A secularizing society – a new culture is taking over – God is pushed aside. His law and covenant - no longer necessary – new things have come – … - what is one to do? – Many might respond it’s not a hill worth dying on – Just let it go – There is nothing you can do to stop it - Stop fighting; it’s a lost cause – Things have changed – move on – The world is going on – progress cannot be stopped - … - Tell that to this mother and her 7 sons in the reading from Maccabees, they died because they refused to eat pork … what is so important that they would die for?
The Jewish people have been conquered many times – Babylon, then Persia, then Alexander the Great, then it was the Ptolemaic empire, and now they are under the control of the Seleucid empire – One of the successor states of Alexander the Great’s empire. – And the emperor of this empire had a goal – progress; the conquered people must be civilized – They should adapt to enlightened Greek culture.
The Greek language took over, replacing Hebrew in official business. The style of construction changed – Greek-style gymnasiums were built – … - and Greek religious practices were implemented – and Jewish traditions were banned. – no circumcision, no sabbath, and no kosher – perhaps worst of all, the temple is desecrated – At the order of emperor Antiochus IV converted to a syncretic worship site with sacrifice offered to pagan gods.
What is happening to these brothers and their mother? They are being forced to eat pork. – But it is not about the pork. According to kosher dietary laws, “the pig, which indeed has divided hooves, with cloven foot, but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat” – It is an attempt to make the brothers reject the covenant and worship of God.
One line of thinking assumes this is not that big of a deal, the world is moving on – the culture is changing, the religion is changing – get on the bandwagon – it’s not worth fighting – this is not a hill worth dying on – one should not throw away their life – it’s not worth it. Or is it? GK Chesterton, in The Everlasting Man, remarked that “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” Time to go against the stream.
These brothers and their mother cared so much for God and his law that they would not bend. Yes, it would cost them their life, but that is not the point. While here pork might have been the exact item of conflict, it was a much bigger question – The brothers, and their mother, had to decide - follow God’s law no matter what may happen? - Or abandon God for the sake of comfort, adapting Greek practices. Love of God was the choice of these brothers and their mother. As Chesterton notes - “A martyr is a man who cares so much for something outside him, that he forgets his own personal life.”
What is worth giving up life for? What is there left if life is lost? This is undoubtedly the thought process of Antiochus IV – to him, there is nothing after death – how can they love so much to give up their life? And it is a fair point – What gave these brothers the strength to do this? HOPE! Hope that death is not the final loss of life. For God is the God of the living – he has promised the resurrection to come.
Even here in the Old Testament, before Christ’s resurrection, it is known that God is more powerful than death – there will be a resurrection of the dead. Death is not annihilation – we do not cease to be at death – In the words of the funeral preface – “Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.”
Here, we can talk about the Crown of Martyrdom –death does not have the final say, standing firm with God, ready to give up, one’s life will have its reward – Death is not annihilation; it is moving on to what is next. In martyrdom, the martyrs show they have life - they go against the stream, standing firm in faith in the love of God and finding life in Christ - surely that has its reward. It is here that these seven brothers and their mother stood firm, refusing to bend, holding to God.
And so what about today? we do have a secularizing society – there is the pressure to “keep up with the times.” Just as Antiochus IV pushed Greek culture and tried to suppress Jewish culture and religion, there are pressures against Christianity today. That it is “old fashion” – not relevant. – Technology has replaced God – technology has claimed to control what happens - Death and life? We claim that from God - choosing death from the womb to euthanasia and the death penalty. We do not look to God to understand but instead claim we “define ourselves” – yet we did not create ourselves.
Do we just go with this? That is the easy thing to do. Those seven brothers and their mother proved their life through martyrdom - going against the stream, do we today? Thankfully, while we may have many issues here in the United States, no one is facing death for trying to follow God and their religion. - However, the 20th century is thought to be the century with the most Christian martyrs around the world. If we are faced with death, will we hold in our faith? If not faced with martyrdom, can we stand firm in the small pressures? Are we able to go against the stream? How do we act? What do we teach? How do we pray? There is an election in a few days – How do we vote? Can we go against the stream?
Ultimately, we do not have the strength - except in the hope of the resurrection and by the grace of God. In Christ, what are we willing to pay? Seven brothers and their mother gave their life – will we? Let us ask God for the grace that we might. And in smaller things? Let us have life – be willing to swim against the stream.