Tough Text*

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 10:2-12

link to video of homily given October 4, 2015
St Stephen's Episcopal Church
New Harmony, Indiana

How did that gospel text hit your ears? 

I don’t think there is any way around it

This is a tough text

And yet it is the Gospel

Which is…for us… Good News

Good news that might not be perfectly crystal clear …

In fact just in my own family setting  

…I can name a multitude of different ears

…each being hit differently

-Married once, happy …its hard work, but for the most part I’m lovin’ it

-Single and lovin’ it…not sure why anyone would want to be married anyway

-Single and hating it…all I’ve ever wanted was to be married…I just have never met the right person…

-Divorced and happy …until I hear this text and the scab comes off and I feel that old and familiar ouch  

-Married…but on the brink of divorce…a hidden wound…an ouch that nobody hears!

I’m sure there are as many hearings as there are hearers!

This is a tough text.

My mother used to say to me when we weren’t seeing eye to eye

“Cindy, Just go to your room and stay there and think about this mess you’ve gotten yourself into… And don’t come out until you’ve got something figured out!”

Am I seeing eye to eye with this text?

Are you seeing eye to eye with this text?

You…me…we’re good church going Christian people

We Believe that the Scriptures are the Word of God

And we believe that the biblical story…the gospel story

Has a certain authority over our lives

And that includes this text

…At least that’s what we believe

So maybe the text and I…or the text and you… 
aren’t seeing eye to eye

If my Mom were directing us

She might say

“Just go into your story and stay there and think about this mess and don’t come out until you figure out something life-giving to say”

Listening to my Mom usually works well for me

So I’ve been walking around in this text for a bit

And in my wandering I noticed a few things

Jesus is walking toward Jerusalem

And on his way he’s meandering through the Judean countryside

…and he’s teaching as he goes

…which was his custom

Its feeling like maybe he’s been in this village before

In fact aren’t those the same Pharisees who tried to trip him up last time?

Don’t they learn

I wouldn’t want to look like a fool a second time around

…they are just so very certain…so very smart

…so eager to wiggle and worm their way…

Not resting until they are front and center

They want everyone to hear their very smart question

And Jesus…just like before…

He reads their hearts…he knows a trick question when he hears one

Everyone knew…

everyone knew that these guys weren’t really interested

in what Jesus might be able to teach them…

            everyone but them-

And as before Jesus answers the question with a question

As soon as he did…I bet they knew they were in trouble!

But even to my ears…Jesus does sound pretty radical

He’s not sounding overly concerned with what Moses taught

  or with the Pharisees arguing about contemporary Divorce Law

He seems to to be saying that all that… 
is because of our hardened hearts

   We need such laws because of our hardened hearts

           

No…Jesus reaches back…
before these Pharisees…
before Moses…

            
He reaches all the way back 
to the beginning…to Genesis

And that is when a switch is flipped in me

So …Grant me a little thought experiment

what image comes to your mind when I say

 “the best part of waking up…

or:

“plop plop fizz fizz…

or:

“two all beef patties, special sauce lettuce cheese…

When the townsfolk in this small Judean village hear

“In the beginning…

there is no explanation necessary

“in the beginning…

Jesus proclaims…

And an immediate vision is conjured

Not Moses’ vision…

Not the vision of the leading Pharisees of the day

NO…

God’s vision…God’s grand super-sized vision

Jesus speaks “In the beginning”

And the crowd sees

            PARADISE

            GARDEN

            ADAM
            EVE
            ONE FLESH

            THIS……… AT LAST

DON’T  forget that vision…Jesus offers

DON’T forget that ideal

DON’T stop reaching for what God knows is possible in human relationships

Don’t forget how very good it is!

The Pharisees question is life-killing

Jesus’ response is life-giving

In the beginning

That’s where you will find GOD’S image

For what human relationship can be

When we shoot for that vision…

            And we land a good distance from the mark

When intimate and committed relationships fail

When marriages must be broken

            so that the destruction can stop

When that happens

It is a huge and painful brokenness…

But the God of this vision is also

a God of super-sized healing and grace

because, here’s the thing

            WE are also God’s ---THIS…AT LAST partner

The vision is always before us…

It pulls us toward life…

As it has always done…

and continues to do

…from the beginning