God's Design

Mark 10: 2-16 (October 4, 2009)

1) The Text

2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

10Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

2) The Context

Divorce in the first century was a generally accepted part of life, both among Jews and perhaps more so within wider Greco-Roman culture. Some writers and public leaders spoke against divorce as bad for society, but for the most part people debated only details of its legal basis. Among Jewish legal experts, Deuteronomy 24:1-4 was a key text, one that assumes divorce will occur and proscribes procedures for carrying it out. In Deuteronomy, a man is permitted to divorce his wife if he "finds something objectionable about her." First, this reminds us that this portion of the law, like the "official" legal debates among Jesus' contemporaries (see 10:2), presupposes a man's point of view. Second, a well-known debate focused on those verses, with the scribal school of Hillel taking them to allow divorce for any reason and the school of Shammai taking them to allow divorce only in the case of adultery.

The Pharisees, however, neglect to mention a key piece of this part of Deuteronomy, which requires a husband to give the certificate of divorce to his ex-wife. Such a document might provide a divorced woman with a defense against rumor and slander. For a majority of women in that culture, survival depended upon being a member of a household. A woman, perhaps with children, without a husband and without a means of explaining why she was unmarried, could be exposed to great risk. The law's provision about the certificate seeks to mitigate that risk, but apparently the Pharisees find that detail not worth noting.

3) Interpretation

Jesus turns the conversation with the Pharisees away from the legal foundation for divorce to God's design for marriage. That is, he dismisses the law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) as a concession to human weakness and offers a different perspective rooted in creation (quoting Genesis 1:27; 2:24). His argument describes marriage as a strong and (literally) unifying bond between two people. It is because he sees marriage in such a way that he speaks against divorce as he does.

Technically speaking, Jesus implies that he disapproves of divorce. More plainly, he says that divorce contravenes God's design as expressed in Genesis 1-2. Later, with his disciples, he reveals more specifics, saying that a person who initiates a divorce to marry another person commits adultery. When Jesus talks with his disciples in 10:10-12, he says nothing about the rejected partner in a divorce and his or her remarriage. He seems to be speaking specifically against those who leave their partners for others. His point is that divorce does not offer a legal loophole to justify adultery. That is, his strongest words are against those who initiate divorce as a means to get something else, sacrificing a spouse to satisfy one's desires or ambitions.

In 10:10-12, Jesus gives women a place of greater equality in the marriage relationship, hardly seeing them as passive objects. For one thing, the prohibition of 10:12, concerning women who divorce their husbands, parallels 10:11. Second, by speaking of a man committing adultery against a woman (and not against her father or her past or present husband), Jesus implies that adultery involves more than violating the property rights of another man. It concerns accountability to a partner, just as marriage does.

These details highlight the cultural differences between us and the Gospels, to be sure. Certainly today, at least in industrialized cultures, marriage has changed greatly, being less about economics and more about people seeking mutual fulfillment. And while divorce still often leads people (especially women) into financial hardship, divorced women today do not always find themselves doomed to the same social jeopardy many of their ancient counterparts faced. But these points do not render this passage irrelevant. Rather, the cultural and textual particularities cast light on how Jesus' teaching might protect women of his time from men who use divorce for their own benefit and so imperil women.

This is hardly the only place where Jesus says that God's design means to provide wholeness and protection for those who are vulnerable (see 2:23-3:6). It is no coincidence that Mark next tells a story about Jesus blessing children (10:13-15). Children in the ancient world had few rights and essentially no social status. Therefore the disciples obstruct people who bring children to Jesus. Jesus blesses them, not because they conjure sweet images of cherubic innocence, but because he has concern for the vulnerable and scorned, for those ripe for exploitation.

4) Thought Exercise

How does Jesus use the issue of divorce to teach grace?

What can be done to promote the stability of parents and the good of children?

