They Still Know His Voice

 They Still Know His Voice

Mark 4:35-41[1]

I’ve mentioned several times recently that faith isn’t easy. Faith is a choice to look at life from the point of view that God’s love is the ultimate reality, and not death. That’s not always easy for us to do, especially when someone close to us has died. Faith means opening ourselves to a relationship with God that will change us from the inside out into people who live all of life for him. That’s not easy to do either. It can be frightening to open ourselves to that much change. Faith means that we decide to let go our illusions of control and surrender our lives into the hands of only one who can truly make a difference. That’s also not easy, especially when life seems to “fly apart” on us.

I think for many of us, one of the facets of life that makes faith difficult is that so much of what happens makes it hard to believe that God is the one who is truly working in our lives and in the lives of all people to make a difference. We are drawn to believe that we live in a world created by a loving God. And yet every day we see bad things happening to good people. All too often those bad things happen to the people we love, or even to us. This poses perhaps the greatest challenge to our faith. In the face of the fact that “the wrong seems oft so strong” how can we continue to trust that “God is the ruler yet”?

I believe our Gospel lesson for today addresses this problem, but perhaps not in the way you might think! The story of Jesus calming the storm is one that is familiar to most of us. But if we look closely, I think we may be in for a few surprises. The first surprise is that while the disciples are battling a “great windstorm” such that “the waves beat into the boat” and it was being swamped, Jesus was asleep (Mk. 4:37-38)! Some have said that this was a demonstration of Jesus’ “serenity … due to his trust in God.”[2] That doesn’t make much sense to me. In Mark’s gospel, this episode takes place at the end of a full day of teaching the crowds that were thronging to him. I think he was asleep because he was exhausted!

The next surprise is the way the disciples spoke to Jesus: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk. 4:38). That’s not the way you would expect those who were to become the apostles and leaders of the church, and who would eventually be venerated as “saints,” to speak to Jesus! John Calvin tried to “excuse” the sharpness of their language.[3] Several of the disciples had made their living by fishing the Sea of Galilee. They knew how dangerous the storms were. They knew how easy it was for a swamped boat to sink. I think what they said reflected the fact that they believed they were about to die!

I would say that the ultimate surprise in this story is the fact that when Jesus woke up, he “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’” (Mk 8:38), and wind and the waves were calm! Now, that might not be so surprising for us. We’ve all heard this story so many times that we know that’s how it’s “supposed” to turn out. But I would say that the disciples who were in the boat with him were stunned. They did not expect Jesus to be able to command the wind and the waves, because that’s something that only God can do in the Bible![4]

I think that takes us back to the “surprise” in the way Jesus’ own disciples responded to him. I think their panicked remark, “don’t you care that we are perishing?” was a very true-to-life statement. It reflects the very real danger they faced! In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ response to them is perhaps equally sharp: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mk. 4:40). I would say that the implication is that they didn’t! And the way the episode ends is with the observation that “they were filled with great fear” (Mk 4:41, not “awe” as in the NRSV!). We don’t expect those who would later become apostles and the founders of our faith to respond to Jesus with fear!

I think Mark tells this story in such a surprising way on purpose. I think he knew that there were people in the community of faith for whom he wrote his gospel who were facing challenges that pushed them beyond the limits of their ability to believe. I think he wanted to reassure those believers in his day that their struggles with faith were normal, because even the twelve struggled with faith! But beyond that, I think Mark wanted to remind us all that, no matter what may come our way, Jesus was and still is the one whom even the wind and the sea obey.

For centuries (literally!) we have been told that the point of this story is that Jesus calms the storms of life. And sometimes he does. But the problem is that sometimes he doesn’t. And that’s when faith can be challenging for us. I think we can hold onto faith even in those times, however. The authority and power that Jesus demonstrated on the Sea of Galilee was the authority and power that God had given him to make God’s rule a reality in the lives of the people. And Jesus is still the one who works in our lives to bring about God’s purposes. We may not understand why God’s purpose doesn’t always translate into calming every storm we have to experience. Our perspective on what God may be doing in and through our lives is limited, and we don’t always know what’s at stake. But I think we can entrust our lives, come what may, to the one who commanded the wind and the sea and they obeyed him. As the hymn reminds us, “the waves and wind still know his voice.”

