Identity Crisis

IDENTITY CRISIS Lamentations 2:11-22 July 4, 2021 What happens when the thing that defines you, the thing that makes you who you are, goes away? We may deny it, but each of us have gifts, talents, accomplishments, or dreams that become a substantial part of our lives. And, it is quite natural to begin viewing ourselves solely through the lens of those identities. For example, anyone can create a child, but it takes a special person to be a great parent. In pre-1960's America, women were told that being a good mother should their highest aspiration. And, to their credit, American Mom's really threw themselves into the calling. Women invested the greatest part of themselves into being the best Mom possible. But, what happened when the kids grew up and went away? Many women found themselves without an identity. If I'm not little Joey's mom, who am I? These days we see both men and women draw their identity from their job. When I flew, the retirement age for airline pilots was 60. That age was determined by medical evidence collected throughout the 1940's and 50's. Beyond age 60 serious health issues became more common and could create a safety problem. I flew with Captain after Captain who lived in complete fear of their 60th birthday. They were terrified of turning 60. Not because they worried about their health. But, because of forced retirement. If they couldn't walk into a room, and say - I am a Captain for American Airlines - then who were they? What value did they have when that designation was taken away? Psychologists tell us one of the many crises a person suffers when they first get divorced is identity. I made a commitment to be part of a couple. I invested all my emotional energy in making the couple succeed. So, if I'm not part of Rocky and Jackie anymore - who am I? We know that a significant percentage of Pastors thrive on being needed. For some, it is less about serving Jesus, than being the one people turn to in a crisis. And, when that title of Reverend, or Father, or Rabbi is taken away, and people don't need me anymore, deep internal confusion over identity overwhelms. When Moses brings Israel out of Egypt he begins hammering them, over and over, with a single message - you are the chosen people of the one and only God. Now, what he meant by that was, you have been chosen by God to make him known and loved by the entire world. But, all the people heard was, you are the chosen. By the time the Babylonian's conquer Jerusalem the people have a 600-year identity engrained. It is the most important part of being Jewish. I may be a terrible husband, I may be the most horrible clay pot salesman ever, I may have the worst beard or the shabbiest home or the lamest donkey in my neighborhood. Doesn't matter. I am chosen by the one and only God. So, when the city fell, and the people were taken away as slaves, and God did nothing to intervene, it was emotionally crushing. If we are not the chosen of God, who are we? If I am not a child of Israel, who am I? In the second half of poem number 2, Jeremiah returns to images of what happened inside the city before the fall. And, the one image he dwells on is starving children. Jewish children were considered innocent and sinless until the age of 12. So, starving infants and toddlers were the height of innocence.1 What did the kids do wrong? Not a thing! Yet, they are suffering as bad or even worse than the adults. Why is this happening? In numerous places in the Old Testament God writes, "Numbers 14:18 (NLT) The LORD is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected-even children in the third and fourth generations." That sounds cruel. But, it was meant as a motivation. For the sake of my children I will live righteously. It was an acknowledgment that in the real world, sin has consequences. We know if a mother is an alcoholic, it impacts the lives of her children. We know if a father is physically abusive, it impacts the lives of his children. Jeremiah dwells on the suffering of the innocent because it is proof of sin. For the men and women being marched to Babylon, who keep crying out - why is this happening? We didn't do anything wrong! We are the chosen. Jeremiah brings them back to a truth - the suffering of your children is proof of your sin. The city hangs her head in agreement. You're right. We sinned. It's our fault. But, why punish the children? Why destroy the entire city? Why carry away the chosen of God into oblivion? Why? And, at this point, something interesting happens. In verse 13 Jeremiah says - I don't really have a good answer for that.2 When God tells me what to say, I say it. But, I am not privy to God's thoughts. I am not Moses; God doesn't discuss his actions with me. If I knew all the whys I would tell you. But, I'm not really sure what to say. I understand Jeremiah. I do the best I can to explain God. I try hard to present evidence, and history, and Scripture in a combination that gives an accurate representation of the God we worship. I try to illuminate the word of God so his holiness and rightness shines through. But, I don't have access to any special insight or information which you lack. And, so, just like you, there are times when I don't have an answer. I believe in my heart God is good all the time. And, I trust that even in a crisis, God is present and working for good. But, every day a million things happen that I cannot explain. Why do babies get sick and die? Why do people who love each other, suddenly give up and walk away? Why does a woman who has been perfect at her job for 40 years get laid off just before retirement? Why are Autism and Alzheimer's overwhelming our young and old? Why doesn't everyone embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? I don't know. I don't have a good answer for you. Jeremiah says I don't know why the children had to starve. I do know why the rest of us are