Prophets, Monuments, and Legacies

Jeremiah28:5-9

 

        Finding common ground in times of turmoil is difficult. Harsh words can be exchanged, alliances broken, and compromises seldom reached. Often both sides retreat and any chance of reconciliation is lost. In two days we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The drafting of this document was no easy task. Three strong personalities, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Henry Lee, and John Adams dominated the conversation. Had Lee’s wife not fallen ill, he might have been the main architect of our beloved document. When Lee returned home, Congress elected Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and the relatively unknown Thomas Jefferson to draft a declaration. During their initial meeting Adams purposed Jefferson write the original draft and the rest is history.

        Historical documents are usually ushered in with greater conflict. It took a war to force John I to sign the Magna Charta. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses led to charges of heresy forcing the monk to leave the Church. Seldom are opposing visions willing to seek compromise. Perhaps the Declaration of Independence was only possible because the second largest ego in Congress, John Adams, stepped aside for what he believed to be the greater good.

        Such a compromise was not reached in this morning’s text. The year was 594.  Jerusalem had been overrun and the first wave of exiles dragged across the desert to Babylon. Judah’s king, Zedekiah brought together the remaining remnant and strategized about the future of Jerusalem.    Two opposing forces sat before him. The first group was represented by the prophet Hananiah. There is much to be admired in this man. His name meant, “God’s grace will save us.”  Hananiah's argued was a great tragedy had befallen Jerusalem. Babylon was a force of evil that had overpowered the capital. He argued, “Empires come and go but God is forever.  The same God who led the Hebrews out of Egypt will strike down the Babylonians allowing Jerusalem to be restored.” Hananiah and his followers urged the king to prepare for the day when the Judeans, led by the righteous hand of God, would destroy Babylon.

        The second group was represented by a solitary voice. Jeremiah stood before Zedekiah and refuted Hananiah. Jeremiah’s words were not pleasant to hear. “It is not Babylon that has enslaved us but Yahweh. We were warned our reliance on power rather than righteousness would lead to destruction. Now you call on the name of the Lord after the city walls have been destroyed. Can’t you see the destruction was from within? God did not leave us. We left God. We must first pay for our disobedience. One day there will be planting and building, but this will not happen until first there is a period of plucking up and tearing down.  Our memories must be refreshed. We must admit our sin and claim God as the Lord of our lives.”

        It was clear to Hananiah that Judah was the victim of a foreign invasion. The necessary response was to undo the harm done by Babylon. Why confess if no sin had been committed? Jeremiah claimed the invasion by Babylon only occurred because Judah had turned from Godly edicts and corrupted itself through its misuse of power and privilege. 

        The king listened to two opposing views.  Jeremiah insisted Judah’s actions and ungodly behavior were the reasons for Judah’s demise. Hananiah responded, “God is on our side. God will punish Babylon. We just have to have the nerve to rise up against them.”

        Hananiah was a faithful believer in the power of Yahweh. He understood God as one who stands up for us regardless of what we have done. He also had an advantage in the argument. Jeremiah’s desire to seek moral high ground was difficult because the first arrow has already been launched. Hananiah won the day. Plans for an attack were put in place. Within a week Jerusalem was destroyed, Hananiah died in battle, and the King was executed. All that is remembered are the fateful words of Jeremiah, “When you sin, there are consequences.”                             (stop)

        While Jefferson is my favorite Virginian, there are two other Virginians I greatly admire. Both lived during a difficult time in our national history. The first is Thomas Jonathan Jackson. You know him as “Stonewall”. But long before he earned this nickname Jackson earned the reputation as a fair but stubborn man. His childhood education hardly qualified him to enter West Point but by his third year he excelled academically. Jackson distinguished himself in the war with Mexico and taught at VMI. He was a Presbyterian deacon and taught a Sunday School class where his favorite subject was the providence of God. He and his sister heatedly discussed slavery. Jackson recognized the flaws of slavery as an institution but used the Bible to defend the right to own slaves. He viewed the Civil War an invasion by the North and referred to himself as a religious crusader fighting to end an act of aggression.

The other is Robert E. Lee.  The son of Light Horse Harry, Robert was a top graduate of West Point and distinguished himself in the US Army for 32 years. In 1856 Lee wrote to his wife, “Slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil and only the wisdom of God will determine the end of this evil.”  In 1861 he denounced secession and called it an unconstitutional betrayal of the wishes of Washington and Jefferson. He declared a military conflict would be a “devastating event.” And yet, he felt it his duty to defend Virginia.

Both men believed in the providence of God. Both men engaged in the slavery debate and both saw no future for it as an institution. Jackson argued for it biblically. Lee regretted it morally.  Both defended it on the battle field.

The struggle of Jeremiah and Hananiah in many ways mirrors the dilemma of Jackson and Lee. Jerusalem and Virginia were invaded. Jackson and Hananiah did not deny the existence of sin but saw the invasion as the greater evil.  Jeremiah, and Lee, believed the malignancy of their community led to an inevitable tragedy.  Yet, even in his criticism, Jeremiah remained loyal to Jerusalem. Likewise, even in his realism, Lee remained a Virginian. All four men looked to God for wisdom. Each found different answers.

Why do I share these stories? While Hananiah has been forgotten, we who admire Old Testament prophets have built our theological monuments to Jeremiah, Micah, Amos, and Isaiah. We turn to their example when perplexed by the moral issues of our day. We have also built statues to men like Lee and Jackson.  Some argue they should be removed because of their connection with the institution of slavery. I would suggest Lee, and Jackson, have a story that needs to be told and remembered. Each found themselves in a life and death struggle and sought divine guidance for their response. Both men found biblical evidence to uphold the right to own slaves yet neither championed the institution of slavery. In retrospect, it is easy to see how both were influenced by the flawed theology of misguided preachers. Do we dismiss Lee and Jackson as they defended an ungodly institution? Do we tear down monuments built to honor them? Those are the wrong questions. Shouldn’t we preserve the memories of men and women who struggled with moral dilemmas?  Shouldn’t we honestly examine both their attributes and flaws? As Jesus said, “Can we really know someone until we have walked a mile in their sandals?” The journey will make us be better informed as we engage in choices before us. 

Walter Bruggermann writes, “The great pathology in our culture today is denial. The only antidote is radical truth-telling.” How are we to know who is telling the truth unless we compare it to the difficult and heart wrenching choices made by the good men and woman who came before us? And how are we to make those comparisons if we only remember one side of the discussion.

Next Saturday the Klan is coming to Charlottesville to defend the good names of Jackson and Lee. I stand against everything White Supremacist declare to be holy. They defame God. They defame our nation. They defame the memory Lee and Jackson, two honorable men trying to obey God in difficult times. 

Notice how easy it is for me as a God-fearing crusader to point my finger at this motley crew of misguided malcontents and declare them to be offensive to all things holy.   They are the face of institutional racism, but we are the cause of it. Both Lee and Jackson, searching deep within their souls, began their prayers with the words, “Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned.”    Isn’t this the starting point of any discussion concerning prophets, monuments, and their legacies?  Shouldn’t this be our starting point when discussing the conflicts in our lives?             Amen.