“Whoever is not against us is for us”

Mark 9: 38-50 (September 27, 2009)

1) The Text

38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40Whoever is not against us is for us. 41For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

42“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

49“For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

2) The Context

In verses 49 to 50, “salt” has three meanings. First, in verse 49, it means purified, as ore is purified to metal in a furnace; before Christ comes again, we will be purified through persecution and suffering. Second, in verse 50a, “salt” is a seasoning agent; the disciples are the salt of the earth, the agents of spirituality; if we lose our effectiveness in proclaiming God’s word, what use are we? Third, in verse 50b, “salt” is distinctive character: this matters, but so does harmony in the community.

In Biblical times, there was hardly a food which was not seasoned with salt. "Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt?" asks the prophet Job. The most common method of obtaining salt was mining. It was also produced, however, by evaporating sea water and removing the salts from the sediment, then rinsing, purifying and crushing the raw salt. We find that in the ancient Near East, salt also performed a variety of symbolic functions, its meaning frequently shifting between opposites of blessing and a curse, destruction and restoration, protection and harm.

3) Interpretation

The reading as a whole instructs the disciples to remove whatever barriers stand before the Kingdom of God, but the surprising news is that it is often the disciples themselves who are the ones in the way. The problem with the unauthorized exorcist is not that he has failed to show himself as a follower of Jesus but that he is not following “us.” Once again, the disciples grapple with the issues of identity and authority, but Jesus’ response is clear: “Do not stop him.”

This command and the following instruction call the disciples to respond to believers outside of their community in a way that does not hinder them. By recognizing the legitimacy of the exorcist’s work, the disciples are forced to acknowledge that Jesus’ transformative power extends beyond their own inner circle. The knowledge that others are effectively engaging in ministry invites the disciples to consider the existence of a broad Christian fellowship marked only by belief in Jesus. This revelation in turn alerts the disciples to the nature of their own ability to pursue ministry. Clearly the source of the disciples’ capacity to accomplish any work is found in Jesus alone rather than either in the disciples themselves or in their status in any particular group.

Verse 42 reinforces the injunction against interfering with the mission of those outside of the disciples’ inner circle and initiates a block of text warning the disciples against placing similar stumbling blocks before themselves. The metaphors of hand, foot, and eye invite the disciples to evaluate the totality of their existence to discern any behavior, self-conception, or world view that hinders the attainment of a fuller relationship with God. The issue here does not seem to be one of actions in this life that lead to eternal reward or punishment in a life to come. Instead, the kingdom is so presently accessible that the disciples need only remove any stumbling blocks of their own making that obstruct an otherwise open path. By identifying and eliminating any self-destructive resistance, the disciples are drawn into the life of the Kingdom of God and are released from the hell that is separation from God.

The closing sayings about salt instruct the disciples to purify themselves by removing whatever contaminant hinders the effectiveness of their mission. This metaphor of purification complements the metaphor of cutting away that which causes one to stumble. Again the disciples are commanded to adopt a rigorous self-discipline that leads to greater effectiveness in ministry.

This text invites communities to identify the self-constructed stumbling blocks that prevent flourishing. In other words, are there subtle ways in which the church sabotages its own ministries? A journalist once asked Carl Sandburg, "What is the ugliest word in the English language?" After a few minutes Sandburg replied, "Exclusive." The ugliness of exclusive depends upon whether we are among the included or the excluded. The conflict in the early church centered on the question of who is in and who is out. Are gentiles to be included? Peter and Paul debated that one until Peter had a dream and concluded that "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34).

Judging people by whether or not they are "one of us" thwarts God's reign of justice, generosity and joy. The disciples missed the power and victory of God's liberating presence in the man casting out demons. Their assumption that only those "following us" could cast out demons blinded them to God's presence in another. Rather than being grateful that demons were cast out, they were upset that the healing was done through someone outside their group. Jesus refused to live by the divisions and barriers of his time. He challenged the practice of confining God's redemptive and transforming action to one's own race, one's own religious institution, one's own political party. When the disciples wanted exclusive claim to God's reign, he challenged them to see God's presence and power manifested in those who were not members of their group. The cause of Christ is not served by rejecting other ways to God. The road to tolerance begins within.

4) Thought Exercise

What is the link between God's forgiveness/acceptance of us and our forgiveness/acceptance of others?

