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Jesus’ topsy turvy world

September 22, 2012

Pentecost 17

Mark 9:30-37

Marian Free

In the name of God who turns everything on its head and asks us to serve those who are least among us. Amen.

 

I didn’t watch much of the recent Olympics. However, what I did watch led me to conclude that there was a considerable difference between Australians competing in the Olympics and those competing in the Para-Olympics. Of course the competitors in both competitions shared the will to win, but it seemed to me that the former had a much greater investment in winning and the latter seemed to understand that simply by being at the Olympics, they were already winners.

I was particularly perturbed by the media coverage of the Olympics which implied that anything less than a Gold Medal was not good enough. There was little celebration of the silver and bronze winners and a focus on how much a competitor lost (in terms of endorsements) if they had not come in first. This was followed by a focus on the trainers and the training programme and how they had let the team down – particularly in the swimming.  It is true that Australia has done well in the pool in the past and we have come to expect a large medal tally. At the same time we are a relatively small country and it is perhaps irrational to assume that we will always dominate the rest of the world in any one sport.

The desire to compete and to win is perfectly natural, but the failure to accept loss on an individual, team or even national level takes away some of the pleasure that comes from participating. If the newspapers are to be believed, this attitude permeates all levels of competition. Parents watching children’s games have become so aggressive that their behaviour has to be controlled and some are taking extreme measures such as sending their children to psychologists to “cure” them of anxiety or any other characteristic which might limit their determination to win.

How different these attitudes are from that advocated in today’s gospel in which three distinct episodes are recorded to portray the expectations of leadership in the Jesus’ movement. The section begins with Jesus’ prediction of his handing over and death, it continues with the disciple’s discussion about who is the greatest and concludes with Jesus’ response. It seems highly likely that the author has deliberately placed these accounts together in order to make the point that the Christian ideal of leadership is the exact reverse of that of the world.

The disciple’s discussion as to who is the greatest throws into sharp relief their complete failure to understand what Jesus has just said. The leadership Jesus exercises will not lead to power and glory, but to disgrace and ignominy. As leader of this group of disciples, Jesus will provide an example of leadership that is completely contradictory to everything they know about leadership and authority. Jesus will not exert power over others, just the reverse, he will allow himself to be handed over and killed.

Jesus’ prediction of his death seems just too hard for the disciples to bear, or perhaps they simply cannot get their heads around something so radical and unexpected. Either way, they were so frightened and confused that they were afraid to ask him what he meant.  Their complete lack of understanding of what Jesus has said is demonstrated by the argument which follows. This lack of understanding is typical for Mark’s gospel. Jesus’ prediction of his death and resurrection is, on each occasion followed by an illustration of this disciple’s complete failure to understand. In an earlier chapter, Jesus’ announcement is followed by Peter’s insistence that he (Jesus) is wrong and after a third prediction of his death and resurrection, James and John, having learned nothing from today’s discussion, ask Jesus if they can sit at his right and left hand in heaven! The disciples are, apparently, completely nonplussed by a leader who expects to die rather than conquer and one who serves rather than demanding service.

Their misunderstanding is highlighted by their argument about greatness. For some reason Jesus is not with them for the discussion, but the way in which the narrative continues suggests that Jesus has some idea what is going on.

When Jesus and the disciples arrive at Capernaum they go into a house. Jesus asks what it was that they were discussing on the way. Their silence indicates some embarrassment.  Jesus has just told them that he is going to die at the hands of humans and their response was to argue about was which of them was more important than the others. Jesus calls the Twelve apart and tells them: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”  This is completely contradictory to us. It was even more so in the first century when distinctions between social groupings were more clearly drawn. In world in which people are distinguished by rank or achievement, how can being last possibly be the standard against which one is measured? How can being a servant set one apart from the crowd? It jut doesn’t make sense – not in the first century culture and not in the culture in which we find ourselves.

Even more shocking and dramatic was Jesus’ illustration of this teaching. He took a child in his arms and claimed that whoever received a child received him, whoever serves a child serves him. The impact of this statement can only be understood when one remembers the first century attitude towards children that is reflected for example in Proverbs or in the Greco-Roman literature. In the first century, children and servants had no legal status. They were considered willful and undisciplined. They needed to be instructed and formed. Children were the property of their father no one would think of being their servant any more than we today would like to put ourselves in a position of being told what to do by those with so much less wisdom and experience than ourselves.

