“Passion for the impossible” (Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5:38-48/ Feb 19, 2017/ Epiphany 7)
Rev Dr Jong Soo Park (Minister of Ocean Grove Parish of UCA)
[1]
On July 20, 1969, a history-changing event happened. On that day, the
spaceflight Apollo 11 landed the first two humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong
became the first person to step onto the lunar surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin.
They spent about two hours on the Moon and collected about 22 kg of lunar
materials to bring back to Earth. Armstrong described the event as “one small
step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Yes, it was a memorable day to
achieve the impossible.
However, most people didn’t notice that there was a tremendous progress
behind the success of Apollo 11 in the space development program. That was
the mission of Apollo 8. Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth
orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it and return safely to Earth in December 1968.
[Picture #1]
This is the first picture of Earthrise in human history taken by William Anders,
a crew of Apollo 8, on Christmas Eve, 1968.
Its mission seemed impossible in those days. No one had left Earth’s orbit until
that time, and the day’s new rocket system, Saturn Five, had not been used
before to launch a manned spaceflight. But, with the strong leadership of Dr
Wernher von Braun, the director of the Project Apollo, the mission of Apollo 8
was carried out.
The result was a great success, which was an indispensable ground for the
scheme of Apollo 11. Likewise, human beings have made lots of the impossible
real with the inexpressible passion of great pioneers.
[2]
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“Passion for the impossible” (Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5:38-48/ Feb 19, 2017/ Epiphany 7)
Rev Dr Jong Soo Park (Minister of Ocean Grove Parish of UCA)
Interestingly, today’s Bible readings are also talking about the impossible.
Leviticus 19:2 says, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be
holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” God orders in verse 37, “Keep all
my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.”
How can we be holy as God is holy? How can we keep all the decrees and laws
of God? You know, it’s almost impossible. In today’s Gospel reading, however,
Jesus made a step further. In Matthew 5:48, he says, “Be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”
What does it mean to be perfect like God? We can easily find its meaning in the
Scripture. In verses 46-48 Jesus argues, “If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? If you greet only your own people, what are you doing
more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Therefore, be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”
Likewise, to be perfect like God means to love even those who dislike us. Jesus
teaches us clearly, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” He even gives us a clear
example of how to serve our enemies like this:
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And
if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If
anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
[3]
There is no record of the responses of the crowd to this teaching in the Bible.
But, it isn’t hard to imagine how they responded to such radical sermon. They
would stare at each other in bewilderment, shrugging their shoulders. For Jesus’
teaching was directly against their traditional instruction, “Love your neighbour
and hate your enemy.”
On top of that, they would think that there is no way to love their enemies. Not
only they but also most Christians including us would feel awkward or frustrated
with the command. How can we love our enemies and those who hate and bully
us? How can we happily turn our left cheek to those who slapped on our right one?
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“Passion for the impossible” (Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5:38-48/ Feb 19, 2017/ Epiphany 7)
Rev Dr Jong Soo Park (Minister of Ocean Grove Parish of UCA)
Thus, some people have tried to interpret that Jesus’ teaching on the
mountainside isn’t what all Christians must obey literally, but the ultimate
principle for which we should aim. They say that since human beings are too
weak to live up to his preaching, we don’t need to struggle with a sense of guilt
due to those impossible commands.
Other groups, meanwhile, try to skip Jesus’ frightening proclamation and jump
to Paul’s theology focusing on the power of faith. Here, Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount becomes easily underestimated or even ignored in our Christian journey
as faith is stressed more importantly than our deeds.
[4]
However, if we undervalue what Jesus said in today’s Scripture only because it
seems impossible to follow, we might lose the essence of Christianity.
Ironically, we can get a powerful insight into the surprising teaching of Jesus
Christ from Jacques Derrida, a famous atheist and post-modern philosopher.
[Picture #2]
For Derrida, religion is the passion for the impossible. He argued that if we try
to settle down in what we can do, we would lose the meaning of religion
because seeking only for the possible is, in fact, seeking for nothing.
He thought that when we continue to hope for the impossible and try to practice
the smallest things one by one overcoming our limitations or difficulties, a
meaningful change can be created in the end.
In this regard, for Derrida, Jesus’ radical instructions aren’t stumbling blocks, but
stepping stones for expanding the Kingdom of God here and now. If we lose such
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“Passion for the impossible” (Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5:38-48/ Feb 19, 2017/ Epiphany 7)
Rev Dr Jong Soo Park (Minister of Ocean Grove Parish of UCA)
passion for the impossible and water down what Jesus taught, our Christian life
and faith become meaningless. It’s like the salt that lost its saltiness.
Together with the concept, “Religion is the passion for the impossible,” his
other understanding of religion gives us another great enlightenment of today’s
Gospel reading. That is, “Religion is responsibility for others.” Derrida even
claimed that irresponsibility is the devil.
For him, religious responsibility means to respond to others’ calling actively
and sensitively, which is exactly the same as Jesus’ understanding of religion.
Jesus criticised the day’s Jewish traditional religion severely because it was full
of human pride and selfishness.
For example, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were keen to keep their
religious regulations, but they were irresponsible for others. They divided
people into their neighbour and enemy based on religious laws, and rationalised
their irresponsibility for the people outside their group.
Jesus thought that such behaviour was evil and antinomic because it was against
God’ love. Following God means to serve others in crisis with a sense of
responsibility, and the category of those whom we should love must be
extended to the people we hate.
[5]
Recently, I happened to watch a video clip of a cat on Facebook. One of my
friends, a cat lover, shared it on his timeline. A puppy fell into a ditch
unfortunately. He was trying to get out, but couldn’t escape because the drain
was so deep.
A cat walked by this ditch at that time and saw this helpless puppy. The cat tried
to help the little doggy, but she couldn’t reach him.
[Picture #3]
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“Passion for the impossible” (Lev 19:1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5:38-48/ Feb 19, 2017/ Epiphany 7)
Rev Dr Jong Soo Park (Minister of Ocean Grove Parish of UCA)
So, she turned around to continue on her way.
[Picture #4]
But, for some reason, she couldn’t leave the little one suffer. When the puppy
rolled down to the bottom, the cat went down there straight and saved him.
What’s impressive to me was that moment when the cat couldn’t leave and turned
to the pup again. What happened to her? I don’t know. But, the scene reminded me
of the Good Samaritan who couldn’t pass by the injured man. The reason the cat
couldn’t go away would be same as that of the Samaritan.
Yes, that is a sense of compassion, another name of responsibility for others. As
compassion connected a cat with a dog and linked a Samaritan with a Jew, the
feeling of compassion will unite us with others in which even an enemy
becomes a person whom we should look after.
[6]
Sisters and brothers,
As Derrida said, I believe a core of Christianity is the passion for the impossible,
and the impossible can be real through our responsibility for others in need.
From this perspective, let us read Matthew 5:43-45 again:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be children of your Father in heaven.” Amen.
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