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[1] ©2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 6/20/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] A. Y. Collins & H. W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, 260.

[3] John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 p. 424-25. He basically says that allows that they “could” have expressed faith if they hadn’t let their fear get the best of them.

[4] William F. McInerny, “An Unresolved Question In The Gospel Called Mark: ‘Who Is This Whom Even Wind And Sea Obey?’” Perspectives in Religious Studies 23 (Fall 1996): 259. See Gen 1:6-7; 6:17; Isa 43:16; Ps 65:7; 74:13; 77:19; 89:9; 104:6; 106:9; 107:29; and Job 9:8; 26:12; 38:16.

More Than We Have Seen

More Than We Have Seen

Mark 4:26-34[1]

We’re fortunate to live here, because we are constantly surrounded by the beauty of nature. I mentioned that to some of you the first month I was here while we were harvesting grapes at the Hoge’s. After spending 30 years living in major cities surrounding by too much steel and concrete, spending an evening in a vineyard surrounded by cornfields was like balm to my soul! We are fortunate in that we get to witness the miracle of life every year. Seeds are planted, they put out green shoots eager to grow, and then they produce their “fruit”—whether it’s ears of corn or heads of wheat or pods with beans. I feel truly fortunate to be able to witness that every year.

Because it happens every year, we can take it for granted. Just like the sun “coming up” every day, we may tend to forget what a wonderfully intricate system of life surrounds and supports us. When you stop to think about it, how a single seed transforms into “first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head” (Mk 4:28) is truly amazing! We may be able to spell out how that happens scientifically, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re witnessing the miracle of life all around us! Again, I consider myself fortunate to live in a place where I am surrounded by this natural wonder.

In our Gospel lesson for today, we see something of this wonder in what God is doing in our world. Both parables Jesus used compare God’s “kingdom” or God’s “reign” with the way seeds grow. And in both parables we see something of the rather “understated” and “unexpected” nature of what God is doing in the world. In the first parable, the kingdom of God is compared to someone who “would scatter seed on the ground” (Mk 4:26). I think it’s hard not to notice the lack of effort on the part of this sower of seeds: there is no mention of cultivating or tending the seed. Rather the seed “sprouts and grows” but the sower “does not know how” (Mk 4:27). The idea is that the seed produces fruit on its own, in some respects unseen even by those who plant it: “first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head” (Mk. 4:28).

The next parable is about a mustard seed. The point of this parable is the contrast between the beginning and the end. Jesus says that the mustard seed is “the smallest of all the seeds on earth” (Mk. 4:31), but when it grows up “it becomes the greatest of all shrubs” (Mk 4:32). Jesus is not making scientific observations about plant biology here. He’s making the point that the mustard seed is tiny in comparison with the plant that grows from it. In the same way, the beginnings of the Kingdom may be unimpressive. In fact they may even be surprisingly understated in comparison with traditional Jewish expectations, but the end result is equally surprising in the scope and breadth and extent of the transformation it brings about.

I think we’re meant to see a couple of important ideas in these parables. First, the kingdom of God does its own work. When Jesus proclaimed “the good news” that “the Kingdom of God has come near” (Mk 1:14-15), he was “scattering” the seed, the message of the gospel. That message is like a seed that bears fruit “on its own” in the hearts and lives of those who receive it. And this happens oftentimes without our even being aware of it. For most of us, the only way we can really see what God is doing in our lives is if we look back over the years. In the moment, it can seem difficult if not impossible to “see” what God is doing in our lives.

