Hidden Grace amid the Wrath

Challenging our Boxes

A seminary professor once quipped that he finds most people who start reading the Bible from cover to cover generally unhappy. And he said that most will tend to stop because they don’t like what’s inside the covers. The scripture, he said, challenges our understanding of who God is and sometimes paints God in a very different light than what we have imagined God ourselves.

Our first reading today is a piece of one of those stories that can make us wrestle a bit with our understanding of who God is. In our Lutheran tradition, we don’t often spend a great deal of time on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, perhaps, for good reason. If we our Lutheran words were to try to sum up our understanding of who God is, we might likely use the words of “grace” and “forgiveness” and “new life.”

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah, on the other hand, seem to challenge that box that we try to keep God in. Instead of a story of God’s grace and forgiveness we often hear this story that suggests God’s wrath and judgement instead. So wouldn’t it be better if we just gloss over this and move along to something else?

Perhaps. And yet, there is something meaningful that can be gleaned when we challenge our boxes of who we think God is. When we wrestle with our understandings of God it is healthy for our faith.

History of the Cities

Before we can delve too deeply into the story before us today, it’s important to know a little bit about the cities involved.

First, the cities involved in this story are not only Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah are the largest… but there are also the cities Admah (Add-ma), Zeboiim (Zeb-oh-eem), as well as the tiny town of Zoar (Zoh-ahr). All of these cities are part of the region and are part of the story as well.

According to scripture, all of these cities are destroyed with exception to little Zoar. And, indeed, Zoar shows up on maps even for the Roman Empire as late as the 6th century after Christ’s death.

But beyond that, we don’t know much about the cities that were destroyed. Archaeologists don’t even agree as to whether or not these cities existed in the first place or if they are instead early metaphors to learn from. Beyond that initial question of historical vs folk tale, there are six different theories as to where the cities might have been located IF they existed. Most of what we know about the cities and their people come from the stories of Genesis. Beyond that, we really don’t know much about them—and that’s ok. If it helps you to think of these stories as folk or historical, that’s up to you. But it is important to take them seriously either way.

These stories represent the yearning of the people of Israel to understand a word about who God is. And, really, that’s why we’re here as well. So we can move beyond the questions of if or when or where these cities existed… and simply ask, “what does this mean?” or “what does this story tell us about God?”

Digging into Scripture

In our reading today, we hear God’s conversation with Abraham. God has heard that there is a complete brokenness via sin among the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Word on the street is that every person there is a sinner.

So God starts off by telling Abraham that God is going to go down to the city and check things out to see if they’re really as bad as what God has been told.

Meanwhile, Abraham is taking all of this in. Apparently, he starts wondering WHY God wants to know whether or not these cities are bubbling over with sinners.

Now it’s important for us to know that in ancient Judaism, the people had accepted the idea that God judged people in groups. Israel and Judah would either experience God’s blessings or God’s wrath as a whole people. It was about having a personal relationship with God… it was whether or not your kingdom was in God’s favor.

So as Abraham starts thinking about God checking out these cities to see if they should be destroyed or not… Abraham realizes that EVERYONE both good and bad would be destroyed if God decided that there was too much sin.

So Old Man Abraham pipes up and speaks what’s on his mind… “There might be some good people in those cities. Lord, if you destroy those cities because of the sinners won’t you be destroying the good people too? That doesn’t seem right. That doesn’t seem like you.”

Abraham asks, “Won’t you spare the cities if there are even 50 righteous people?” Note that he doesn’t ask, “Why don’t we help get all of those good people out of there first.” It’s the judgement of the group that Abraham expect to happen.

And as the people get ready to face divine examination, Abraham hopes that even just a few good ones might be enough to overcome the sin of the many. In other words… rather than asking if there is enough bad out there for us to destroy… what if we asked if there is enough good there to save it?This was pretty counter-cultural stuff 3,000 years ago.

