Mark Edwards in his commentary on the book of Mark says these words in regards to our Gospel lesson from the 14th chapter, “The world has never had a problem with religion in moderation. It has no problem with too much wealth or power or sex or influence, but it has a problem with too much religion.”
You don’t even have to leave these four walls this morning to realize the truth of this statement. Now, this doesn’t apply to all churches, but it certainly does to this one. What do I mean? Well, just let someone stand up this morning and begin waving their hands or dancing to the music, and tell me what would go through most of your heads? Let someone shout out “Amen” to a particular point in my sermon, and tell me what most of you would think. Heck, just let me try to ask you a question in the middle of my sermon and expect you to answer. Why is it that I have to repeat a question several times before anyone is brave enough to speak? “That’s not how we do it here,” is often repeated. Translation: generally, we’re not comfortable with being too demonstrable with our faith. We are happy to sit. We are happy to listen. We are happy to sing a little bit, but to go above and beyond? To become exuberant? To have someone other than the pastor pray? To talk about how God has moved in our lives? Not generally gonna happen.
Society tends to feel the exact same way. There is an unwritten rule out in the world these days: believe what you want, but don’t try to convince anyone else that your beliefs are right or true or good for everyone. Keep your religion to yourself. It’s better for everyone that way. Aside from the fact that such a rule is a belief in and of itself that is being imposed upon others, society is quick to demand that we religious people put our faith into action by helping others as long as we don’t try to convince others to believe like we believe. In other words, we are invited to respond to the recent flooding in our communities by donating of our time, money, and goods, but the moment we try to do so in the name of Jesus or God, we are essentially told, “Don’t push that!! Just help out. Shut up about your beliefs.” The world doesn’t have a problem with religion in moderation–it does with too much religion.
In some ways, it’s not difficult to understand why. We know the dangers of too much religion. We’ve seen people who are so convinced of the rightness of their religion and the wrongness of others that they are willing to fly airplanes into buildings, commit atrocities like cutting off people’s heads, bomb buildings, protest at funerals, and verbally abuse others. The vast majority of people condemn such behavior. The vast majority of people want no part of such behavior. The vast majority of people want to see such behavior gone from the planet so that we can live in peace. If people only toned down their religious beliefs, then all this stuff would stop–at least, that’s the hypothesis. But what if the hypothesis is wrong?
Today, we begin the final chapters of the book of Mark–the passion of Jesus. Chapter 14 begins with some daunting sentences, “14It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; 2for they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’” We know from our travels through Mark that the chief priests and the scribes are Jesus’ enemies. They do not like Him because He is a threat to everything they stand for. Jesus has undermined their thoughts about what the Kingdom of God is supposed to look like. He has taught a very different understanding of what it means to be right in the sight of God. Jesus has revealed the selfishness of their hearts and has shown that they are more interested in money than in getting people to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The chief priests and the scribes hate Jesus, and they want to get rid of Him, but they cannot do so openly. Their actions would cause a riot because Jesus was popular with the people. As Edwards again says in his commentary, “The resolution to kill Jesus is an official decision as opposed to a popular decision.”
As of this point, we might say, “Well, here is further proof of the hypothesis. The chief priests and the scribes had too much religion. If they didn’t have too much religion, they would not have tried to kill Jesus.” Yes, you have some evidence, but let’s press onward.
Mark now shifts the scene to a house–the house of Simon the Leper. This house is in Bethany, and Jesus and His disciples are there for dinner. It is during dinner as Jesus sat at table that an extravagant event takes place. A woman enters carrying an alabaster jar. She breaks the jar, and pours the contents all over Jesus’ head. Now, let’s examine the details of this more closely. For you see, it was a social taboo for a woman to interrupt a meal of Jewish men unless she was serving food.
This woman stepped all over societal custom. Not only did she break society’s unspoken rules, she did something rather lavish. Those around observed that the perfume that was used could have been sold for over 300 denarii. It was a rare perfume that had come from India. This was the equivalent of a year’s wages. Imagine taking a year’s worth of your income and putting it into a jar, breaking the jar and then pouring the entire amount on someone. That is what this woman just did! And she broke the jar too so–there was no going back. There was no saving anything that was left over. There was a totality to her gift. She was giving it all! And, since most women had no ability to come up with this much money in that day, it was probably a family heirloom that had been given to her. It not only had monetary value; it had sentimental value. So, let’s put this into a bit of perspective: this woman stepped all over societal customs to lavishly dispose of a jar of perfume that cost a year’s wages that was probably a gift to her or her family by pouring the entire jar onto Jesus’ head. Extravagant? You bet. To the extreme.
Now, the fallout to her extravagance is almost expected. There is an uproar, especially among the disciples. They complain. “That could have been sold and the money given to the poor!” And they scolded the woman.
Jesus turns the tables on them, and harshly. Why? Let me read to you Edward’s commentary once again. Please listen carefully:
We cannot know whether their indignation is owing to genuine concern for the poor, or whether, as is often the case, the poor are simply used as a pretext for other motives. Whatever their motives, they regard the costly devotion of the woman as a “waste.” Their condemnation obviously demeans the woman and her gift. In asserting that there could be better use for the money, however, they demean Jesus as well, whom they regard as unworthy of such extravagance. The world has never had a problem with religion in moderation. It has no problem with too much wealth or power or sex or influence, but it has a problem with too much religion. That is evident here. The unnamed woman deems Jesus worthy of her sacrifice, whereas the disciples do not.
