Denying Jesus? Loving One Another? How Do We Choose to Follow?

The Rev. Brad Sullivan
Lord of the Streets, Houston
April 2, 2026
Maundy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
Psalm 116:1, 10-17
John 13:1-17, 31b-35

So, I know we don't actually talk about Peter denying Jesus, after his arrest, until tomorrow, on Good Friday, but I'm skipping ahead a little bit in the story because there are many ways we get to deny Jesus throughout our lives. Sure, there’s the obvious stuff like saying, “I no longer believe in Jesus,” but what about the less obvious ways where we deny Jesus by how we choose to follow Jesus? 

I know that sounds strange, denying Jesus by how we choose to follow Jesus, but what about when we choose to follow Jesus by praying against all of the evil ones whom Jesus is going to send to damnation? It’s one thing when hurting or angry to pray against people, and Jesus hopefully comforts us in those prayers, and we get to give that hatred and anger as our offering to God. Then, Jesus reminds us to pray for the healing of our enemies, and we follow as Jesus’ disciples by offering that sometimes difficult prayer of blessing and God’s will upon even our enemies. 

So, praying against our enemies to get our anger out, that’s one thing, but what about when we pray for the eternal damnation of our enemies with the absolute conviction that we are right and that Jesus truly is going to condemn those evil ones? That’s when we are denying Jesus, because we are praying and believing completely against how Jesus taught us to pray and believe. 

Pray for your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t judge others as worthy of eternal damnation; we’re all a bunch of screw ups here, what the hell do any of us know. Those were the teachings of Jesus, so when we claim to know better and to pray in ways and judge people in ways that Jesus expressly told us not to, we are denying Jesus.

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What about when we declare that a war is being fought in Jesus’ name? Jesus, who said, “Put your swords away,” when enemies came to arrest him. Jesus who chose to be killed rather than summon hosts of angels to kill his murderers. Jesus who said, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” aka, war and killing people actually aren’t terribly great ideas. When we declare a war is being fought in Jesus’ name, we are denying Jesus, denying who he is and what he taught. 

What about when we look at others with contempt or even indifference. You don’t matter; your needs don’t matter; I have everything I need, and if you’d just work harder, you would too, but you’re too lazy; I deserve my good things and you deserve your bad things; you’re not worth my time or effort. When we treat other people that way, we are denying Jesus who said, “Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.”

What about when we determine that any of our success and wealth that we get through our success and wealth-making efforts are all thanks to Jesus blessing us for our faithfulness? As much as we may be trying to give praise and glory to God, when we claim all of our riches and success are because we are particularly faithful to Jesus, we are actually denying Jesus, who never promised us success or wealth as a reward for faithfulness. No, when we claim God’s favor on us for being more successful and wealthier than others, we’re actually just claiming to be better than others, not only in our own eyes but also in God’s eyes. 

Jesus didn’t say people will know we are his disciples by how strong our belief is in him. Jesus didn’t say people will know we are his disciples by how holy and righteous we are. Jesus certainly didn’t say people will know we are his disciples by how rich we get through all our rich-getting efforts, claiming that Jesus is the one blessing us with riches. 

No, Jesus said people will know we are his disciples by how we love one another.

To illustrate this point, Jesus took the role of a servant during his last Passover meal with his disciples. He washed their feet and told them that if they didn’t let him wash their feet, they had no share in him. Not letting Jesus wash their feet was denying Jesus. Then, Jesus told them to wash one another’s feet, meaning they should serve one another. They should love one another and live out that love by actually, physically caring for one another. 

Of course, we’re not very good at caring for other people if we are not cared for ourselves. So, Jesus told his disciples, you gotta let me wash you first. Be good sheep that you may be good shepherds. If we don’t let Jesus care for us and then assume we’re gonna care for others, we’re denying Jesus just as surely as Peter did after Jesus was arrested. 