Second, the work that God is doing in this world is surprisingly understated. That was true in Jesus’ ministry, so much so that it was easy for many of his contemporaries to miss it. They expected the one bringing the kingdom of God to come into Jerusalem riding on a white horse, to ascend the throne of David, to lead the armies of Israel in throwing off the yoke of their enemies, and to reinstate the kingdom of Israel under David and Solomon. That’s not what Jesus came to do! He had a much bigger vision for God’s kingdom: transforming the hearts and lives of people to the extent that God’s justice, peace, and freedom would define all life in this world! But that is a transformation that takes place in a very different way than we might expect.

What God is doing in this world can be frustratingly invisible. Unfortunately, that makes it easy to try to take matters into our own hands. It’s difficult for us to go on sowing Gospel seeds, waiting patiently for the harvest, leaving the outcome seemingly to chance and luck, with no guarantees but the promise of faith and hope. Many who genuinely want to promote God’s kingdom in our world try to ensure the success of the Gospel by any and every means. But God’s ways are different from our ways. In my view, that means that if we truly want to sow the seeds of the justice and peace and freedom of God’s kingdom, we have to adopt the means that are consistent with that kingdom.

The unseen and sometimes understated ways in which God works in our world challenge us all, but Jesus encourages us to wait in faith and hope for the Gospel seeds to bear fruit. He reminds us that despite all indications to the contrary, God’s Kingdom of justice and peace and freedom is here; it is real among us now. And one day God’s kingdom will define all life in this world, just as surely as the seed produces “first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.” We may not always be able to see it, but what God is doing in this world is more than we have yet seen![2]

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[1] ©2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 6/13/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] See “A Declaration of Faith,” Presbyterian Church in the United States, 117th General Assembly (1977); reissued by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1991: “In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus God kept his promises. All that we can ever hope for was present in Christ. But the work of God in Christ is not over. God calls us to hope for more than we have yet seen.”

(No) Sympathy for the Devil

 (No) Sympathy for the Devil

Mark 3:20-35[1]

In 1968, the Rolling Stones shocked the world with a track on their album Beggars Banquet: it was called, “Sympathy for the Devil.”[2] Those who saw “Rock and Roll” as a corrupting influence on young people immediately seized on this as evidence that the Stones were “devil worshippers.” If you actually read the lyrics of the song, the “devil” is reminding us that many of the things “blamed” on the “devil” really belong at the feet of human greed, malice, prejudice, and hatred.[3] I refer to this song because I think all too often the “devil” has become a convenient excuse for our bad behavior. Like the mainstream culture of the 1960’s we still cast blame for the evil in this world on someone or something “other” than ourselves. Essentially, Mick Jagger’s lyrics exposed the fraud of a so-called “decent culture” that was still sanctioning atrocities of all kinds. And rather than recognize it, the “pillars of society” did what people have done through the ages: they blamed it on the “devil.”

That’s what’s going on in our Gospel lesson for today. Jesus had come into the Jewish world with the announcement that the kingdom of God was at hand, but it was a kingdom that ran contrary to their traditional beliefs. As a result, the Jewish religious leaders were already convinced that he had to be “destroyed” (Mk 3:6). In our lesson for today, they make an accusation that was intended to incite the people to take him out and stone him: “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons” (Mk. 3:22). It was an accusation so offensive they hoped that all they had to do was make it, and the crowd would take care of the rest. They were basically accusing Jesus of blasphemy.

But Jesus refutes that accusation in two ways. He begins by pointing out that it’s illogical: “if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mk 3:24). It would make no sense for a “devil” to attack itself. Beyond that, Jesus goes on to say that “no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered” (Mk 3:27). It may not be obvious, but I think Jesus is claiming that he was in fact disempowering evil by the Spirit of God.[4] In a very real sense, he turned the accusation of blasphemy back against them! God was manifesting his kingdom through Jesus, and they had rejected it.

