a square or rectangular shape that focuses on the face or the object of most interest in the frame. When you move the focus to a more distant place beyond the immediate foreground the detail becomes less clear and the focus is lost. This problem of focus confronts us here as we read of the end of the ‘Age’. Is Jesus talking about the present ‘Age’ that is the near focus or the end of history, the far focus? This may seem like an academic question but it has important consequences for our Christian discipleship. Paul discovered in some of the churches that he visited that they had misunderstood Jesus' message about the coming Kingdom and had thought he was talking about the end of the world. As a result many stopped working and started waiting. They gave up with this world because they believed that the next world was just over the horizon. Paul warned the Thessalonian church sternly: “If anyone is unwilling to work, let him not eat” 2Thess 3:10 Focus then is all important because it literally gives us clarity when it comes to important issues of Christian discipleship like how should I live?Focus is important for another reason as we will discover when we choose the frame of our pictureAre we interested in the far horizon, then we will lose focus on the near or are we interested in the near, then we will lose focus on the far horizon.The frame we choose for our photo gives meaning to the objects within the picture, or if we are writing a novel the ending is the frame that gives the story meaning. I will take as an example the life of Mark Rosthko, the American artist whose dark moody paintings take us to a meditative space where we can contemplate meaning and purpose. Rothko’s last paintings, a series of murals for the smart new Segram centre in New York were designed to challenge the comfortable diners in the building's restaurant. This is what he said about the murals: “I accepted this assignment as a challenge with strictly malicious intentions. I hope to paint something that will ruin the appetites of every son of bitch who ever eats in that room” Rothko’s intended challenge of American capitalism was uncompromising and ultimately destructive for it saw no hope of a better future, there was no redemptive message, just a nihilist despair. “Anybody who will eat that kind of food for those kinds of prices will never look at a painting of mine.” If we seek to interpret our times as Rothko and critique its values, then we must focus not only on the failures but offer hope for the future. What then is the frame of reference that Jesus is using when he talks to the disciples about the ‘Close of the Age’? Clue One: “Let the reader understand” Mark 13:14.Jesus points us back to the OT prophecies in Daniel in which the ‘Abomination’, is set up in the Temple by invading armies of the Greek general Ephiphaniades in the middle of the Temple.This act of blasphemy takes us to the events of AD 70 when the Romans army destroyed Herod’s Temple and set up their banners in the Temple. The Jewish historian Josephus describes this terrible time in graphic detail, but the prophecy of Daniel tells us of its cosmic significance. It marked the end of an ‘Age’ and the coming ‘Age’ of the ‘Son of Man’. Just as Jesus had predicted, the destruction of the Temple would be the sure sign that God had vindicated him as the true representative of his people.Daniel 7:13 ‘They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great glory’.Daniel here is referring not to the return of the Son of Man at the end of time but to his glorious resurrection and ascension after suffering. This was to be the sign that ‘Time’ had been called on the system that had opposed God’s call and God’s Gospel.The blasphemy of the Roman legions was the beginning of the end of the Roman empire. Clue two: ‘He will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the Heavens.’ Mark 13:27. This new age would be the age of the Gentiles and the establishment of a mission that would draw people from all nations of the earth together into a new people of God – the Church. The significance of these words for those who heard is made clear by Jesus.“This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Mark 13:30.The disciples were being prepared not for the end of the world but for the beginning of a new age.The picture Jesus draws is of the fig tree in spring when its leaves are just about to come out. This new age is to be a ‘Springtime’ for the earth. It is to be an age of new growth and promise in which the blossoming of God’s Kingdom would be seen in every corner of the world. Just as the old prophecies had foretold, God's word would go out into the world and fulfil its purpose. Clue three: “No one knows about that day or hour... nor even the son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32. Jesus is unwilling to speculate about the end of time, because he has no knowledge of its timing. Just as we discovered when we focused on the objects in photos, distant objects remain out of focus when