The disciples must have been shocked and affronted by what Jesus said.  Could Jesus really mean that they had to put themselves in the humiliating position of serving even children?

Of course, this is exactly what Jesus meant.  Jesus introduced a completely new way of being in community. The old ways of measuring status and achievement are completely overturned. Jesus is establishing a community which will operate by completely new standards and criteria. It will stand out from the world around it by the way in which members serve each other rather than lord it over each other.

This Is the standard to which we are called to aspire and by which we are to be distinguished from the world around us. Contrary to the standards of the world we are to be known by the way in which we put others (including the least deserving) before ourselves, our willingness to serve rather than to be served and our readiness to be last rather than first.

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Taking up our cross

September 15, 2012

Pentecost 16

Proverbs 1.20-33, Ps 19, James 2.18-26,Mark 8.27-38

Marian Free

In the name of God who created us, and who despite our failures and our disloyalty, loved us enough to die for us. Amen.

Last weekend Michael and I attended the great debate that was a part of the Brisbane Writer’s Festival. We went in part because Germaine Greer was one of the speakers and in part because of the topic: “Reading the Bible is good for you.” Sadly it was a little disappointing. First of all, two of the speakers for the affirmative claimed that the Bible was “silly” and no one for the affirmative had a very strong argument for reading the Bible. Secondly, when it came to what was to be a free for all, there was such a degree of self-consciousness among the speakers that instead of an “no holds barred” argument, it simply fell flat.

That said, the third speaker for the negative, Ben Law a local writer and comedian, was witty and insightful. He began by saying that he quite liked the Bible, but that it was a document that could not be read without assistance because it was open to misinterpretation and to abuse. He supported the views of the other speakers for the negative, the first of whom pointed out that the way in which many Americans read their Bible has led to the most punitive of legal systems. The other had reminded us that well-meaning, but often misguided missionaries in this country and elsewhere have destroyed local language, culture and self-respect to impose a Western faith and lifestyle.

We all know that the Bible is filled with wisdom, love and compassion, but we cannot deny that it also contains accounts of God-sanctioned genocide, that its heroes are flawed and include in their number adulterers and murderers, that in the Psalms there are threats to bash babies heads against rocks and that its God constantly threatens wholesale destruction both of God’s people and of their enemies. Using the Bible as their defense Christians have embarked on the crusades, justified the enslaving of members of other races and have even engaged in battles against each other.

At the same time, the Bible has inspired believers to great acts of courage and self-sacrifice. Christians have for millennia cared for the poorest of the poor, fought to ensure the end of slavery, were among the first to respond to the AIDS crisis and have laid down their lives for others. The Bible inspired Bonheoffer to take on Adolf Hitler and Gandhi and Martin Luther King to struggle for justice for their people.

The Bible is a complex collection of writings. Today’s readings are an example of just how difficult and confusing it can be to read the Bible and how easily it can be misunderstood. Let me illustrate:

From the Book of Proverbs we read that God will laugh at our calamity and mock when panic strikes us. The letter to James tells us that the early church was already debating what should be believed with regard to faith and works. Not only that, there is in James a reference to Isaac’s offering of his son Jacob as if willingness to sacrifice a child was a laudable thing to do. Fortunately the Psalm has a much more positive message, but read in a particular way it could be seen to argue that those who keep the law will be rewarded.

Having listened to this morning’s readings what message are you going to take home? If you were asked this afternoon, what would you say about the Bible based on the passages from Proverbs or James? Would you be advising someone to read them without an interpretive aid?

Even today’s Gospel is not without some difficulties. Jesus says: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” Having announced his own impending death, Jesus urges his followers to understand that a life worth living is a life that is lived for God and for others rather than for oneself. He is trying to help them to understand that being outward looking rather than inward looking is not only a means to eternal life, but is also more rewarding in the present.

Jesus knew only too well that living for God is not necessarily safe or comfortable and that sometimes living for God and for others leads to being marginalised, excluded and even killed. However he encourages us to place our trust and our confidence in God because he knows that a life centred on God is infinitely richer than a life lived without God. That a life that is lived outwards has greater depth and provides more satisfaction than one that is wholly self-absorbed.