Love one another, Jesus taught. That’s how we proclaim Jesus in the world, by loving other people. Eventually we may get to tell folks that we believe in Jesus, if they ask, if they want to know, but our proclamation is first about loving other people. Our proclamation is not first about evangelizing other people or saving other people; Jesus already took care of that. Our proclamation is first about loving other people, continuing to live the healing love that Jesus lived. Our proclamation is to draw near to Jesus to be loved by Jesus in prayer, in rest, in scripture, in service, in fellowship, in adversity, in joy, and in sorrow, we draw near to Jesus to be loved by Jesus and to share that love with others. 

Then, in those times when we do deny Jesus, because we all do, we repent. We return to the love of Jesus to share that love. When we deny Jesus by deciding which humans are bad and deserving of damnation, we return to Jesus with humility, choosing to see them as beloved, not damned. When we deny Jesus by deciding that our enemies or those others that we view with contempt are not worthy of Jesus’ love, we return to Jesus with humility, choosing to see Jesus in those other people, respecting their dignity. When we deny Jesus by determining that our blessings are due to our great faithfulness (and therefore other less-blessed people must not be as faithful), we return to Jesus with humility, choosing to trust Jesus not because of our success or failures but because Jesus showed us the way of love.

In Jesus, God said, I choose to join with you in every part of your lives, including being hated, tortured, and killed. Such is God’s love for us, and so Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

He's Not the One We're Fighting For

The Rev. Brad Sullivan

Lord of the Streets, Houston
November 24, 2024
Christ the King (Proper 29)
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 93
John 18:33-37

So, in the HBO television series, A Game of Thrones, and in the books from which the TV show came, all of the kings of all the different nations pretty much had one thing in common. They all wanted more land, to feel more powerful and more secure, and they were all more than happy to sacrifice the lives of countless other people to get them than land. Hundreds of thousands of people marching off to war to die on some battlefield so their king could have more.

Currently, in real life, we have Vladimir Putin in Russia doing the same thing. Hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have died so that Vladimir Putin could get more land and feel more powerful and secure. Just like the kings of fiction and kings throughout history, hundreds of thousands of people are marching off to war to die on some battlefield so their king can have more. By whatever name they are called, the kings and rulers of nations (including our own) throughout the world and throughout history have sent others to die for their cause.

That’s kinda what kings tend to do.

So, when Jesus said, “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Judeans,” he really meant it. If I were a king like you, Jesus was saying to Pilate, then I would have commanded my troops to come and die for me, just like you would. I would have hundreds of thousands be slaughtered in battle just so that I could get my way, if were a king like you, Pilate, if my kingdom were of this world, but as it is, “my kingdom is not from this world.”

Jesus isn’t a king like earthly kings and rulers. Rather than send other people to die for his cause, Jesus chose to die himself for our cause: the cause of love, of unity with God and unity with each other.

Jesus didn’t want his followers to take up weapons to fight for him 2000 years ago. He didn’t want his followers to take up weapons to fight for him during the crusades. Jesus didn’t want his followers to take up weapons and kill native Americans who wouldn’t convert to Christianity. Now, in this world and in this time, Jesus still doesn’t want his followers to take up weapons to fight for him. That just ain’t the kind of king Jesus is, because Jesus’ kingdom ain’t of this world.

See, kingdoms of this world are small and limited. Kingdoms of this world can only reach as far as people are willing to fight and kill for them. If a king claims land or some territory as his own, but there’s no one there to force people to serve the king, then it really isn’t the king’s territory, is it? Kingdoms of this world are defined by territory and ruled by force, by people willing to kill and die so the king can keep his land.

That goes from Russia invading Ukraine to businesses fighting for greater market share, to one gang trying to take territory from another. Heck, even churches fight one another over people and power, each trying to get more people and more money so their community and version of the Gospel can win over others’. We don’t tend to kill each other in the church over fights for land and people, but we have in the past.