we are focusing on objects in our immediate frame.We should beware of anyone who tells us that they have such knowledge! It would seem that for Jesus the most important detail to focus on was the immediate future, not the distant horizon. Jesus had in view two horizons, the present and the future.Both horizons present us with a wonderful view of God’s plan and purpose for mankind. The distant horizon must for the moment remain as a backdrop for the age in which we live. It tells us that history has a direction and meaning, that all creation is part of a God given plan for the renewal of the earth and the salvation of mankind. However it is the near horizon that is to motivate us to action and shape the choices we make in this life.The life, death and resurrection and ascension are the ‘Signs of the Time that shape the way we live. It is in his sacrifice, his love, his passion for the least of the least that we find our vocation as Christians. ‘And the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations’ Mark 13: 10 Jesus gives us a perspective in which to live our lives. As Martin Luther the Reformation theologian said,“ Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would plant my apple tree today”Jesus gives us the faith and the reason to live in the light of the glorious future in which the world will be renewed and the glory of God will be made known to everyone.
There are visionaries in every age, men and women who see the future and do something to make it happen. Whether they be scientists or engineers, philosophers or artists, entrepreneurs or authors, these men and women invest in that future before most of us even know that it has arrived.All of us, somewhere will have a poster of Van Gogh’s sunflowers and if we don’t have a poster we will instantly recognise it when we see it. If I was to ask you to name an artist, then most of us would be able to name Van Gogh. His art is the most recognisable and the best loved art work in the world. It could be said without exaggeration that Van Gogh brought art to the masses and it was that vision that inspired his work. It was a vision at first conceived of as a religious calling that he had tried to work out through his outreach amongst the poor in the grim Victorian streets of London and as an evangelist in the coal mines of Belgium.There Van Gogh worked with a missionary zeal to bring to ordinary folk a vision of ‘heaven’. But it was not as an evangelist that Van Gogh realised his mission but as an artist. His art, he said, was ‘a revelation of heaven on earth’. But it was only in Provence that he himself discovered the light and colour he had been searching for all his life. Here he began to paint just as he worked as an evangelist, and his mission was the same, to reach out to ordinary folk, not the sort who went to art galleries but those who never would. The irony, of course, is that he only ever sold one painting in his life.That, though, was not the point. By the time he arrived in Provence he saw himself as a prophet investing in a future he would not see. His passionate belief was that people would see and feel the rush of life in the fields and trees, the flowers and faces he painted and open their eyes and hearts, as his eyes had been opened. He wrote these words to his brother Theo:“What am I in the eyes of most people, a non entity, an eccentric, an unpleasant person, somebody who has no position in society and never will; the lowest of the low. Well even if that is true, then one day I would like to show what such a non entity has in his heart.”Van Gogh had invested his talents in a future he did not see but which like our parable today has enriched us all. The stories Jesus told about the Kingdom picture a world that is coming into being through the work of his disciples, a future that they themselves would not see.In the parable of the talents Jesus tells of a Landowner who entrusts his property to his servants. To one he gives five talents, to another two talents, and to the third, one. A talent was the equivalent of about £1,000, so this was a considerable investment in those he left in charge of his property. He clearly has confidence in them to put this investment to work. Jesus, too, was confident that those he left behind would work to build the Kingdom. There was to be no waiting around for the Kingdom to arrive, instead he gave them all that was needed to make the Kingdom a reality in our world. The servant who decided to bury his talent and wait for his Lord’s return is roundly condemned!For us too Jesus entrusts us with an inheritance that we are urged to use and indeed pass on to the next generation. Whatever our ‘talent’ may be, whether great or small, whether recognised or unknown, whether appreciated or ridiculed, we work and live, like Van Gogh, for the joy of what we can give to those who we may never know.A prayer for peace in the Holy landO God of all justice and peacewe cry out to you in the midst of the pain and traumaof violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.Guide us into your kingdomwhere all people are treated with dignity and honour as your childrenfor, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