Is it any wonder why Jesus turns the tables on the disciples? Is it any wonder why Jesus praises this woman? She is willing to pour great extravagance upon Him. She is willing to spend a year’s wages on Him. She is willing to shower Him with an affection and love that those most closest to Him could not or would not. She deemed Him worthy of such a gift, but the disciples did not.
Now, I don’t want to be too hard on the disciples because ultimately, this story is about Jesus, and there are some who have taken issue with Jesus’ words in response to the woman. “7For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.” Some use Jesus’ statement to relieve themselves of the responsibility of caring for the poor, but that is not what Jesus is saying here. Not in the least. Edwards says something rather interesting about this in his commentary, and we turn to it for a final time. “In placing himself above the poor Jesus places himself above the great commandment to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” Why would Jesus do this?
Well, Jesus said there was only one other commandment greater than love your neighbor as yourself. Do you remember what that commandment was? I do. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.” This woman was putting that into practice. She was pouring out extravagant love upon Jesus–the God incarnate. It is no wonder that Jesus said that her actions would be told wherever the Gospel was proclaimed. This kind of love for Jesus is rarely found throughout the scriptures. Loving God with this kind of extravagant love is not easy to set forth because it comes at a great cost. Most of us aren’t willing to pay that cost. The disciples weren’t willing to pay that cost. And that’s why we generally appreciate a moderate amount of religion. It doesn’t cost much. Extravagant religion costs much.
And you might point out to me right now that this is the problem. Those fanatics who practice too much religion are willing to die themselves. They are willing to die as they kill others. They think other people deserve to die and are heathen. They think other people need to be punished and driven to believe like they believe. We need to keep such religion in check. We need to keep people from becoming too religious!!
Now, wait just a second because there is an alternative to this. Extravagant religion does not by necessity lead to a person killing another person. The extravagant religion the woman showed in this snippet from Mark did not kill anyone at all, and she is but a pale comparison to the heart and core of the Christian faith.
But, you might say that there are more than a few Christians who go around spewing all kinds of hate and violence toward others. There are Christians who protest at funerals holing up signs that say, “God hates fags.” There are Christians who kill abortion doctors. There are Christians who are racist and sexist and homophobic. They think they are right about everything and that God only loves them. They think everyone else is going to hell and that they need to scare them into believing as they believe.
You are correct, but do not confuse their brand of Christianity with what Jesus practiced. Because it was Jesus who practiced a truly extravagant faith–a faith that far surpasses what the woman did to Him. For you see, if there ever was a person who could point the finger at the rest of us, it was Jesus. If there ever was a person who could condemn the rest of us to hell for not following what God demands, it was Jesus. If there ever was a person who could accuse us of missing the mark in loving God and loving our neighbor, it was Jesus. If there ever was a person who could judge us for our failure, it was Jesus. If there ever was one who could scold us and make us feel unworthy of the love of God, it was Jesus.
But what did Jesus do? Did He scold us? Did He condemn us? Did He judge us and call down God’s wrath upon us? No. No He did not. Not in the least. He stretched out His arms and died for us. He faced God’s wrath for us. He paid the price for us. He allowed Himself to be betrayed, condemned, judged, beaten, tortured and crucified. And on the cross, He looked down at those who killed Him, He looked down at us and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” He loved us with an extravagant love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”
Extravagant religion led Jesus to die for you. Extravagant religion led Jesus to love you when you were unlovable. Extravagant religion led Jesus to forgive you when you didn’t deserve it. Extravagant religion led Jesus to save you when you had failed.
Does this kind of love move you? Does this kind of extravagance touch you to the very depths of your heart? If it does, then you will find something dramatic happening within you. You will find a wellspring of love swelling up within you. You will find that you have an extravagant love of God–an extravagant love of Jesus. Your heart will be filled with a desire to love and serve and give to Him. Your heart will be filled with a desire to love like Jesus loved, and you will look at those who disagree with you; you will look at those who have hurt you; you will look at those who are in great need; and you will begin to love them with that kind of extravagant love.
This kind of love is much needed in the days ahead in our community. As we reach out to those affected by the recent floods, it is our call to bring Jesus’ extravagant love to them–to help them know that God is not punishing them; God does not hate them; God loves them. God cares for them. God wants to shower them with an extravagant love, and He will use you and me to be a part of that. Amen.
Showing posts with label fundamentalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fundamentalism. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2016
Monday, August 24, 2015
This is Most Certainly True
We do not know how to wrestle with Truth.
Why would I say such a thing?
I am going to go back a few years to 9/11 when radical Islamists hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentegon, and intended to crash into the capitol building. Initially, we came together as a nation to recognize this attack against us, but then we began disagreeing, sometimes vehemently, on how to respond. There was a particular struggle in how to handle religious ideology –especially in trying to deal with a religious sect that believed it had the absolute Truth and used that belief to justify the killing of innocent people.
There were two basic responses to this. Fortunately, most people know that both responses in and of themselves are inadequate, but we have yet to find a happy medium–if such a thing is even possible. Why would I say that? Let me begin to define the problem as I see it.
As we began to delve into the psyche of those who hijacked the planes, we began to focus on their absolute certainty in their beliefs about God. We reasoned, “If they wouldn’t have been so absolutely certain, they would have been more humble. They would have known that flying those planes into those buildings was wrong. All those people would not have been killed if religious nuts wouldn’t be so certain of their beliefs and try to force them on everyone else.”
And so, there has been a concerted effort among some to question anyone who has certainty in his or her religious convictions. Certainty is the enemy in no uncertain terms, and if anyone espouses certainty, then that person is close minded, arrogant, a fanatic, exclusive, or whatever derogatory term you wish to apply. Now, there are a couple of problems with these trains of thought.