Sadly, in popular usage, this important aspect of Christian living has been tamed and domesticated. It has been transformed from something that is live giving, to something that is life denying, from a focus on God to a focus on oneself.  The phrase, “Taking up one’s cross” is used colloquially to imply that there is something praise-worthy in living stoically with pain, with difficult relationships or with disappointment. Used in this way, self- denial all too easily becomes self-absorption and dependence on God becomes dependence on oneself. Instead of taking up one’s cross of one’s own volition the cross becomes something that is imposed from outside, something to be endured, something to be borne. Used in this way, the cross is not the way to life but to a living death.

So, as the church recognised right up until the Reformation, reading the Bible is good for you, but only if it is read with understanding and care, keeping some basic precepts in mind.

When we read the Bible, we have to remember that even the Old Testament is God’s love letter to God’s people, that God, instead of wreaking destruction, constantly holds his hand, that God instead of condemning us for our betrayals, came to us, entered our world and died for us. We have to remember too that the Bible is not an instrument of power to be wielded over others to make them conform to our values and ideals nor is it to be used to enslave or subjugate others. When we read the Bible we have to remember that the Christ who died for us, demonstrated the love and compassion that lie at the heart of God.

Most importantly of all, when we read the Bible we have to read it through the lens of the cross, to remember, through the course of our lives, that it is in dying to ourselves and living to God that true wealth is to be found and that if we take up our cross we do so not to burden ourselves or to prove a point, but because we are confident that it leads to fullness of life both in the present and in the life to come.

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Changing the world

September 8, 2012

Pentecost 15

Mark 7:24-37

Marian Free

In the name of God whose shoulders are broad enough to bear our complaints and whose love is wide enough to respond. Amen.

I’m sure that most of you will have heard the extraordinary and moving story of the young Australian woman whose fiancé is living with locked-in syndrome as a result of a football injury. My google search failed to find the story, so I will call the couple Rachel and David. Rachel and David were preparing for their wedding when David knocked his head during a football match. When he woke from his coma, he was unable to do anything. Though fully aware of what was gong on around him, he could not move nor could he communicate. He was suffering from locked-in syndrome for which there is no known cure. For Rachel this situation was not good enough. She loved David and was determined that he should have the best life possible. In order to achieve this, Rachel moved into David’s parent’s home to be able to help care for him. Then, with David’s Father, she spent every spare minute researching a cure.

Hope came when, after extensive searching, they discovered that a doctor in South Africa had discovered that a particular sleeping tablet sometimes had the opposite effect that is, with particular patients it caused them to be more alert than usual. Rachel contacted the doctor to see if the same drug might assist David. After a number of discussions and a full consideration of the risks involved, she decided to give David a small dose of the medication. To their joy and amazement, the drug brought David out of his locked-in state! For an hour, he was able to communicate, to share how he had been feeling, his frustration and hopes. Sadly, at the time the programme was shown, the family had not been able to increase the times of alertness nor was there an clear understanding of how the drug worked. However, at lest for a short time each day, David is able to communicate and Rachel has her partner to talk to. No one knows what lies ahead for David but the determination of his fiancé has meant that his quality of life will be so much better than had she given up hope or given up on him.

People will go to amazing lengths for those whom they love. Magazines and newspapers are filled with inspiring stories of families and friends doing all that they can to ensure that the person whom they love has access to the best possible care even if that means taking them overseas. Others raise money to build care facilities that enable young people to receive care without going to an old people’ home. Many spend hours helping a family member or friend to recover from accident or stroke. Others establish funds or foundations to assist other people who are afflicted in the same way as their loved one and yet others challenge the laws to see justice truly done. We have all witnessed the way in which Daniel Morcombe’s parents responded to the disappearance of their son. They have spent years keeping their story in front of us in an attempt to make sure that their son was found. As well they have established programmes to educate children about “stranger danger.

The list of stories could go on and on and on. What is clear is that love doesn’t see the barriers that are put in the way, but pushes through sometimes with unexpected and astounding results. Very often the changes that result form such persistence help not only the family concerned but have much wider implications – changes to the legal system or to treatment regimes, funds for ongoing research all benefit the wider community.

