Reflections on Mark 9:38-50
“But what about them?” That’s the question that John asked Jesus, and people in the church have always asked. So and so is ministering in Christ’s name, but he isn’t one of us. Do they have the right? Do they have the authority? Are they leading others astray? Are they competing with us for the same person?
I confess, I’ve been a part of that. I have my own prejudice against certain ministers of whom I question their integrity who are ministering to a lot more people than I am. Perhaps you have done the same thing. It is a subtle form of religious bigotry, to either dismiss or actively undermine others who are ministering in Christ’s name who do not fit with our theology, tradition, or way of doing things.
We have to avoid and abhor this sort of attitude toward other Christians, pastors, and churches who minister in Christ’s name but who don’t belong with us. First of all, to be in ministry at all is a challenging thing. It gets Satan’s attention. The Evil One never stops seeking to undermine and disrupt ministry. Why should we assist the devil by piling on? We need to encourage anyone who is trying to minister to others in the name of Christ, not help the devil by running them down or discouraging them.
We must also avoid this attitude because it does not build up the body of Christ but tears it apart. The hand cannot say to the eye, “I have no need of you.” The church, to be whole and healthy, needs everyone who is seeking to serve God and minister to others. How does dismissing or trying to prevent or undermine the ministry of another person or church help build up the body of Christ?
Finally, we must avoid this attitude because the truth is no one can minister in Christ’s name without the grace of God working through that person. If people are being ministered to, are drawing closer to God and maturing in Christ as the result of someone’s efforts, for us to dismiss or oppose that person is equivalent to opposing God. And that is a losing proposition.
So, when Jesus was confronted with one of his disciples revealing a bigoted attitude toward someone who was ministering in Christ’s name but wasn’t “one of them,” Jesus is very magnanimous by saying, “Whoever is not against us, is for us.” In other words, if a person is not explicitly an enemy of God, then they should be treated as a friend. Jesus does not say this other person is correct in all matters. Jesus is not saying the disciples have to take this person in as “one of their own.” Jesus didn’t say, “Go and be like them or do what they are doing.” Jesus is simply saying, “Leave them be, and be grateful that people are being healed.”
Jesus then goes on to talk about being careful that one does not cause a person who is weak or young in the faith to stumble. Jesus refocuses the disciples’ judging spirit in a different direction, not on “others,” but on themselves. And Jesus makes it very clear, as we saw last week, that He takes very seriously the care of those who are young, or vulnerable. Like last week, Jesus said that when you welcome a little child, you welcome Him, and the One who sent Him. This week, Jesus says that a person that causes a little one to stumble should desire to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea, because what God is going to do to that person is much worse than that. This should get the attention of all of us. Jesus makes it very clear, He is less concerned about who is authorized to minister in His name and more concerned that people who are weak in faith do not lose their faith.
And one way people who are not grounded in their faith can lose their faith is when they see disciples, committed Christians, casting aspersions on other Christians. Divisiveness is a scandal. A new Christian is not going to understand all the nuances of doctrinal differences and reasons why some Christians do things this way and some another way. They aren’t going to know why there are all these different denominations or ways churches are organized. What they see is that Christ changes lives through people. And if they see someone, or some church, where people are coming to Christ, a new Christian is not going to get hung up over that, but are going to naturally give thanks to God. But when they see other Christians run down or dismiss another church or another person just because they aren’t “one of us”, that causes the new Christian to be confused. “How can this person or this church be wrong if people are coming to Christ?” And that confusion may cause someone new in the faith to lose their faith. And when that happens, where will God’s anger be directed?
A healthy community safe for those who are weak or new in faith is a community where there is love and charity for all, and where there is a spirit of support and encouragement for the ministry of other churches. A healthy community is one that is secure in its own identity, heritage, traditions, and understandings of God, and feels no need to run down other churches in order to feel secure about itself. A healthy community is one that appreciates and celebrates the church of Christ that is diverse, and yet united by one Spirit, one Creed, one Eucharist. A healthy community can say about others, “Yes, we are not a part of that church, they are not one of us, we have our ways, they have theirs, but we are all ministering in the name of Christ, and God is working through them like God is working through us. Glory to God!” This is a healthy attitude that Christ desires for His Church.
For those within the church who do not hold this attitude and try to infect a community of faith with a spirit of divisiveness and religious bigotry, Jesus instructs: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, for it is better to enter the kingdom maimed than have both hands and go to eternal punishment.” This is a teaching about internal discipline. We are not to judge others who are not a part of our fellowship, but we must hold each other accountable and cut off those who would seek to poison our fellowship, not out of hatred or animosity, but for the sake of the community, and especially for those who are weak in faith.
