Who do You Trust?

    It is little wonder to me anymore as to why we fail to see miracles.  It is little wonder to me anymore as to why the church continues to decline in the U.S.  It is little wonder to me anymore as to why there is a rise of those who call themselves spiritual but not religious or the “nones.”  When you believe that everything hinges upon what you do, things will fall apart.  When you fail to trust in Jesus, everyone walks away hungry.  I hope that caught your attention.  Let’s see why.

    Today we have the only miracle story other than the resurrection that is recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each record this tremendous act of Jesus, and each add certain details that flesh out the whole story.  Today, we focus on Mark’s version, but we will refer to the others as well as we walk through this event.

    It is important to note that the feeding of the 5000 men comes right after Mark tells us of the beheading of John the Baptist.  In that snippet, the events play out at a banquet full of depravity: drunkenness, gluttony, power, prestige, status, empty promises, child porn, premeditated murder, and disobeying God’s commands darken that story and lead to a horrible conclusion–a conclusion that leaves everyone empty.

    And then we arrive at the beginning of our text today as the disciples return from a mission Jesus had given them.  The disciples had been charged with going out in to the community and healing the sick, preaching the Word, and casting out demons.  They return and begin giving their reports to Jesus.  However, the disciples aren’t the only ones around.  There are many people gathering around as well.  Many are coming to be healed and to hear the preaching.  They know they are witnessing something tremendous, and they want to be a part of it.  This keeps Jesus and the disciples busy.  Very busy.  How busy?  So busy they do not have time to eat.  They are empty.

    This raises some very important points as it addresses life.  First, no matter how hard you work in helping people out, there will always be a need.  There will always be those clamoring for your services.  There will always be those clamoring for your attention.  As the singer for Confederate Railroad once sang in the song, “Daddy Never was the Cadillac Kind,” “It took a while but now I’m grown.  Settled down with kids of my own. The more I give them, the more they want.”  That is not only true of kids.  It’s true of humanity.  That’s point one.  Point two is this: if you try to satisfy everyone, you will run yourself ragged and be completely empty.  You can work to heal everyone and care for everyone, but in the long run, you will run out of time and energy.  The disciples had become so busy trying to meet everyone’s demands that they were not able to eat.

    Jesus assesses this situation and says, “Okay everyone, time for a rest.  Let’s go to a deserted place.”  Jesus and His disciples get into their boat and head across the lake to find a place of seclusion.  Jesus knows His closest friends desperately need some time away.  He knows they need a break, but they are not going to get it–at least not yet.

    People see Jesus and the disciples going around the lake.  They know what Jesus is capable of.  They want to continue to be a part of this ministry, so they begin spreading the word.  People run around the lake.  They tell others in the surrounding villages.  People begin gathering.  A crowd builds as they expectantly wait for Jesus.  And as the boat approaches the shore, Jesus sees that crowd.  I can see the disciples’ eyes grow wide at this point.  I can see them in the midst of their exhaustion thinking to themselves, “Didn’t we just leave this crew?  Not only that, did they go out and bring all their friends?  How are we ever going to take care of them?  Will we ever get any rest?  Will we ever get any food?  Will we ever be filled ourselves?”

    Jesus could have had the same reaction, but He didn’t.  He looked upon that crowd and thought, “They are like sheep without a shepherd.”  Now, this phrase is very important.  It’s not just an agricultural term.  It’s not just about how sheep desperately need a shepherd–which they do.  There are some Kingdom of God principles coming into play.  Throughout the Old Testament, there are many references to God sending His promised King who will shepherd the people.  Let that sink in for a moment.  Remember, Mark has just told us about Herod’s banquet–Herod, the puppet king who was supposedly ruling over the people–dare I say supposed to be shepherding them?  He’s obviously not doing a very good job.  As Jesus looks at the crowd, He sees them as members of the Kingdom who do not have a King.  They need a King.  They need one who will shepherd them; who will lead them in paths of righteousness; who will lead them to green pastures; who will let them sit down beside still waters.  Do you hear a little bit of Psalm 23 there?  You should.  You should also hear Ezekiel 34:23 which is a lesser known passage, but still rings loudly here.  That passage reads, “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.”

    Mark is drawing a stark contrast here between the supposed king of Galilee who is seeking power and prestige and wealth and status, and Jesus who will feed His people.  There is a contrast between Herod who only thinks of those who will help him further his ambitions and Jesus who has compassion on the multitude.  There is a sharp division.

    And the first thing Jesus feeds is their soul.  He begins by feeding them with the Word of God.  He
begins teaching.  For those of you who might complain about my sermons, please take note, Jesus preaches all day–well into the evening.  Aren’t you glad I am not like Jesus?  The hour begins getting late, and the disciples begin to wonder about provision.  The people will be getting hungry.  They need food.  There’s a lot of people.  So, they come to Jesus and think of the most compassionate thing that comes to mind, “Jesus, send them away to the surrounding villages so that they can get something to eat.”  In other words, let them fend for themselves.

    This indeed is the easy way out.  Indeed, this is the path of least resistance.  Wash your hands of responsibility.  We will take care of our needs.  Let each person take care of his or her own needs.  We do the same thing today.  Let’s not fool ourselves.  Every time we point at someone who we think should be working instead of asking for help, we are doing exactly what the disciples are doing here.  Let everyone fend for themselves.  We have our own problems to worry about.

    But Jesus doesn’t let them off the hook.  He looks at the disciples and says, “You give them something to eat.”

    Now, here is a very interesting response.  Let’s dwell on it for a moment.  Philip responds, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?”  Now, this was just over half a year’s wages.  John records that this would barely give everyone gathered a bite of food–surely not enough to satisfy them.  And whether or not the disciples actually had 200 denarii is questionable as well.  For we are about to find out just how much food the disciples really had.  For Jesus brushes aside the question of paying for the food by asking, “How many loaves do you have?”

    They respond, “Five loaves and two little fish.”  Now, if you remember the parallel account from the book of John, where did these five barley loaves and two fish come from?   Were they the property of the disciples?  No, they were not.  There was a little boy who was among those gathered whose mom had sent a lunch.  The food didn’t even belong to the disciples.  It was someone else’s!  Which means this: the disciples had nothing.  They had no food at all.  And what they had appropriated wasn’t even enough to satisfy one of them.  For you see, the five loaves of bread were essentially flat biscuits.  Several could be eaten in one setting.  Five loaves of these and two fish were enough to satisfy one boy.  The disciples were young men, and this would barely touch their appetites. 

    Which means this: Jesus had given the disciples an impossible command.  Jesus had told them to give the crowd something to eat.  The disciples did not have the resources to do this.  The disciples did not have enough food to do this.  They didn’t even have enough food to feed themselves.  Remember the very beginning of the story?  They were hungry and tired themselves, and now Jesus is commanding–not asking–commanding them to do the impossible.  It’s not printed in Mark, but I am quite sure the disciples were saying to themselves, “We can’t do this.  It is beyond us.”

    And it is.  It was.  It was beyond anything any of them could do.  Remember, Mark records that this crowd is composed of 5000 men.  Matthew says, this excludes women and children.  This crowd could easily have been 17 to 20 thousand.  There is no way 12 men could feed that multitude.  No way at all...if they trust themselves to do it.  Let me say that again: if they trust themselves with the task.

    Jesus orders His disciples to tell the crowd to sit down into groups of fifties and hundreds.  This detail is more important than you think, for it hearkens back to the Exodus when Moses divided the people into such groups.  It hearkens back to the promises that the Messiah would so divide the people of Israel in His Kingdom.  Jesus is presenting Himself as the Shepherd of the sheep: the King in the Kingdom of God as the people are divided into these groups.

    Then Jesus looks up, blesses the loaves and fish, and keeps breaking them.  I use the term breaking purposely because there are some who say that the real miracle is that when Jesus started sharing the food, everyone else broke out their own food and shared with one another.  The text does not say that.  The text here indicates that Jesus kept breaking the bread and dividing the fish and the disciples kept distributing it.  Jesus broke and broke and broke and the disciples gave and gave and gave.  All were satisfied.  17 to 20 thousand people were completely satisfied.

    But that is not the end.  Mark records one more small detail.  The remains were gathered, and it was enough to fill 12 baskets.  Now, these baskets were essentially traveling baskets that one carried upon one’s person.  They were like lunch kits, and there were exactly 12 of them filled up.  For who?  Remember the one’s who had nothing at the beginning of this story?  Remember the ones who were hungry and had no time to eat?  Remember the ones who had to take a little boy’s lunch just to have a meager supply?  Yes, that’s right.  The disciples now also were filled.  They now had provision.  Jesus didn’t just provide for those gathered on the hillside; He provided for those closest to Him.  ALL were now satisfied and provision was now made–not by anything that the disciples had done, but through the work and person of Jesus.

