Through It All

 Through It All

Mark 6:6-30[1]

I think it’s fair to say that our society is one that lives in the fast lane. Or at least many of us do. We’re constantly rushing to get wherever we’re going. We like fast food, instant pots, quick meals, and anything that’s microwaveable. We’re accustomed to being able to simply speak any question into an electronic device and have an answer in seconds. We are hooked on shopping online with next-day delivery. We “deepen” our time by doing two (or perhaps three) things at once. We’re in a hurry with just about every aspect of life. Instant gratification is the name of the game. And we don’t like waiting for anything, ever!

But those of us who have taking more than a few trips around the sun can attest that life just doesn’t work that way. And I can assure you that’s not the way it works if you want to live as a follower of Jesus. A fitting analogy for what it means to commit yourself to a life of discipleship is planting a tree. For some varieties of trees, if you plant a seedling when you’re in elementary school, you may be retired before it reaches maturity! That’s the way the Christian life works. It’s a project that you continue to work on, through all that life may throw at you. “Instant gratification” isn’t part of this picture at all. The life of following Jesus in discipleship is one that takes time, and consistent commitment, and practice over a whole lifespan.

You may be wondering how this relates to our lesson from the Gospel of Mark for today. It’s a strange episode, to say the least. To be quite honest, it seems out of place in any story of Jesus’ life. At first glance, anyway. The bulk of it is a rather gruesome story about the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod Antipas, the Roman puppet ruler of Galilee. If we were to just take this story on it’s own merits, it wouldn’t seem to have much to say to us, other than the fact that John lost his life as a result of his service to God. But I think we have to use a different set of Bible reading skills to make sense of this lesson. We have to read this story in light of story of Jesus as a whole in Mark’s Gospel.

In the first place, there is an interesting connection between John and Jesus. The story begins with speculations about Jesus’ identity based on the fact that what Jesus was doing had come to the attention of Herod Antipas. And the speculations included that he may have been a resurrected John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the other prophets of old (Mk. 6:14-16). And then Mark proceeds to explain how John had been executed at Herod’s hands. But later in the Gospel, when Jesus asks his disciples who the crowds said he was, they answered, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets” (Mk. 8:28). This is significant because right after that Jesus tells them for the first time that he would have to die. So one function of this story about John the Baptist may have been to prepare us for the fact that Jesus was going to have to undergo an even more horrible death.

Another clue to the meaning of this lesson may be found in that it is introduced and concluded by Jesus sending out the twelve to extend his ministry. He sent them to tell the good news and to care for others in the same ways he was doing. It may be that Mark tells this story about John’s fate because he wants to warn those who would follow Jesus that their commitment to him would be costly. Just as John only gained a hearing from “the powers that be” when it suited them, so they could expect similar treatment. Later in the Gospel Jesus warns his disciples that they would be “handed over” to the authorities to give an account for themselves (Mk 13:9-13). And just as John lost his life because he was true to God, so Jesus warns his disciples that at times they would face the same threat.

I think we’re meant to understand this story from another perspective as well. Everyone who heard this story about John the Baptist would have already known what happened to Jesus. They would know that he had died a cruel death on the cross, but also that was not the end for him. God raised him from the dead, making it clear to all that his death was undeserved, and that in fact Jesus truly was the one whom God had chosen to bring the new life of the kingdom to all people. But beyond that, I think we’re meant to see the resurrection as an event that points forward to the complete fulfillment of the kingdom when God would right all wrongs. That includes righting the injustice that was done to John the Baptist by a foolish man. But as Jesus alludes to in Matt 13:35, it also includes righting the wrongs done to all those who have suffered injustice from the beginning of time to the present day.

I realize that comparing the Christian life to plating a tree that may take a lifetime to mature isn’t a very “marketable” approach in our world. It doesn’t fit in at all with our preoccupation with “instant” everything. But the message of the Bible is that dedicating your life to serving God and following Christ is not something that fits with “instant gratification.” The Bible alerts us in many ways that those who commit themselves to following Jesus and to working for the kingdom of God in this world will face many obstacles in life. That’s a hard truth to hear. But we can persevere through it all if we take a broader point of view. That means recognizing the resurrection of Jesus as an event that not only vindicated him, but also points forward to the day when God will right every wrong. If we can hold firmly to that perspective, and not be so caught up in what happens right now, then we too can continue to serve God and follow Christ through it all.

