"Texts of Terror"

According to the Church calendar, we move into “Ordinary Time” this week (based on the word ordinal, as in 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd etc. Sunday after Pentecost).  During Ordinary Time, the Lectionary gives us the opportunity to hear a (mostly) continuous narrative of certain stories from the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the “meat and potatoes” of Jesus’ earthly ministry (preach, teaching and healing). 

This week we enter into the Old Testament narrative a bit late (since Easter was rather late this year).  It is the story of the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael by Abraham through Sarah’s insistence.  This is one of Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, as it is one of the harshest stories in the Bible.  It is a very important story for us as modern Christians to know because it is the foundation for the ancient rivalry between Jews and Muslims (Ishmael is an ancestor of the prophet Muhammad, and ergo the reason why the 3 religions claim Abraham as our common ancestor).

Many times we ignore stories in the Bible that make us uncomfortable or anxious because we tend to want to find comfort and solace in Scripture and in our faith.  Yet the reality is that difficult things happen in life and people that we trust to protect us can disappoint us.  The true measure of faith is how we respond to such disappointments. 

While the text seems to suggest that Ishmael is a baby or young child, his was actually around 10 or so.  Regardless, to send him and his mother out into the desert wilderness alone was an extreme act of cruelty by Abraham.  However the text shows us that God did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael.  Although they endured much, they did survive and eventually thrived regardless of how they were treated by Abraham and Sarah. 

Does this justify the rivalry between modern Israelis and Palestinians?  I do not believe so, but we can begin to understand where the deep seeded feelings of betrayal come from and where the mistrust began.  It also shows us that as much as Abraham is exalted for his faithfulness to God, he was also tragically human, valuing tranquility with his wife over providing for his first born child.  If nothing else, we begin to realize that faithfulness is a difficult journey and none of us make all the right decisions, even if they seem right at the time.  We need God’s love and forgiveness in order to counterbalance of baser survival instincts.

Our Gospel lesson does not offer much comfort either this week as Jesus reminds us that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34) Again, we are faced with the cost of discipleship of Jesus when it means rejecting the beliefs of our families and putting God first and foremost in our lives.  This testimony also makes us anxious because it (for the most part) is counter to our experience with being a Christian.  For many Episcopalians, our faith can feel “inherited” and not something overly questioned.  This is a challenge to us in the 21^st century when the Church seems more and more irrelevant to the secular culture.  In fact, it seems to be more counter-cultural to participate in a church, and so Jesus’ “call to arms” is, in some ways, a wake-up call to us to be more forthright in our beliefs, especially when it is difficult.

It might feel easier to disregard these difficult passages in scripture, but, just like we cannot disregard suffering and difficult circumstances in our own lives, if we choose, rather, to engage in them, we find truth. These truths are not easy, but they are real and help us engage the difficult parts of life by seeking God in the midst of terror.