Such is the case with the woman in today’s gospel. She is not even supposed to know that Jesus is in the area and, as a woman and a Gentile, probably shouldn’t even being trying to approach him. However, she is driven by desperation. Her daughter is unwell and like, most parents, she will do whatever it takes to save her. Even when Jesus refuses point-blank to help, the woman is undeterred. She breaks through Jesus’ argument to persuade him that even those outside the chosen people are able to access “the crumbs” that fall from the table. Jesus is unable to resist this logic and the woman’s daughter is healed. The long-term result of the woman’s persistence is that the community that formed in Jesus’ name was not restricted to those of Jewish birth, but was thrown open to people from all backgrounds and from every nation. Jesus’ mind was changed by the woman’s word (teaching) and history was changed as a result!

Too often we feel powerless to change our situation – either because of our physical abilities, societal restrictions, family background, income or other reason. Some of us assume that our situation in life is “the will of God” and submit, sometimes grudgingly, to the hand life has dealt us. The example of the Syrophoenician woman challenges these negative assumptions. While it is true that it is not always possible to bring about change – the cure for our disease might not be found in our life-time, it may take years and years for a refugee to find a country that will them – that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to bring about change or that we shouldn’t challenge society (or even God) about the way things are.

Often it is the most unlikely people who effect change – sometimes on a huge scale. The Syrophoenician woman was an outsider, with no position in society and almost certainly no income to boast of yet, according to this account she was able to change the mind of Jesus, and as a result, to change the course of history.

We may not be able to change the world, but it may be possible to change our small corner. Things don’t always work out the way we hope but whether they do or not, let it not be for the want of trying.

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It’s good to be here!

August 4, 2012

 

Transfiguration 2012

Mark 9:2-9

Marian Free

In the name of God creator of the universe and all that is in it. Amen.

 “It’s good to be here!” That’s how our hymn began this morning: “It’s good Lord, to be here.” I hadn’t thought about it until now, but there are at least two ways in which to use this phrase. “It’s good to be here” may be said in the form of a sigh – we’re here at last, it’s good to put that behind us. “It’s good to be here“ may be an exclamation of pleasure or delight. We say we’re glad to be here because the company is great, the venue is great, the food is great.

The hymn picks up on the phrase that Peter utters into today’s gospel, but it has one significant difference. Peter puts himself into the situation saying: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.” Instead of being an impersonal statement it becomes a statement which has the speaker embedded in it. That is, it is less about the event and more about the speaker. It is an interesting reaction to what has happened on the mountaintop. Peter, James and John – Jesus’ inner circle – have had the sort of religious experience that few people have. They have seen Jesus transfigured before them, they have seen first hand the heroes of their faith – Moses and Elijah – and they have heard a voice from heaven declaring Jesus to be God’s Son. They were in fact, in the presence of God. Unless we have had a similar experience, it would be hard to imagine what it must have been like. I imagine that it would have been terrifying, exhilarating, awe-inspiring and humbling all at once. It is the sort of event that would leave one speechless – no words could match the situation that the disciples had experienced.

All the same, Peter can’t help himself. He blurts out: “It’s good for us to be here.” Why does he think it is good? Is it because he, James and John have been given a glimpse of heaven. No. Apparently that is not why it is good that he is there. Is it because he, as part of the inner circle, has been privileged to witness the heavenly Jesus and to discover Jesus’ true identity. No – that is not the reason either. Maybe Peter is grateful that he has had such a life-changing experience. But no, that is not the reason why it is good that he is there. In fact, Peter seems not to have any idea of the significance of the situation. He hasn’t really grasped the enormity of the event or how blessed he has been to have been a part of it. In fact there is no indication that he feels that he has benefited in any way from the experience. The reason that it is good for him to be there is that it is good for everyone else that he is there! It is good that he is there because he can do something to enhance the situation. He can build something that would hold the event in time, a monument to what had happened. It is not that he is blessed to have witnessed something so amazing, but that others are blessed by his being there!