First is the premise. Does certainty necessarily cause people to kill others? Does believing in God with absolute conviction necessarily lead a person to commit atrocities? The answer, of course, is no. As Timothy Keller once reported in his book Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, “You never hear of an Amish terrorist.” Why? Because the Amish believe uncompromisingly that God commands them to be non-violent. Their firm religious conviction leads them to be passivist. So, it’s not religious certainty that leads someone to kill others in the name of faith, there must be something else. We will get to that in just a moment.
The second problem with a war on certainty is that it is logically impossible. You may wonder what I mean by that. Just this: the next time someone comes up to you and says, “We cannot be certain about anything.” Ask them, “Are you certain about that?” Do you see the problem? Even if someone wants to narrow it down and say, “We can never be certain about any claims about religion.” Well, you have just made a truth claim about religious belief. How can you say with certainty that we can have no certainty? The statement is self-defeating. Everyone believes they know something. Everyone has to have some sort of certainty in order to simply function. It is a requirement.
Thirdly, can you imagine anyone preaching a sermon with no certainty? Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to get up in front of a group of people and basically say, "Well IF God exists--now, we don't know for sure. Maybe there is a God, maybe there isn't.--then maybe that God is good. Again, maybe God is evil, but perhaps God is love. And IF that God is love, then maybe, just maybe that God wants us to care for each other, but we really don't know what that God wants if God even exists. But it might be a good idea to care for each other anyway. I can't tell you that for certain, but it might be a good idea." Yeah, how many of you would stick around for that kind of sermon? Certainty is necessary. Even in religious belief.
But if certainty is necessary, then why did religious fanatics hijack planes and kill people? Why do some “Christians” picket funerals of military personnel and cause extra grief for families? Why do some people of religious persuasion have a holier-than-thou demeanor and look down their noses at others?
It’s not because of certainty. It’s because of self-righteousness. It’s because they believe they are better than other people. It’s because they believe they are able to follow the tenets of a particular religion, and they believe everyone else should be able to accomplish what they accomplish. They believe their performance makes them righteous before God, and “if I can do it, everyone else should be doing it too.” And if they are not doing it, “then they are of less value than myself. They are destined to hell. They deserve punishment.” You see, it’s not certainty that leads to the demeaning and killing of others, it is self-righteousness.
And so, we have these two extremes: we have those who don’t want any certainty, and they are convinced that the world would be better if no one had any convictions; and we have those who are consumed with the certainty that they are righteous and everyone else needs to get with the program. And the reality is, there are many of us who actually jump between these two poles depending upon the circumstances. If we don’t like something that someone tries to tell us about faith, we are happy to say, “No one can be certain.” However, if we want others to fall into line with our own train of thought, we will gladly say, “God is (fill in the blank)...” In some ways, we are either too open, too closed, or we gladly jump between the two extremes to suit our own agendas.
You may be wondering just what this has to do with our Gospel lesson from the seventh chapter of the book of Mark. Perhaps it is time to turn to that now.
Jesus has an encounter with a man who is deaf and who has a speech impediment. Jesus is in the midst of a journey through Gentile territory when they– bring to Jesus a man who is deaf and “mogilalon.” Now I know that sounded strange. I gave you the Greek word for a speech impediment, because it is an important word. It is only used once in the entire New Testament–right here by Mark. And there is a very important reason Mark uses this particular word.
It is the same word used in Isaiah chapter 35:6. I’m going to turn to Isaiah 35 now and read verses four to six to you so that you can see what is going on here. “4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the “mogilalos” the speechless sing for joy.”
Mark is unequivocally tying Jesus encounter with this mogilalon to the promised coming of God in Isaiah 35. Mark is showing us, once again, that this Jesus is the promised One–the promised Messiah–God Himself coming to earth. And what Jesus does here to this deaf, mogilalon, speech impediment bound man is nothing short of amazing as He offers extreme compassion.
First, Jesus takes the man aside. I want you to contemplate this for just a moment as we remember what it would be like for this man given the culture he was in. For you see, they didn’t have special places to care for those who were deaf and unable to speak in those days. They didn’t have sign language. They didn’t see people in such conditions as contributing members of society who had worth and value. Most folks who were suffering from disabilities were outcasts; mocked; degraded; seen as burdens to the rest of people; contemptuous. This guy could see, but he would never have been able to hear the insults thrown his way. He would not be able to understand people’s contempt or hatred. If he entered Jewish territory, there was then a whole other layer to contend with: for most of the Jewish religious authorities believed that if you suffered with such a malady, then you were under the curse of God.
So, Jesus, God incarnate, takes this man aside–away from the crowd and gives him His full attention. Imagine being a Jew who was hearing this story. Here is a man who would be seen under God’s curse standing before God with a private audience. What was God going to do with this cursed individual? What was God going to do with this man who was an outcast; on the fringes; who was looked down upon and seen as contemptuous?
As we read through the text, we might think that Jesus is a bit gross, but as I heard in more than one sermon this past week, Jesus is doing something quite amazing. He is communicating with this deaf, tongue tied man in his own form of sign language. Jesus puts His fingers in the man’s ears as if to say, “I know your ears do not work.” Jesus spits on the man’s tongue. “I know your tongue is tied.” Jesus looks us to heaven. “God knows your bondage.” Jesus sighs deeply. “I am praying to God.” Then Jesus says, “Ephphatha” which in Aramaic means, “be opened.” I am sure the man saw Jesus’ lips move. He had no idea what Jesus said, but he could not mistake the meaning of the word for immediately after Jesus’ lips moved, the man’s ears were opened, and the chains fell off his tongue. That’s the imagery Mark uses. The man’s ears were opened and the chains fell off his tongue. Mark’s imagery here is beautiful. Jesus reaches out to one who was shunned. Jesus brings him into a special place alone. Jesus communicates with the man and shows the man He understands his problems, and Jesus heals the man and restores him to community.
