In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Here we are in the middle of the Easter season, and our Gospel passage takes us back to a pre-Easter time . . . a time before the passion and the resurrection.  I wonder why?  Well, before we try to answer that question, let’s look a little more closely at the story we heard this morning.

In today’s Gospel story, Jesus is strolling in the temple.  Has he gone there to pray?  Has he gone there to heal?  Has he gone there to teach?  We don’t know.  What we DO know is that just before this, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus has healed a man blind from birth.  As you may remember, this healing causes some controversy because it doesn’t fit into the scheme of “how things are supposed to work” . . . a scheme of sin and retribution so dearly held by the religious leaders.  Their lack of understanding provokes Jesus into the famous speech in which he declares himself to be the “Good Shepherd” . . . the good shepherd who knows his own and who will lay down his life for his sheep.  Hmmmm . . . might Jesus be saying that he is the Messiah?

Now, in this morning’s story, we hear that it’s winter, the feast of the Dedication, and Jesus is strolling in the temple.  Remember what the feast of the Dedication is?  It’s what we also call Hanukkah.  And remember what Hanukkah celebrates?  It celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid empire.  Okay . . . just in case . . . here’s a bit of a history lesson:  Seleucus was one of Alexander the Great’s generals, and when Alexander’s empire came apart after his death, Seleucus eventually came to rule over a portion of it.  Fairly quickly, the empire he began spread over huge amounts of territory including the Holy Land.  Empire building always seems to include a lot of wars and revolts . . . and the Seleucid empire was no different from any other in this.  In the course of one of these wars, one of Seleucus’ descendants attacked Jerusalem, destroying much of the city, killing many of its citizens, and – perhaps worst of all – desecrating the Temple.

This led to a Jewish revolt, led by Judah Maccabee.  Against great odds, the Maccabees defeated the Seleucids, established Jewish independence, and founded a royal dynasty that ruled Israel for almost a hundred years.  And, of course, one of the first and most important things that the Maccabees did was to cleanse and rededicate the temple . . . which is celebrated at Hanukkah . . . the feast of the Dedication.  The Maccabean clan ruled until about 60 years before Jesus was born.  So you see, memories of Jewish military success and national independence were still fresh when Jesus was alive . . . and it is, in fact, during the very feast that stirs up all these memories that, in today’s story, Jesus is strolling in the temple.

Given all of this, it’s no wonder that, when people begin to recognize him, they gather around and begin to pester him with questions.  “Come on, TELL us . . . ARE you the Messiah?  Or AREN’T you?  Quit kidding around . . . just TELL us!”  I imagine that they’re yearning for a particular kind of Messiah . . . for another Judah Maccabee . . . for another brilliant military leader who will defeat the Romans and establish Jewish independence.

But Jesus doesn’t fall into their trap . . . and it IS a trap of sorts . . . although not one intended maliciously.  Jesus looks at these people and tells them the truth:  “I’ve told you over and over again already . . . I’ve answered this question through what I’ve DONE.  You’ve seen my deeds.  You should be able to recognize me.  But still you don’t believe!”  They can’t see . . . they can’t understand . . . they can’t believe . . . because Jesus is not the kind of Messiah they want.  What do you think would have happened if Jesus had said, “Okay, you’ve got me.  I’m him.  I’m the Messiah.”  Do you think these people would have believed him?  I don’t.

Oh, there might have been some enthusiasm.  At least some of these folks might have said something like, “Oh, thank God!  Now we can get on with it . . . let’s start raising the army!”  But I betcha that a least a few of them would respond with something like, “Oh, so you ARE the Messiah, eh? . . . prove it!  Make us free.  Fix the world!”  And a few others might even say something like, “I knew it . . . I KNEW you were a nut.”  Why do I say this?  Because, just as Jesus himself points out, everything he has said and done up to this point doesn’t matter . . . because what he’s done and said up to this point don’t show him to be the kind of Messiah these people WANT.  They want something that Jesus is not.

But maybe I’m being too hard on these folks.  Maybe they’re simply the sort of people who need concrete, black and white answers.  Maybe they just need a little certainty.  Well . . . don’t we all?  Simple, plain, straightforward answers to life’s big questions would be welcome . . . wouldn’t they?  The problem is that certainty of this sort is not what Jesus invites us into.  Jesus won’t promise his contemporaries an earthly, independent kingdom . . . and he doesn’t promise us a carefree life . . . Jesus doesn’t promise us rock-solid, concrete certainty.  Jesus invites us into a life of faith . . . Jesus invites us into mystery.  He offers us his words, his deeds, his compassion, his wisdom, his sacramental presence . . . but is it enough?  Or are we blinded by the vision of the Messiah WE want?

Maybe this is why we’re given this story today, so soon after Easter Sunday.  Perhaps in our joy, celebrating the feast of the Resurrection, we’ve come to believe that we know exactly what our Messiah is like.  Perhaps we’ve come to believe that we have a handle on just what our Messiah will do on this earth.  Perhaps our vision of the Messiah will make us blind to the Messiah standing right in front of us.

Sometimes you and I are like the people gathered around Jesus in the temple, yearning for clear cut answers to our questions . . . yearning for certainty . . . and Jesus isn’t exactly the Messiah we want.  Sometimes we’d like someone to come and right the wrongs we see all around us . . . we’d like someone to guarantee our security and comfort . . . we’d like someone to rule the world for us.  We’d like a Judah Maccabee . . . a knight in shining armor.  This is understandable.  Life can be very hard sometimes.  And it can be frustrating when Jesus doesn’t respond to our troubles by simply fixing what ails us . . . by simply giving us straightforward answers.  It can be frustrating when Jesus responds to our pain with the example of his own life.

But think about it for a moment . . . would we really be happy if someone came and fixed everything for us?  I have a feeling that the answer to this question is no.  Oh sure, it’s a nice fantasy . . . but it’s just that . . . a fantasy.  I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be happy if someone came and tidied up everything for me . . . because, you see, this magical someone would then be taking over my life.  If we found a Messiah who fixed everything for us, we’d be like small children . . . forever . . . always dependent . . . with someone always in charge of us.   No matter how safe and secure and comfortable I was . . . ultimately, I’d hate this.  God gave us free will, the opportunity to make choices, and this means that we must take responsibility  . . . we must be adults . . . adults in our FAITH . . . and take responsibility for ourselves and for the world around us.

It’s tempting to lay a trap for Jesus when we’re suffering.  It’s tempting to demand a clear and definite response to our needs.  It’s tempting to resist the demands of faith and yearn for certainty.  But resist these temptations!  We are not promised our own kingdom on this earth . . . but remember the promises we ARE made by Jesus:  If we follow him we will find a new way of living in this world . . . it’s not an easy way, but it is ultimately the way of life . . . the way of living reconciled to each other, to the earth, and to God . . . a way of living that will lead to eternal life.  Nothing and no one can snatch us out of the embrace of Jesus Christ.  Remember what Jesus says to those people in the temple . . . “What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are ONE.”

What Jesus offers us . . . his words, his deeds, his compassion, his wisdom, his sacramental presence . . . these ARE enough!  Jesus gives us HIMSELF . . . and invites us to follow him . . . to grow into spiritual adulthood . . . to become Christ-like.  And in THIS we will find the final answers to all our questions . . . in THIS we will find ultimate certainty.

Amen.

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