    My question to you this morning is this: when you look at the world and everything that is in it; when you see the need of people who are hungry, who are homeless, who need clean drinking water, who live in poverty, who experience oppression and racism and sexism; when you see a church declining and hurting, who do you trust to bring healing and satisfaction?  Who do you trust to bring fullness and healing?

    Be careful here, because I am not suggesting that we simply put all the responsibility with Jesus.  No.  His command to the disciples is His command to us: you take care of it. You feed the hungry.  You provide clean drinking water.  You clothe the naked.  You heal society’s wounds of racism, sexism, and the like.  This is His command to you and me.  We are not off the hook.  We are on it and cannot get off, but here is the deal.  Do you arrogantly think that you can fix the problem?   Do you look at things and say, “We can do it!”?  Or do you admit, “We can’t do it.  It is beyond us and our capability.  It is beyond the scope of any person or human entity.”

    It has become the unfortunate tendency that we look only to ourselves to fix the world’s problems.  It has become the unfortunate tendency of the church to believe everything hinges upon what we do.  Now, why would I say this?  Because of the truth of the human condition.  We do not have a hunger problem.  Let me say that again.  We do not have a hunger problem.  We have a distribution problem.  We produce more than enough food for everyone in the world to have something to eat, but it doesn’t get to those in need.  Why?  Because some believe they need more than others.  We don’t have a homeless problem.  There are so many deserted houses and buildings that we could house every person without trouble, but we fail to send the resources that direction and make provision.  We don’t have a poverty problem.  There are ample resources in this world to give everyone a sustainable life, but we tend hoard our wealth and fail to share.  These are not problems that can be completely solved by law.   These are not problems that can be solved by people lobbying the government to change the way things are handled because governments are easily corrupted by that same power and wealth.

    What must change is the heart.  What must change is the selfish nature of humanity.  What must change is the understanding that our hearts are never satisfied with wealth, status, privilege, possessions, or any earthly thing.   What must change is our own sinful nature.  And God’s command to us; Jesus command to us is “Change it!!” 

    Now, are we so arrogant to think that we can?  Are we so arrogant to think that we can change our very nature to make ourselves do the right thing?  Are we so arrogant to think that it is within our power and capability to change our own hearts?  I say arrogant because history has shown that we are sorely incapable of achieving this.  No matter how hard we work to be good, oftentimes we look with contempt upon others who do not do as good as us.  Our hearts may be compassionate toward those in need, but they are hardened and contemptuous of those we think should be doing more.  We still are selfish.  No matter how hard we try, our selfish; self-centered; self-righteous nature will rear itself.  What can break us out of it?

    Not what.  Who.  Jesus.  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.

    You see, when Jesus looked at that crowd, He had compassion on them.  When Jesus looks at us in our selfishness, He has compassion on us.  He knows the hardness of our hearts, and He knows that breaking that hardness cannot be done by command.  Only love can break such a hard heart.  And so, He allowed His body to be broken as He paid the price of our Sin.  He became the bread of life which was broken and given out to each and every one of us despite our sinfulness. 

    And He says to us, stop trying to change yourself.  Stop trying to overcome your selfishness.  Trust in my work.  Trust in what I have accomplished on your behalf by dying for you.  Place your hope in me, and you will see something marvelous happen.  You will find yourself being satisfied.  You will find yourself being full.  To the extent you put your trust in me, your selfish nature will be overthrown, and you will find that you have in abundance. 

    It is my firm belief that if we admit our inability to accomplish such change on our own–whether in our personal lives; our church life; or in society–if we accept our failure and turn to Jesus, then and only then will the world’s hunger be satisfied, and our baskets will be full as well.  Amen.

Off With His Head!!!

    Today, we get really real.

    Before we delve into our Gospel text from the book of Mark this morning, we need to see what immediately precedes it.  There is the rejection of Jesus and His teaching in His hometown of Nazareth–which I preached on last week.  Then the writer Mark records the following:

    7He [Jesus] called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

    This snippet sets the scene for our Gospel lesson for today–the beheading of John the Baptist.  It’s not pretty.  Not pretty at all.  For it is into this world that the disciples go out to preach.  It is this world that the disciples go forth to bring healing and cast out demons.  For certain, it was a world that was created good–it was created perfectly, but it is now a world that is fallen.  It is now a world that is depraved.  It is a world full of sin.

    There are many in today’s world that do not like to hear talk of sin and depravity. There are many who believe that people are inherently good and that if we just taught people the right things; if we just steered them into the right places; if we just built up their egos enough; if we just passed the right laws and statutes; then we wouldn’t have any sort of violence, hatred, bullying, or the like.  And then events like Charleston, South Carolina happen where a kid enters into a place of sanctuary and kills nine people gathered to worship and study.  We ask, “Is there no safe place?”  “How come racism isn’t extinguished even though we’ve had 50 years of non-discrimination laws?”  We clamor for more hate crime laws; more gun laws; more openness to those who are different from ourselves.  And we think such things will make a difference.  We think such legislation and cries will change the world.  We think they will end sin and depravity, but we are chasing fool’s gold.  Why would I paint such a bleak picture?

    Let’s enter into the text for today.  The picture there is very, very dark.  There is no good news to be had.  Word of the disciples’ preaching, teaching and healing reached the puppet ruler of Galilee: Herod, and Herod became concerned.  This wanna be king thought that John the Baptist had returned from the dead to haunt him.  This sets the stage for one of the most depraved scenes found in scripture.  It’s utterly dark.

    John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said, “No one greater than he has ever been born,” was locked up in Herod’s prison.  You see, John was a prophet.  John called people to repentance.  He was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus, and John took notes and named names.  John was fearless when it came to pointing out the sins of people and calling them to change their ways, and John didn’t shy back from those in power. 

    Herod had arranged a marriage to a neighboring ruler’s daughter, but at some point and time fell in love with his brother’s wife, Herodias.  Rather than obey the law and remain faithful, Herod sent his wife back home (severely angering the neighboring ruler) and stole his brother’s wife away.  John the Baptist called Herod on this egregious sin, “It is not lawful for you to be married to your brother’s wife!!”

    Now, most of the commentaries are quick to point out that John’s proclamation was very troublesome for Herod.  Not only did the proclamation anger Herodias, but it caused political problems.  It kept Herod’s divorce public and in front of the neighbors who eventually went to war with Herod!  To keep John quiet, Herod had him thrown in prison.  Herodias wanted John dead, but Herod wasn’t going to kill him.  Herod knew John was a prophet, and we are told that on a certain level, Herod enjoyed listening to him–even though Herod did not change his behavior. 

    All of this leads up to a feast that Herod throws celebrating his birthday.  Now, this might not sound too bad to us.  I mean, most of us here celebrate our birthday in some fashion–as parents, most of us work to make that day special for our children, and as we age–particularly as we get into advanced age, we really mark those milestone birthdays!  This is commonplace for us, but not so for the Jewish people.  Most Jews in that time did not celebrate birthdays–that was a Roman custom.  So, here we see Herod, who was supposed to be Jewish, embracing a cultural practice that was not his own.  Why?  Because he longed to be accepted by the Roman authorities.  He longed to be seen as a legitimate ruler.  He longed to be accepted by those in power.  He was willing to sacrifice his own cultural identity for another to have power.  And that’s not the worst thing we see in this text.  It gets worse.  Far worse.

    For Herod calls together all the movers and shakers from the region of Galilee.  Mark records that Herod invited, “his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.”  This means he brought in all the higher ups; all the power players; all those with status and pull.  Herod surrounded himself with power and wealth because, again, this is who he wanted to impress.  This is who he wanted to be like.  Average folks were below him, and this gets him into a lot of trouble in just a little while.

    Okay.  The scene is set as we have Herod throwing a party with all the movers and shakers of the community.  They are dining on fine food.  They are drinking the finest wines.  They are very happy and reveling.  Nothing like a little bit of gluttony and drunkardness to highlight one’s day.  Remember, I said this scene reeked of depravity!  So, now, let’s throw in some child pornography.

    Herodias’ daughter Salome enters into the court.  She’s probably around 12 years old or so.  This is Herod’s adopted daughter by his illegal marriage and his niece by blood.  She comes in and does a lewd dance.  Think 12 year old striptease.  And no one stops her!  No one!!  Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine watching one of your relatives–a child–strip in front of a lot of older men?  Would you sit there yourself and enjoy what you were watching?  That’s exactly what Herod does, and he is so pleased with what he sees, he makes a promise to his niece.  “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you–up to half of my kingdom.”