There’s a story in Jewish folklore about a gentile enquirer who, confused by all the requirements of the Jewish law, asked a Rabbi if he could sum up in one sentence just what was most important, and to do it standing on one foot!Simple, the Rabbi answered “What you hate for yourself do not do to your neighbour, that is the whole law, the rest is commentary, go and learn!”The lawyer who questioned Jesus would have been an expert in the Jewish law and Matthew tells us asked Jesus the same question.‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, “The Lord our God is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this ,you shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Mark 12: 29-31He might have added, the rest is commentary! The whole of the Bible’s teaching is contained in those two commandments, but what exactly does love ask of us? The answer seems to be in the first sentence, ‘The Lord your God is one’. Love asks of us undivided attention.Have you ever found yourself talking to someone whose attention is somewhere else. They keep glancing over your shoulder. Their body is there but not their mind. Or maybe you’ve worked with someone whose heart isn’t really in their work. They do the job, but mechanically. Their eyes are on the clock!Well God isn’t like that, he is undivided and gives us his full attention. If you want to know what that looks like then the portraits of Rembrandt give us and idea. The one I have chosen is a self portrait painted in 1659, a year after he had been declared bankrupt.After many years of success Rembrandt had fallen out of favour with his rich clients. They were now no longer the down to earth Dutchmen and women of his youth, earnest business people in a deeply religious, protestant country but another generation. This generation had grown up with money, they had travelled to Italy and seen the polished portraits by Bellini and they wanted something that showed them in all their finery. The problem was that Rembrandt’s portraits were just too honest, too crude!Here he is, looking at himself with an intense stare, looking at us looking at him. We can see into his soul and almost feel the pain he felt, but the face tells us he is not broken. The eyes are defiant, the set of his jaw is firm and we know that he still believes in himself. The portrait is modelled after a famous Italian portrait by the artist Rafael, one of Italy’s greatest. Rembrandt knew he was up there with the best!Rembrandt drew, etched and painted so many self-portraits in his lifetime that we can gauge his moods by comparing one with another. All of them show him as he is, sometimes rich and dressed in fine furs and jewelled coats, sometimes poor as here, but the focus is never on the outward trappings. The focus is always on the face and the eyes that let us see into his soul and indeed look into ours.Rembrandt’s last painting tells the story of an early uprising of the Dutch people against the Romans. It was painted for Amsterdam’s grand new town hall. The Burghers wanted something romantic and heroic but they got the truth. The one eyed leader of the rebel band is rough and coarse, his fellow conspirators ready with their swords raised but have had too much to drink! Love always speaks truth. For all Rembrandt’s honesty he is never cruel or spiteful. There is compassion and understanding and he gives to each of his sitters a dignity that is their own. Jesus spoke of our hearts and mind and strength and soul. That is where love comes from, and that is how Rembrandt painted, with heart and mind, strength and soul.That is also what he painted and what he gives each sitter. We can see their mind and heart, we can feel their strength and soul.God looks at us like that, and loves us like that. Sometimes that can be uncomfortable, sometimes we will turn away and sometimes we will reject what he shows us. We will always, however, be loved with an undivided love.A prayer for peace in the Holy landO God of all justice and peacewe cry out to you in the midst of the pain and traumaof violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, We also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.Guide us into your kingdomwhere all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Paying taxes has never been popular, if you look back at history you’ll see that nearly every revolution has been the result of a Tax revolt. The English Civil war, the French Revolution and the American revolution. I remember Mrs Thatcher’s attempt to introduce a new tax in the UK: the Poll tax. It was deeply unpopular because it was not a graduated tax but imposed a fixed amount on rich and poor.Paying taxes to Caesar.There had been a Tax revolt in Judea within recent memory when the Roman emperor Augustus imposed direct rule over the province and sent a Roman governor to keep