Can you believe it? Peter appears to be telling Jesus how lucky he (Jesus) is that he has taken Peter with him! Lucky Jesus! Where would he be without Peter? Peter knows just what to do in this situation – he can build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah! Jesus can leave it all to him!  This fits with our perception of Peter – he is rash, he always puts his foot in his mouth and he never really understands what is going on. Now he thinks that Jesus needs him. He just doesn’t get it. Jesus, the Son of God, has chosen him among all the disciples to be part of the innermost circle, to see him as he really is and to share Jesus’ most private moments. Jesus who can walk on water, heal the sick, calm the storm, cast out demons doesn’t need Peter. Peter needs him. It is Peter who will change and grow as a result of his relationship with Jesus. However, Peter doesn’t see this, Peter thinks that Jesus needs him and so offers his services at this most inappropriate moment.

As I reflected on Peter’s response, I wondered if it might not be a metaphor for ourselves, for the church. I have a suspicion that from time to time at least, we fall into the trap of believing that God needs us, that without us and without our constant effort, God will be lost – the church will fail and the Christian faith will come to an end. This is evidenced in our constant navel gazing about the state of the church, our anxiety about empty pews and about census figures which reveal that fewer people identify as Christians, the programmes we organize to encourage people to come to church and the ways in which we continually tweak our worship in the hope that more people will join us.

All of this not only demonstrates a lack of trust in God and in God’s presence in the world, but also that we believe that the future of the church, the future of faith is dependent on us. Such an attitude suggests that we feel that God needs our help to be known in the world, that a church is necessary for faith in God to spread throughout the world. Of course this is a ludicrous idea! God can and does manage quite well without our help. Without our help, God created the universe. Without our help God called Abraham and formed the people of God. Without our help, God sent Jesus into the world and without our help God continues to make Godself known to a multitude of people and in a wide variety of ways. And still we think that God needs the church and that God needs our help for the church to survive.

When the situation is put like that we can see that there are times when we can be likened to Peter, that there are times when we fail to wonder at the gift that God has given to us or when, faced with an apparent problem we fall into the trap of thinking that God needs us instead of remembering that it is we who need God.

I wonder what it would be like if instead of wanting to build edifices to contain or to commemorate what we have seen and known, if instead of worrying about the institution, we could simply stand back in awe and wonder at the ingenuity and magnificence of God. What would it be like, if we could simply acknowledge and surrender ourselves to the creative power of God and allow God to determine how the future will look?

It is good that we are here. Our experience and knowledge of God draws us together to offer praise and thanksgiving to the one who has given us everything.  It is good to be here to be drawn in wonder and awe into God’s presence. It is good to be here. It would also be good to be content simply to worship God and let God take care of everything else.

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Humanity exposed

July 14, 2012

Pentecost 7

Mark 6:14-end

Marian Free

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

The past few decades have revealed in vivid detail how violent the world is and how precarious, for many, is their hold on life. This week on You Tube a video was posted of a woman being executed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. On Wednesday a young man cried before the International Court as he told the story of the last time he saw his Bosnian father. Throughout the world people flee from violence to an uncertain future. In refugee camps around the world, women are routinely raped and not only by those whom they might consider their enemies. Women and children are trafficked as sex slaves even in Australia. In Syria today, Libya yesterday, autocratic rulers and their followers who are trying to hold on to power violently suppress any opposition to their rule.

Modern methods of communication mean that we receive news (especially bad news) almost immediately. Remember the video of the young protester shot in Egypt. Another person who was present took a film on their mobile phone and within minutes the world knew what had happened.

My point is this, a person would be hard pressed not to know that there are many really shocking things taking place every day and that innocent people -simply because of the countries into which they are born – are experiencing what to us is unimaginable violence and cruelty often on a daily basis.

It is not as if the world has changed, but our knowledge of the world has expanded to the point where it is impossible to ignore what goes on around us.

This is the context in which we read the account of the death of John the Baptist. Palestine of the first century was no more unstable or violent than many countries are today. Rulers like Herod, whose hold on power was to some extent dependent on the whim of Rome, were under some pressure to maintain order. Not only that, but there would be other opportunists like himself ready to take his place if the situation arose. For that reason, opposition had to be quickly dispensed. So, if someone like John was perceived as disturbing the peace then he (like say, Aung San Suu Kyi) would need to be neutralized by placing him under arrest. The execution of John  (or Aung San) would have been a more permanent solution, the death of John of Aung San might have incited their followers to cause unrest so arrest was the safer option.