Jesus’ healing causes quite the stir, but Jesus’ response is quite intriguing. Jesus tells everyone keep things quiet. Don’t talk about what I have done. But the crowd, the man who was just healed kept talking. Jesus said, “Hush!” Everyone talked louder. They proclaimed, “He has done everything well!!” Jesus said, “Quiet!!” to no avail. Why would Jesus tell them to hush? Why would He tell everyone to keep it under wraps?
The best answer I came across was this: Jesus didn’t want everyone focused on Him simply being a miracle worker. Jesus didn’t want everyone to think that He was simply here to take away people’s pain and suffering. Jesus didn’t want everyone just to see Him as the fixer upper of a person’s personal life. No. Jesus was much more than that. Jesus was not here simply to fix all of our problems and make our lives perfect. Jesus was not here to give us a comfortable position in all that we encountered. Jesus was about restoration. Jesus was about mending the relationship between humankind and God–a relationship broken by our hardened hearts, our self-righteous behavior, and our desire to submit ourselves to no authority but our own. Jesus did not come to simply open ears and tongues, but open hearts to redemption.
And so we return to the problems of self-righteousness and uncertainty. We return to them because these are both ways of hardened hearts. These are both ways of selfish behavior. I become self-righteous when I think I can follow all of the commands of God–particularly the one’s I like. I impose those beliefs on others because they should do what I do and be like me. Oh, but if I am confronted by another’s beliefs in God or in what they think I should do, I will respond, “No one can know for certain God’s will or mind.” At the heart of this problem is a hardened heart–a closed heart–a heart that is closed in on itself.
How does Jesus open such a heart? How does Jesus change such a heart? What language does He speak to us to help us see our problem?
First, He speaks by living the life we were supposed to live. He reveals to us our own failure to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. Jesus reveals to us our inability to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus does all these things well. He does them perfectly. He shows us the depths of our own sin. Just like last week with the Syrophonecian woman, Jesus challenges us and shows us we deserve nothing for our selfish behavior. Jesus becomes perfectly righteous, putting us all to shame.
And then, revealing to us that He knows our condition–He knows our selfishness; He knows our shame; He knows our separation from God–He understands our inability to reconcile ourselves unto God, it is He who stretches out His hands and allows nails to be placed in them. He sheds His precious blood as He hangs from the cross. He looks heavenward and with a deep breath cries aloud, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!” In that moment, Jesus experienced the wrath and separation from God that you and I were meant to feel. He experienced God’s silence as He suffered. He bore the weight of our sin when we least deserved it. He poured out His love while we were sinners restoring us to God.
And because of Jesus’ actions, we have complete certainty about two things: number one we are sinful and unrighteous on our own. We cannot look down our nose at anyone because we all fall short of the glory of God. We cannot look at another with contempt and hatred because we deserve contempt and hatred. We cannot kill another for a lack of believing because we lacked faith and trust in God ourselves as we trusted in our own works. This should make us hang our heads in shame. But that leads us to the second thing we can be certain about: that God loves us more than we can imagine. For the Author and creator of the universe was willing to die on our behalf. He was willing to die for us when we least deserved it. He was willing to give of Himself to pay for our transgressions.
And when you hold onto these two certainties. When you hold them in dynamic tension: that you are undeserving and loved; when you are a failure yet accepted, then your heart is opened too. Not because of what you do, but because of sheer grace. A grace rooted in the Gospel:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through Him. This is most certainly true. Amen.
Why would I say such a thing?
I am going to go back a few years to 9/11 when radical Islamists hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentegon, and intended to crash into the capitol building. Initially, we came together as a nation to recognize this attack against us, but then we began disagreeing, sometimes vehemently, on how to respond. There was a particular struggle in how to handle religious ideology –especially in trying to deal with a religious sect that believed it had the absolute Truth and used that belief to justify the killing of innocent people.
There were two basic responses to this. Fortunately, most people know that both responses in and of themselves are inadequate, but we have yet to find a happy medium–if such a thing is even possible. Why would I say that? Let me begin to define the problem as I see it.
As we began to delve into the psyche of those who hijacked the planes, we began to focus on their absolute certainty in their beliefs about God. We reasoned, “If they wouldn’t have been so absolutely certain, they would have been more humble. They would have known that flying those planes into those buildings was wrong. All those people would not have been killed if religious nuts wouldn’t be so certain of their beliefs and try to force them on everyone else.”
And so, there has been a concerted effort among some to question anyone who has certainty in his or her religious convictions. Certainty is the enemy in no uncertain terms, and if anyone espouses certainty, then that person is close minded, arrogant, a fanatic, exclusive, or whatever derogatory term you wish to apply. Now, there are a couple of problems with these trains of thought.
First is the premise. Does certainty necessarily cause people to kill others? Does believing in God with absolute conviction necessarily lead a person to commit atrocities? The answer, of course, is no. As Timothy Keller once reported in his book Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, “You never hear of an Amish terrorist.” Why? Because the Amish believe uncompromisingly that God commands them to be non-violent. Their firm religious conviction leads them to be passivist. So, it’s not religious certainty that leads someone to kill others in the name of faith, there must be something else. We will get to that in just a moment.
