· Jeremiah 31:31-34
· Psalm 46 (7)
· Romans 3:19-28
· John 8:31-36
I was hoping the lectionary would inspire me to some genius work of high-flying Lutheran theology for today, but the only sentence that clicked is "the truth will set you free." Not because Jesus said it, but because it reminds me of The Matrix. I was a fan of The Matrix long before I was a fan of Martin Luther.
When the Matrix has you, your body is being used as a power source for the machine civilization, while your mind is absorbed in a complex computer simulation that has you believing you're living the rat race as we are today. One day someone explains this to you and offers you a choice of two pills: if you take the blue pill, you wake up in your bed and believe... whatever you want to believe. If you take the red pill, your body and mind are freed from the Matrix and you become a fugitive from the machines and go to live in the underground city of Zion, the last human city, and fight to liberate the rest of mankind. But life in Zion is a lot harder than in the Matrix. You no longer have fancy clothes, restaurants, night clubs, or even decent food. You're wearing ratty clothes and eating rations that feel like "a big bowl of snot", running clunky war machines through abandoned sewer lines, and perpetually at war.
Fantastic.
What does that have to do with Jesus or the Reformation? Nothing, or everything. Some people watch The Matrix and see a sci-fi movie with unrealistic scenes of "video game violence." Others watch The Matrix and see a thinly-veiled Christian, or Buddhist, or existentialist tale.
Because really, what did Jesus mean when he said "the truth will set you free"? What truth? Free to do what? Jesus gave a cryptic explanation, and Paul gave a cryptic explanation. But really: what truth, and free to do what?
Is the truth that "we are saved by grace through faith?" Well, this is most certainly true, but in a sense it's a little beside the point. We are saved by the grace of God, which he grants according to his will. Does God care whether we believe in faith or in works? I bet not. And does this truth set us free? Do I feel freer because I believe I'm saved by faith? Not really. I'm not free to do whatever I want. On the contrary, I am now bound to Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Gospel and to live in imitation of Christ, so as to be the light of the world and "let my light shine before others, so that they may see my good works and give glory to my Father in heaven."
Am I free from sin? Not really. I still get angry. I still get arrogant. I still get overly critical. Am I free from atoning for my sins, because Christ already paid the price for me? Not really. I don't think God would have thrown me into the outer darkness for my petty sins anyway. I haven't even broken any of the Ten Commandments in several months. Or at least weeks. I think I might have coveted as recently as September, but I'm pretty sure the Lord would forgive me that much. And I still have to do my own repenting and atoning, even though at least I don't have to die on the cross
So what exactly is the truth that makes me free? Free from what? Free to do what?
I thought about what else Jesus said about truth: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." In context, it reads:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:1-7)
So the way is the truth is the life and shall set us free. The way shall set us free. The way that Jesus showed us. That is the truth that sets us free. And what did Jesus say about the way? Well, lots of things, really, but most literally and explicitly, he did say "if you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)
Ah-ha! We're onto something now. That indeed makes us free. Free from what? From the rat race. From our bank accounts. From mortgages and lines of credit. From the things we own that end up owning us. From jobs we don't like that we need to pay the mortgage. From living for ourselves and storing up riches on earth that we can't take with us. From the Matrix.
And this truth frees us to do what? The work of the Lord. When we have possessions and bank accounts and mortgages, we work for our possessions. For our banker. For our heirs. For our social standing. When we free ourselves from possessions, we can do anything, but that doesn't have to be a good thing. In another of my favourite movies, Fight Club, getting rid of one's possessions frees us to be as destructive and rebellious as we wish. But that is not the truth of Christ. Christ did not say "sell your possessions, blow up a piece of corporate art and trash a franchise coffee bar." No, Christ said "sell your possessions, give the money to the poor, then come, follow me." So when we are free from our possessions and following Christ, we are free to do the work of the Lord. We cannot serve the Lord by accumulating money and possessions. We cannot serve two masters. By being poor, by giving up our own advancement, by living simply with only as much as is necessary, we can serve the Lord and let our light shine before others, so they give glory to the Father in heaven. The truth is Christ, and Christ frees us from our possessions to fight the darkness for the glory of God. So it really is what The Matrix was on about after all.
Take the red pill. Give up chasing after possessions, so that you may have treasure in heaven, and be the light of the world. That is the way, and the truth, and the life. That is the life of Christ, and the life you are called to when the Holy Spirit is in you.
Praise be to God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Compeller, the Provider, the Withholder, the Incomparably Great.
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