Consider, you discover that one of your eyes is diseased. To keep that diseased eye in your body would lead you to a painful death. But to have that diseased eye removed would allow you to live well for many more years. Although it is painful and not a pleasing thing to do, because you would want both of your eyes, but for the sake of your whole body, you must have the diseased eye removed. It is of this spirit that we watch over one another in love and, if need be, cut off those among us who are harming the whole body. What a difficult thing. It is an action that requires much discernment and hesitancy. By God’s grace let it never be. But Christ is clear. A healthy community is critical for the protection of those who are weak in faith. Rigorous internal discipline must be there, and we all must make every effort to build one another up.
It is a difficult struggle. God knows this. And it is a battle to maintain a healthy community of faith because the Adversary never tires in disrupting our fellowship. God is gracious, and full of mercy. God can heal every wound if we turn to Him in repentance and humility. May the Holy Spirit continue to work among us and within our hearts, that we might grow in our love for God, and for all whom God loves, that there would be increasingly among us a spirit of unity in the bond of peace, for the sake of the least of these and for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
So, You Want to be First?
Reflections on Mark 9:30-37
The vanity of the disciples is on display in this passage. But, you can’t really blame them. They were victims of their own misunderstanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the messiah. The disciples thought that the longed for messiah would be a charismatic leader that would mobilize the masses, renew the strength of Israel, bring back the golden days. And they were blessed to be hand-picked by the messiah, in spite of their humble background, to be on the inside of this great restoration. Surely, visions of grandeur played out in their cumulative fantasies. Filled with such glorious and foolish thoughts, their minds turned naturally toward figuring out who among them ought to be first in command, underneath Jesus of course. Perhaps there had been some internal bickering. Why did Peter, James, and John get singled out as the inner circle? What did it mean that Peter was going to get the keys to the kingdom?
And so, while Jesus was announcing to His disciples a second time that He would be betrayed into human hands, be killed, and on the third day be raised, the disciples were truly flummoxed. What does this mean, that the messiah would be betrayed? Not by any of them! Who would be so foolish? And how does being killed help the cause? And what does Jesus mean that he will come back to life? No one comes back to life. Their conception of Jesus and their place in relationship with Him did not square with what Jesus was telling them. And in that moment of confusion, that seemed to call into question their fantasy of future glory, they chose to be silent and feared to ask Him about it, for fear of what Jesus might say. Instead, they all set what Jesus said in the back of their minds and went on discussing with one another who ought to be second-in-command, first among the disciples. Instead of coming to terms with reality, they decided to stick with their fantasy.
Once again, Jesus demonstrates His great patience and compassion for the disciples He chose. He did not lash out at them for their foolish vanity. Instead, he turned this situation into a teachable moment. He sat down, taking the position of a teacher. And He gathered the disciples around Him, as if they are His students. We are drawn into this, seeing that what Jesus is about to say is very important, not only for the disciples, but for us. Jesus is about to state another core teaching.
The teaching begins with the phrase, “If you want…”. It is similar to last week’s teaching on being a follower of Jesus. Jesus again makes it clear that free will is critical. Nothing is coerced or forced from Jesus. Everything about our relationship with Christ, and with God for that matter, is based on free choice. We can choose to believe or not believe, to follow or not follow, to love or not love, to be obedient or do our own thing.
And so, Jesus teaches, “If you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all.” This is a teaching that is aimed squarely at the vanity and envy of the disciples. It is aimed at those who jockey for position and status, who force their need to be heard, to have the final word, to be the decider, or to be the person in charge. Jesus disarms this kind of cunning and politicking. Jesus dismisses such envy, arrogance, false pride and vanity. Instead, Jesus points to the truth of the matter, that those of first importance are those who assume the lowest place and assists everyone who is in need. It is the truth that those who are most highly regarded are those that are too busy serving others that they don’t have time or interest in arguing about who is most important, pushing themselves to the top, or protecting their preeminence. They are too busy serving to worry about who is calling the shots, or who may be questioning their authority, what little they have.
Of course, the One who should have first place in our lives, the One calling the shots, Who has the greatest influence on our life is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who did not consider equality with God the Father as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the role of a servant, condescending to suffer death, and now has ascended to the highest heaven, and exalted, so that His name is above all names. Jesus our Lord became a servant of all. The One through whom all life came to be, emptied Himself of life and suffered death so that the permanence of death could be undone by His resurrection, so that through Him all may be saved and have eternal life. In this way, Jesus has been a servant to all humanity, for through Him death has been defeated for all and the gate to eternal life has been opened for all to walk through who choose to. Eternal life is available to all through the servant work of Jesus.
And Jesus serves those who can in no way reciprocate tangibly for the service rendered. Not one of us can offer our life to redeem Christ’s life. We can do no good thing without the grace of God that works in and through us. We cannot bestow any honor or dignity on the Lord of Lords. We can only receive gratefully what Christ has done for our behalf with a thankful heart. We can’t elevate Jesus any higher than He already is, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. His name is already above every other name. We can’t return the favor for what Jesus has done for us. Jesus will not get any extra benefit from us for the service He rendered us.
