By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorThe old TV melodrama series would sometimes begin with the words, "Last week, as you recall..." to sum up the story so far before the current chapter was about to play. Since we’ve been reading the continuous story from the 2nd Book of Samuel about the rise of King David and his adventures, I thought of that melodramatic beginning. So, last week, as you recall, King David seduced the lovely Bathsheba knowing she was married to Uriah the Hittite. When she became pregnant he invited Uriah to come back from battle, party at the castle so that he would go home, presumably with his wife in a way that would give the impression that Uriah was the father of this pregnancy. The plan didn’t work and David’s solution came to set up Uriah to be killed in battle and take Bathsheba as his own wife. That plan, unfortunately, did work.
God called upon the prophet Nathan to confront David with his own guilt. Nathan’s ruse in telling the story of the rich man stealing the poor man’s lamb has become well known, but even better known is the punch line, "Thou art the man."
That quote has come to typify our ability to see the wrongs others do far easier than we are able to see our own faults. David had no problem seeing the injustice and abuse of privilege when it came to the actions of someone else. His self righteousness and judgment was turned around to slap him in the face when it was revealed that, not only was his deed found out, but that he had condemned his own actions. His anger at the rich man in the story called for a very strict punishment - David said the man should die for his actions. I’m sure he was very glad that this sentence wasn’t given to him as well.
But then he did something interesting. He confessed it. He admitted his guilt and said he sinned. The evidence was already there for everyone to see, but it was still important for him to admit his guilt. Many times today we have seen overwhelming guilt in the actions of others who still claim innocence, and maintain their innocence until the last possible moment, by which time any attempt to salvage integrity is gone. Former Presidents, governors and senators come to mind quickly. Defiant proclamations of innocence in the face of mounting evidence of guilt look even more foolish when they finally admit guilt. To David’s credit, he didn’t have to be impeached, or exposed on the nightly news or in the tabloids - once confronted he said, "I have sinned before the Lord."
Then came the consequences. The Biblical writers paint God as the judge who sends calamity for actions, but more importantly there is also revealed a spiritual truth. Our actions have consequences. Our good actions create an environment for good to emerge and our bad actions create the environment for more bad to happen. A careful reading of the two books of Samuel show a great deal of political intrigue in the court of the kings of Israel. Even though God is painted as the chess master behind it all, there’s plenty of between the lines evidence of good old fashioned cloak and dagger ambition, greed and lust. Over the course of his life, David was to father some seventy children. His oldest son, Absalom, decides he wants the throne before David’s death and hatches some pretty blood thirsty plots to make that happen. The sword Nathan predicts does indeed split the royal family in David’s generation and further ambition splits the kingdom in the next generation. Biblical scholars usually outline how the writers already knew the outcome of their stories and wove in plenty of foreshadowing. It’s done in a way that explains why things happened the way they did, and also as a warning to future kings and leaders to behave lest the same or worse befall them.
A sad note in Nathan’s prediction is that the child Bathsheba bears will die. In fact, according to the story, despite David’s repentance, the baby does die. It is David and Bathsheba’s second child, Solomon who becomes the next great king after David. But I’m getting ahead of myself in the telling of this story!
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he talks about the gifts of the Spirit and the different callings to which all of us are called. Some are "Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers... etc." To expand on this letter, all of us are living out our different callings. Some are business people, some are consultants. Some are in marketing, some are in tech support, some are teachers and others work at home. Some are parents and spouses, some are partners or friends. Each of us lives a life of calling and in that calling each of us has responsibility and opportunity. We have the responsibility to do good and live with integrity and the opportunity to abuse that responsibility and act out of selfish greed or ambition.
Sometimes our mistakes are accidental, sometimes they are intentional and we hope not to get caught. Mistakes are inevitable, but God can and will still work through them for good. David’s actions with Bathsheba and Uriah were horrendous, and yet even out of that and the consequences they brought, King Solomon was born. In the Biblical story, the people who confront and admit their guilt, confess and make changes in their lives as a result, move beyond their failings and find blessings later on. It’s the people who don’t admit their wrong or make changes that end up in continual trouble. It’s not that surprising, but still it’s so difficult for so many to do.
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus tell his disciples that he is the bread of life. He makes the comparison between the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and himself. The bread that was created out of the few loaves came in handy but only lasted a short time. The bread that he is, that is, the teaching and healing that he embodies lasts forever. It is this bread that we eat in communion with each other and this small morsel and questionably tasty wine that inspires in us our desire to do good and resist the opportunities we have in our callings to abuse our authority or positions. It’s further witness that if we do make mistakes, either by accident or by foolish intention, that we can make it right and start again through the admission of wrongdoing, accepting of the embarrassing truth of our actions and moving on with a deeper humility and stronger sense of God’s love and the purpose available to us in our lives.
Our culture comes down hard on those who get caught and often subtly admires those who don’t. The spirit of Nathan comes to us in different forms of people around us, but even deeper allows us to judge our own actions, weigh them and find the strength to admit when we’re wrong and need to make amends. Our actions do and will have consequences that we always will have to face, even if it’s the guilt we live with that others no one else knows. Our task is to do good and create an environment that encourages further good. God’s love will not be stopped by our mistakes or faulty actions but it will certainly be a help to us when we want to stop making them. Nathan really told the story of the rich man and the lamb because he was afraid to confront David directly. We need to be fearless in confronting our own faults and prove to God, ourselves and each other that we are the men and women who choose to live with integrity and honor. Amen.
©2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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