"Disobedience"

For Sunday, April 11th, 2010

(Photo of Sojourners' Jim Wallis being arrested for civil disobedience in December 2005 while protesting federal budget cuts under consideration by the House of Representatives.  Blog author also arrested.  Total of 115 faith leaders detained.)

Lectionary Reading - Acts 5:27-32 NRSV

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

Disobedience

Commentary from Chris Haslam of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal provides helpful context for the above scripture. It tells us that Peter and John have been arrested by the religious authorities for teaching that God raised Jesus from the dead and because of such an event, all persons have hope of eternal life. The “council” mentioned in the above scripture is the Sanhedrin. It functioned as the Supreme Court of Israel. It was therefore the ultimate law enforcement authority before which the apostles could be brought with the exception of the Romans of course. The Sanhedrin was comprised of seventy-one rabbinic elders and it judged cases and made rulings at the Temple almost daily except for Sabbath and religious festival holidays. It is therefore the legal body that ordered the apostles not to speak or preach in Jesus name. Given that it had become corrupt and was complicit in Jesus’ execution and feared the apostles’ popularity among the people, the Sanhedrin decides initially to let the apostles off with a warning and does not punish them.

The warning however is insufficient for the apostles’ teachings and works in Jesus’ name lead to an alarming growth in the number of those who call themselves Christians. The Sanhedrin decides therefore to take further action to suppress the apostles. It does so out of fear that it will lose its authority and control over the people because the apostles are able to do something the Sanhedrin can’t. And what they’re able to do is heal the sick in quite miraculous ways. So this time, the Sanhedrin imprisons the apostles. Yet a divine messenger sets them free and so the apostles go right back to preaching in the outer court of the Temple. Subsequently, the Temple police round up the apostles again and take them directly before the Sanhedrin.

This time the Sanhedrin’s high priest accuses the apostles of trying to place blame for Jesus’ death upon the council itself. Led by Apostle Peter, the apostles insist that they must obey God’s will rather than the Sanhedrin’s orders. And then, without fear, they publicly lay responsibility for Jesus’ death at the feet of the Sanhedrin. The council members become enraged. They want Peter dead. But a famous liberal rabbi of the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel cautions the council. He tells them that if everything about Jesus is of human origin, then the Jesus movement will fail and will do so in its own good time. If however the Christian movement is of God, the Sanhedrin will not be able to overthrow it and the council will have therefore been working against God.

Ultimately, the council decides not to kill the apostles. Instead, the Apostles Peter and John are flogged for their earlier offenses. This torture does not stop the apostles and despite the Sanhedrin’s orders to quit teaching and healing in Jesus name, the apostles return to doing what Jesus commanded them and they do so in the courts of the Temple and in people’s homes.

In light of the above, my faith tradition asks three critically important questions this week. The questions are in regard to disobedience toward those who claim authority of one kind or another over us. The questions are these: 1) How would you respond if you were in the sandals of the first disciples in their situation before Sanhedrin? 2) What situations do you face now that require you to obey God rather than an unjust human authority? 3) What is the role of other members of your faith community when someone in that community takes the risk to obey God rather than an unjust human authority?”

In terms of answering the first two questions, I think my November 19th 2009 post titled “For This I Came” says things pretty plainly for me. The post reflects on my arrest in December 2005 for an act of civil disobedience toward the U.S. government --- so rather than repeat things here readers can follow the preceding link if interested in more details.

What I want to focus upon instead in this post is the role that members in our faith communities should take when someone in that community risks obeying God rather than some unjust human authority. In terms of my situation in December 2005, I was pastor of an urban congregation in Portland, Oregon. As a member congregation in a denominational hierarchy, my superiors felt that I needed to speak with the congregation regarding my intentions to participate in civil disobedience. They counseled that it would be important to determine whether the congregation could continue to accept my leadership if I carried through with the civil disobedience.

After conferring with my lay pastorate of six congregational members, we decided that I should speak first with all the lay ministers in the congregation and then address the congregation during my sermon later that same morning. At the meeting with our lay ministers, I spoke regarding our call as a denomination dedicated in Christ’s name to pursue peace and justice for all people. I spoke as well to my sense of the Spirit calling me to participate in civil protest and disobedience toward a government that for me had lost its way and needed people to stand against its intentions to cut funding to our most vulnerable and needful citizens while also handing the wealthy very generous tax breaks.

The responses from my lay ministers were overwhelmingly supportive. A few felt however that “church” and what they regarded as “politics” shouldn’t mix and should be very separate from each other. One person did become angry over my intentions to address the congregation however he and I spoke further after the meeting. Concerned for the man’s feelings, I asked it would be easier on him if I stepped out of the pulpit and addressed the congregation from the main floor. He responded that the symbolism would provide him some comfort and comfort others as well.

The worship service went well and at the point during the service that I intended to speak to the congregation regarding my trip to the nation’s capitol to participate in civil disobedience, I did as promised and stepped from the pulpit to the main floor. I spoke openly and passionately about the calling I felt to participate in the civil disobedience. I also acknowledged the feelings and discomfort of those who did not agree with me. I subsequently shared that I thought most of the congregation probably supported me and what I needed most that morning was to hear from those who might be upset with me. I offered that following the service I would be in the church library to meet with those individuals and then asked that those who were supportive simply go on about their plans for the rest of the day and that I would could them at another point during the week.

An amazing thing happened following the service, only one person came to see me in the library. It was the individual who had been upset with me earlier. He simply came to say that while he did not agree with what I planned to do or why I wanted to do it, he said, “I want you to know that I respect it.” A little while later an elderly member came to see me. With tears in his eyes and obvious support for what I intended to do, he said, “I want you to know that you are my pastor and you are my friend.”

As time progressed toward my trip to Washington D.C., I heard from other individuals. Some pressed money into my hand to help defray costs for the trip as I was taking personal leave and paying for expenses out of my own pocket. On my return from the trip, I shared through another Sunday morning message what had happened during the protest and civil disobedience and how the experience affected me personally and spiritually. Some bristled at my witness as it again tested their boundaries regarding “church” and “politics”. But mostly the response from my congregation was overwhelmingly supportive and affirming as my disobedience brought to life in very real and contemporary ways why we do what we do for the cause of God’s Peaceable Kingdom.

So rather than trying to answer question three above in some formulaic way, I’ll leave you this week with simply my story and hope it speaks well enough for itself when someone you love risks disobedience in order to obey the One it truly matters to follow.

May Christ’s Peace be with you!

(more photos and testimony of the Sojourners December 2005 event can be viewed at http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display&item=051214_arrests_testimony)