Nor does Jesus demand repayment from us. All Jesus wants is to be in relationship with us, to live in our hearts, to be in communion with Him, to come and enter into the joy of the Master.
This leads Jesus to place before them a little child. In what way can we, in serving a child, be compensated by that child for our service? Can the child grant us a promotion? Can the child put us in a position of greater authority and responsibility? Can the child pay us money as compensation for whatever we have done for them? What can a child do to reciprocate for what you have done in meeting their needs?
Children cannot pay us back when we help them. They cannot grant us any privilege or benefit. They cannot return the favor. We cannot “network” with a child. And so it is, that by serving a child, by assisting those, offering hospitality to, welcoming and associating with those who cannot compensate us for our efforts, this causes us to follow the example of Christ, who has served us who can never adequately compensate Him for His effort. So it is, that by welcoming a child, we welcome Christ, and the One who sent Him, our Heavenly Father. This is a mystery that we can’t comprehend. But we can comprehend following the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for our lives, for us who cannot give our lives as a ransom for His, for Jesus is the giver of life, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights, all power and authority comes from God, and the name of Jesus is above every name, and at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and earth.
We are, then, to put to death within us all vanity, envy, and desire for power and influence, to empty ourselves, and to be servants to all. Our goal, our struggle in life, should be to seek the lowest position and not the highest. And when we are placed in positions of honor, or of authority, we must submit to this position with genuine humility and with hesitance, and with a true sense of unworthiness. As an example, we look to Paul, regarded as the greatest of apostles, yet he was one untimely called, for he was not one of the Twelve, he persecuted the church, and he considers himself the chief of sinners.
Maybe you don’t want to be first. Maybe you do not desire a place of honor. You are perfectly content to be unremarkable, unknown, of no consequence, behind the scenes, unacknowledged. If that is true for you, keep it that way and do not change your course. Remain motivated simply to follow the example of Christ, and be rewarded in knowing that when you welcome a child, or one who is similar to a child in lack of power or ability to repay or reward you, then you welcome Christ, and the One who sent Christ for our salvation.
The vanity of the disciples is on display in this passage. But, you can’t really blame them. They were victims of their own misunderstanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the messiah. The disciples thought that the longed for messiah would be a charismatic leader that would mobilize the masses, renew the strength of Israel, bring back the golden days. And they were blessed to be hand-picked by the messiah, in spite of their humble background, to be on the inside of this great restoration. Surely, visions of grandeur played out in their cumulative fantasies. Filled with such glorious and foolish thoughts, their minds turned naturally toward figuring out who among them ought to be first in command, underneath Jesus of course. Perhaps there had been some internal bickering. Why did Peter, James, and John get singled out as the inner circle? What did it mean that Peter was going to get the keys to the kingdom?
And so, while Jesus was announcing to His disciples a second time that He would be betrayed into human hands, be killed, and on the third day be raised, the disciples were truly flummoxed. What does this mean, that the messiah would be betrayed? Not by any of them! Who would be so foolish? And how does being killed help the cause? And what does Jesus mean that he will come back to life? No one comes back to life. Their conception of Jesus and their place in relationship with Him did not square with what Jesus was telling them. And in that moment of confusion, that seemed to call into question their fantasy of future glory, they chose to be silent and feared to ask Him about it, for fear of what Jesus might say. Instead, they all set what Jesus said in the back of their minds and went on discussing with one another who ought to be second-in-command, first among the disciples. Instead of coming to terms with reality, they decided to stick with their fantasy.
Once again, Jesus demonstrates His great patience and compassion for the disciples He chose. He did not lash out at them for their foolish vanity. Instead, he turned this situation into a teachable moment. He sat down, taking the position of a teacher. And He gathered the disciples around Him, as if they are His students. We are drawn into this, seeing that what Jesus is about to say is very important, not only for the disciples, but for us. Jesus is about to state another core teaching.
The teaching begins with the phrase, “If you want…”. It is similar to last week’s teaching on being a follower of Jesus. Jesus again makes it clear that free will is critical. Nothing is coerced or forced from Jesus. Everything about our relationship with Christ, and with God for that matter, is based on free choice. We can choose to believe or not believe, to follow or not follow, to love or not love, to be obedient or do our own thing.
And so, Jesus teaches, “If you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all.” This is a teaching that is aimed squarely at the vanity and envy of the disciples. It is aimed at those who jockey for position and status, who force their need to be heard, to have the final word, to be the decider, or to be the person in charge. Jesus disarms this kind of cunning and politicking. Jesus dismisses such envy, arrogance, false pride and vanity. Instead, Jesus points to the truth of the matter, that those of first importance are those who assume the lowest place and assists everyone who is in need. It is the truth that those who are most highly regarded are those that are too busy serving others that they don’t have time or interest in arguing about who is most important, pushing themselves to the top, or protecting their preeminence. They are too busy serving to worry about who is calling the shots, or who may be questioning their authority, what little they have.