The second problem with a war on certainty is that it is logically impossible. You may wonder what I mean by that. Just this: the next time someone comes up to you and says, “We cannot be certain about anything.” Ask them, “Are you certain about that?” Do you see the problem? Even if someone wants to narrow it down and say, “We can never be certain about any claims about religion.” Well, you have just made a truth claim about religious belief. How can you say with certainty that we can have no certainty? The statement is self-defeating. Everyone believes they know something. Everyone has to have some sort of certainty in order to simply function. It is a requirement.
Thirdly, can you imagine anyone preaching a sermon with no certainty? Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to get up in front of a group of people and basically say, "Well IF God exists--now, we don't know for sure. Maybe there is a God, maybe there isn't.--then maybe that God is good. Again, maybe God is evil, but perhaps God is love. And IF that God is love, then maybe, just maybe that God wants us to care for each other, but we really don't know what that God wants if God even exists. But it might be a good idea to care for each other anyway. I can't tell you that for certain, but it might be a good idea." Yeah, how many of you would stick around for that kind of sermon? Certainty is necessary. Even in religious belief.
But if certainty is necessary, then why did religious fanatics hijack planes and kill people? Why do some “Christians” picket funerals of military personnel and cause extra grief for families? Why do some people of religious persuasion have a holier-than-thou demeanor and look down their noses at others?
It’s not because of certainty. It’s because of self-righteousness. It’s because they believe they are better than other people. It’s because they believe they are able to follow the tenets of a particular religion, and they believe everyone else should be able to accomplish what they accomplish. They believe their performance makes them righteous before God, and “if I can do it, everyone else should be doing it too.” And if they are not doing it, “then they are of less value than myself. They are destined to hell. They deserve punishment.” You see, it’s not certainty that leads to the demeaning and killing of others, it is self-righteousness.
And so, we have these two extremes: we have those who don’t want any certainty, and they are convinced that the world would be better if no one had any convictions; and we have those who are consumed with the certainty that they are righteous and everyone else needs to get with the program. And the reality is, there are many of us who actually jump between these two poles depending upon the circumstances. If we don’t like something that someone tries to tell us about faith, we are happy to say, “No one can be certain.” However, if we want others to fall into line with our own train of thought, we will gladly say, “God is (fill in the blank)...” In some ways, we are either too open, too closed, or we gladly jump between the two extremes to suit our own agendas.
You may be wondering just what this has to do with our Gospel lesson from the seventh chapter of the book of Mark. Perhaps it is time to turn to that now.
Jesus has an encounter with a man who is deaf and who has a speech impediment. Jesus is in the midst of a journey through Gentile territory when they– bring to Jesus a man who is deaf and “mogilalon.” Now I know that sounded strange. I gave you the Greek word for a speech impediment, because it is an important word. It is only used once in the entire New Testament–right here by Mark. And there is a very important reason Mark uses this particular word.
It is the same word used in Isaiah chapter 35:6. I’m going to turn to Isaiah 35 now and read verses four to six to you so that you can see what is going on here. “4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the “mogilalos” the speechless sing for joy.”
Mark is unequivocally tying Jesus encounter with this mogilalon to the promised coming of God in Isaiah 35. Mark is showing us, once again, that this Jesus is the promised One–the promised Messiah–God Himself coming to earth. And what Jesus does here to this deaf, mogilalon, speech impediment bound man is nothing short of amazing as He offers extreme compassion.
First, Jesus takes the man aside. I want you to contemplate this for just a moment as we remember what it would be like for this man given the culture he was in. For you see, they didn’t have special places to care for those who were deaf and unable to speak in those days. They didn’t have sign language. They didn’t see people in such conditions as contributing members of society who had worth and value. Most folks who were suffering from disabilities were outcasts; mocked; degraded; seen as burdens to the rest of people; contemptuous. This guy could see, but he would never have been able to hear the insults thrown his way. He would not be able to understand people’s contempt or hatred. If he entered Jewish territory, there was then a whole other layer to contend with: for most of the Jewish religious authorities believed that if you suffered with such a malady, then you were under the curse of God.
So, Jesus, God incarnate, takes this man aside–away from the crowd and gives him His full attention. Imagine being a Jew who was hearing this story. Here is a man who would be seen under God’s curse standing before God with a private audience. What was God going to do with this cursed individual? What was God going to do with this man who was an outcast; on the fringes; who was looked down upon and seen as contemptuous?
As we read through the text, we might think that Jesus is a bit gross, but as I heard in more than one sermon this past week, Jesus is doing something quite amazing. He is communicating with this deaf, tongue tied man in his own form of sign language. Jesus puts His fingers in the man’s ears as if to say, “I know your ears do not work.” Jesus spits on the man’s tongue. “I know your tongue is tied.” Jesus looks us to heaven. “God knows your bondage.” Jesus sighs deeply. “I am praying to God.” Then Jesus says, “Ephphatha” which in Aramaic means, “be opened.” I am sure the man saw Jesus’ lips move. He had no idea what Jesus said, but he could not mistake the meaning of the word for immediately after Jesus’ lips moved, the man’s ears were opened, and the chains fell off his tongue. That’s the imagery Mark uses. The man’s ears were opened and the chains fell off his tongue. Mark’s imagery here is beautiful. Jesus reaches out to one who was shunned. Jesus brings him into a special place alone. Jesus communicates with the man and shows the man He understands his problems, and Jesus heals the man and restores him to community.
Jesus’ healing causes quite the stir, but Jesus’ response is quite intriguing. Jesus tells everyone keep things quiet. Don’t talk about what I have done. But the crowd, the man who was just healed kept talking. Jesus said, “Hush!” Everyone talked louder. They proclaimed, “He has done everything well!!” Jesus said, “Quiet!!” to no avail. Why would Jesus tell them to hush? Why would He tell everyone to keep it under wraps?