Herod’s hold on power might have been precarious, but spare a thought for his wife, who like many women throughout history found herself in a situation that was extremely precarious and which – especially as her power and influence had been ill-gained – could only be maintained by devious or violent measures. If you read the second book of Chronicles you will hear the story Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, who set out to slaughter all the Royal household of Judah in order to gain the throne and to assure herself of some sort of security. You don’t need to go that far back to be reminded that women often had no say in their future, but were wedded off to whomever might provide greater stability for their fathers. Some of these women achieved security for themselves and for their children by means that we would consider immoral, conniving or brutal.

The position of Herod’s wife was not at all secure, and her daughter’s less so. Having abandoned her husband for Herod, – possibly lured by his greater power and wealth – she would be aware that relationships were tenuous and that there was no guarantee that she would remain in Herod’s favour. Further, having achieved Herod’s favour in a way that some considered immoral, it is understandable that she might have been all the more determined to ensure that she gained the respect of those around her. Her daughter, who is not the daughter of Herod, is equally vulnerable. No wonder then that the mother is anxious to rid herself of a man who is troubling her husband’s conscience and threatening her position. No wonder that her daughter seeks her advice and is willing to act on it.

I always find it extraordinary that the Gospels have such an extended account of such a gruesome story. Some other events are mentioned only in passing, but here we have the details of the dinner, the dance, the promise, the request and its completion. The same is true of other grusomes stories in the Bible. I think for example of the Levite’s concubine whom, we are told was cut into twelve pieces, or of the rape of Tamar, or the destruction of the tribe of Bethlehem. (Those OT stories are only the internal stories, not ones about Israel’s enemies!)  They are hardly edifying, not the sort of story that would enhance one’s faith or deepen one’s spirituality. However, they are important stories, not least because they reveal the ugliness of human nature and the depths to which some people will sink.

If nothing else, these accounts make us aware of the complexity of the human heart and help us to think about the nature of our own thoughts, our own petty jealousies, our own need to protect the roles that make us feel worthwhile and important or our desire to hurt or destroy those things or people who threaten us or who threaten our comfortable existence.

We live in a world which is becoming increasingly polarized. Religious conflict between those who hold the same faith and those of different faiths is increasing in some parts of the world. In other parts of the world there is suspicion that different faith groups are planning to “take over”.  Even before the GFC there was an increasing gap between the very rich and the very poor. Now we are starting to see a gap between those who are employed and those who are not. In such an environment, the baser side of human nature tends to be exposed as people compete for resources and power and those with resources do whatever it takes to protect them.

The ugly stories of our scriptures remind us that, while we might not like to admit it, we share with the rest of humanity a potential for evil as well as for good. Our scriptures don’t gloss over the difficult and uncomfortable, but expose both the best and the worst of human nature. This helps us to be honest and realistic with ourselves, to know of what we are capable, to recognise and confront the ugly parts of ourselves, and to identify and strengthen all that is good. It is important always to have an unblinkered view of ourselves for only then will we have the will to open about our frailty, willing to grow and change and cautious about judging the world.

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How will they hear?

July 7, 2012

Pentecost 6

Mark 6:1-13

Marian Free

In the name of God whose word informs and enlightens our faith. Amen.

 

In his charge to Synod, the Archbishop spoke with passion about the Bible – the contradictions contained within it and the importance of studying it. (anglicanbrisbane.org.au) The reason that he spoke so strongly is that the Natural Church Development tool that is being used by many of the Parishes in the Diocese has revealed that one of the weaknesses in our Parish life is passionate spirituality – our reading and understanding of the Bible. We all know what we believe and some of us are able to articulate it to others, but when it comes to explaining the central texts of our faith we are on less certain ground.

There are at least two barriers to becoming more familiar with the Bible. One is that academic study of the Bible can be quite challenging, if not confronting. For many, it is a discipline that is demanding and difficult. A second barrier is that of time – in particular the lack of it. In past centuries, the services of Morning and Evening Prayer were designed to provide an opportunity for the Bible to be explained and expounded. Longer passages of the Bible were read during these services and it was expected that the sermon would be up to half an hour in length. In a less pressured world, in which there were fewer forms of entertainment, there was more leisure to spend time in church. Many people attended both Morning and Evening Prayer or Communion and Evening Prayer which provided a larger diet of Bible reading than is possible in the Eucharist alone. Longer readings and longer sermons on Sunday mornings might solve the problem, but would destroy the balance of Word and Sacrament which is central to the Eucharist and perhaps lead to fewer people attending church.