Of course, the One who should have first place in our lives, the One calling the shots, Who has the greatest influence on our life is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who did not consider equality with God the Father as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the role of a servant, condescending to suffer death, and now has ascended to the highest heaven, and exalted, so that His name is above all names. Jesus our Lord became a servant of all. The One through whom all life came to be, emptied Himself of life and suffered death so that the permanence of death could be undone by His resurrection, so that through Him all may be saved and have eternal life. In this way, Jesus has been a servant to all humanity, for through Him death has been defeated for all and the gate to eternal life has been opened for all to walk through who choose to. Eternal life is available to all through the servant work of Jesus.
And Jesus serves those who can in no way reciprocate tangibly for the service rendered. Not one of us can offer our life to redeem Christ’s life. We can do no good thing without the grace of God that works in and through us. We cannot bestow any honor or dignity on the Lord of Lords. We can only receive gratefully what Christ has done for our behalf with a thankful heart. We can’t elevate Jesus any higher than He already is, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. His name is already above every other name. We can’t return the favor for what Jesus has done for us. Jesus will not get any extra benefit from us for the service He rendered us.
Nor does Jesus demand repayment from us. All Jesus wants is to be in relationship with us, to live in our hearts, to be in communion with Him, to come and enter into the joy of the Master.
This leads Jesus to place before them a little child. In what way can we, in serving a child, be compensated by that child for our service? Can the child grant us a promotion? Can the child put us in a position of greater authority and responsibility? Can the child pay us money as compensation for whatever we have done for them? What can a child do to reciprocate for what you have done in meeting their needs?
Children cannot pay us back when we help them. They cannot grant us any privilege or benefit. They cannot return the favor. We cannot “network” with a child. And so it is, that by serving a child, by assisting those, offering hospitality to, welcoming and associating with those who cannot compensate us for our efforts, this causes us to follow the example of Christ, who has served us who can never adequately compensate Him for His effort. So it is, that by welcoming a child, we welcome Christ, and the One who sent Him, our Heavenly Father. This is a mystery that we can’t comprehend. But we can comprehend following the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for our lives, for us who cannot give our lives as a ransom for His, for Jesus is the giver of life, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights, all power and authority comes from God, and the name of Jesus is above every name, and at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and earth.
We are, then, to put to death within us all vanity, envy, and desire for power and influence, to empty ourselves, and to be servants to all. Our goal, our struggle in life, should be to seek the lowest position and not the highest. And when we are placed in positions of honor, or of authority, we must submit to this position with genuine humility and with hesitance, and with a true sense of unworthiness. As an example, we look to Paul, regarded as the greatest of apostles, yet he was one untimely called, for he was not one of the Twelve, he persecuted the church, and he considers himself the chief of sinners.
Maybe you don’t want to be first. Maybe you do not desire a place of honor. You are perfectly content to be unremarkable, unknown, of no consequence, behind the scenes, unacknowledged. If that is true for you, keep it that way and do not change your course. Remain motivated simply to follow the example of Christ, and be rewarded in knowing that when you welcome a child, or one who is similar to a child in lack of power or ability to repay or reward you, then you welcome Christ, and the One who sent Christ for our salvation.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Most Important Question
Reflections on Mark 8:27-38
“Who do you say I am?” This question that Jesus asked his disciples, and asks each of us, is the most important question we have to answer, because the answer to that question has profound implications on our life, and on our salvation. It is no trivial matter in coming to terms with the identity of Jesus. What a person thinks about Jesus, believes about Jesus, matters.
Some believe Jesus is a wonder-worker, a healer. They look to Jesus as one whom they hope will save them of their problems or bring healing into their life. They are looking for a blessing. They are looking for prosperity. They are looking for a victorious life. They look to Jesus and believe, as Jesus says, “whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.” Jesus wants to bless us. Jesus wants to give us the victory. We just have to trust Jesus and everything will be all right, because Jesus works miracles. He will give us an abundant life. He is a wonder-worker.
Some believe Jesus is a prophet. He speaks truth to power. He uncovers the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and lifts up the dignity of the downtrodden and discounted. He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. He proclaims a call to true holiness based on the heart and not on external appearance or ethnicity. Jesus echoes the message of all the great prophets, calling the people to repent and return to God with a pure heart.
Some believe Jesus is a great teacher. Through his parables he imparts deep spiritual truths that instruct us on how we should live. His wisdom is profound. In Jesus’ teachings we find truth that is purer than gold, that is timeless, and a sure foundation upon which to build one’s life.