First Must Be Last

Mark 9: 33-37 (September 20, 2009)

1) The Text

33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

2) The Context

At the time of Jesus, children were the most vulnerable members of society, and the "last of all" in social standing. Welcoming a child in Jesus' name is a radical reversal. Children were not outcasts. But they were non-persons. Jesus puts this reversal in the starkest, total, terms when he goes on: "whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

In Matthew's parallel account of the same passage Jesus says, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). Just one page later in Mark's Gospel the disciples rebuked people who brought little children to Jesus so that he would bless them. "When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it'" (10:13–16).

3) Interpretation

In this passage, Jesus seeks to address the issue at hand—the disciples’ mistaken understanding of greatness. He told the disciples that in order to be first they must be willing to be last of all and servant of all. Contrary to societal notions of the nature of greatness, which was commonly associated with socioeconomic status, human connections, and influence, the importance and prominence of an individual in the kingdom of God was based on a completely different set of principles. God’s kingdom ushers in a new world order which radically reverses normative standards and declares a different definition of discipleship—service to others. The one who is willing to be last of all and servant of all is, in fact, great in God’s kingdom.

In most of Jesus’ parables, the time of instruction is generally a descriptive moment conveyed through words. In this case, however, Jesus engages the disciples in a living parable by using a child to illustrate his position. This move by Jesus is significant for a number of reasons. First, within Greco-Roman culture, children were regarded as insignificant within the fabric of the society.³ Theirs was a reality of marginality and they were, therefore, not welcomed as vital members of society. Second, it would have been quite unorthodox for a person of such import as a religious teacher to use a child within the context of teaching his disciples. Yet, Jesus, not interested in maintaining the status quo, makes a child an active participant in his discipleship lesson. Finally, in a world where status and honor were bound to those with whom one chose to affiliate, Jesus made it clear to all that in his world order he associated himself with the meek and mild, the humble and lowly, the marginalized, and helpless members of society. In so doing, Jesus turns the societal understanding of greatness on its head.

Furthermore, Jesus does not have a detached encounter with the child. He took the child, he put the child among them, and he took the child in his arms. The marginal status of the child as an insignificant and unwelcome member of society in no way kept Jesus from engaging the child through the ministry of inclusion and embrace. He was invested in doing life-changing ministry on the margins, impacting the lives of the lowly whom mattered least in society.4 “Jesus’ ministry presumes, and even demands, boundary crossings that transform the traditions and institutions over which the leadership has charge and control.”5 This child, whom society deemed as lacking in worth, was upheld as having much worth to Jesus. The child was of so much value to Jesus that he issued a change in the child’s physical and social location from the outside to the inside, from the margin to the center. While existing on the margins, children can be forgotten, ignored and left to figure out the mysteries of life on their own. However, it is in the center of human life where children can receive the love, support, and encouragement needed to thrive and grow.

When a child is welcomed, when their innate worth and value are upheld, when they are drawn into the center of life and heart, when they are touched and loved and cared for, Jesus says that he himself is welcomed by such actions. Moreover, when a person welcomes a child in this way, they not only welcome Jesus, but they also welcome God. So, if the church leaves out children, it is leaving out God. If politicians making policies leave out children, they are leaving out God. If culture leaves our children, it is leaving out God. For Jesus, welcoming the powerless essentially welcomes the most powerful One of all.

To welcome a child is to extend the simplest of acts to an individual that society normally dismisses. By extension, Jesus invites us to welcome every person in the same manner, without regard for external measures of their worldly importance, status, success or failure. The simple act of welcoming another person in that way, Jesus says, is to welcome him, and in turn to welcome God the Father who sent him. Similarly, to become or imitate children, as Jesus commands, is to understand our own selves in the same manner, not as people whose significance rests in titles, honors, successes or failures, as if those might gain or deny us favor with God and man, but in the knowledge that we are human beings loved by God. That, says Jesus, is the only way to experience the presence of his kingdom.

Jesus taught his followers the true meaning of leadership. Leadership does not mean power but service. Power strangles life and brings a slow death. But, service brings life, even from death itself. The measure of servant leadership lies not with adults, but with children.