Small and limited kingdoms fighting each other over territory, whether land, people, money, or power, kingdoms of this world use various kinds of violence to force their way in the world.

Jesus’ kingdom is a bit different, because Jesus’ kingdom is neither defined by territory nor ruled by force.

Jesus’ kingdom can be anywhere and everywhere, and Jesus’ kingdom is both defined by and ruled by love. “To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” We serve Jesus by loving one another. As we’re told in Matthew 25, we don’t need to know it is Jesus we are serving. We don’t even need to believe in Jesus to serve him. In Matthew 25, people are thanked and welcomed into God’s kingdom for the ways they served Jesus, and they respond that they’ve never Jesus before, that they have no idea who he is. He tells them that whatever love and care they have shown for anyone, they’ve given that love and care for him. In Jesus’ kingdom, we serve Jesus by loving one another.

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” Jesus’ kingdom isn’t dependent upon territory or anything that can be taken by force or destroyed. Jesus’ kingship cannot be destroyed because Jesus’ kingship is over all of creation, and his kingdom dwells within us.

We don’t always see Jesus’ kingdom. We don’t always live Jesus’ kingdom. It breaks in here and there, now and then, and we see and live in the love and Spirit of Jesus’ kingdom for a time. Eventually, Jesus’ kingdom will exist fully, everywhere, in every heart, as eventually, Jesus will wipe every tear from every eye, all violence and anger will be ended, and even death will be destroyed. We will all live fully in the life and love of Jesus’ kingdom.

Until that time, we get glimpses here and there, now and then, and we strive to live the love and peace of Jesus’ kingdom.

As followers of Jesus, that’s the idea and the ideal. We’ll all be peaceful, harming no others, fighting in no wars. That would be lovely, and Jesus knows that’s not going to happen until the end of the ages. Our nations will continue to fight one another for territory and security. We’ll continue to hurt one another and fight one another over territory and security.

That’s not what Jesus wants for us, but that’s what’s going to keep happening. Jesus knows that these wars, big and small, are going to continue. Even as we live at times in those glimpses of Jesus kingdom, we also still live in the kingdoms of the world, and sometimes, some of us will even be called to fight our nation’s wars. That’s the way of the world. It’s important to remember, however, that in all of these wars, big or small, whatever the cause, Jesus is not the one we’re fighting for, and Jesus is not the one asking us to fight.

That’s not what Jesus’ kingdom is like, asking us to fight and kill for him. Rather, as king of all the world, Jesus rules by giving us forgiveness for all of the wars we continue to fight. Rather than banish us from his kingdom when we end up fighting for the kingdoms of this world, Jesus seeks us out to bring us safely back home to his kingdom of love and peace. Unlike the kings of this world, Jesus doesn’t ask his followers to fight and die for him. Rather than send other people to die for his cause, Jesus chose to die himself for our cause: the cause of love, of unity with God and unity with each other. That’s the kind of king I can follow.

"You Can't Fight In Here. This Is the War Room."

The Rev. Brad Sullivan

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

June 6, 2021

Proper 5, B

Genesis 3:8-15

Mark 3:20-35

“You Can’t Fight in Here.  This Is the War Room.”

Strange as it may sound, today’s Gospel reading made me think of a scene from the movie Dr. Strangelove, where The U.S. President, and a Russian Ambassador, and the top U.S. General are all trying to avert nuclear armageddon when the general and the Russian ambassador start fighting, and the President shouts at them, “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here!  This is the war room!”  That reminds me of our Gospel story today as I hear the scribes saying to Jesus with similar irony, “Jesus please, you can’t heal people here, we’re doing God’s work!”

How could they think healing people was bad?  How could they think casting out demons was bad? 

Well, healing and casting out demons wasn’t necessarily bad in and of itself, of course, but what if Jesus was turning people to trust in him, rather than in the religious system?  What if, even worse, Jesus was teaching something different about God than they were, and was therefore, of course, teaching something terribly, terribly wrong about God?  

