|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Numbers
11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 |
124 |
James
5:13-20 |
Mark
9:38-50 |
There
is a hint in today's Gospel that John was trying to incur favor
with Jesus, vigorously defending his reputation and protecting his
territory by criticizing other rabbis and their followers who were
going around teaching and healing. Yet Jesus did not praise John,
but encouraged a sprit of cooperation and openness. The Gospels
describe Jesus in numerous ways: loving, intense, calm, kind, compassionate,
angry, passionate, confrontational, charismatic, controversial,
and resolute. But the Gospels never describe Jesus as selfish, preoccupied
with himself or jealous of his own authority and defensive about
his reputation. Nor does Jesus ever seem to be ruffled by surprise
and interruptions. Jesus was certainly not spineless nor had a personality
of a soggy piece of milk toast, but he practiced a genuine hospitality
and generosity of spirit. He knew that arrogance is inevitably a
destructive force.
We
will be baptizing Robert Gregory Busby at the 10:30 service today;
and as people of faith welcoming him into God's fellowship and
pledging ourselves to support Sandra and Greg as parents. We know
full well that the values of the Gospel are often quite different
from the values of the world. Christianity and its values is one
matrix of values among many. We may love to sing the old hymn
"Stand up, stand up for Jesus", but Robert as he grows
will come to understand that outside of here we are part of a
small group that is standing up.
That
is why there will be times that we feel our territory is invaded,
or our toes are being stepped on. In a hostile environment it
is easy to become protective and defensive. As children, we may
be teased. As teenagers, there is some risk as not being seen
as being cool. As adults, there is danger of not fitting in and
perceived as soft or not being a good team player. We will all
struggle with decisions over when it is proper to deflect the
punches or let them roll off us or when we need to take a firm
unyielding stand. An honest Christian community does not need
to deny or pretend that all the choices are clean cut. It needs
to be willing to acknowledge there are tough pressures out there.
That it is a gift for us to talk to one another, to understand
one another's dilemmas, and to remind each other that those who
disagree with us are not necessarily filled with ill will.
In
Jesus' reply to John, I wonder if Jesus is not saying to us, "Don’t
be intimidated by the forces that try to define who we are.",
when pressured to categorize people because they are different
or don't have the gifts we have. That devalues and demeans our
baptismal vows. Jesus’ approachable spirit of graciousness
extends to people no matter what brand of sandals they wear or
whether they wear sandals at all or whatever they write in a letter
to the Ithaca Journal.
That
is why Jesus does not ask us to separate other people into those
we think are the wheat or chaff, but to search inside ourselves.
What is it that inside us that makes us suspicious or resentful.
What grudges are we nursing? These are the boils that need to
be lanced and exposed. Obviously Jesus was using figurative language
when taking about what causes us to sin. Jesus does not call for
self-mutilation, but about self-discovery and discernment.
Jesus
gives no indication of expecting everyone he met to become one
of his disciples. He was satisfied to plant seeds. He welcomed
and taught disciples of varying backgrounds because he knew he
couldn't’t spread the good news all on his own and he spent
scant time on becoming upset over those who did not follow him.
One
of the wonderful attributes of many Jewish scholars through the
centuries is the tradition of regularly gathering to discuss and
debate meanings of the scriptures. They always expected many different
interpretations to be shared. Different views did not offend them,
but energized them. It is easy for them to say " Well on
one hand ... and yet on the other hand...", or to say "Let’s
view it from the point of view of this person, and then let’s
view it from the perspective of the other person". They could
disagree or hold several views simultaneously. But they still
remained friends and respected each other. I suspect this
is still a lesson Christians need to learn. Perhaps that is why
Jesus was so insistent in warning against all that which would
cause insurmountable barriers to be erected among us. To insist
that people of faith are like salt that doesn't just season the
thin slices of zucchini or a few small pieces of meat, but seasons
the whole stew pot, filled with all sorts of fresh vegetables
and pieces of meat both large and small.
And
I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