    What a perverse thing to say and do!  Not only is this incestuous, Herod has nothing to give.  The “kingdom” he presides over isn’t his to begin with.  He is a puppet of Rome.  He can no more promise a part of his kingdom than he can promise to give her the moon.  Herod is drunk on power and wine and debauchery and sensuality, and he opens his big mouth and sticks his foot into it.  Then he swears an oath–a solemn promise that he will do as she asks. 

    Salome goes to Herodias and asks her mother, “What should I ask for?”  Herodias, at this moment, I am sure, smiles an evil smile.  “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”  There is no hesitation in her answer.  There is no contemplation of wealth or jewels or fine clothing.  This is pre-meditated murder. 

    Salome returns to the banquet and lays out her request, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”  Herod, doesn’t want to do this, but he is bound by his oath.  He would lose face amongst all those in power and prestige.  His hand forced, he sends the executioner to behead John the Baptist. 

    If there is any bit of good news in this text, it comes toward the end as the disciples of John show a bit of compassion and bravery as they come seeking their leader’s body to bury it.  That little bit of compassion, however, is overshadowed by the darkness we have just witnessed.  This scene reveals the worst of humanity: hatred, defying God’s commands, gluttony, drunkenness, child-pornography and exploitation, adultery, striving for power, neglecting the poor, turning one’s back on one’s culture and heritage, selling out to those in power, making promises one can’t keep, wanting to maintain status and privilege in the face of poor choices.  Oh, it has it all.  It is a trip into the heart of darkness.

    Into this world, Jesus sent his disciples.  But do you find it as fascinating as I that the disciples preaching and healing and casting out of demons did little to change this reality?  Do you find it as fascinating as I that John the Baptist’s proclamation and confrontation of sin did not do a blasted thing to change the reality of the world?   Do you find it fascinating that no matter how much work the disciples did nor how many times John the Baptist confronted Herod with the truth, nothing changed?  I find that extremely fascinating–and a bit alarming.  Why?

    Well, the conclusion that I draw from this, and not only me but plenty of others is, the proclamation of the law; trying to tell someone to do the right thing; urging people to be better people will not change the depths of human depravity.  Pointing out another person’s sinfulness will not bring them to repentance.  Why?

    I am going to attempt to bring this home in a way that could get me in a bit of trouble, but I believe is none-the-less necessary if we are truly going to understand the Gospel.  For you see, the reason telling people they are sinners and need to repent doesn’t work is the depravity we all have in all of our hearts.  None of us want to hear that we are sinful.  None of us want to hear that we are broken, depraved, or failures.  We want to think that we are just find just the way we are, and we want to think that it is always that other person out there who have the problems.  We look at Herod and Herodias and Salome and those gathered at the banquet and think, “Man, I am so glad I am not like them.  They really need to get their stuff together.”  Or, we look at Dylann Roof and think, “Man, that’s a sick kid.  I can’t believe he shot all those people in that church.  I can’t believe how racist he is.  He needs to get his stuff together.”  Or, “Man, those homosexuals out there, they are so depraved.  They really need to change the way they act.”  Or, “Those politicians up there in Washington are corrupt and need to be thrown out.”  It’s always someone out there.  It’s always someone else who needs to change. 

    But let me ask you this question: when is the last time you took a look deep into the recesses of your own heart?   When is the last time you took a trip to understand the motivations that drive you each and every day?  When is the last time you strove to understand who you are instead of looking at everyone else?

    I mean, ask yourself this question: do you sit at home in your retirement years thinking, “I am glad I don’t have to do anything anymore.  I am content to sit and watch the world go by.”?  If that runs through your head, have you decided to turn your back on others who are in need?  Have you not become self-centered?

    Ask yourself this question: Why do I sit in traffic on a long commute to my job becoming stressed out and angry?  Is it because I have to make ends meet or is it because I have a particular lifestyle that I want and I will forsake family, friends, church and other things because I need to maintain a certain amount of status?  Have you not become self-centered?

    Ask yourself this question: Why do you keep yourself so busy running all over creation involving yourself in all sorts of activities?  Do you have to do all these things?  Are you living for your children and grandchildren?  Are you trying to please everyone so that you don’t have to deal with conflict or disappointment?  And in trying to please everyone so that you do not have to deal with disappointment, have you not become self-centered?

    Why do you look at other people and think they have problems and not yourself?  Do you think you do a better job of living than they do?  Do you think you have placed yourself above them because of your behavior or status or ability to create wealth?  Does this not make you self-centered and self-righteous?

    You see, at the root of most of our problems as a nation and as a people and as a community and in our families is self-centeredness–the idea that my needs come first; that I should have my needs satisfied.  That people should do what I want them to do because I have it right.  Yes, this self-centeredness is at the heart of Herod and Herodias and Salome and those in attendance at the banquet.  It is also at the heart of Dylann Roof.  It is also in my heart as well. 

    I’ve shared my story with you how I finally came to realize that at the bottom of my heart was the desire for recognition and power and prestige.  I wanted to be a pastor that all other pastors looked up to.  I wanted to be known as the guy who took a little church in Cat Spring, TX and turned it into a mega-church.  I wanted people to ask me how I did it and clamor for my advice and buy my books and ask me to come speak at their gatherings.  Oh, yes, I wanted all of these things very deeply, and I was willing to use you to get there.  I wanted you to carry me, and when you didn’t cooperate with me, I would get angry with you.  Of course, I would disguise all of this in churchy language, and I never considered that I was doing anything wrong; but oh how wrong I was.  Oh how misguided I was.  Oh how selfish I was.  And no amount of people looking at me and telling me I was wrong was going to change me.  No one pointing out how I should be doing things was going to make me see my own depravity.  No.  I had to come to see my brokenness.  I had to come to see my sinfulness.  I had to come to see that I needed not another set of rules but a Savior.  Only then could my heart be changed.

    That change was brought about by several things, but perhaps the most important piece came as I was healing after burning out.  I was visiting my grandfather who was 94 at the time.  I was asking him about his ministry as a pastor and if he ever experienced burnout.  He shared with me story after story of things he had done, and then he said the following words, “I didn’t accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but the Lord and I are on very good terms.”

    Those words burned into my brain in an instant because they confronted me with my own selfishness.  I wanted to accomplish much in the eyes of the world, but those things are not important.  The most important thing my grandfather said in his twilight was, “The Lord and I are on very good terms.”  That’s really the only thing that matters.  That’s the only thing that is lasting and eternal.  And how in the world are the Lord and my grandfather on very good terms?  How in the world are the Lord and I on very good terms?  How in the world are you and the Lord on very good terms?

    Not because of anything that you did.  Not because of anything my grandfather did.  Certainly not because of anything I did.  But because of what Jesus did.  “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.

    You see, Jesus was much more than a law giver.  Certainly He emphasized that we should love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and then love our neighbor as ourselves.  But He knew that simply telling us to do that wouldn’t change our hearts.  It would not reach into the darkness.  Something else had to do that, so Jesus lived the life we were supposed to live.  He loved God with all His heart, and He loved His neighbor as Himself.  Then, Jesus died the death we deserved.  Because of our self-centeredness, we do not put God first.  We do not put our neighbor first.  We live for ourselves–and when we live for ourselves, God says, “I will let you live for yourself for eternity, and you will never be satisfied!”  That, my friends is hell!  But rather than allow us to experience that, Jesus took that upon Himself.  He experienced that Hell for us so that we would not have to.  He then clothed us with His righteousness so that we can enter into the presence of God–not just when we die, but right here and now. 

    We no longer have to seek status in the eyes of the world.  We no longer have to seek wealth or sex or busyness to fill us.  We have a God who willingly dies for us when we do not deserve it. We have a God who makes our joy complete as we seek Him.  When we look to that light and place our trust in that light, our hearts of stone are broken.  Darkness begins to disappear, and we are transformed.  And as we share that light, the world is transformed as well–not because of what we do but because of what Christ has done.  Thanks be to God!!  Amen.

Limiting Jesus

    I would like to take a few minutes as I begin this morning to do a couple of flashbacks.  Most of you, I hope know what a flashback is.  It’s a technique used by movie directors and authors to take you back in time to help you understand what is going on in their movie or novel.  Sometimes, in the midst of a particular story, these things can be annoying, but more often than not, they are extremely enlightening.  It is my hope that the next few flashbacks are more enlightening than annoying.

    The first flashback actually is found two chapters prior to the lesson we have before us in the sixth chapter of the book of Mark.  Jesus has finished a long day of teaching and preaching, and He tells His disciples that He wants to cross the lake.  A huge storm descends upon the group of boats as they cross.  Jesus is asleep, and His followers panic.  They wake Him up, and Jesus calms the wind and the water.  It was truly a mighty act of power, and Jesus chides His followers by saying, “Why do you have such little faith?”  I want you to note that Jesus doesn’t say, “Why don’t you have any faith?”  The disciples have faith, but only a little bit.