That, we understand.  Think of a new pastor at a new growing congregation.  It’s not a church like the established churches are used to, and even some of those established church’s members are going to that new church.  They are on fire, they are serving within the community in ways the established churches haven’t been doing for decades, and the established churches are all threatened by this new congregation.  They don’t like the pastor.  He’s doing things wrong, the church services are weird, and they feel threatened by them doing really well and doing things differently than what they know to be the right way.  “Oh sure, they’re doing good work there, but “Yeah, you’re right…they still pray weird.”

We get that.  We understand the scribes feeling threatened by Jesus, thinking he was leading the people down a wrong path, in spite of his healing and casting out demons.  So what did they do?  They demonized Jesus, saying he was doing demonic work casting out demons.  It didn’t make much sense then either.

Jesus was fighting a spiritual battle against demons and cosmic powers, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (I grabbed that from Ephesians).  To be fair, it wasn’t much of a fight against the demons.  Jesus was like One Punch Man, but still, seeing this, the scribes chose to fight with him about it, who was right and who was wrong, and Jesus’ response was basically, “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here.  This is the war room.”  Jesus was saying, “I’m fighting a war against demons,” (which was again pretty easy for him “Get out of there, demon!”  “Ok.”) and the scribes were fighting with him about that?  That was the difficult battle, people working against healing and love because they don’t agree with the person who is doing it or the methods they use.  

That is still the difficulty we have today.  We understand how crazy it is for the scribes to fight against Jesus when he was casting out demons and healing people.  We understand how crazy it is for our church or any church to rally against another church when we see them doing good, healing ministry with the community…even if they pray weird, but when that church is ministering with the wrong kinds of people, or letting the wrong kinds of people be ministers, what then?

They’re still doing great works within the community, still healing and working with people to transform their lives, but it’s just the wrong kind of people doing the ministry?  What if it’s staunch conservatives doing the ministry?  What if it’s flaming liberals doing the ministry?  What if the ministers are people whose beliefs and ideologies not only go against my beliefs and ideologies, but go against who I am as a person?  

I don’t have a clear cut answer on this one, however, I will say this about our beliefs and ideologies.  The scribes had beliefs and ideologies which led them to discount some people as unworthy of being a full part of their community, of their world.  The scribes were concerned with purity and people being religiously correct enough to be acceptable for God.

Jesus, not so much.  Jesus was concerned with people causing actual harm to one another.  Are you being clean and pure?  Jesus didn’t seem to ask that.  Are you causing actual harm to someone else?  That’s what Jesus seemed interested in.  Are you excluding people you deem unworthy or impure?  Are you keeping for yourself far more than you need while others struggle just to have enough?    Are you so certain of your own righteousness that you tear others down, condemning them, rather than choosing to love them and take the risk of being wrong as you see God working in their lives too?  That seems the way of Jesus in his spiritual battles, in his war room.  

Yes, there is a war room, even for Jesus, but as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, “…our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  (Ephesians 6:10-12).  Jesus was certainly against these spiritual forces of darkness, against these spiritual forces of darkness as they manifest in people.  We don’t read too much, however, of Jesus being against people themselves.  He wasn’t out there stirring up hatred and division, shouting about the folks people should be against.  He warned his disciples privately against the teachings against some of those rather less than helpful leaders, but his focus was not to turn people against each other.  

Jesus’ focus was on healing people, bringing people together, showing love, offering grace, living forgiveness.  That was Jesus’ way.  Healing, communion, love, grace, forgiveness, that was Jesus way, even when fighting spiritual battles for and along side folks whom others felt were the wrong sorts of folks. Healing, communion, love, grace, forgiveness, that was how Jesus fought spiritual battles in his war room, and strange as it may sound, there’s no fighting in the war room.  At least there’s no fighting in Jesus’ war room.  There’s striving against spiritual forces of darkness, and those battles are fought with healing and communion, with grace, and love, and forgiveness.