The best answer I came across was this: Jesus didn’t want everyone focused on Him simply being a miracle worker. Jesus didn’t want everyone to think that He was simply here to take away people’s pain and suffering. Jesus didn’t want everyone just to see Him as the fixer upper of a person’s personal life. No. Jesus was much more than that. Jesus was not here simply to fix all of our problems and make our lives perfect. Jesus was not here to give us a comfortable position in all that we encountered. Jesus was about restoration. Jesus was about mending the relationship between humankind and God–a relationship broken by our hardened hearts, our self-righteous behavior, and our desire to submit ourselves to no authority but our own. Jesus did not come to simply open ears and tongues, but open hearts to redemption.
And so we return to the problems of self-righteousness and uncertainty. We return to them because these are both ways of hardened hearts. These are both ways of selfish behavior. I become self-righteous when I think I can follow all of the commands of God–particularly the one’s I like. I impose those beliefs on others because they should do what I do and be like me. Oh, but if I am confronted by another’s beliefs in God or in what they think I should do, I will respond, “No one can know for certain God’s will or mind.” At the heart of this problem is a hardened heart–a closed heart–a heart that is closed in on itself.
How does Jesus open such a heart? How does Jesus change such a heart? What language does He speak to us to help us see our problem?
First, He speaks by living the life we were supposed to live. He reveals to us our own failure to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. Jesus reveals to us our inability to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus does all these things well. He does them perfectly. He shows us the depths of our own sin. Just like last week with the Syrophonecian woman, Jesus challenges us and shows us we deserve nothing for our selfish behavior. Jesus becomes perfectly righteous, putting us all to shame.
And then, revealing to us that He knows our condition–He knows our selfishness; He knows our shame; He knows our separation from God–He understands our inability to reconcile ourselves unto God, it is He who stretches out His hands and allows nails to be placed in them. He sheds His precious blood as He hangs from the cross. He looks heavenward and with a deep breath cries aloud, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!” In that moment, Jesus experienced the wrath and separation from God that you and I were meant to feel. He experienced God’s silence as He suffered. He bore the weight of our sin when we least deserved it. He poured out His love while we were sinners restoring us to God.
And because of Jesus’ actions, we have complete certainty about two things: number one we are sinful and unrighteous on our own. We cannot look down our nose at anyone because we all fall short of the glory of God. We cannot look at another with contempt and hatred because we deserve contempt and hatred. We cannot kill another for a lack of believing because we lacked faith and trust in God ourselves as we trusted in our own works. This should make us hang our heads in shame. But that leads us to the second thing we can be certain about: that God loves us more than we can imagine. For the Author and creator of the universe was willing to die on our behalf. He was willing to die for us when we least deserved it. He was willing to give of Himself to pay for our transgressions.
And when you hold onto these two certainties. When you hold them in dynamic tension: that you are undeserving and loved; when you are a failure yet accepted, then your heart is opened too. Not because of what you do, but because of sheer grace. A grace rooted in the Gospel:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through Him. This is most certainly true. Amen.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Hardest Sermon: Published
Luke 6: 32-38
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
I think perhaps, this is one of the most difficult sermons I have ever had to deliver. You may wonder why.
This may come as a shock to some. Those closest to Chris know this; most of you probably do not. Heather was raised as a Christian, but as time went on, she eventually renounced her Christian faith and became an atheist. I hate to be the one who breaks this news to many of you today, but it is true. This puts me in a rather difficult position considering the world we live in today–and considering the love and respect that you all had for Heather. Because what we have happening here this evening is a collision of worldviews. We have the Christian worldview which many of us embrace, and we have the atheistic worldview which Heather and her husband embraced. Each have very different understandings about what happens after death–understandings which are seemingly incompatible. So, how do we reconcile such things? Is it even possible?
To begin, please allow me to quote Christian author and speaker Ravi Zacharias who said the following in his Veritas Lecture on the campus of U.C.L.A. in January of this year. He says, “Whatever our worldview...whatever our convictions, because a conviction is different to an opinion–an opinion is something you have a preference for sort of a hierarchy of options and you make a choice this way somebody else makes a choice another way. But a conviction is that which is then in many ways rooted in your very soul; it is in your conscience. And to change a conviction will involve a changing of who you are as a person...And so, when two worldviews collide, when two convictions collide, the best thing that one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.”
The cordiality to disagree and the civility to interact in the midst of that disagreement. Is such a thing possible? Is it possible for a Christian worldview and an atheistic worldview to cordially disagree and civilly interact? Historically, I believe those of us who are Christians have not done such a good job of handling such things. There are usually two avenues which are chosen by most Christians, and one comes across as very self-righteous and the other comes across as both self-righteous and wishy-washy.
On the one hand, you have those who almost gleefully proclaim that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are eternally damned. Usually, they are quick to quote all of those Bible verses and quotations of Jesus and Paul and others which paint the eternal destination of those who do not believe in a none too positive light. They use these verses as fearful motivation–trying to convince others to avoid the same fate, repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They use those verses to fearfully get those gathered to “get our stuff together” so that we don’t end up in such a horrid place. I honestly believe the folks who preach in this manner are trying to promote the Kingdom of God. I believe they are trying to win souls for that Kingdom. However, whether they know it or not, they usually come across as self-righteous and sanctimonious and do more harm to Christianity than good. I do not want to go down that road this evening.