    Let’s move to the next chapter.  Jesus and His followers have crossed over the lake, and they are confronted by a man who is possessed by a demon.  This is no ordinary demon, but one named Legion.  The picture Mark paints about this demon is that it is particularly nasty and horrible.  Yet, Jesus has the power to cast it out, and it scares everyone in the countryside.  They are terrified because they witnessed an act that only God could achieve.  It was a massive deed of power.

    Then, because of the people’s fear, Jesus and the disciples cross back across the Sea of Galilee.  When they arrive, there is a large crowd awaiting them.  In that crowd, Mark makes particular mention of two people a man named Jairus whose daughter was dying and a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for 12 years.  Now, the woman had endured all sorts of treatments from the doctors; she had spent everything that she had; and nothing had worked.  But, she believed that if she simply touched the tassels hanging from Jesus’ clothes, she would be made well.  She touches Jesus’ tassels, and she indeed is healed.  Jesus tells her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” 

    Jesus and His disciples continue to Jairus’ house, but those inside inform the group that Jairus’ daughter is dead.  There is no more need to bother Jesus.  However, Jesus has none of it.  Once again, we see a link between faith and healing as Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.”  Jesus enters the little girl’s room and brings her back to life.  It is a huge deed of power. 

    In each of these cases, Jesus performs tremendous deeds of power, and there is a link to faith.  Now, remember, I have said previous, and I say again, that faith is very much the equivalent of trust.  In each of these episodes, a tremendous amount of trust is placed in Jesus.  The disciples know they cannot save themselves, and they turn to Jesus.  No one has been able to help the demoniac, and he certainly cannot save himself–Jesus cures him.  The woman who was bleeding cannot cure herself, and the doctors have been no help.  She trusts in Jesus.  Finally, Jarius cannot help his daughter, and she dies.  No one can rectify that.  Yet, Jesus says, “Do not fear, believe–trust.”  And Jairus’ daughter is restored to life.  There is an implicit link between trusting Jesus and great deeds of power.

    Then, Jesus goes home.  Our flashback is complete as we arrive at the text printed before us today, and a stark contrast is painted.  Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath day.  It was customary in a synagogue to allow a visiting rabbi to take the floor and offer his words of wisdom, and the people of Nazareth give this custom to Jesus.  After all, they have heard the rumors going around about Jesus’ teaching and preaching.  They have heard about His deeds of power.  They are curious.

    Now, Mark does not record for us exactly what Jesus said in the synagogue, but I think we can pretty much assume it had something to do with Mark 1:14-15.  Let me read for you that snippet quickly, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

    This proclamation is Messianic in nature–meaning, Jesus was proclaiming that God was establishing His kingdom now.  The promises of the Old Testament were being fulfilled now.  Jesus encouraged everyone to change their entire being and orientate their lives toward this good news. 

    The obvious question many would have is this: how do we know the kingdom of God is at hand?  How can we trust your message?  How can we come to believe this when all we see are Roman soldiers maintaining rule and fellow Jews who support them with collecting taxes and keeping us oppressed?

    Jesus began to show them as He unleashed a flurry of healing and demonstrations of God’s power.  Among them were the ones I just listed in the previous chapters.  Indeed God was doing something new.  Indeed Jesus was the one through whom this was happening, but it had little effect upon those in Jesus’ hometown.

    When everyone in the synagogue heard what Jesus announced, they were amazed.  Some might see this as a positive reaction, but I do not.  It doesn’t seem to fit the context.  I tend to see the amazement in this fashion: can you believe this guy is saying this?  They are amazed because they don’t believe Jesus could or should be bringing this message?  Why?  Well, they see Jesus in a very different light.

    How so?  Well, let’s start with a few demographics.  Nazareth is a town built upon 60 acres of rocky outcropping.  The town is only 60 acres in extent.  Archaeologists estimate that at the max–at the max–mind you, it had 500 residents.  What does that mean?  It means everyone knew everyone.  Everyone knew everyone’s business.  Everyone was familiar with all that was happening.  There was no such thing as anonymity.   Which means, the townsfolk knew Jesus.  They had watched Him grow up.  They knew His family, and that leads us right up to the series of questions they asked about Him.

    “Where did this man get all of this?  What is this wisdom that has been given to him?”  Meaning, they had seen Jesus grow up.  They knew Jesus didn’t study under any famous rabbi or otherwise.  They wondered if Jesus was making all this stuff up.

    “What deeds of power are being done by His hands?”  Meaning, is he doing all of this through the power of God or through the power of demons?

    “Is not this the carpenter?”  Meaning, his qualifications are to work wood and stone not preach.  Yes, this is an insult to Jesus.

    So is the question, “Is this not the Son of Mary?” In that day, it was customary to refer to a person as the son of their father, hardly ever the mother.  It’s truly insulting and could even be calling Jesus an illegitimate child. 

    “And aren’t his brothers and sisters here?”  Meaning, we know the family, and the family has told us about Jesus.

    And they took offense at Jesus.  He was too familiar to them.  They could only see Jesus in a particular fashion.  They could not see Him as a prophet.  They could not see Him as the Son of God.  They could not see Him as God incarnate.  Jesus had no right to tell them how to live their lives or what to believe.

    Jesus responds with an adage, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”  And He could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief.

    Now, some wonder why Jesus wasn’t able to do any deeds of power.  Some believe Jesus’ power was somehow limited by the people’s unbelief.  I don’t think that’s the case.  Not in the least.  Jesus could have done a deed of power.  Jesus could have done something massive.  I mean, it’s not like curing a disease is a minor detail–Jesus was able to do that, but He wasn’t able to calm a storm; cast out a demon; cure a disease that had been ongoing for 12 years or raise someone who had died.  Why? 

    Because the people didn’t trust Him to do such a thing.  They didn’t believe He had the authority or right to do so, so they didn’t bring anyone to Jesus who suffered from such maladies.  They didn’t trust Him to take care of such business, and they were quite content to trust in themselves; in their doctors; in their leaders.  Jesus was someone they knew: a carpenter; a Son of Mary who might be illegitimate; the brother of folks they knew.  He was not one to trust with Godly matters.  He was not one to trust with healing or the casting out of demons or the raising of the dead.  We know you too well to trust you, Jesus.  Hence only a few were brought to Jesus.  Only a few were healed, and Jesus marveled at their distrust.

    Would there be anything that would change the people of Nazareth?  Would there be anything that would break their hearts of stone?  Would there be anything that could bring about them doing a complete 180 in their belief and thought?  Would there be anything that could happen to bring them to trust in Jesus?  Is there anything that can bring about our trust?

    Oh, you knew I would get to us sooner or later.  I mean, it would be one thing for me to stand up here and point the finger at all those people there at Nazareth and say that they just didn’t get it.  It would be one thing for me to say that they needed to see what was right before their eyes.  It would be one thing for me to say that they had a problem and needed to get over it.  It would also be one thing for me to point around our culture and society and say the same thing.  It would be something for me to say that atheists and “spiritual but not religious” and agnostics have the problem of not being able to recognize Jesus of not trusting Jesus, but then I would be limiting a very severe problem we all face.  Because it is my contention that generally we all have a problem with trusting Jesus. 

    You see, I don’t think we are at all particularly fond of the Jesus we find in Scriptures.  We aren’t particularly fond of what He tells us about how we should live our lives.  We aren’t particularly fond that He tells us that we should give all our possessions away.  We aren’t particularly fond that He tells us that we should not get divorced.  We aren’t particularly fond that He tells us to give to everyone who begs.  We aren’t particularly fond that He tells us to trust Him above our money, our skin color, our gender, our job, and our very identity. 

    And so we limit Him.  We turn Him into a political revolutionary who undermines our systems of governance–which He is, but He is much more than that.  We limit Him to a wise sage who gave us great instructions on how to live–which He is, but He is much more than that.  We limit Him to a historical figure who introduced some new ethics particularly in how to recognize our humanity in even our enemy–which He is, but He is much more than that.  We limit Him to an extension of ourselves using some of His teaching to bolster our own particular points of view and explaining away or completely ignoring His other teachings. 

    Why do we do such a thing?  Because if Jesus is who He says He is, then we have to give up everything and follow Him.  If Jesus is who He says He is and has done what the biblical writers say He has done, then we have no choice but to bring our entire lives under His authority.  We have to bring our wallets as well as our sexuality under Him.  We have to trust Him in our work; in our play; and we must fall on our knees in worship and adoration. 

    Why?  Because He died for us when we were still sinners.  He loved us when we were His enemies.  He endured the wrath of God so that we didn’t have to when He was lifted up on the cross.

    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.

