Friday, July 26, 2024

June 9, 2024 - 10OTB - Being a 'Will of God' Family

June 9, 2024 
Proper 5 or 10OTB - Mark 3:20-35

 

If you remember

Back in December we began year B of the liturgical calendar

But with Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter 

we haven’t really had a good stretch of Sundays reading Mark

 

But today begins a 9 week stretch

And since we have been popping in and out of John’s Gospel

And heard from Matthew off and on

It seems appropriate to 

Reacquaint ourselves with this Gospel’s personality;)

 

It is stark and hard and heavy on questions and light on answers

It’s no-nonsense

 

A quick aside about the “unforgiveable sin”

Or “sin against the Holy Spirit”

Jesus is speaking to the Scribes

They see healing and people liberated from demonic possession

They see What can only be good

And they call it the work of one possessed by the power of Evil.

The very possibility of receiving healing mercy is cut off if you call it evil.

 

Did you notice how there are two stories going on in our reading?

This whole section is called a Marcan Sandwhich

It started with the family…the bottom piece of bread

…they have set out to “restrain/seize” him

Then the inside of the sandwich is the controversy with the Scribes and the parable

And then the top bread is the return to the question of family.

 

We are in Chapter 3

Jesus has been healing and casting out demons

To great success

He has called his disciples 

And he has upset the powers that be with his 

Boundary crossing

Rule breaking

behavior 

the atmosphere is tense

 

Has something ever happened in your life

When you just knew 

“this is a BIG deal”

“this is a game changer…and not in a good way”

“my life…as I know it…is over”

 

Its probably not this simple

But, for me, it came about because I was holding on too tight to

---something I knew I just knew was spot on:

·      My plan for my life

·      My dream for my daughters life

·      My certainties about economic policy

·      Or how healthcare should be organized

·      Or how the border ought to be policed

 

Someone said that the sign of growing wisdom 

is having fewer and fewer answers

Not out of disinterest or laziness

But out of coming to know that things look differently

From different perspectives

And I only have my own

 

It sounds a little simplistic

But some of this seems to be at work in our Gospel text 

 

Let’s say that I am one of those Jerusalem Scribes

Now…we’re not just any scribes

We’re heavy hitters

Jerusalem…so like the Vatican;)…or Yale Divinity School

We’re that kind of Scribe

 

Of course…we…all of us Jerusalem heavy-hitters 

We’ve heard about Jesus’ doings

His healings, and teachings, and demon-ousting

But, I mean…on the Sabbath!

AND…on behalf of THOSE people!

 

What he is doing is totally undermining our authority

Right when we are about to publish our 

Much anticipated volume of theological wisdom

Not to mention that we received a hefty advance 

That we spent on some upgrades to the Temple library.

 

This Jesus must be wrong

He simply must be operating under an UNGODLY Power

The power of Beelzabul

Because…Its HIM or US

And it’s NOT us! 

 

Maybe you noticed this small detail

The Jerusalem Scribes have come

Jesus knows why

And the text says:

He called them to him…and spoke to them in parables

 

Parables are not straight up questions or answers
it’s a way of teaching that makes the learner work for it

They need time to soak in 

I might be wrong

But I sense that Jesus is loving them…hoping that they will open themselves to seeing differently.

Mark leaves us hanging

They have received the teaching

Will those scribes walk back to Jerusalem more certain than ever…digging in their heels

OR

Will the parable create a crack in their certainty?

 

Now, let’s say we are part of Jesus’ family…his blood family

 

We’ve been hearing all the buzz too

The healings and exorcisms and compelling teaching

But we’ve also heard that some people

Powerful people…people you don’t want to mess with…

are scandalized by what he is doing

 

We are thinking he is so hyper-focused that he doesn’t notice 

This creeping danger

He isn’t eating…he isn’t’ sleeping…

Why is he not taking precautions?

 

I think we need to protect him

We need to do a little damage control

We need to save him from himself

Not to mention how this is beginning to affect us!

We are’rightfully’ scared of being caught up in all this!

We are ‘rightfully’ scared of being shunned!

 

And what about Jesus’ blood family?

If they overheard Jesus asking those crowded inside the house

“Who is my mother and my brother?”

And then

“Behold…all of you…whoever might do the will of God 

is brother, sister, mother to me”

 

Did they turn around…and start for home full of anger?

Were they startled, confused?

Were they beginning to re-examine their certainties?

… their motivations?

Were they thinking: 

“We thought for sure we were doing the WILL of God”

…were we?

 

The problem as I see it

Is that the “WILL OF GOD” is notoriously tricky to define.

Bottom line for the Jesus of Marks Gospel

Moral perfection is not the goal…nor is it possible

Nobody is a hero in this Gospel

But everyone is loved

Discipleship is tough, hard, demanding

 

And what is Jesus’ answer

In the midst of all these questions and confusion

 

Follow

Just follow

Hang in there and follow

 

Its as easy and as hard as that

 

I am comforted just by bering here

Being here is a sign that we are still following

Through those doors

And onto these pews

And into this family…

 

This…we…are a WILL OF GOD family

Not perfect

But we absolutely belong

 

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