Then, on the other hand, there are those who quite willingly and quickly pronounce that it doesn’t matter what one believes or does not believe–all enjoy a trip to heaven to be with God. In their desire to promote comfort and to ease peoples' consciences, they will ignore the words of Jesus; the words of Paul; and other such comments in scripture. They do not honor the closest witnesses to Jesus as reported in the Bible and so water down what is revealed in Scripture. Convictions get thrown out the window. But that is not the least of it. For in proclaiming this particular worldview, such folks fail to honor or respect the beliefs, convictions, and worldviews of those who believe differently. In effect, they say, “I don’t care that you believe you will just cease to exist when you die. It doesn’t matter what you say, what I say about God is more important than your beliefs and understandings.” As I look at such things, it seems rather disingenuous, and I do not want to travel down that road tonight either.
And so, what does one do? How does one handle such situations? There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very troubling words about those who do not believe in Christ. There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very disturbing words about those who renounce their faith. I am not going to sugar coat those this evening, but I am also not going to gleefully proclaim them. Instead, I am going to hold up the dynamic tension Jesus asks us to hold.
For, you see, the same Jesus who spoke words of exclusivity announcing that He is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him also said, “Do not judge and you will not be judged for with the measure you give, the same measure you will receive.”
Jesus makes it quite clear to you and to me how we are to act toward anyone who does not share our particular beliefs. He makes it quite clear how we are to proceed with those who have a different worldview. “Do not judge for with the judgment you give, you will receive.” In my estimation, this call is a call to humility as we interact with those who do not believe as we believe. How?
Well, it goes back to the core convictions and beliefs at the foundation of Christianity. It goes back to the fact that we all deserve judgment. We all deserve God’s anger at us for we do not live according to His commands. Take a read of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 and see how well you do at following Christ’s commands. Be honest as we look at our own lives and realize how we do not live as though we depend only on God for our sustenance and livelihood–we work and slave to store up wealth and property for our future instead of depending on God for our daily bread. In doing so, we break a basic command of Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; we cannot earn any sort of salvation through our own actions. It is only by His grace that we are saved through faith.
And that is not the half of it. We cannot even believe in God without His help. You may shake your head at that one, but if you do, take a moment to read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and see that wonderful little snippet by St. Paul who says, “No one says Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.” You cannot even come to believe in Jesus on your own! You can walk away on your own, but you certainly cannot believe in God through your own reason or strength. You and I are totally dependent upon God not only for our salvation but for our very belief in Jesus Christ.
So what does that mean? I don’t know exactly what it means to you, but for me, it means that I am humbled. I am totally dependent upon God, and I honor Him by following Him and the teachings of His Son who died for me. And that Son was absolutely clear in His teachings: “Those who want to be first in the Kingdom of God must be last of all and servant of all.” All, mind you. Not just those who share the same belief, but we are called to love and serve all no matter what they believe–even if it is vastly different than what we believe. We are to love others as God loved us. Now, how is this possible?
This was the exact same question Chris and I talked about as Heather’s life was coming to a close. She and I had several conversations about this as she struggled with the question, “What should I do?” The answer: love her. Plain and simple. Of course, Chris also witnessed to Heather. Of course, she wanted her daughter to believe, but it was not her job to arm twist. It was not her job to use her love or the revocation of her love as a tool of manipulation. This is not what a parent does. A parent never stops loving his or her children. A parent never withdraws that kind of support. But a parent also respects a child enough to allow that child to go his or her own way.
I’ve got three kids, 8, 7, and 5. Do you think they do everything I tell them to do? Of course not. Does that mean I stop loving them? Never. You see at a certain point and time, a good parent realizes his or her children are independent. They make their own decisions. They blaze their own paths. They choose to go their own ways. Those ways may be very different than our own, but a good parent respects his or her children enough to allow them to go their own way. And even though there may be disagreement, a parent loves and supports his or her child until death claims one or the other. Chris showed that kind of love to Heather until the very end. It’s what good parents do.
It is what God does as well. He loves us so much that He respects our choices–even if those choices take us away from Him; even if those choices lead us to cease believing in Him. But that doesn’t mean He stops seeking us out. That doesn’t mean He ever stops loving us. He loves us to the very end. Period.
And now, we arrive at that crucial moment–that time where you may wish for me to announce Heather’s eternal resting place. I must apologize for I am afraid I must disappoint you. I am afraid the best answer I can tell you is that such a proclamation does not rest on me or in my hands. It rests in the hands of One and One alone. Such matters are now in God’s hands. And thankfully, those are very good hands to rest such matters in. Amen.
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
I think perhaps, this is one of the most difficult sermons I have ever had to deliver. You may wonder why.
This may come as a shock to some. Those closest to Chris know this; most of you probably do not. Heather was raised as a Christian, but as time went on, she eventually renounced her Christian faith and became an atheist. I hate to be the one who breaks this news to many of you today, but it is true. This puts me in a rather difficult position considering the world we live in today–and considering the love and respect that you all had for Heather. Because what we have happening here this evening is a collision of worldviews. We have the Christian worldview which many of us embrace, and we have the atheistic worldview which Heather and her husband embraced. Each have very different understandings about what happens after death–understandings which are seemingly incompatible. So, how do we reconcile such things? Is it even possible?
To begin, please allow me to quote Christian author and speaker Ravi Zacharias who said the following in his Veritas Lecture on the campus of U.C.L.A. in January of this year. He says, “Whatever our worldview...whatever our convictions, because a conviction is different to an opinion–an opinion is something you have a preference for sort of a hierarchy of options and you make a choice this way somebody else makes a choice another way. But a conviction is that which is then in many ways rooted in your very soul; it is in your conscience. And to change a conviction will involve a changing of who you are as a person...And so, when two worldviews collide, when two convictions collide, the best thing that one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.”