    When you realize that Jesus did this for you by sheer grace, there is no limiting Him.  When you realize Jesus laid down His life so that you may be justified before God, you cannot define Him in the way you want to see Him.  He becomes the Lord of your life.  He becomes more than just a carpenter.  He becomes more than just a political revolutionary or great moralist.  He becomes your Savior.  You put your trust in Him, and the deeds of power follow.  Amen.

The Seed Grows

    Let me begin this morning by setting the stage for what is happening in our Gospel lesson from the book of Mark.  I have said before that I believe Mark is a brilliant writer and story teller and that he places things in his gospel for a particular reason.  Such is the case with our lesson today.  Just prior to this account of Jesus’ calming the wind and waves, Jesus was teaching people from this boat as they gathered to hear Him preach.  Jesus said the following:

    ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’  30 He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’  Mark then informs us that Jesus taught the crowd with such parables, but when He and His disciples were alone, Jesus would teach them in more detail.  After informing us of this, Mark delves straight into a demonstration of Jesus’ power, but I would like to argue this morning this is less a demonstration about Jesus’ power and more about who He is.

    Mark begins by telling us that Jesus tells His disciples that they need to go across to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  The phrasing of Mark here indicates that they did not stop for provision.  They did not go ashore to stretch their legs.  They didn’t take too much time to check the weather.  They took Jesus “just as He was.”  Other boats were with them as they began their trek across the waters.

    Now, for a little bit of detail about the Sea of Galilee.  It’s a body of water that rests over 600 feet below sea level.  It is thirteen miles long and eight miles wide.  It has a mountain range on one side, and it is prone to sudden and violent storms.  You see, winds oftentimes rush down the mountainsides and wreck havoc on boaters even today.  There is very much precedent for the kind of storm Jesus and His disciples were to experience, but we will get to this in just a moment.  For now, we need to turn our attention to Jesus Himself. 

    For, you see, in this little snippet, we get a very real sense of the human side of Jesus.  For it is the only time in the whole Bible we hear of Jesus sleeping.  He had spent the entire day teaching; healing; forgiving sins and the like.  Perhaps some of you here this morning have worked so hard that you could not keep your eyes open.  Perhaps some of you have engaged in activities to the point where you crash out and you wake up unbelieving that you have slept so long and so hard.  Perhaps some of you have been so tired that you fell asleep at two or three in the afternoon and then suddenly woke the next morning realizing you have slept for thirteen, fourteen, or even fifteen hours.  This is the kind of tired Jesus is experiencing.  He is wiped out.  Completely and totally.  How wiped out is He?  Mark gives us the details.

    You see, one of those sudden storms that I spoke of earlier hits the disciples as they are crossing the Sea of Galilee.  It’s not a little storm.  Not in the least.  Mark records that the boat is being swamped!  This means the waves are breaking over the top of the boat and soaking everyone inside it.  Now, this fishing boat was approximately 26 feet long.  It could hold about 15 people.  They did not have any sort of cover on it.  There was no below deck or anything of the sort.  Jesus is lying in the front of the boat on a cushion.  He is exposed to the weather.  He is having waves crash over Him, and He is not waking up.  Think about that.  When is the last time you were splashed by water while you were sleeping and you didn’t wake up?  Probably never.  Yet, Jesus is so tired.  He is so desperately weary, that He doesn’t wake up.

    And this ticks off the disciples.  Yes, you heard me correctly, this ticks off the disciples.  You see, the disciples know they are in trouble.  This is no small detail according to Mark.  I mean, we know that several of the disciples are experienced fishermen.  They have been in boats all of their lives.  They know how to handle these boats backward and forward.  They know all the tricks of the trade.  They know how to survive.  And even these disciples are afraid.  Even these disciples know that if something doesn’t occur to change what is going on around them, they will die.  At least they have the sense to go to Jesus.

    But they approach Jesus in rather brutish fashion.  “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  Let me quote to you one of the commentaries I consulted this week regarding this statement.  “Matthew 8:25 softens the reproach to a prayer, and Luke 8:24 to a plea for help.  The rudeness of Mark’s wording reflects the way frustrated and desperate people speak and is probably a verbatim reminiscence of the disciples’ response in the crisis.”  It’s telling that later writers–who probably consulted the book of Mark–softened this particular rebuke of the disciples’. 

    It’s not surprising, however.  Remember how I said earlier, this story is not so much about the disciples as it is about Jesus.  And the disciples had been around Jesus.  They had seen Him heal the sick.  They had seen Him cast out demons.  They had seen Him perform amazing acts of power and release people from trials and tribulations.  He had done all this stuff for complete strangers, and now, the very people who Jesus Himself had called to be His followers were in grave danger.  The very people Jesus had entrusted to the explanation of the parables and His teachings were in very real danger of drowning and dying.  And what was Jesus doing?  How was Jesus facing this terrible storm?  By sleeping.  This just wasn’t right.  Something had to be done.  “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

    How many times do we find ourselves just like those disciples?  How many times do we find ourselves looking heavenward and saying, “Don’t you care?”  We look around this world and see people who reap blessing upon blessing.  We look around and see people who do not go to church; who do not pray; who do not study the Bible; we see these folks reap benefits.  They seem to capture special blessings of God; but those of us who are involved in church and who strive to do the right things get caught up in storms.  I know many of those storms you face: whether it is grief at losing a loved one; whether it is battling cancer or dealing with a loved one who has serious disease; whether it is struggling with a relationship that has gone south; whether it is facing a shortage of money in your household; these are just some of the storms we all face, and our temptation is to look to God and say, “Don’t you care?  Are you asleep?  We are dying here?  Won’t you do anything?”

    And Jesus, after awaking rebukes the wind and the waves.  He says, “Peace, be still,” and there is a dead calm.  Now, mind you, when winds die down after a storm, the waves still beat back and forth until their energy is used up.  Both wind and wave do not normally cease at once, yet this is exactly what Mark tells us happens.  And it causes a great amount of awe to fall upon the disciples–an awe that is rammed home by Jesus’ words to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ 41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

    That question at the end is a bit of a rhetorical one because Jesus has just shown who He is.  How so?  I would like to take you back in time–way back in time–to the very beginning of time.  Hear now the words of Genesis chapter one: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

    I am not going to read any further because the scene becomes repetitive.  Over and over God speaks into existence the world.  By the command of His voice, all things come into being.  By the command of His voice, the chaos of water and wind and darkness is transformed into the order of creation, and now, Jesus standing in a fishing boat with a command of His voice stills the chaos of water and wind in the midst of the darkness once again.  Who is this?  This is God incarnate.  This is the One who is fully divine and fully human; who becomes so tired that He sleeps through crashing waves and who is so powerful that He stills the storm with a few words.  This is Jesus, our Lord and our Savior who is unleashing the Kingdom of God–a Kingdom that began small, the tiniest of seeds that is now growing into a huge bush.

    But, wait, you might say.  I see what Mark is trying to convey in this story, but what does this have to do with me?  What does this have to do with the storms in my life?  Let me ask you the same questions Jesus asked His disciples: “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have such little faith?”  Or, do you have such little trust? which is probably a better interpretation       

    Why would I say such a thing?  Why would I seem so callous to your inquiry?  Let me ask you this–Do you not realize what Jesus has promised you?  Do you not realize what Jesus came to the earth to accomplish?

    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.

    You see, the storms you face in life are hard.  They are rough, but they are nothing compared to the storm you would face without Christ.  For we are all in the same boat as far as our relationship with God.  We all fall short.  We all miss the mark.  We all act in selfishness and self-centeredness.  I am no better than you.  You are no better than me.  We are no better than the guy who walked into the AME Church in South Carolina and massacred church goers.  We desire to be in charge and in control, and deep down, we know we do not even measure up to the standards to which we hold others.  We are tremendous hypocrites.  Deep down, I think we all know this, and if there is a Judge over the universe, we know that if we were to ever appear before Him, we would stand condemned.  We would face the ultimate storm of that Judge’s wrath.

    And we would face that wrath if it were not for the one who faced that storm for us.  We would face the horrible prospect of the wrath of God if it were not for the God incarnate, Jesus Christ, who faced that wrath in our stead–who upon the cross cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!” as He felt that storm.  But after facing it–after going through the storm of death and God’s wrath, He was raised to new life.  He was resurrected as the first fruit of a new creation–of a new heaven and earth; of a new Kingdom–a Kingdom that you and I have been invited to join through the blood of Jesus.  When we place our trust in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross, we know our ultimate destination, and we have little to fear.

    If you trust that you are traveling with Jesus, then whatever storms assail you, you can rest assured–He has been there.  He has faced the ultimate storm.  He loves you and will never desert you.  As Martin Luther wrote in his famous hymn, “Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child or spouse.  Though life be wrenched away, they cannot win the day.  The Kingdom is ours forever!”  That kingdom begins like a mustard seed deep within your heart, and it grows as you place more and more of your trust in it.  And when you realize that Jesus is the incarnate God who died to save you when you were still a sinner, you will have peace in your storms.  Amen. 