---

[1] ©2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 7/11/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

Not Without Honor

 Not Without Honor

Mark 6:1-6[1]

The work of ministry can be challenging. It’s one of those endeavors where you don’t normally get to see the results of your efforts. In a world that is so thoroughly “results-oriented,” the work of the church can be frustratingly maddening. When I was a brand-new minister, I struggled with this frustration personally. I always worked hard to do my best, and yet it seemed that I was constantly faced with the fact that others who didn’t put forth anywhere near the same effort met with far greater success, at least outwardly. I could easily identify with Paul’s sentiment when he saw himself as the “least of the Apostles” compared the others and said, “I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor 15:9-10).

I think that side of the church’s ministry is one reason why the Bible uses so many analogies from agriculture. Any form of agriculture can be risky. You never know what the outcome of your efforts will be until the harvest is complete. Even then, you may not be entirely sure how much you will make from your crop, because it all depends on how you time your sale! The work of the church is like that, except the harvest is extended seemingly indefinitely. We’re all constantly planting seeds and tending the fields, not knowing what the outcome will be. But that’s just the nature of the work. Expecting certain results only sets you up for disappointment and even bitterness.[2]

Our Gospel lesson for today reminds us that even Jesus faced this challenge. Although for the most part the Gospel of Mark tells us about the vast crowds that thronged to Jesus for healing, today’s story is very different. It’s about Jesus’ visit to his hometown, Nazareth. If a teacher like Jesus could expect to find support anywhere, it should have been from “his own hometown, and his own kin, and his own house” (cf. Mk. 6:4). That’s not always the way things work, but I would say that most of us look for support from those who know us best.

Unfortunately, in Jesus’ case, it was precisely the fact that they knew him so well that kept them from responding to his ministry. The episode begins with Jesus teaching in his hometown synagogue. Initially, the response was one of surprise on their part: “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!” (Mk 6:2). I would assume that they had heard about the amazing things Jesus had been doing. Perhaps they were even waiting for the day when they could see the “hometown boy made good” for themselves. But when the day came, it was the fact that they knew him (or at least so they thought) that stumped them. Any curiosity turned to resentment: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mk 6:3). They knew his family, including his brothers and sisters. Some of them may even have been extended family. But instead of responding to him with faith, they “took offense” at him, or they “stumbled” because of him.

In reply, Jesus quoted what must have been a well-known proverb in that day: “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house” (Mk. 6:4). Perhaps in our day we might say, “Familiarity breeds contempt”! It would seem that they resented him for the fact that he had gained such fame by his “wisdom” and “deeds of power.” They still saw him as “the carpenter,” not as the one empowered by God to bring the kingdom. As a result, Mark tells us that “he could do no deed of power there” and that “he was amazed at their unbelief” (Mk 6:5-6). It wasn’t that they couldn’t believe; the problem was they refused to believe.

And yet, Mark adds a comment that could easily be overlooked. He says, “he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them” (Mk. 6:5). I love that! Jesus, faced with a level of unbelief that surprised even him, was prevented from carrying out his task of bringing the new life of God’s kingdom to the people who knew him best. But there were a few who must have responded with faith. And they did experience that new life through his ability to heal them of their diseases. Among the Gospels, only Mark includes this detail. But I think it’s important, because it says to me that even when it seems that everything is standing in the way of God’s work, the power of the kingdom finds a way.

I think that’s an important reminder for all of us. The work that we carry out together as a community of faith is work that can be frustrating from the apparent lack of results. It’s especially discouraging when other churches seem to be doing so much better. But when those comparisons get us down, perhaps we should remember this surprising encounter Jesus had with his hometown. Even though the results didn’t seem to be what one would expect, God’s kingdom found a way to touch the hearts of those who responded in faith. I believe we can continue to do the work of ministry regardless of outcomes, confident that God’s kingdom will do its work among us. Other people may not think much of us in comparison with bigger churches. I say let them think what they want. I believe that all who remain faithful in the work of the kingdom are “not without honor” in God’s sight.

---

[1] © 2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 7/4/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, 76, where he says that Christian leadership is based on hope in the promise of God; by contrast, looking for tangible results is “like building a house on sand instead of on solid rock.”