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” all the disciples answered. The responses of the people were unbiased. They reflected what they had seen and heard about Jesus. Their opinion of Jesus was not completely correct. The opinions of the masses was only partially true. People in general had impressions of who Jesus was. But they did not have the complete picture.
So it was that Jesus invited his disciples to reflect more deeply by asking them, “But who do you say I am?” That question infers that Jesus is more than what most people believed. And whereas before, all the disciples responded to the question Jesus asked, this time only Peter spoke by saying, “You are the Christ.” God gave Peter that revelation. By God’s grace, Peter was able to confess that Jesus was more than a wonder-worker, more than a prophet, more than a teacher. He is the anointed one, the redeemer, the messiah, the Christ. Making that confession has implications too. If Jesus is the Christ, then the implication would be a desire to follow Him, for the Christ comes to save, to redeem, to lead out of bondage into freedom.
So, if the disciples believe that Jesus is the Christ, then Jesus tells them what the implications are. Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers…” Note here that no one is compelled to follow Jesus. No one is coerced. But each person is free to choose whether or not they will follow Jesus. Along with answering the question, “Who is Jesus,” is the related choice, “Will you follow Him?” If a person, who believes that Jesus is the Christ, desires to follow Him, this is what that person must do.
First, you must deny yourself. The word used for “deny” is the same word used when Peter denied knowing Jesus. When Peter was questioned whether he was one of Jesus’ followers, Peter denied it. He said, “I do not belong with him. I do not know him.” Peter renounced Jesus. He separated himself from any relationship with Jesus. He distanced himself from him. This is what Jesus is demanding of one who would follow him. The follower of Jesus must first renounce himself. You are to distance yourself from yourself. That is, you are to renounce any attachment to your self-interest or selfish desires and ambitions. You are to disregard any notion of what belongs to you, what you deserve, what is in your rights to have. You are to care nothing for your self. How many of us stumble at this beginning point? How many of us are often more concerned about self-preservation, self-interest, for what makes us comfortable? Our self-centeredness is profound and is nourished by a self-centered society. The only way to break out of our selfishness is by the grace of God to assist us. We cannot do it on our own.
Second, you must take up your cross. The cross was the first century version of the lynching tree or the electric chair. It is designed to be a shameful way to die. What does it mean to embrace the first century version of the lynching tree as your lot? When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, it is to be ever mindful of our mortality, and the truth that in the great scheme of things, our deaths will be hardly noticed by anybody. In a way, constantly acknowledging our mortality and our general insignificance in the scope of time helps us put into proper perspective our own self. Why get caught up in your own life, in what you want and desire, when your life is basically meaningless? You can gain the whole world, and you will still die and be forgotten as time rolls on. How much do we resist contemplating our own mortality. How much we refuse to own up to the truth that when we die, most of the world won’t even know we existed, and even those we leave behind, although they will grieve, will pick up and move on in their lives without us. To ponder our mortality is truly depressing. And Jesus says, if you want to follow him, you have to carry your cross, you have to be ever mindful of your own mortality. Only by the grace of God can we get to this second implication of being a follower of Jesus. Disavowing self-interest and acknowledging one’s mortality go hand in hand.
Third, Jesus says that by denying your self, by being mindful of your death that will be unacknowledged by most people, you then follow Jesus. Where is Jesus? Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. By following Jesus, you eventually end up before the Throne of God. You end up in Paradise. You end up in a place so beautiful, so peaceful, so filled with life, beauty and rapture, that puts all the glories of this world to shame. The greatest riches of this world pale in comparison to the great riches that await those who enter paradise. The end of the journey to where Jesus is, is a glorious end. And as the grace of God helps us deny ourselves, and helps us be mindful of our mortality and general insignificance, so it is by God’s grace that we find ourselves eventually before His Throne. And it is by God’s grace that we will hear those glorious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”
If any of you are like me, I’m still stuck on the first requirement of following Jesus. I believe Jesus is the Christ, as I’m sure you all do as well. But my selfishness is deep. I suppose I am not alone. Let this be continually our prayer, that God would forgive us, that God would help us die to ourselves, fill us with the Holy Spirit and with joy, and grant us grace and mercy. If there’s anything we learn from this passage, it is that we cannot save ourselves. We don’t need a miracle worker. We don’t need a prophet. We don’t need a teacher. We need a savior. And Jesus Christ is our savior. And if we are mindful of Christ’s invitation to follow Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, day by day, year by year, we can hope to slowly deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him into paradise.
“Who do you say I am?” This question that Jesus asked his disciples, and asks each of us, is the most important question we have to answer, because the answer to that question has profound implications on our life, and on our salvation. It is no trivial matter in coming to terms with the identity of Jesus. What a person thinks about Jesus, believes about Jesus, matters.