the peace.In 6 BC Judea was assessed for tax liability. The taxes were sent directly to Rome in Roman coinage bearing Caesar Augustus' image.The Jewish people had revolted under a leader called Judas. The only tax Judas would admit to paying was to the Temple and to God. This was called the Temple tax and was always paid in local coinage.Some of the Jewish population were loyal to Rome, they were called the Herodians after the puppet King Herod. The Pharisees were fiercely opposed to the new tax and refused to pay it.To pay taxes, then, was to accept the sovereignty of Rome and to handle a coin with idolatrous imagery. The image of Caesar was stamped on to each coin and to use it the Pharisees argued was to accept the Lordship of Caesar.The Lordship of God.This was the issue that the Pharisees and the Herodians were trying to entrap Jesus.“Under whose lordship are we to place ourselves?”“Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Matthew 22: 17The question posed to Jesus almost 2000 years ago continues to raise difficult issues for us today not just in our politics but also in our personal life. As Christians how are we to live in a world that is often hostile to Christian faith? Should our Christian commitment remain a private affair between ourselves and God or does faith have a part to play in public life?Here are a few examples of recent controversies: The role of the Church in education, abortion rights, signs and symbols in public buildings and worn by public figures, discrimination in employment, and by adoption agencies. The right of businesses to refuse custom on the grounds of faith and the marriage of same sex couples.Does Jesus give us any answers to these and other questions? It is interesting that Jesus doesn’t allow himself to be captured by either party in this debate. This should be a warning to us to label any political party as ‘Christian’. Jesus cannot be hijacked by a political party, but he does have a point of view!‘Give back to Caesar’.Jesus recognises the right of Caesar to impose taxes. He uses the words ‘Give back’, implying that the Jewish people have received benefits from the Roman rule for which they owed tax.Christian to are called in the New Testament to recognise they rightly constituted authorities of the State. They are to live peacefully under the laws of the land.So the Church is not to be like the zealots of Jesus day who attempted to violently overthrow the Roman regime. Nor are they to be like the Essenes who withdrew into the desert where they attempted to live without any contact with the pollution of society. Jesus urges us in the opposite direction. We are to be the ‘Salt and light’ of the world.‘Give back to God’Jesus commands us to give back to give back to God what is God’s. To understand this we must go back to the Creation story in which the whole Cosmos is seen as the Gift of God and man is placed as God’s image to care for the world.As Jesus looks at the coin he sees the image of Augustus Caesar and it is to Augustus Caesar that we owe this coin but as he looks at us he sees God’s image and it is to God that we owe our very lives. He has made us for a purpose and it is to that purpose that we give ourselves. We are made in His image to honour His image in us, a responsibility which we owe to the whole of creation not just to our earthly authorities.‘Window’s into men’s hearts’These were the words of Elizabeth I of England when speaking of the freedom of conscience that she allowed her subjects in the matter of their religious loyalties. So long as they obeyed her in the political realm they were free to worship God according to their own loyalties. This has become the foundation stone of the liberties of English speaking countries. This principle gives each person the dignity and the space to live freely rather than to have an authority imposed from above. History has shown us that when that principle is abused by a Government or Royal authority all other liberties will soon be taken away.That is the freedom Jesus brings us, a freedom that destroys the power of tyrants and inspires each of us to be what God created us to be.A prayer for peace in the Holy landO God of all justice and peacewe cry out to you in the midst of the pain and traumaof violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. A statement from the Archbishops“We are grieved and deeply concerned at the violence in Israel and Gaza, and we unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. We pray for those who are mourning, those who are injured, and all those fearing for their safety. We pray for restraint on all sides, and renewed efforts towards a just peace for all. The way forward must be for both sides to build confidence in a secure future through which Israel and its people can live in security within its internationally recognised borders, and Palestinians have their own state and live in their lands in security, and with peace and justice.Rev. Simon BrignallI am contactable from Thursday to Sunday.