Not only do we have less time to spend expounding the Bible, it is also true that not all members of the clergy have had the confidence or courage to share the latest scholarship with their congregations. What this means is that few lay people have been given the opportunity to keep up with the research of the last 100 years and many are shocked and surprised when informed that scholars have made discoveries that change the way in which familiar stories have been previously taught and understood.

As you know, the Bible study group in this Parish has been studying the gospel of Luke using a commentary written by Brendan Byrne. Over the course of the study, I have become acutely aware of how complex much of Jesus’ teaching is and how difficult it is to understand unless one has the tools with which to interpret it. I think for example of the story of the dishonest steward who is praised by Jesus for acting in a way which will secure his future. At first glance it appears that Jesus is saying that God approves of dishonesty! Then there is the story of the widow who wears down the unjust judge through her persistence. Does this mean that God is like the unjust judge and will not act unless we wear him down with a constant repetition of our requests?

There is a lot more to the New Testament than the wonderful stories and adventures that we learn at Sunday School. Our understanding of our faith is enhanced and our appreciation of our texts is enriched if we take some time to grapple with and to try to understand what the more difficult passages really mean. For example, the story of the dishonest steward is, of course, not a story about God’s approving dishonesty but rather it is Jesus’ challenge to all of us that we make sure that we live our lives in such a way that we will be welcomed into heaven – that, like the dishonest steward, we make provision for our future salvation. The story of the widow and the judge is not about our wearing God down through endless prayer. Rather a reminder that God is not like the unjust judge and will hear our prayer. This means we should not allow ourselves to feel disheartened when times are difficult, but that we should remain confident that God will hear us. In both stories, Jesus is using unsavoury characters to shock us into paying attention to what he is saying.

During my week away I was able to read a book written by a friend of ours – Paula Gooder . In it she explores a wide variety of methods that are used by scholars to study the New Testament. What makes this book easy to read is that it is aimed at those who are new to biblical studies. Not only is each explanation brief but each is followed by an example of how the particular technique is used to interpret a passage of the bible. This means is that the reader not only learns all kinds of interesting things about the New Testament, but is also able to apply what they have learnt.

Today’s gospel consists of two discrete stories both of which contain puzzles for the modern reader. In the first section, Jesus is welcomed by the people of his hometown, but shortly afterwards they are scandalized by him. Why their change in attitude? Secondly, Jesus is identified as the son of Mary. This is quite unusual in first century Palestine – a person would usually be identified by their father’s name. The first puzzle is solved if we understand that the people attribute Jesus’ ability to work miracles not to God, but to some other – possibly demonic-force and so they treat him with suspicion. The second puzzle – that of his name may be a derogatory inference to the fact that his father is unknown. Put together these two explanations help us to make sense of why Jesus was rejected by his hometown.

The second story in today’s gospel relates the sending out of the twelve disciples. In itself, the account is reasonably straightforward unless we are familiar with the ways in which Matthew and Luke record the same account. Not only is Mark’s account briefer, but Matthew and Luke change at least three significant details. Whereas Mark’s Jesus sends the disciples two by two, Matthew and Luke send them out all together, Mark says the disciples may take a staff, Matthew and Luke expressly forbid the taking of a staff and finally, Matthew and Luke enlarge the disciple’s task by adding the healing of the sick to Jesus’ command to cast out unclean spirits. Among other things, these differences have led scholars to believe that Mark was written first and that Luke and Matthew used Mark to write their accounts but added to it details that were known to them.

Our scriptures provide us with an exciting and fascinating glimpse into the life and teaching of our Saviour, they give us insights as to how we should live as followers of Christ and they open doors into the way that Jesus was seen and understood by his contemporaries and those who followed after. Passages that at first seem difficult to understand are often easily explained and others that seem harsh and uncompromising are sometimes a means to shock us into action.How will we know what they mean if we don’t make time to read and understand them? We live in a world that is increasingly divorced from the church and from the teachings of Jesus.

If we don’t know and tell our story who will?