Some believe Jesus is a wonder-worker, a healer. They look to Jesus as one whom they hope will save them of their problems or bring healing into their life. They are looking for a blessing. They are looking for prosperity. They are looking for a victorious life. They look to Jesus and believe, as Jesus says, “whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.” Jesus wants to bless us. Jesus wants to give us the victory. We just have to trust Jesus and everything will be all right, because Jesus works miracles. He will give us an abundant life. He is a wonder-worker.
Some believe Jesus is a prophet. He speaks truth to power. He uncovers the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and lifts up the dignity of the downtrodden and discounted. He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. He proclaims a call to true holiness based on the heart and not on external appearance or ethnicity. Jesus echoes the message of all the great prophets, calling the people to repent and return to God with a pure heart.
Some believe Jesus is a great teacher. Through his parables he imparts deep spiritual truths that instruct us on how we should live. His wisdom is profound. In Jesus’ teachings we find truth that is purer than gold, that is timeless, and a sure foundation upon which to build one’s life.
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” all the disciples answered. The responses of the people were unbiased. They reflected what they had seen and heard about Jesus. Their opinion of Jesus was not completely correct. The opinions of the masses was only partially true. People in general had impressions of who Jesus was. But they did not have the complete picture.
So it was that Jesus invited his disciples to reflect more deeply by asking them, “But who do you say I am?” That question infers that Jesus is more than what most people believed. And whereas before, all the disciples responded to the question Jesus asked, this time only Peter spoke by saying, “You are the Christ.” God gave Peter that revelation. By God’s grace, Peter was able to confess that Jesus was more than a wonder-worker, more than a prophet, more than a teacher. He is the anointed one, the redeemer, the messiah, the Christ. Making that confession has implications too. If Jesus is the Christ, then the implication would be a desire to follow Him, for the Christ comes to save, to redeem, to lead out of bondage into freedom.
So, if the disciples believe that Jesus is the Christ, then Jesus tells them what the implications are. Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers…” Note here that no one is compelled to follow Jesus. No one is coerced. But each person is free to choose whether or not they will follow Jesus. Along with answering the question, “Who is Jesus,” is the related choice, “Will you follow Him?” If a person, who believes that Jesus is the Christ, desires to follow Him, this is what that person must do.
First, you must deny yourself. The word used for “deny” is the same word used when Peter denied knowing Jesus. When Peter was questioned whether he was one of Jesus’ followers, Peter denied it. He said, “I do not belong with him. I do not know him.” Peter renounced Jesus. He separated himself from any relationship with Jesus. He distanced himself from him. This is what Jesus is demanding of one who would follow him. The follower of Jesus must first renounce himself. You are to distance yourself from yourself. That is, you are to renounce any attachment to your self-interest or selfish desires and ambitions. You are to disregard any notion of what belongs to you, what you deserve, what is in your rights to have. You are to care nothing for your self. How many of us stumble at this beginning point? How many of us are often more concerned about self-preservation, self-interest, for what makes us comfortable? Our self-centeredness is profound and is nourished by a self-centered society. The only way to break out of our selfishness is by the grace of God to assist us. We cannot do it on our own.
Second, you must take up your cross. The cross was the first century version of the lynching tree or the electric chair. It is designed to be a shameful way to die. What does it mean to embrace the first century version of the lynching tree as your lot? When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, it is to be ever mindful of our mortality, and the truth that in the great scheme of things, our deaths will be hardly noticed by anybody. In a way, constantly acknowledging our mortality and our general insignificance in the scope of time helps us put into proper perspective our own self. Why get caught up in your own life, in what you want and desire, when your life is basically meaningless? You can gain the whole world, and you will still die and be forgotten as time rolls on. How much do we resist contemplating our own mortality. How much we refuse to own up to the truth that when we die, most of the world won’t even know we existed, and even those we leave behind, although they will grieve, will pick up and move on in their lives without us. To ponder our mortality is truly depressing. And Jesus says, if you want to follow him, you have to carry your cross, you have to be ever mindful of your own mortality. Only by the grace of God can we get to this second implication of being a follower of Jesus. Disavowing self-interest and acknowledging one’s mortality go hand in hand.
