What Would Jesus Steal

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

On the four Sundays of Advent leading up to Christmas, my sermons will ask four important questions. Next week: what would Jesus judge? Then, what would Jesus do? And finally, what would Jesus say? But we begin this morning by asking what would Jesus steal? In the text Jesus compares his coming to a thief coming in the night. If Jesus were to suddenly break into our lives in this season before Christmas, what would he steal from us?

Thinking about the word “steal” and the word “Christmas” at the same time will almost certainly bring to most of our minds Dr. Seuss’ 1957 classic story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas![1] We have either read that story ourselves, read it to our children, or read it to our grandchildren. Perhaps all three.

You remember the story. The Grinch is a bitter, cave-dwelling creature with a heart “two sizes too small.” He lives on Mount Crumpit just north of Whoville, home of the merry and warmhearted Whos. From high atop Mount Crumpit the Grinch hears the noisy Christmas festivities taking place in Whoville and, envious of the Whos’ happiness, the Grinch goes down to the town and steals all their Christmas presents and decorations. He thinks this will prevent Christmas from coming. However, he learns in the end that despite his thievery from the Whos, Christmas comes just the same. He discovers that Christmas is more than just gifts and presents and his heart grows three sizes larger. He returns all the presents and trimmings and is warmly welcomed into the community of the Whos.

So is Jesus like the Grinch? You’ve heard preachers, perhaps even me (although I try not to do this too egregiously), rail against the rampant consumerism of Christmas. Is Jesus like that? Is he upset by the excess and indulgence that characterize this season? Does the Lord want to steal all the presents under the tree and all the tinsel and lights off the tree?

It can certainly feel like that. The scriptures that the church traditionally reads on the First Sunday of Advent are, like the text today, doom and gloom kinds of passages. They are more about the second coming of Christ than they are about his first coming in the birth of Jesus. And these scriptures clearly run counter to the mood of the times. Just think of all the festivities being planned for the next few weeks — the office parties, neighborhood gatherings, and families coming together. The commercials and stores are telling us to buy and buy and buy some more because the more we buy the better Christmas will be. You will be happier if you just buy more stuff. The police are telling us to take special precautions. If you are out shopping, be sure to lock your packages out of sight in the trunk. Don’t make it obvious that you’re not home and be alert to strangers or unusual cars in your neighborhood. Keep an eye on your neighbors’ house and ask them to keep an eye on yours. So everything around us is about presents and parties and having fun. Contrary to all of that the church announces that Jesus comes like a thief. What would Jesus steal?

Some think that the church, if not Jesus, wants to steal all the joy out of the season. I’ve been accused of that. Every time Advent rolls around I think of a longtime friend of mine named Marie. Many years ago at my very first church, Marie was for a time the chairperson of the Worship & Music Committee. At one of our meetings we were planning Advent and Marie talked about all the Christmas decorations we should use and all the Christmas carols we should sing. And I said, “Marie, it’s not Christmas. It’s Advent and we shouldn’t sing carols during Advent.” I still remember the horrified look on her face.

You see, I was a young preacher then, who knew it all, or at least I thought I did, and I was an Advent purist. Advent is about preparation and waiting. It is about pondering somber and sobering texts about the second coming of Christ. Advent is about whether or not we are ready to meet the Lord. Christmas carols are for the Christmas season which doesn’t begin until Christmas Eve. I told Marie that I don’t care what they are playing in the stores.

Well, I’m an old preacher now and I don’t know very much any more. But I am still an Advent purist. So we don’t sing a lot of carols here, at least not during the first couple of Advent Sundays and this gets me in trouble with some of you. You may not blame Jesus but you may feel that I’m a Grinch stealing some Christmas joy from you.

But it is more than a little joy or singing Christmas carols that some would steal from us. From ancient to modern times, passages like today’s text are interpreted to make us afraid. Jesus is coming any time, the teaching goes, and you don’t want to be left behind. So you better shape up. Ancient commentators (and some modern ones too) love to teach the text that way.

For example, Bishop Hilary from fourth-century France wrote about today’s text: “To teach us that our ignorance of the date of his return (which his silence has kept hidden from everyone) is not without its usefulness, Christ warns us to keep all his commandments. We should also be occupied with constant prayer in order to guard against the coming of the thief. For the thief is the devil who seeks to invade our bodily homes with the darts of his thoughts and allurements in order to ruin us while we are sleepy and careless. It is good therefore that we be prepared. Our ignorance of the day of Christ’s return should provoke us to be careful as we eagerly await his coming.”[2]

In other words, the message is fear: “Be careful how you live because Jesus could come back at any moment and if you’ve let the devil into you lives, you’ll be in big trouble with God.”

Well, it’s always important to guard against devilish living. But with all due respect to Bishop Hilary, I don’t think the thief in today’s text is the devil. The thief is Jesus. And what would he steal? I think he would steal our fear so we can pay attention.

With various scans and imaging techniques, scientists today in the field of neuropsychology can essentially map the brain. Researchers can actually see the reactions certain emotions trigger in the brain and what the brain tells us to do. We know now that fear is a shutdown response and the brain sends out signals to be defensive and aggressive. Vigilance or alertness are just the opposite. When we are vigilant, the brain signals openness to new possibilities.[3] Jesus wants to steal our fear so we can be more open and alert to his presence in our lives.

Remember the disciples asked for a sign of when the end was going to come. But Jesus said there would be no sign of his coming. Why? Because he already has come. He is already with us! We just need to be more alert to his presence. Jesus would steal all that makes us afraid and all that distracts us so we can look to his presence with joy.

The real Christmas comes, not to those who like the Grinch are afraid but to those who are alert to the joy that is already ours. That is why one of my favorite hymns speaks of the coming of Christ as the joy of the bride awaiting the coming of the bridegroom.

I don’t know how and when Christmas will come to you this year, my friend. But be alert and be joyful, for the Lord is already with you. And he wants to steal away your fear so you can be joyful in him.

[1] Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Henrietta Seuss and Theodor Robert Geisel. An American writer and cartoonist, he was best known for his classic children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Among Dr. Seuss’ trademarks were his rhyming text and his outlandish creatures. He wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss, Internet, 15 Oct. 2007.

[2] Hilary of Poitiers (c. 315-367), “On Matthew.” Manlio Simonetti, ed., “Matthew 14-28,” Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament, vol. Ib (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002) 210.

[3] Suzanne Mayer, “Pastoral Implications,” Lectionary Homiletics 19.1 (2007-2008): 7.

[4] The hymn was written by Philipp Nocolai (1599) and translated into English by Carl P. Drew (1982). The hymntune (Wachet Auf) is attributed to Nicolai and was harmonized by J. S. Bach (1731). The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990) hymn 17.