Richard Mallory

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am grateful to the late Rev’d Tom Trudy for his sermon, “I’d Rather Be Left Behind” in the following comments on today’s Gospel.

Today’s Gospel allows Rapture people to have a field day. “Two will be in the field. One will be taken and one left behind. Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken and one left behind.”

“See, it’s right there,” say Rapturists. Some are whisked away to a heavenly reward and the others are left behind to suffer the travails of the ruling Antichrist (a word that does not appear in the book of Revelation and simply means non-Christian teachers in the Johannine epistles. Did you also know that the word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible?). N.T. Wright, Anglican bishop and renowned  New Testament scholar suggests that those “taken” may be being taken by the secret police of the Roman Empire. Such terrifying arrests were permitted to keep people in line and to send out the authoritarian threat that citizenry had best watch their steps and monitor closely what they say. Being taken away is similar to the flood that swept away people going about their daily lives in the time of Noah. The “flood” then takes on new meaning for chaos, war and violence.

In another sense, Jesus was left behind. There was no “rapture” that saved him from the cross. His entry into human history was more of a rupture, an event that challenged the status quo and the easy acceptance of war and violence. He was more interested in offering a new way more than a new religion. His stand against violence cost him his life. State sponsored violence, religion sponsored violence along with abandonment by his closest friends left him cosmically alone. The entirety of human violence conspired to rid this troublesome fellow from “the way things are and should be.” The flood of cruelty and sadism poured over him and took him down. Down he was for a very brief time. He arose as the forgiving victim. He forgave all those who participated in his murder and he forgave all who turned their backs on him.

In the context of apocalyptic, the key message is to “stay awake.” Beware of slipping into robotic living, going through the motions rather than conscious discipleship. Such urgency is necessary lest one begin to coast through life, taking it all for granted. Advent hope is in the coming fulfillment of what was already begun in the cross and resurrection. Staying centered and grounded in this hope protects from getting caught up in the flood of violence in whatever form it might take. Living in faith, we do not get carried away. We resist.

Yours in Christ,

—Richard