The cordiality to disagree and the civility to interact in the midst of that disagreement. Is such a thing possible? Is it possible for a Christian worldview and an atheistic worldview to cordially disagree and civilly interact? Historically, I believe those of us who are Christians have not done such a good job of handling such things. There are usually two avenues which are chosen by most Christians, and one comes across as very self-righteous and the other comes across as both self-righteous and wishy-washy.
On the one hand, you have those who almost gleefully proclaim that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are eternally damned. Usually, they are quick to quote all of those Bible verses and quotations of Jesus and Paul and others which paint the eternal destination of those who do not believe in a none too positive light. They use these verses as fearful motivation–trying to convince others to avoid the same fate, repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They use those verses to fearfully get those gathered to “get our stuff together” so that we don’t end up in such a horrid place. I honestly believe the folks who preach in this manner are trying to promote the Kingdom of God. I believe they are trying to win souls for that Kingdom. However, whether they know it or not, they usually come across as self-righteous and sanctimonious and do more harm to Christianity than good. I do not want to go down that road this evening.
Then, on the other hand, there are those who quite willingly and quickly pronounce that it doesn’t matter what one believes or does not believe–all enjoy a trip to heaven to be with God. In their desire to promote comfort and to ease peoples' consciences, they will ignore the words of Jesus; the words of Paul; and other such comments in scripture. They do not honor the closest witnesses to Jesus as reported in the Bible and so water down what is revealed in Scripture. Convictions get thrown out the window. But that is not the least of it. For in proclaiming this particular worldview, such folks fail to honor or respect the beliefs, convictions, and worldviews of those who believe differently. In effect, they say, “I don’t care that you believe you will just cease to exist when you die. It doesn’t matter what you say, what I say about God is more important than your beliefs and understandings.” As I look at such things, it seems rather disingenuous, and I do not want to travel down that road tonight either.
And so, what does one do? How does one handle such situations? There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very troubling words about those who do not believe in Christ. There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very disturbing words about those who renounce their faith. I am not going to sugar coat those this evening, but I am also not going to gleefully proclaim them. Instead, I am going to hold up the dynamic tension Jesus asks us to hold.
For, you see, the same Jesus who spoke words of exclusivity announcing that He is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him also said, “Do not judge and you will not be judged for with the measure you give, the same measure you will receive.”
Jesus makes it quite clear to you and to me how we are to act toward anyone who does not share our particular beliefs. He makes it quite clear how we are to proceed with those who have a different worldview. “Do not judge for with the judgment you give, you will receive.” In my estimation, this call is a call to humility as we interact with those who do not believe as we believe. How?
Well, it goes back to the core convictions and beliefs at the foundation of Christianity. It goes back to the fact that we all deserve judgment. We all deserve God’s anger at us for we do not live according to His commands. Take a read of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 and see how well you do at following Christ’s commands. Be honest as we look at our own lives and realize how we do not live as though we depend only on God for our sustenance and livelihood–we work and slave to store up wealth and property for our future instead of depending on God for our daily bread. In doing so, we break a basic command of Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; we cannot earn any sort of salvation through our own actions. It is only by His grace that we are saved through faith.
And that is not the half of it. We cannot even believe in God without His help. You may shake your head at that one, but if you do, take a moment to read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and see that wonderful little snippet by St. Paul who says, “No one says Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.” You cannot even come to believe in Jesus on your own! You can walk away on your own, but you certainly cannot believe in God through your own reason or strength. You and I are totally dependent upon God not only for our salvation but for our very belief in Jesus Christ.
So what does that mean? I don’t know exactly what it means to you, but for me, it means that I am humbled. I am totally dependent upon God, and I honor Him by following Him and the teachings of His Son who died for me. And that Son was absolutely clear in His teachings: “Those who want to be first in the Kingdom of God must be last of all and servant of all.” All, mind you. Not just those who share the same belief, but we are called to love and serve all no matter what they believe–even if it is vastly different than what we believe. We are to love others as God loved us. Now, how is this possible?
This was the exact same question Chris and I talked about as Heather’s life was coming to a close. She and I had several conversations about this as she struggled with the question, “What should I do?” The answer: love her. Plain and simple. Of course, Chris also witnessed to Heather. Of course, she wanted her daughter to believe, but it was not her job to arm twist. It was not her job to use her love or the revocation of her love as a tool of manipulation. This is not what a parent does. A parent never stops loving his or her children. A parent never withdraws that kind of support. But a parent also respects a child enough to allow that child to go his or her own way.
I’ve got three kids, 8, 7, and 5. Do you think they do everything I tell them to do? Of course not. Does that mean I stop loving them? Never. You see at a certain point and time, a good parent realizes his or her children are independent. They make their own decisions. They blaze their own paths. They choose to go their own ways. Those ways may be very different than our own, but a good parent respects his or her children enough to allow them to go their own way. And even though there may be disagreement, a parent loves and supports his or her child until death claims one or the other. Chris showed that kind of love to Heather until the very end. It’s what good parents do.
It is what God does as well. He loves us so much that He respects our choices–even if those choices take us away from Him; even if those choices lead us to cease believing in Him. But that doesn’t mean He stops seeking us out. That doesn’t mean He ever stops loving us. He loves us to the very end. Period.
And now, we arrive at that crucial moment–that time where you may wish for me to announce Heather’s eternal resting place. I must apologize for I am afraid I must disappoint you. I am afraid the best answer I can tell you is that such a proclamation does not rest on me or in my hands. It rests in the hands of One and One alone. Such matters are now in God’s hands. And thankfully, those are very good hands to rest such matters in. Amen.
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