All of this raises the question of the role of the “devil” in our faith. For me, the place to begin is the beginning. There is no room in the Bible for a personification of evil who is equal to God.[5] This is due to the biblical faith that “the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Dt. 6:4). God is the only one who reigns supremely as Lord of all creation. The Bible clearly attests the experience of evil in the world, but there is hardly any specific reference to a “devil” in the Hebrew Bible. On the other hand, the NT uses this language frequently, and calls this “instigator of evil” by many names. The question is whether we are meant to understand these references literally or figuratively.[6]

Many have believed we are to take them literally. But most of what we were taught about the “devil” was crafted over centuries. It began with the Jewish lore that was used to explain the existence of evil. As a result of their exposure to Persian religion in Babylon, the Jewish people turned to the idea of an “archenemy” of God to make sense of their suffering. This was later developed by church fathers into a “theology” of the “devil” as a fallen angel.[7] Many of our beliefs about the “devil” actually arose in the Middle Ages, in response to the horrors of wars and plagues.[8] They were not so much the official doctrine of the church. People felt themselves to be threatened by powers that were beyond their control. As a result, the “devil” became firmly embedded in the Christian imagination.

What are we to make of all this? It’s clear that there is evil in this world. Much of it truly is of our own making. But there is evil in this world that goes beyond human sin. At the end of the day, the fact that we live in a world created by a loving God where bad things happen to good people is a mystery that defies explanation. If the “devil” helps you make sense out of it, you have centuries of church tradition to support you. But remember, we do not “believe in” the “devil.” Rather, we believe “against the power of darkness.”[9] If there really is a “devil,” we need to remember two things: first, it is a created being. That means its power is limited. It is not all-powerful, all-present, or all-knowing. Those qualities belong to God alone. And second, it is a defeated being. That means we don’t have to live in fear of a “devil” constantly threatening to “undo” us.

I choose to place my faith in “one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,” and in “one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,” and in “the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life” as the Nicene Creed puts it. That is the foundational statement of our faith, and I was raised in that faith. For that reason, I’ve never felt compelled to see this world as one that’s “filled” with “devils.” Even though I’ve experienced my share of evil in life, I see this as “my Father’s world”! And Jesus my Savior and Lord is the one who reigns over all this world at the right hand of God. In our lesson for today, Jesus reminds us that there is no rival that can stand against God’s kingdom. Any “devil” that may be out there is a weak and limited creature. Through the cross and resurrection of Jesus God has already broken the power of evil in this world. And one day all evil will be banished from God’s creation. So for my part I have no sympathy, no concern, and not even any credit to give to a “devil,” because I believe in and entrust my life to the one triune God whom alone I make every effort to worship and serve![10]

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[1] © 2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D, on 6/6/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil,” Beggars Banquet (1968: Decca Records). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil .

[3] Robert Greenfield, “The Rolling Stone Interview: Keith Richards” Rolling Stone (19 August 1971).

[4] Cf. Matthew 12:28: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.”

[5] Cf. Shirley C. Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, revised edition, 175: “We believe in the one true and living God who alone is God and who alone will be triumphant in and over the world.”

[6] Cf. Hendrikus Berkhof, Christian Faith, 97-98, where he distinguishes four levels in discerning the “Word of the Lord” in Scripture: 1) the direct witness concerning God and his saving acts and words; 2) the insights that are directly based on this witness and follow from it; 3) “representations” by which these insights are figuratively expressed without a definite connection to the insights themselves; and 4) representations that derive from other social or religious traditions. Berkhof assigns the “devil” to the third level “because the figure of a satan seldom occurs [in the Bible], and where it does, in very different ways.”

[7] Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Vol 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), 135-37.

[8] See J. B. Russell, The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History, 140-156, where he traces the "story" of the "devil" in the art, literature and plays of the High Middle Ages. 

[9] Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, 180.

[10] See “The Brief Statement of Faith,” The Book of Confessions, 311: “In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.”