Bible Text: Exodus 1:8-2:10 and Matthew 16: 13-20 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
Do you want to know a secret? Such a question can be a dangerous one-especially if it is said to you in church. The word secret comes from the Latin word, secretus which means separate or set apart. Of course a secret is something that is to be kept or meant to be kept unknown or private, set apart from regular conversation. However, the danger with most secrets is that they get out. The subject matter is hard to keep inside. I also think there is some strange sense of inclusion when it comes to a secret. We want to be the only ones in the know about it, or we want to be the first to tell someone about it. Keeping a secret from a loved one can break trust just as much as sharing a secret about someone can break trust. But then, sometimes secrets are necessary and sometimes secrets get out without us saying a word. Do you want to know a secret? Secrets are the theme for today’s scripture passages. For the midwives of Egypt, their secret saved lives. For the disciples who knew of Jesus’ true identity, that secret wasn’t worth hiding.
What we hear in Exodus is that some years have passed since Joseph encouraged and helped set up his family in Egypt. Clearly the brothers and their descendants have been prolific because they are beginning to outnumber the Egyptians. It should be noted that slaves in Egypt were not rare. In fact, even Egyptians were slaves. Thanks to Joseph’s interpretations and instructions it says in Genesis that Egyptians sold their land to Pharaoh and he made slaves of them. However, it seems that this new Pharaoh wants to oppress the Israelites even further. They are enslaved specifically to make bricks in the service of a vast building project that supports numerous cities. Do you want to know a secret? I have a minor in Near Eastern Archaeology and one course I had to take was called, “The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt.” I don’t recall much but I do remember that the early dynastic period, which would have been around the time that the Israelites may have been slaves in Egypt, was also the period in which most typical Egyptian art and architecture began. It is when the hieroglyphics were developed, and the early form of pyramids were built. As often happens when a culture is trying to seek an identity, they become insular and afraid of the other. I suspect that is what is happening to the Israelites. The Pharaoh wants to have a clear identity for the Egyptians and cannot risk being influenced by the Israelites. So, he believes the best way to rid oneself of another culture is to oppress and destroy them.
It is entirely thanks to the intervention of the midwives- thanks to their big secret- that the Israelite people survive. We know that the midwives are central to this story for one particular reason, they are named. Most of the time in a patriarchal society, the names of women are omitted, especially if they are simply midwives. It seems to appear as an afterthought, but the text says that one of the midwives was named Shiph’rah and the other Pu’ah. And within that verse there is power. These are important women. The root of the name Shiph’rah means to be pleasing to the eye and the root of the name Pu’ah means to shine or be beautiful. These women have beauty written right into their names. They save an entire generation through a secret.
What is also intriguing is that the verses would imply that these two women are not Israelites. They are not Hebrew midwives but rather midwives to the Hebrews. Still the text says that they feared God. This is one of many stories within the Old Testament in which Gentiles play a major role in saving God’s people. It is also one of the many stories in which Gentile women play a major role in saving God’s people. Throughout the Hebrew Bible the universality of God is not kept secret. Or at least that is what one is led to believe throughout Scripture, and yet Jesus seems adamant that his identity be kept a secret.
When Jesus affirms Peter and tells the disciples that upon this rock he will build his assembly, he follows that up by ordering his disciples not to tell anyone. It is difficult to understand why; after all, we teach and preach that the beauty of Jesus’ name should be spread throughout the land. What’s not to share?! But then, critical dialogue is in fact part of this whole discussion. When Jesus asks the disciples, “who do people say that I am?” The disciples repeat what they have heard, bizarre statements like Jesus is John the Baptist, despite that they have been seen together or that Jesus is one of the great prophets come back to life. The point of these comments is to demonstrate that people don’t agree about who Jesus is. Then Jesus asks, “and who do you think I am?” Peter responds with the resounding words, “You are the Messiah! Son of the living God.” While most of us celebrate that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, I also really like the idea that Jesus is the Son of the LIVING God. Meaning God is dynamic and active always.
The dialogue continues as Jesus declares that Peter did not come to this conclusion on his own but through revelation. Then Jesus says, “I say to you Peter, upon this rock I will build my church.” Do you want to know a secret? While many have interpreted it that it is upon Peter that the church will be formed, there is some key information that only the Greek can give us. First, Jesus says, “on this rock or petra, I shall build my assembly or ekklesia.” Petra is the feminine noun for Peter’s name, Petros, as is the word ekklesia. It is not upon Peter that the church is to be built but literally upon a firm foundation, which involves both men and women in leadership.
The dialogue continues further and then Jesus closes by stating that the disciples shall tell no one that he is the Messiah. Well, again, that seems absurd. How on earth is his assembly to be built if no one talks about it. Like the actions of the midwives, it is a secret that eventually is found out not through words but through the evidence of goodly living. The disciples’ actions as followers of Christ will speak louder than words. As Dr. Mitzi Smith puts it, “The answer is by the life they live, a life of love for God, a life that loves the other as much as one loves his or herself, and a life in pursuit of justice and peace. On this rock [this foundation] we will build a church that demonstrates belief in a living, speaking, [engaging and active] God.” It is no secret but it has become private. How will they know we are Christians in an increasingly multi-cultural and secular society? By how we act in love, kindness and mercy. We do not need to fear political correctness that asks us to push our words about redemption to the side, because even Jesus told the disciples not to talk about his salvation and yet the church still grew. It’s a secret that cannot be contained, but not because we are knocking on doors or preaching from the street corners; rather because we are helping our neighbours and active in our community as a church. Amen