In fact, it’s still pretty counter-cultural today. You’ve likely heard someone suggest that God is upset with our country because of all the sin and how so many people have turned their backs on God. Too many people are voting the wrong way on specific issues. God’s going to get us. That’s the idea, at least.

Even many commentators on Genesis talk about how it looks like Sodom gets the blame for bringing about the destruction on these other cities. It’s their fault… and we’re victims.

And yet, as we hear Abraham and God going back and forth, we hear of a God that is looking for reason, perhaps even excuse to NOT destroy the cities. “If there are only 50 righteous… I will not destroy. For the sake of but forty, I will not do it. If I find thirty there… For the sake of twenty I will I will not destroy it… For the sake of ten I will not destroy.”

Sodom and the other cities of the plain face judgement not because there are too many evil people there… but because there are not enough righteous ones—and God wasn’t even looking for very many.

They look to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and believe it is representative of God’s wrath against evil- doers.ith us because of you. As a society, many still believe into the idea of God’s judgement against a group of people or even a country if God should become upset with the actions of a few. You likely recall the judgement against New Orleans by Pat Robertson after Hurricane Katrina. Too many sinners in the city, that’s what he said. God hit New Orleans because there was too much sin.

But again the qustion that God and Abraham wrestle with is not whether or not there is too much evil present… but is there enough righteousness to merit rescue? In other words.. they weren’t asking are there enough things wrong about these places to destroy them? They were asking that if we look real hard, will we find enough Saints to save them?

In the end of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the other cities of the plain, the answer as we know is that there was not enough righteousness in the cities to avoid destruction. And so, whether folklore or real, the cities are destroyed. But knowing the question that was being asked makes a difference.

Grace Beyond the Box

For us today, the ending of this Genesis story does not perhaps sound like a particularly hopeful message. And yet, we can find reason to see grace even through this story.

God was not focused on the sinner part… but on the saint part. God is looking for reasons to offer grace and forgiveness.

And with that in mind, it is important to remember that the world that we live in today is a very different than it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s not that we all get along now. It’s not that we treat each other as equals as we should. It is not that we all have equal access to food and medical supplies and education and all of the necessities of life. We still sin against one another and against God.

It would not be hard to imagine God looking at all of the brokenness of the world and thinking about Sodom and Gomorrah once more. In fact, we’ve likely all heard rumblings by some that the end times are upon us as some seem to look for destruction.

But… and this is a big but… But… God seeks to make grace happen.

From Seeking to Action

We hear a reminder of God’s intention as Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. This is from the Gospel of Luke:

The New Revised Standard Version Perseverance in Prayer

9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

While we remember the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, we are reminded also of the difference that we experience through Christ whom God sent in order that grace would happen.

As God’s people cried out for a Messiah, God did not send another cataclysm on the people to teach them to stop their complaining. Instead, the Son of God was sent as the good gift to be the righteousness that would save ALL of creation because, again, God is looking for reasons to sustain and create life. Through Christ, we are all claimed as righteous ones. Through Christ, we are all saved and redeemed into new life both now and into the next.

Conclusion

While the story of Sodom and Gomorrah still might not be the one we run to when we try to tell someone else about God, it is perhaps also not one that we need to shy away from. Not because of the final judgement… but because of the desire to see grace and mercy lived out.

That vision of forgiveness even for the sinner that we get a taste of in Genesis comes to its fulfillment in Christ. And remember that in the days after Christ died, he went down and proclaimed the good news even to the dead… even to those of Sodom and Gomorrah if indeed their tales are more than folk story.

Christ comes to save.

Christ comes to give the gift of life.

Christ comes to be the righteousness that we need.

And as we look at the world in this age… still with so much brokenness and sin and mistrust… we might remember God’s desire to offer grace even in the face of overwhelming sin. And we might remember that Christ’s purpose for the world was not to condemn the world… but to save it.

Know that in Christ, you have been called among the righteous ones. Not because you’re without sin… but because you belong to Christ.

And because of Christ, we can trust that God will be faithful always.

God’s peace be with you. Amen.