By the Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
The lesson from Samuel this week continues the David stories that we've had for several weeks. This one, however, takes place many years after the segments from the past few weeks. By the time this story takes place the furor over the relationship between David and Bathsheba is long over, and they have, in fact, had a second child named Solomon. It needs to be remembered that as the King of Israel, David had many wives and many children. Bathsheba comes through the stories as one he truly loves, but it was the role of the King to be fruitful, and he was.
The name of David's third son was Absalom. Absalom's mother, Maachah, was the daughter of a neighboring King, the marriage between her and David no doubt political, and the son was a safe third and most likely not very noticed. As he grew he apparently became exceedingly handsome and charismatic. He became ambitious too. Maachah and David had another child as well, a daughter named Tamar. She too was beautiful. Trouble began when David's oldest son and heir, Amnon, became obsessed with his half sister Tamar and raped her. Biding his time, the calculating Absalom waited two years before taking his revenge for his sister and killed Amnon. He fled north believing that he could not be forgiven for killing David's favorite son and heir. Then a curious thing happened. Absalom became aware of his charisma among the hill people of the northern kingdom and it created an ambition to be king in his father's place. He continued to be calculating and after much posturing and intrigue gathered an army that posed a serious threat to David. His army moved south toward Jerusalem and it was large enough to force David to leave his capital city. He was able to gather his own army and the civil war began between father and son. During this war, as we read to day, Absalom was fleeing from the battle he started to lose and was caught in the low hanging branch of tree by the long hair of his head of which he was so proud. His enemies, David's men, came upon him and killed him, thus ending the war. Rather than be elated, David mourned in agony. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son."
In that moment, David, who had killed an innocent man for the sake of his lust and foolishness - David who had felt the love of God and the forgiveness for his wrongs, reflected the love of God for his own son who had killed and been guilty of vanity, ambition and ruthless foolishness. The focus of this story is still David who came to know both sides of love and forgiveness.
That which was given to him by God, was given by him to his own son. God overcame David's betrayal and David learned to overcome Absalom's. The prophet Nathan had predicted the pain David would endure those years ago when David schemed to get Bathsheba. The prediction came true with agonizing accuracy.
In the Gospel Jesus tells his disciples that he is the "Bread of Life." Anyone who eats of this bread will never hunger. It's a spiritual hunger that we have that is satisfied by this bread. We reenact it weekly in the Eucharist and look to this consecrated bread to radiate from us the nourishment we need to live our lives. It's a focal point of all that Jesus did and taught, and all that God continually offers us through prayer and grace. The Word of God incarnate in Jesus becomes the love of God incarnate in bread which we eat.
Young Absalom looked for nourishment in the rush of power and his own glory. Something in him was missing that he fatally believed could only be satisfied by taking a crown that was not his. Perhaps it was another form of vengeance for his sister's rape when David didn't even punish Amnon for his cruelty. Perhaps Absalom's disillusionment in his father corrupted into a rage large enough for war, or perhaps it was simply his vanity run amuck. In any event, there is no indication that his actions were fueled by a conviction that his leadership would benefit the people of God more than his Father's. His coup was motivated for selfish reasons, and had nothing to do with a desire to fulfill the responsibilities of a leader of his people.
Again there is a comparison to be made between David whose selfishness was repented and Absalom's whose was not. David became nourished by God's love especially when he learned that his own vanity and self importance was empty. Who knows what would have happened to Absalom if he had lived to feel David's forgiveness. Perhaps it would have melted his anger and ambition, and nourished him deeper.
If these difficult times we live in are to have any redeeming quality, it has to be in the soul searching it inspires. Books are popping off the stands as Monday morning quarterbacks analyzing the greed, deceit and mismanagement at all levels of government and society for the financial collapses and recession.
People lie and cheat to gain something. Power, money and love seem to be the commodities that people seek and will do anything for. There is a hunger and thirst for these things that everyone has, but what is the cost for integrity? In the final act, how nourishing is that which is gained through deceit? The hunger for ambition, power or conquest of any stripe is insatiable because in the end it promises satisfaction, but is not nourishing. It's ultimately spoiled by the knowledge that it's not real. Like Absalom, tyrants the world over reach their political goals, but what an empty achievement it is when their paltry reward is their own distorted sense of glory, rather than the good they can do the people over whom they have taken responsibility. And they always have to watch over their shoulder for the next ambitious person who wants their place.
The nourishment Jesus offers is a full satisfaction in the spirit born and sustained in love and respect. Achievements are certainly still pursued but for God's glory in the good that can be done in service to others rather than in the fleeting illusion of personal glory. If Absalom had fully succeeded in taking David's throne, what then? Would he have been satisfied and content with the taking care of the administrative responsibilities of authority? I wonder if he thought past the past the empty cheers of the crowd as he stood before them?
The question of nourishment is an important one. Where do we look for it and where do we find it? In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul gives clear advice of how to behave toward others that includes speaking the truth in love, even expressing anger with out letting it turn to sin. There are appropriate ways to be angry with another person that still respects their humanity. So often we want to justify our anger and salve our pain through the humiliation of the other person. It's another form of looking for nourishment through the empty satisfaction of appeasing our pain through the pain of the one that hurt us. Time and again the answer comes back that real nourishment comes through love. Even when we're angry, love and respect provide the bridge between two sources of pain to a satisfying resolution.
Absalom looked for his nourishment in revenge and validation. The ancient Midrash of the Rabbis - their collection of teaching on this subject - likens Absalom's long hair with his vanity. In the end that's what caught him up and on which he hung and because of which he died.
The extreme lesson of Absalom's life has a lot to teach us in our own behaviors. The patience and love we show, when we're joyful and even when we're angry is a fruit of the Spirit of God. It is, in the Gospel language, the bread of life on which we can feed. With it we live and do not die. Because of his anger and vengeance, Absalom seems to have died long before he hung from the tree. An emptiness grew in him and he didn't know how to satisfy it. He ran toward illusions and suffered needlessly because of it.
We take a lot of care to prepare the altar and consecrate the bread and wine for communion. We do this because of its importance. It is and signifies a lot more than wheat and water or fermented grape juice. It is a tangible reminder and hope of the bread of heaven dwelling in it and in us as we share it. We may still want to go to brunch after church to nourish our bodies, but we do so in the knowledge that our spirits are nourished in the love of God, the bread of Heaven. Amen.
© 2012 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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