Why Do We Plant Trees?

    Why do we plant trees?

    That might seem like a rather stupid question in some regards.  I mean, most of us know that trees are very good for the environment.  They take carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen–a very important process for those of us who need oxygen to live.  Trees provide shade and relief from the sun.  They provide us with paper; wood for housing and warmth.  Indeed, trees are very, very important.

    But why do we plant them?  Think about this for a moment.  How long does it take a tree to grow to maturity?  How long does it take for a tree to grow to enough of a size to provide shade for a house?  How long does it take for a tree to grow to become large enough to produce a board or a log large enough to burn for hours?  How long does it take for a tree to grow so that one can sit under its branches without fear of sun?  It takes a long, long time; depending on the tree it can take 10 to 20 years for such a thing to happen.  And so, I ask again.

    In this day of instant gratification and instantaneous access to information, why do we plant trees?  And if we are nearing the twilight of our lives, why even bother knowing it is unlikely we will get to see the fruit of our work? 

    Why do we plant trees?

    Perhaps it is because of the hope we have.  Perhaps it is because we believe that such planting will be a benefit even if it takes years for it to happen.  Perhaps it is because we believe that somewhere in the future a tree will be a benefit for the planet, for our children, or for another person.  We plant trees because we have hope for the future. 

    Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

    This week as I prepared for my sermon, I listened to several sermons and read several commentaries that wrestled with this teaching–and the following parable about the mustard seed.  They tried to get their heads around these teachings because they tried to apply them to living out the Christian life.  Many said, “Well, we can’t do anything to bring about the kingdom of God.  It just happens.  God does it, and that’s a dangerous idea because it can make us complacent.  It can make us think we don’t have to work toward a better world or a better society.  God does everything.  We do nothing except scatter a few seeds from time to time.  This is actually a dangerous parable.”

    If you interpret this parable in such a fashion, then I think you would be right in assessing the danger.  I think you would be right in being very uncomfortable with what Jesus says.   Indeed such an interpretation could lead–and it very often has led to complacency among Christians.  It has led some Christians to disengage from the world and fail to work for peace and justice.  And, of course, for every action there is a reaction, therefore other Christians have taken up the cause of peace and justice and have decided that it is all up to the Church to establish the kingdom of God.  They are tired of waiting for it and are fed up with lazy Christians, so they roll up their sleeves and strive to make the kingdom happen by changing laws; challenging governments; raising awareness or community organizing through various social ministries.  For many, it becomes an either/or proposition.  Either we say it’s all up to God and become complacent thinking God will handle it, or we believe it’s all up to us and we run ourselves ragged trying to change and, dare I say it, save the world.

    I think this actually speaks to a deeper division within humanity.  I think it actually reveals a deeper problem with how we live our lives–a problem that is not just inherent to the Church.  I think it runs the gamut of our societies.  For I think, as we go through life we are torn between the forces which tell us we need to live for ourselves or we need to live for others.  In the Church this plays out by those who think the kingdom of God will come completely and totally by God’s own hand therefore we have to do nothing except sit back and survive and be pious–I would call this living for ourselves.  And it plays out with those who believe everything is up to us to change and save the world and make it a better place–living for others. 

    Outside of the Church, I think this struggle gets played out in politics by the ideology of individualists and socialists.  Individualists tend to put the rights of the individual above the good of society and see individual freedom as more important than societal responsibility.  Do you hear the idea of living for one’s self here?  Socialists tend to put societal responsibility ahead of individual freedom, so individual rights and power become limited for the expense of the group.  Can you hear living for others?  Now, I’ve simplified things here.  I want you to know that I think things are a bit more nuanced than this.  I am painting in black and white because I think these two forces are constantly working against each other.  I would be happy to expound further in other discussions, but I do think there is enough evidence to support my position–especially since these two sides are constantly arguing and bickering and striving for position and power.  And really and truly, this has been and will be an ongoing struggle if we don’t find some sort of way to bring this conflict into some sort of balance.

    I would like to begin working toward that balance this morning as we seek to understand the Gospel and its application for our lives.  For I believe the Gospel captures our hearts as individuals; roots us in a vision of the kingdom of God; and compels us to work toward the kingdom of God as a reality right here and now.  How does this all work, and can I squeeze it all in without preaching for an hour?  Let’s find out.

    First, I would like to begin by saying that we must be grasped by the Gospel, and this is no easy task.  Why? 

    Many of you know that for a very long time now, John 3:16-17 has made a regular appearance in my sermons.  “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.”  Martin Luther once called this snippet “The Gospel in a nutshell.”  These two Bible verses capture the nature of what God has done on our behalf.  It was He who took on human flesh.  It was He who became the spotless Lamb of God.  It was He who allowed Himself to be betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten and crucified–all that we might be reconciled unto God.  You see, our hearts are not naturally tuned to serve God.  Our hearts are naturally tuned to serve ourselves or serve others.  They do not naturally seek out God, and when we place ourselves or others as the ultimate things in our life, we break God’s first and most important commandment: you shall have no other gods before Him.  Because we do not seek God and seek to replace Him with either ourselves or others, we deserve His wrath and punishment.  But God does not want our destruction.  God wants to seek and save the lost, but He cannot simply forgive without payment of the cost.  Either we have to bear the cost, or He does.  In the crucifixion, God pays the cost for our disobedience.  He suffers on our behalf.  He endures that wrath on our behalf–even though we did not deserve it.  Thus, we did not earn reconciliation with God.  We did not earn our own salvation.  It was all accomplished by Jesus.

    This is what I have hammered and hammered and hammered for many, many sermons.  I was asked this past week, “When are you going to stop?”  My answer is, “For as long as God needs me to preach it, and if you ever get tired of hearing God’s love for you, then we have a problem.”  There is a reason I answered in that fashion.  As I said before, our hearts are not naturally tuned to God, and they are not naturally tuned to accept any sort of thing that we do not earn on our own.  They are not accustomed to accepting any sort of gift that costs us nothing.   We tend to think that we must earn everything.  Society teaches us over and over and over to work hard, and if we do so, we will be rewarded.  We have that embedded deep within us.  And so we believe we have to have the same sort of relationship with God.  We believe that it is all up to us.  We believe we have to make our faith grow.  We believe we can make peace grow inside of us.  We believe the more we can try and be perfect; the more we can attend church; the more we can do Bible study; the more we pray; the more our faith will grow.

    But that is not true.  We cannot make our faith grow.  We cannot even make ourselves believe in Jesus.  We cannot bring ourselves to any sort of knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The apostle Paul says it this way, “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Even basic belief is impossible on our own.  Our hearts must be brought to that saving knowledge.  Our hearts must be changed and captured by the good news of Jesus.  Our hearts must be turned around by understanding the lengths God will go through to love us–HE IS WILLING; GOD IS WILLING TO DIE FOR YOU!!!  You have to do nothing.  Jesus has done everything.  This is tough to get our heads around.  This is tough to get our hearts around.  This is why I repeat it Sunday after Sunday after Sunday.  The Spirit convicts our hearts as we hear the Word–as the Gospel is proclaimed.  The farmer plants the seed, but he does not make it grow.  The kingdom of God begins in our hearts: tiny, sometimes imperceptible, but as time passes: it begins to grow.

    And when it begins to grow, transformation happens.  When the Gospel seizes your heart, things happen deep within you.  You begin to sense a deep peace.  You begin to have a calmness and assurance about you.  You look less with a self-righteous eye.  You see others as those whom God desperately wants to have His Kingdom grow within.  You know it is important for you to plant seeds as well.  You know it is important that they come to the same saving grace that you have.  And so you begin to work.  You plant seeds. 

    And there is oftentimes preparation that must be done.  Sometimes the weeds of poverty and injustice must be cleared before the Gospel can be heard.  Sometimes compassion must be shown to those who grieve before the love of Jesus can be announced.  Sometimes, houses must be built for the homeless. Sometimes the sick must be comforted.  Sometimes, hunger must be satisfied.  Sometimes trust must be built.  Sometimes old wounds must be healed.  In each case, copious amounts of time pass.  There is no quick fix.  The Kingdom of God takes time to grow in others just like it takes time to grow within your heart.  At this point, I hope you can see how when the Gospel takes root, it moves us away from individualism–living for ourselves and socialism–living for others.  For when the Gospel seizes our hearts, we live for neither.  We live to spread the Kingdom of God.  We live to have that Kingdom grow within ourselves and within others because of what God has done through Jesus Christ on the cross.

