THE BITTER PILL

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:12-15
It was called Hiera Picra. In the 18th century physicians administered this substance to patients for practically any kind of illness. The name meant HOLY BITTER and it truly was. It was made up from aloe; a variety of acrid, foul tasting drugs and substances, and the medicine never cured anything. It actually made matters worse—often fatal. Yet the doctors continued to prescribe Holy Bitter. The prescription was based on faulty understanding of the cause of illness. It was thought that those wracked with fever had too much life in them so the cure of necessity was to relieve the patient of the excess life. I wonder! Did someone suggest the use of Hiera Picra to the modern church? Even if they didn’t, there are people in our congregations who have the same effect. DANGEROUS, INEFFECTIVE, AND BITTER—this is the condition that the bible writers warned the church about. Hiera Picra—Holy Bitter. Christians who think that their poor attitudes are for the good of the church when in reality the effect of their ways is deadly to the cause of Christ. Christians filled with bitterness, ineffective workers and dangerous to those with whom they come in contact. 

Jesus sought to address this sad state of affairs in a story with which we are all familiar. We know it as the parable of the Prodigal Son and the story is found in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Let’s set the scene: Jesus had a hard time avoiding crowds. As the chapter opens, Luke notes that all the Publicans and sinners drew near to him to hear him. Now, you would think that seeing these two groups sitting down to hear sermons would make everybody happy. These were people who generally stayed clear of religion. But the Pharisees and the scribes, we are told, were upset that Jesus entertained these low-life, God-forsaken wretches and felt that no one who called himself a Rabbi should ever be seen in the company of such trash. Jesus caught wind of the murmuring and launched into the story.  There is one parable in the chapter and two set-up questions. Many think this chapter contains three parables, but Jesus is trying to address the cold-hearted, hateful, unforgiving attitudes of the holy people toward sinners seeking hope. Jesus sees humanity in one of two conditions: saved or lost. So he tailored this story to address how people relate to that which is lost. That’s why he moves quickly and progressively from the lost sheep and how happy people are when it is found, to the lost coin and how happy people are when it is found, to the lost son and the mixed reaction when he is found.

The parable is not really about the “Prodigal Son” so much as it is about a father and his two sons. More specifically it is about the suffocating power of a bitter unforgiving spirit as evidenced by refusal of one son to receive and love his brother, and the serious implications of that attitude. We won’t take the time to detail the early portion of the story because most of you are familiar with the parable. I want to go to the part where the Father has received the son and is throwing a big party to celebrate his return. Jesus notes that as the older son made his way from a hard day in the fields, he heard music and partying going on at the house. Beckoning a servant he asked, “what’s going on?” That’s when he found out that his good-for-nothing, embarrass-the-family brother was back and the father threw a big party to welcome him back. And Jesus said, “He was angry and would not go in.” Bitterness stopped him in his tracks! How many people reading this, right now, are in the thrall of bitterness about someone or something? Your life is stymied because injustice has wounded you. I’ve been there and it’s no fun. Nevertheless, God does not intend for the Christian life to be jammed this way. He promised abundant life and bitterness is not abundant or life.