suffering. Because we listened to lies about God.3 He describes the Holy Temple being pulled down and burned. And, he gives us a disturbing image of the Temple steps littered with the bodies of dead priests. Preparation for burial was essential to holiness. The priest's bodies will not be prepared. They will not be buried. And, the words Jeremiah uses to describe them are dramatic. People who lie about God are not holy, they are evil. There is tremendous temptation to lie about God. We like sin. We enjoy it. And, we don't want to hear anything that reminds us we are wrong. For those who preach about God there is temptation to just tell the people what they want to hear. The Apostle Paul understood this. He writes, "2 Timothy 4:3 (NLT) For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear." I believe the America you and I live in is riddled with those who preach to itching ears. And, I believe there will be consequences. Jeremiah speaks to the abandoned and destroyed city of Jerusalem. He uses an interesting phrase. Everyone passing by claps at you. You and I know clapping as applause. Clapping is positive. And, there is a word in the Old Testament for clapping as applause. The word is tāqá. But, that's not the word Jeremiah uses here.4 He writes the word sāpâql. If I clap like this (clap) my grandchildren know I am applauding them. If I clap like this (clap) they know I am cautioning them. There was a clapping used in Israel that meant to draw attention to someone doing something wrong. There were no whistles. If you saw someone doing something wrong you shouted to get the attention of the authorities. And, you clapped. Jeremiah says everyone walking past fallen Jerusalem claps to call attention to her sin. And, he says having foreigners and pagans highlight your sin is especially painful.5 How embarrassing is it to a church, or a denomination, or all Christians when a pastor is arrested for child molestation? The world shouts at us - why would we want to be like you? A survey 10 years ago by the Methodist Church determined that 50% of all Pastor's work computers are used regularly to view pornography. When our sins come to light, the world claps - but not in a good way. At the end of the poem Jeremiah writes - the priests are dead. The children are dead. The city of Jerusalem is destroyed. Is this the Day of the Lord? What you and I call Armageddon, the Jews called the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. The end of days. The technical definition is the day God is enthroned for all the universe to see.6 You and I believe this is the day Jesus returns, and is crowned king. The Hebrews believed on this day God would destroy all of the Gentiles, leaving only his chosen people on earth. On that day God would take his seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy Temple for all to see. There was complete conviction this was the day all of the curses found in the Bible would be enforced. God's holy wrath would be poured out in punishment on everyone except Israel. So, for those being marched to Babylon as slaves, this was confusing. God's Temple is destroyed. God isn't sitting in the holy of holies. Everything is all wrong. And, if we were wrong about the end of the world, were we wrong about being the chosen people of the only God? And, if we're not the chosen ones, who are we? The poem ends with that question. On Independence Day it's a good time to ask, who are we America? What is our identity, and do we have a valid self-concept? There was a time when we were the world's breadbasket. All the best food came from America. But, we've sold off the farmland for housing developments. Most of the world's food supply comes from somewhere else now. There was a time when we were the creators of technology. Out of the space race came technical innovation after innovation. Today, we buy our technology from China. We don't care about the morality of technology as long as we can take a selfie and post it immediately. For 200 years we believed we were the beacon of democracy to a freedom hungry world. Yet, for the last 20 years, 3 out of 4 newly formed governments have not been democratic. The world has evaluated what we have to offer, and has decided to pass. While we have separation of church and state, we still considered ourselves a Christian nation. We strove to be the bringers of Jesus to a fallen world. But, for many decades now the United States has received more Christian missionaries from foreign nations than we send out. So, if we are not the feeders of the world, or the creators of technology, or the ideal of democracy, or missionaries, who are we? Like Jeremiah, I have to say, I don't have a good answer for that. I don't know what our national identity is. Here is what I do know. You and I are not defined by what American culture deems popular and acceptable. There is only one identity which is completely valid for us. We are disciples of Jesus Christ, and children of the one and only God. Our identity comes from Jesus. Not from our job, or our marriage, or our nationality. You might think - isn't that the same identity Israel had? We are the chosen of the only God. Here's the difference. Their identity was based on what they could do for God. Our identity is based on what God has done for us. Who am I? I am a follower of the way, a Nazarene, a believer, elect, a saint, a Christ follower, a Christian. 1 R. C. Sproul, general editor. New Geneva Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1246. 2 Ibid. 3 Alan Henderson, "When Tragedy Strikes," Restoration Quarterly, 37 no. 2 (1995), 97-101. 4 NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 1325. 5 Norman Gottwald, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 20030, 1147. 6 A. Joseph Everson, "The Day of Yahweh," Journal of Biblical Literature, 93 no. 3 (September 1974), 329-337. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2