    Why do we plant trees?  Because we hope in the future.  Why do I preach the Gospel every Sunday?  Because I hope in the future Kingdom of God.   Why do we feed the hungry and work for peace and justice?  Because we believe these things are a part of God’s future reality which is already growing in our hearts.  Such things might start small and inconsequential, but they grow.  They cannot be hindered.  They will produce fruit as we seek not to serve ourselves or serve others, but serve the Kingdom of God which has come to us through the Gospel–through the work of Jesus–For God so loved the world!”  Amen.

A Family Intervention

    We all have that one relative.  You know the one I am talking about.  It’s generally the relative that you absolutely loved when you were a kid.  Maybe it was that crazy uncle or the cousin who was always doing risky stuff.  This relative always pushed the boundaries and brought some excitement into your life.  As a kid, you absolutely, positively loved it!  You couldn’t wait to see this particular relative, but as life moved on and you matured, you started viewing things a bit differently.  As you matured, you found out that your relative didn’t.  While you stopped acting like a child, your relative never did.  The risks actually became greater.  The behavior became more self destructive.  You wondered why you ever thought your kin was so cool.

    Sometimes, such family members begin to have very destructive behavior.  Sometimes they begin to drink heavily or delve into drugs.  Sometimes they become abusive.  Sometimes they begin gambling or neglecting themselves or the rest of their family.  In such cases, family members get together and work to change their loved one’s behavior.  We have such a word for this process.  It’s called an intervention.  These can be very important times in a family’s life.  They can bring healing and wholeness and restoration–not only for the one committing the destructive behavior, but for the entire family as a unit.  Interventions are sometimes very, very necessary.

    Jesus’ family thought so too.  Jesus’ family believed they needed to intervene in His life as well.  We have a very interesting bibilical snippet before us this morning from the book of Mark.  It’s actually two stories sandwiched together by the writer Mark.  Now, I personally believe Mark is a tremendous writer and storyteller.  I believe there is very much a purpose behind much of Mark’s writing.  Details are important to Mark as he conveys to us the story of Jesus’ life and teaching.  There is a reason Mark puts these two stories together.  He is trying to tell us something very important.

    As I said before, the story begins with Jesus’ family deciding they need to perform an intervention.  The translation from the Greek we have before us is a little muddied.  The English in the NRSV is not exactly what is portrayed in the Greek.  It should read, “21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.”  The Greek does not add any extra “people.”  Jesus’ family believes He has gone out of His mind.

    This presents a bit of a conundrum as we take a look at the rest of the Gospel stories.  I mean, included in Jesus’ family, we find just a few verses later, is Jesus’ very own mother.  Mary is included in those who are coming to arrest–that’s literally what it says later–Jesus.  This is the Mother of our Lord who had the angel announce to her that she would give birth to the Savior.  This is Mary who heard the witness of the wise men and pondered these things in her heart.  This is Mary who had stood up at the wedding at Canaan and pronounced, “Do whatever He tells you to do.”  If Mary knew her child was the Son of God; if she knew He was the Messiah; then why did she allow the rest of the family to proclaim Jesus crazy?  Why did she go with them to arrest Him and participate in the intervention?

    As I thought about it, I wondered if Mary didn’t quite understand exactly how her son would fulfill His Messianic duties.  I wonder if the rest of the family had the wrong idea about what Jesus was supposed to be doing as the promised Messiah–I mean you don’t really think Mary would have kept that a secret from the rest of them, do you?  Before I get too convoluted with the questioning, let me explain.

    You see, Jesus was going around the region proclaiming, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the good news.”  Jesus had also been proclaimed the Son of God at His baptism, and as Jesus went about the region casting out demons, the demons would shout out, “You are the Holy One of God!”  Even though Jesus commanded them to be silent, word was spreading.  Jesus was also coming into conflict with the religious authorities.  He was forgiving people of their sins even though they had not offered the appropriate sacrifices.  He was healing on the Sabbath.  Such behavior was a recipe for disaster.  How so?

    Well, if Jesus was going around saying, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He was directly undercutting the ruling, Roman authorities.  The Romans had instituted the Kingdom of Caesar.  Proclaiming the Kingdom of God was seen as sedition.  It carried the death sentence.  By casting out demons; healing the sick; making the lame to walk; and proclaiming a forgiveness of sins while undercutting some of the laws of the Old Testament, Jesus placed himself squarely in opposition to the religious authorities.  They would not have been pleased with one undercutting thousands of years of tradition.  They would not have been happy with one who was teaching things which were borderline blasphemy.  If they believed Jesus was leading the people astray, they could try Him and convict Him of blasphemy and ask that the Romans put Him to death.  Do you find it interesting that this is exactly what happened to Jesus later?

    His family could see this.  They could see the end.  They could see Jesus’ self-destructive behavior.  They could see where this path was leading.  They knew that He knew this as well.  “He must be crazy!” they thought.  “This is not how the Messiah is supposed to act.  We’ve got to put a stop to this.  It’s time for an intervention.”

    And now we have a break from this story as Mark inserts a related anecdote.  The scribes send a delegation from Jerusalem to deal with Jesus.  Remember what I said earlier about Jesus’ teaching and healing.  The scribes are not happy with Jesus, and they want to discredit Him.  They begin to tell the people, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of demons, Jesus casts out demons.”  They are obviously trying to paint Jesus as evil–as outside the bounds of the Law and the Prophets.  They are saying Jesus is not from God and anyone who associates with Jesus is buying into such deceit.

    Jesus points out the flaw in their logic.  “How can Satan cast out Satan?”  In other words, “We can all agree that getting rid of a demon and freeing a person is a good thing.  No one would argue that.  Why would evil seek to do good?  If evil seeks to do good, then it is divided and its kingdom will fall.  If Satan is casting out Satan, then he is ushering in his own demise.  Do you really think Satan would do that?”  The answer is obviously no.  Not a chance.  Satan would do no such thing.  But Jesus isn’t finished.  He makes one more pronouncement, “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— 30for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” 

    This passage gives some folks difficulty.  It’s not surprising.  What is such an eternal sin?  Have I committed an unforgivable sin?  Several commentaries noted, “If you are asking whether or not you have committed this sin, then you haven’t.”  That’s a bit comforting, but it still leaves us asking, “What is it?  What is this unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit?” 

    I think Mark closes things out and brings us full circle by bring us back to Jesus’ family and their attempts at intervention.  I think Mark gives us an answer to that question.  Let us turn there now.

    As I said earlier, Jesus’ family, including His mother, show up to arrest Him.  They didn’t just show up to restrain Him.  They want to arrest Him; seize Him; stop Him from this insanity.  They can’t get into the house because of the crowd, so word spreads through the crowd that Jesus’ family has arrived.  Jesus hears, and He makes a startling pronouncement:

    33And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

    Now, if you aren’t shocked by that statement, then you really don’t understand the ancient world.  For family was everything in that world.  From your family, you received your identity.  You received your value.  You received your worth.  Think about that for a moment as you hear Jesus say, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”  Essentially, Jesus is denying His origin!  He is denying where everyone would find the source of their identity; their value; and their worth.  No one in His right mind would do such a thing!!  At least in that time and place.

    But then, Jesus does something more.  Looking at those around Him–most commentaries suggest that Jesus looks at His disciples–Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

    Let’s think about this for just a moment.  Jesus points to those sitting around Him–they may be the disciples.  They maybe the entire crowd in the house.  It doesn’t really matter in my estimation.  The question that I want to ask is, “What are they doing?”  Jesus says they are doing the will of God, so what are they doing?  What activity are they participating in?  Are they living perfect and upright lives?  Are they staying free from any and all sexual sins?  Are they doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God?  Are they loving God and loving neighbor?  Are they offering sacrifices for sin and atoning for their wrongdoings?  Are they feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; visiting the sick and imprisoned; and trying to transform the world into the Kingdom of God.  No.  They are doing no such things.

    What are they doing?  They are turning to Jesus for healing.  They are turning to Jesus for identity.  They are turning to Jesus to understand God.  They are placing their trust in Him and following Him.  They have made Jesus the most important thing in their lives.  Jesus’ family was placing a higher value upon the status of the family and their own expectations of what Jesus should be.  The scribes were putting a higher value upon Jewish law and upholding their status as religious leaders.  Neither were letting Jesus be who He was intended to be: The Lord and Savior of the world.

    Which leads us to the sin against the Holy Spirit.  What is that sin?  It is the Holy Spirit which brings us to the knowledge that Jesus is no lunatic or liar.  It is the Holy Spirit which calls us through the Gospel to see Jesus as the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  It is the Holy Spirit which leads us to place our trust in Him above any and every other thing.  To sin against the Holy Spirit is nothing less than to place our trust in something other than Jesus–to desire something else more than Jesus–to trust in our own selves and our own actions or in the actions and promises of something other than Jesus.  And why should you put your trust solely in Him?

