David, Bathsheba, General Convention, and God's Miracles

Standing with members of the House of Deputies Special Committee on Sexual Harassment and Exploitation 

Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, CT
July 29, 2018, Proper 12B
2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that lead us to the Living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Oh my. There is so much going on in today’s readings it is hard to know where to begin. We have adultery, murder, and then miracles upon miracles - Jesus feeds the five thousand, walks on water and makes the boat go immediately to the other shore. Phew. It is overwhelming.

Well, it seems to make sense to start with the complex and challenging story of David and Bathsheba. This seems like the stuff of a summer beach read or a Hollywood movie. Powerful man has an affair with a beautiful woman, impregnates her, and ends up “arranging for” the death of her husband, so as to cover his tracks and prevent the affair from being discovered. But if we just retell it that way, we miss out on some really important issues and lessons for us. As often happens with Scripture, if we stay on the surface, we can miss out on the deeper lessons. 

On the surface we can think this is just a story to remind us why adultery and murder are wrong, and on some level it is. And don’t worry, David does get his comeuppance for his sins. The OT reading in next week’s lectionary is the story of the prophet Nathan holding up a mirror to help David realize how gravely he has fallen short of who God has called him to be.

But the additional, deeper lesson here is one about power dynamics. A lesson our Scripture passage almost seems to gloss over. Note how the passage describes the interaction with Bathsheba, “So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.” Hmm. That sure makes a very messy situation seem quite simple. David was king. David wanted this thing to happen, and so it did. Bathsheba has no agency in the situation. She has no power. There is no possibility that she might not want to commit infidelity. No question about what her own needs and desires might be. It is all about David and what he wants.

And just in case it was not abundantly clear this is a lesson about what NOT to do. This is a lesson about the improper use, and really the abuse, of power. David abused his power and authority to satisfy his own desires without regard to the effects it would have on those around them.

There is a cautionary tale here for those of us who enjoy positions of power and privilege to be very careful about how we exercise that power. We are not to confuse our own desires with what is best for the community or the whole. And just because we can do something does not mean that is what we should do. Good leadership is not about satisfying our own needs or desires. It is about putting the needs of the community above our own.

I have to say that I find it particularly powerful to have this passage in our lectionary so soon after General Convention. I had the privilege of serving as a Deputy to General Convention and serving as a member of the House of Deputies Special Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Exploitation. For me, one of the more inspiring things that happened at and through General Convention was the way in which the Church as a whole, and particularly those in positions of power and privilege in our Church, took responsibility for the sins of the past, for the ways in which women have been and are abused and mistreated by the Church. Along with that came resolutions, policies, and covenants that point to a different way forward. A way forward that promises more transparency, justice, and sensitivity to the reality of power dynamics. I truly believe we are at a turning point as a Church. Like David, we have sinned and abused our power. And like David, we are being invited by prophetic voices into a new and different future. One in which we exercise our power with grace and compassion. I am tremendously hopeful that our future will look very different than our past, particularly as it concerns women and those who have been previously marginalized and hurt by the Church.

So that’s the story of David and Bathsheba. Then we have those miracles. Kind of makes you wonder why the lectionary committee put these together. What does the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on water have to do with murder and adultery? Actually, I don’t think it is a complete fluke that these lessons are paired together. Our Gospel lesson shows us the abundance of God, and the myriad of ways that God can surprise us with possibility and opportunity, even when we feel doubtful or fearful. How often have we been like the disciples? How often have we looked around at what we have and said this won’t work? This can’t possibly be enough. I cannot make this work with these scarce resources. Or how often have we been stuck in a place of fear, convinced that whatever is coming towards us cannot possibly be good?

There is an invitation here, an invitation to join God in finding abundance and hope, even in the midst of times when we feel overcome by fear or scarcity. God is at work and will often surprise us if we can be open to the possibility.

So, today, I hope those of us with power and privilege will feel challenged by the story of David and Bathsheba. Challenged so that when we are in positions of power and privilege, we might always use our power for good and never fall into the temptation of using our power to selfish ends. I hope those of us who have been victims of the abuse of power will feel heartened by the events of General Convention and the newfound willingness of the Church to hear and face the sins of the past, and hopeful in the opportunity for different way forward. I hope we are all comforted and inspired by our Gospel, by its invitation to see abundance instead of scarcity, to live from a place of hope and possibility rather than a place of fear. I do believe the future can be different. Let us go and join with God in making it so. AMEN.