Third, Jesus says that by denying your self, by being mindful of your death that will be unacknowledged by most people, you then follow Jesus. Where is Jesus? Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. By following Jesus, you eventually end up before the Throne of God. You end up in Paradise. You end up in a place so beautiful, so peaceful, so filled with life, beauty and rapture, that puts all the glories of this world to shame. The greatest riches of this world pale in comparison to the great riches that await those who enter paradise. The end of the journey to where Jesus is, is a glorious end. And as the grace of God helps us deny ourselves, and helps us be mindful of our mortality and general insignificance, so it is by God’s grace that we find ourselves eventually before His Throne. And it is by God’s grace that we will hear those glorious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”
If any of you are like me, I’m still stuck on the first requirement of following Jesus. I believe Jesus is the Christ, as I’m sure you all do as well. But my selfishness is deep. I suppose I am not alone. Let this be continually our prayer, that God would forgive us, that God would help us die to ourselves, fill us with the Holy Spirit and with joy, and grant us grace and mercy. If there’s anything we learn from this passage, it is that we cannot save ourselves. We don’t need a miracle worker. We don’t need a prophet. We don’t need a teacher. We need a savior. And Jesus Christ is our savior. And if we are mindful of Christ’s invitation to follow Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, day by day, year by year, we can hope to slowly deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him into paradise.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Reflection on Mark 7:24-37
It is one of the more shocking sentences that comes from Jesus’ mouth when he says to the woman, “It is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs.” It flies in the face of what we think should come out of Jesus’ mouth. We presume Jesus would never say such a thing. But He does, and we are scandalized.
However, this woman has no presumption at all about what Jesus might say. And her humility is truly astounding. How many of us, in her position, would have been discouraged and ashamed and run off after being told this? Or would we perhaps have gotten angry and defensive? She did neither, but willingly admitted that in fact she is a dog, and not a child of God. She makes no claim to have any right to sit at the table. Nor does she presume that this is necessary. She believes that if she could just receive a crumb of blessing, that would be enough.
When Jesus tells her that it is not right to give the bread to the dogs, Jesus is not talking about literal food. The bread he is talking about is spiritual food. It is precious and holy and must be handled with care. She understood that she was not deserving of, nor could lay claim, to this spiritual food, this bread that Jesus provides. She is fully aware of how precious this bread is and would not presume to eat of it or be served it. She does not demand a seat at the table. She knows that if she just had a crumb that fell from the table, that would be enough to heal her daughter. It’s just like the woman with the hemorrhage, that believed, “If I just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.” It is like the centurion who sought the healing of his servant, who said to Jesus, “I am not worthy that you enter my house, just say the word and I know he will be healed.” In these three people, they display a deep sense of humility and show no sign of presumption regarding what Jesus might do for them. They are great examples to emulate, that we too might have that same humility and guard ourselves from being presumptuous of God’s favor.
But note this, although the woman was extremely humble and placed no demands on Jesus, she also was bold in her request and self-possessed enough to respond to Jesus’ words with great clarity. She was humble and courageous, not presuming any blessing yet persistent when first denied. We also should develop this capacity in ourselves in our relationship with God, and perhaps with others, to be both humble and courageous, to presume nothing yet be bold and persistent in asking for help from those who we believe can help us or those we love, and to ask for help from God who can do all things.
What is common in both healing stories is that the one who is ill needs someone to pray on their behalf, to go and ask Jesus to heal them. The little child could not speak for herself, nor could the deaf-mute man. They were dependent on the advocacy of others. Not everyone who is ill has the capacity to pray to God to heal them. Perhaps they are too young. Or they have some physical or mental limitation. Or perhaps they are not a believer, or they have lost their faith, or so deep in despair that words escape them and find themselves unable to pray.
We see in these healing stories that the prayers offered on behalf of others are prayers that God can answer. People can be healed for whom we pray. We have heard many testimonies of this truth in our congregation during times of sharing joys and concerns. It is a great privilege and obligation that we have, to pray on behalf of others for their healing.
Praying for the healing of others is an act of love. See how in these healing stories, the mother and the friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen themselves. The mother did not ask Jesus to strengthen her so she could care for her daughter in her illness. The friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen them so that they could care better for their friend. Of course, there is nothing wrong about asking for strength if you are a caregiver. I can imagine the strain placed on those of you who find yourself caring for an aging parent. But the people in these healing stories did not ask that God might strengthen them in their care giving capacity. They prayed that the one they love would be healed, so that they can take care of themselves. The mother wanted her daughter to be healed. The friends wanted their friend to be able to see and speak. They wanted those whom they loved to be made whole. They were not asking for strength and endurance in adversity, they were praying that the situation would change, that things would be made right, that there would be life, deliverance, and wholeness.
The mother and these friends did not want those they loved to remain in a state of illness. Motivated by love, they came to Jesus to seek healing. And they came with no preconceived notion of how Jesus would heal. The woman was grateful for a crumb of blessing. The friends were fine with the unusual way Jesus healed their friend by sticking his fingers in their friend’s ears and on his tongue and spitting on the ground. However, and even if, Jesus could heal the one they loved was up to Jesus. All they wanted was for there to be healing and they were confident that Jesus could heal them, undeserving though they are for such a blessing. In other words, the woman and the friends, out of love, were desperate for healing and were willing to humbly but boldly ask for Jesus to heal if He so chooses.