    No other God is willing to die for you.  “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.”

    C.S. Lewis once said the following, “A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.”  Jesus’ family thought He was a lunatic.  The scribes thought Him a liar.  The crowd and the disciples saw Him as Lord.  What about you?  Amen.

Pat Robertson, Texas Floods, and the Why Question

Okay,  I know Pat Robertson really didn't say he was stuck in a quandary trying to figure out why God sent flooding to my home state.  Snopes is a wonderful tool to help wade through some of the garbage which surfaces on the www.   But Robertson and others have, in their history, made comments about natural disasters and God's wrath being administered through those disasters.  There are those who both cheer and jeer such pronouncements, and with good reason.

At the heart of such matters is the question of why such disasters happen.  From a atheistic perspective, the question is irrelevant.  Such flooding is simply part of the way the world works.  There is no rhyme or reason for the randomness.  It just happens.  Deal with it.  Cope with it.  Get over it.  If you lost loved ones or property, grieve--we will help you get back on your feet, but don't ask about any greater purpose or reason behind such matters.  There is none.  This answer is satisfactory for some.

For people of faith, the rejection of a "why" answer is not satisfactory.  We wrestle with the nature of such events.  We want to know if there is a purpose behind them. We want to know whether or not hope springs eternal.  For in the atheist answer, you have resolved the problem of suffering, but you have removed hope.  What hope is there for those who lost loved ones in this flooding?  What hope is there for those who have lost everything to flood damage--who believed they needed no insurance because they were high enough above the flood plain?  Those seeking hope want and need answers.

They are not always easy to find.

The Punishment Answer

Robertson and others have used the punishment answer in regards to natural disasters numerous times.  The idea is that society in general or some people in particular have committed grievous sin, and God is extending His wrath upon society with such disaster.

This answer is not without precedent.  In fact, it is found in Scripture on numerous occasion.  The great flood recorded in the Bible is one instance of divine punishment upon the evil of humanity.  An earthquake swallowing up a great deal many Israelites for betraying the covenant is another instance.  Venomous serpents in the desert is another.  In all occasions, God punishes sin by natural occurrences.

This does raise a bit of a quandary for those of us who believe God is a God of love.  Why would God punish people in such a manner--even "innocent" women and children?  Sometimes, the response leaves one scratching one's head.  "That's the God of the Old Testament, not the God of the New Testament."  (That argument was rejected by the early Church long ago and was deemed heresy.)  "God didn't really do those things.  Those things just happened, and the bibilcal writers just theologized the event."  (Well, you could do that to every single event in Scripture then.  That would make the Bible just a bunch of human events that people projected onto God.  Hello Freud.)

Punishment is a very effective tool for changing behavior.  Just ask any parent.  We use it all the time.  "If you don't stop hitting your brother, you will get a spanking!"  "If you don't clean your room, you will lose your ipod."  "If you do not eat your food, you will not be allowed to go outside and play."  And so on and so forth.  The threat of punishment, and the subsequent follow through is still used by the legal system today.  This is why we have speed limit signs, anti-discriminatory laws, and the like.  There are behaviors which must be curbed.

Throughout the Old Testament, God effectively uses punishment to change the behaviors of people who are failing to follow His commands and live according to His will and His way.  When people commit idolatry: God punishes.  When people fail to live justly, God punishes.  When people abuse the poor and downtrodden, God punishes.  God cannot stand the sight of sin, and to get people back on the right path, He sent punishment.

One can effectively argue that with each and every disaster, natural and otherwise, that God is punishing society and individuals for their sin.  For no one is innocent. 

There are those who might dispute that last comment, but I would like to remind you of the biblical nature of sin.  Sin is not simply the things that we do--it goes beyond that.  It is the condition of the human heart, and the human heart is naturally turned toward itself.  It naturally seeks self-preservation.  It naturally seeks self-gain.  It naturally seeks its own self-interests.  As Nietzsche once put it: we all seek our own will to power.  In this light, no one can escape guilt.  As the reformer Martin Luther put it: we are in bondage to sin.  It is the condition of our hearts.  Therefore, God is justified in punishing such sin.

The Problem with Punishment

But there is a problem with simply punishing.  For while punishment changes behavior, it does not change hearts.  What do I mean by that?

Whenever the threat of punishment disappears, people go right back to doing whatever it was they were doing to begin with.  Kids will wreck havoc when parents go away because the threat is gone.  Their fear is gone.  Therefore, they push through boundaries thinking they will not get caught.  Behavioral change was only temporary.  It was not lasting. 

On the other hand, if someone loves and respects the ruling authorities, then following the rules is a joy.  Following the law is a delight.  Why?  Because one knows that in following the rules, one is bringing delight to one's superiors. 

But how do you get another person to love you?  How do you get another person to see how much you care for them?

Jesus gave us the ultimate answer to that one, "No one has greater life than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."  Jesus wasn't the first one to say that.  Others had said it before, but this was the first time in history when God took on human flesh and not only said such a thing, but did it.  Every other time the gods came down to earth, it was to wreck destruction and mayhem or because they were interested in satisfying some sort of perverse desire.  Jesus took on flesh to die--not only for His friends but for His enemies as well.  No greater love has ever been shown.

The Cross

And, of course, that death took place on a cross.  It was the worst sort of death.  The Romans had perfected the art of killing someone so that a person not only died but died without dignity and in massive amounts of pain.  This was the death that Jesus experienced--the same Jesus who did not deserve to die; who was completely and utterly innocent; whose heart was perfectly attuned to His Father's will. 

There is a bastardized understanding of Christianity that flows around the world these days.  It's the proclamation that if one just believes in Jesus and seeks to follow Him and has enough faith, then one will experience healing of every sort.  One will be completely whole in finances, health, and relationships.  God will grant victory in bank accounts, bedrooms, social relationships, and hospitals if one simply begins believing.

The cross destroys such ideology.  Jesus' lived the perfect life, and He was crucified.  The earliest disciples--who saw Jesus raised from the dead, met their demise in persecution, suffering, exile, and imprisonment.  Christianity does not promise a life without suffering, but it does offer eternal hope.  It offers consolation when suffering occurs.  It offers the knowledge that when the worst happens, God will have the last say.

The Resurrection

For the cross was not the end of the story.  Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and proclaimed that all who trust in His work will share with Him in this resurrection.  Two things are important: the work of Jesus and the future hope.

The Work of Jesus

The cross for Christians is not only the result of humanity's worst.  It is not simply a man being hanged because He dared challenge the power structures of the day.  Jesus certainly did that; however there was more to it; much more.

In the context of the Jewish sacrificial system, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice--the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world.  Theological jargon, I know, but let's try and break it down a little.  Mind you, there have been books written about this.  I'm trying to get it done in a blog post. 

Whenever sin occurred, one had to justify oneself toward God.  Atonement had to be made.  This isn't as foreign as it might seem to us living so far removed from the situation.  How so?  Well, whenever someone wrongs you, you demand justice.  You demand recompense.  You demand that things be made right.  Whenever you pay for goods, and those goods do not meet specifications, you demand your money back or that the goods be fixed.  Things must be made right.  In relationships, if you are hurt by another person, you demand an apology.  You demand that the person fix the pain caused. 

Yet, if you forgive another person, you bear the cost of that forgiveness.  You bear the cost of the broken goods.  You bear the pain of broken relationships.  On the cross, Jesus bore the cost of our brokenness with God.  He bore the cost of our hearts being focused on ourselves.  He bore the cost of our actions that break God's laws and commands.  He took the punishment so that we do not have to fear it, and instead of fearing God's wrath, we can look toward God's love and promise.

The Future Hope

Being assured of God's love and freed from worry about His wrath, we can now live lives honoring God.  We can be free of fear of death and destruction.  We know Who holds our future, and our lives are built upon Him.

The reformer Martin Luther summarized this in one of the stanzas to the hymn "A Mighty Fortress:"

Were they to take our house,
Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be swept away,
They cannot win the day,
The Kingdom's ours forever.

Wrapped up in this verse is the knowledge that suffering will occur.  There is the knowledge that it is not God who brings such suffering upon us.  We still don't have the answer for that; however, just because we don't have the answer to "why", we are free to ask the question, and we are free to know what the ultimate solution will be.  We are free to know the ultimate and final say will be a new heaven and a new earth where all bad things will be undone.  This is the promise of the cross and the resurrection. 

As flood victims are striving to put their lives together, the outpouring of support and love will do wonders to bring healing.  It is my hope that well intentioned people will not try to solve the why question, but instead will point to the God who suffers with and then turns mourning into dancing--the God who took suffering upon Himself and then transformed death into life.