4) Thought Exercise

What type of service brings you life?

How can we teach our children about service?

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Mark 8: 27 - 38 (September 13, 2009)

1) The Text

27Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

2) The Context

This questioning takes place in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, a city known in antiquity as a shrine of the Greek and Roman nature god, Pan. This natural place of worship had probably been dedicated to various Semitic deities and was possibly the location of Baal-gad or Baal-hermon of the OT. The questioning about Jesus takes place not in the synagogue (or a church), but out in the world, precisely in a place dedicated to a pagan god.

Viewed through (our) Western eyes, the assumption is that Jesus knows who he is and that he is testing the disciples to see whether or not they know as well. But, viewed from Mediterranean understanding of personality, it is Jesus who does not know who he is, and it is the disciples from whom he must get this information. Also, in antiquity the question was not the modern one of the identity of an individual, but of the position and power that derived from an ascribed or acquired honor status. The expected reply to a question about who someone is would have been to identify the family or place of origin (Saul of Tarsus, Jesus of Nazareth). Encoded in that information is all the information needed to place the person in question on the honor scale. When Peter says, "You are the Messiah," he confirms the authority / status / honor of Jesus - as seen by his closest followers.

In a very real sense, up to now, Jesus has been working the small town stages to build up his street cred's. And having made a name for himself, he is now ready to tackle the big leagues - Jerusalem and the Roman authorities. The rest of Chapter 8 and all of Chapters 9 and 10 are the road trip to the big city - and Jesus' teachings and actions are now all focused on preparing his followers for the actions that will happen there as Jesus brings his proclamation of the Kingdom of God into direct, face-to-face, confrontation with the Empire of Rome.

3) Interpretation

Today’s Gospel contains a great deal of material and also highlights the fact that the hearing can often only be partial as Peter swings from affirming Jesus as the Christ and almost immediately refusing to hear the words that Jesus spoke about what that was going to mean. Many contemporary disciples feel the same way when confronted with the death of Jesus - they can accept Jesus as the Risen Lord but struggle with Jesus as Lord of Calvary. It is tempting to close our ears to words or ideas that make us feel uncomfortable and hear only what we want to hear. To hear of Jesus’ cross - and then to hear his words that, in order to follow him, we have to be prepared to take up our own cross is definitely an incentive to selective deafness!

Jesus is, however, unequivocal: he is the Christ but the Christ is destined to suffer. Not only that, but his followers will also face losing their lives and, indeed it is only in losing them that we save them. For Mark’s community, this Gospel would have been a source of strength. Many of the early Christians were dying - or knew of people who had died for their faith. The fact that Jesus had foretold this would have been reassuring to them and would have enabled them to set this suffering into the context of that of Jesus.

For some people in the world today, the choice to become and remain a Christian leads inevitably to suffering. This may be loss of prospects and education - or it may be torture and death. To face those requires whole-hearted commitment to their faith. Many others, though, do not suffer persecution and the words of Jesus may seem less relevant. However, most people have a cross of one kind or another: illness or disability - addiction - an unhappy family-life - bereavement - and more... For them, being willing to endure and persevere requires as real a commitment as those facing persecution. In the eyes of the world they may not seem as heroic - but their fidelity and perseverance form their path to eternal life.

This sermon goes to the core question of the life we were meant to live: “Are you a Christ-follower?” If so, what does that really mean to you? Why are you a Christian? Why do you want to be a follower of Jesus? Is it to get into heaven? Is it to get rid of guilt, to find peace in your life? Is it to make life smoother, more enjoyable? What is your motive for following this Christ around? Who do you say He is?”

These kinds of questions provide an opportunity to face the heart of discipleship. In our desire to find the life for which our hearts long, are we willing to go the way of the Cross in order to find it? Another way to ask the question might be, “Are you dying to live?” This message presses the gospel point that one cannot be a follower of Jesus, cannot truly be a disciple, unless one takes seriously the implications of the Cross. This is where the life you were meant to live begins and ends.

4) Thought Exercise

How does your faith help you address the crosses in your life?

How can you help others to persevere?