Praying for the healing of others is a loving act. It is a proactive way that we can respond to the suffering of those who love, to ask God to heal them, to deliver them, to make them whole, to forgive them, and to receive them in His arms when death comes. To pray for others, and not just for ourselves, is an act of love. So let us be steadfast in praying for the healing of those we love, with humility and not with a sense of entitlement to God’s blessing, and with no preconceived ideas of how this healing should take place or even if it will, and be grateful for whatever healing takes place. And let us not take for granted the great privilege we have to pray on behalf of others. With humility, boldness, and persistence, let us continue to pray on behalf of the world and all the people.
However, this woman has no presumption at all about what Jesus might say. And her humility is truly astounding. How many of us, in her position, would have been discouraged and ashamed and run off after being told this? Or would we perhaps have gotten angry and defensive? She did neither, but willingly admitted that in fact she is a dog, and not a child of God. She makes no claim to have any right to sit at the table. Nor does she presume that this is necessary. She believes that if she could just receive a crumb of blessing, that would be enough.
When Jesus tells her that it is not right to give the bread to the dogs, Jesus is not talking about literal food. The bread he is talking about is spiritual food. It is precious and holy and must be handled with care. She understood that she was not deserving of, nor could lay claim, to this spiritual food, this bread that Jesus provides. She is fully aware of how precious this bread is and would not presume to eat of it or be served it. She does not demand a seat at the table. She knows that if she just had a crumb that fell from the table, that would be enough to heal her daughter. It’s just like the woman with the hemorrhage, that believed, “If I just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.” It is like the centurion who sought the healing of his servant, who said to Jesus, “I am not worthy that you enter my house, just say the word and I know he will be healed.” In these three people, they display a deep sense of humility and show no sign of presumption regarding what Jesus might do for them. They are great examples to emulate, that we too might have that same humility and guard ourselves from being presumptuous of God’s favor.
But note this, although the woman was extremely humble and placed no demands on Jesus, she also was bold in her request and self-possessed enough to respond to Jesus’ words with great clarity. She was humble and courageous, not presuming any blessing yet persistent when first denied. We also should develop this capacity in ourselves in our relationship with God, and perhaps with others, to be both humble and courageous, to presume nothing yet be bold and persistent in asking for help from those who we believe can help us or those we love, and to ask for help from God who can do all things.
What is common in both healing stories is that the one who is ill needs someone to pray on their behalf, to go and ask Jesus to heal them. The little child could not speak for herself, nor could the deaf-mute man. They were dependent on the advocacy of others. Not everyone who is ill has the capacity to pray to God to heal them. Perhaps they are too young. Or they have some physical or mental limitation. Or perhaps they are not a believer, or they have lost their faith, or so deep in despair that words escape them and find themselves unable to pray.
We see in these healing stories that the prayers offered on behalf of others are prayers that God can answer. People can be healed for whom we pray. We have heard many testimonies of this truth in our congregation during times of sharing joys and concerns. It is a great privilege and obligation that we have, to pray on behalf of others for their healing.
Praying for the healing of others is an act of love. See how in these healing stories, the mother and the friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen themselves. The mother did not ask Jesus to strengthen her so she could care for her daughter in her illness. The friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen them so that they could care better for their friend. Of course, there is nothing wrong about asking for strength if you are a caregiver. I can imagine the strain placed on those of you who find yourself caring for an aging parent. But the people in these healing stories did not ask that God might strengthen them in their care giving capacity. They prayed that the one they love would be healed, so that they can take care of themselves. The mother wanted her daughter to be healed. The friends wanted their friend to be able to see and speak. They wanted those whom they loved to be made whole. They were not asking for strength and endurance in adversity, they were praying that the situation would change, that things would be made right, that there would be life, deliverance, and wholeness.
The mother and these friends did not want those they loved to remain in a state of illness. Motivated by love, they came to Jesus to seek healing. And they came with no preconceived notion of how Jesus would heal. The woman was grateful for a crumb of blessing. The friends were fine with the unusual way Jesus healed their friend by sticking his fingers in their friend’s ears and on his tongue and spitting on the ground. However, and even if, Jesus could heal the one they loved was up to Jesus. All they wanted was for there to be healing and they were confident that Jesus could heal them, undeserving though they are for such a blessing. In other words, the woman and the friends, out of love, were desperate for healing and were willing to humbly but boldly ask for Jesus to heal if He so chooses.
Praying for the healing of others is a loving act. It is a proactive way that we can respond to the suffering of those who love, to ask God to heal them, to deliver them, to make them whole, to forgive them, and to receive them in His arms when death comes. To pray for others, and not just for ourselves, is an act of love. So let us be steadfast in praying for the healing of those we love, with humility and not with a sense of entitlement to God’s blessing, and with no preconceived ideas of how this healing should take place or even if it will, and be grateful for whatever healing takes place. And let us not take for granted the great privilege we have to pray on behalf of others. With humility, boldness, and persistence, let us continue to pray on behalf of the world and all the people.
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