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Posted in Biblical interpretation, Luke's gospel, Mark's gospel, Paula Gooder | Comments Off on How will they hear?

June 24, 2012

Pentecost 4

Mark 4:35-41

http://bible.oremus.org/ 

A Reflection

Marian Free

In the name of God who is present with us in all life’s circumstances. Amen.

 A soldier was captured by his enemies and tossed into a prison cell. He knew that in the morning he would be tortured, even killed. As he tossed and turned, he remembered the words: “Do not be anxious for the morrow.” With those words ringing in his ears he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

In today’s gospel, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus. As is common on the Lake of Galilee, a violent storm suddenly arises, tossing the boat on the waves, filling it with water and terrifying the disciples. Despite the fact that Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, they were unable to relax and to trust that everything would be OK. They cried out in anguish and accused Jesus of not caring about what might happen to them.

Jesus’ response to the storm is quite different. Even though the boat was being hurled around on the waves, and the storm raged about him Jesus was able to sleep unperturbed (that is, until he was woken!). Throughout his life and especially towards its end, Jesus demonstrated a trust in God that was unshakeable – even in the most awful of circumstances. In the face of extreme temptation in the desert, Jesus’ trust in God was steadfast. In the face of severe criticism from the leaders of the establishment, Jesus held firm. Confronted with the most terrible form of torture and death, Jesus never wavered in his resolve. Throughout it all, Jesus remained confident that God was with him and that God would never abandon him.

In comparison, the disciples seem to have learned nothing from their time with Jesus. As Jesus rests, oblivious to the storm and to the concerns of his friends, they fret and worry about their future, crying out in fear and terrified that they would perish.

How like the disciples many of us are. Despite our claims of faith our comfortable recitation of scripture like the 23rd Psalm, many of us waste time and energy worrying about things which may or may not happen. Too many of us are so focussed on the future that we fail to enjoy the present. Instead of placing our trust solely in God, we toss and turn in the face of life’s difficulties. We rely on our own abilities instead of having confidence that God will see us through.

For a few minutes, think of life as a boat in which God is holding you safely. When the storms rage around you, do you like Jesus place all your trust in God? Are you able to place your life completely in God’s hands? Are there anxieties and worries that you can lay to rest today?

You might like to spend some time reflecting on the sentences of scripture below. I find the two prayers useful for when I wake in the morning and before I go to sleep. (At least at those two points in the day) I make myself aware that I have chosen to place my life in God’s hands.

Scripture and prayers to remind you to trust in God

A prayer of St Francis:

Lord help me to live this day quietly, easily,

to lean on your great strength trustfully, restfully,

to wait for the unfolding of your will patiently, serenely,

to greet others peacefully, joyfully

to face tomorrow confidently, courageously.

Psalm 4:8

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;

for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

Psalm 91

God will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

Psalm 121

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in

from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm 131

I have  calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother,

Isaiah 49:16

I will not forget you

See I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

Jeremiah 28:11

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD,

plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Matthew 6:34

Do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will have enough worries of its own.

From the New Zealand Prayer Book (Compline            It is night after along day.

What has been done is done;

what has not been done has not been done.

let it be.

Thank God for God’s presence with you in all the circumstances of your life.

Let us pray:

In this storm tossed life

   give us the courage to face the obstacles that lie before us

      the confidence to trust in your love for us

          and the faith to know that you will never abandon us. Amen.

Posted in Mark's gospel, Pentecost, Prayer, Trust | Comments Off on

Flawed but chosen

June 16, 2012

Pentecost 3 – 2012

Mark 4:26-34 (1 Samuel 15:34-16:3) http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=

Marian Free

 In the name of God who chooses very ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Amen.

During the week I was talking to the moderator of the Uniting Church about today’s gospel. To her, it spoke about vocation. She equated the secret growth of the seed with the seed that God plants in our hearts and which quietly grows until it comes to maturity and we recognize what it is that God is asking us to do with our lives. You may recognize that seed in your life as the quiet tug of conscience, a sense of disquiet about the way your life is going, the conviction that you must change your career, get a new job, take on a role in the Parish or community and so on. Sometimes, this sense of call (or purpose) comes as a blinding flash of insight, but even then God will have laid the groundwork. The seed will have been sown some time before. The sudden experience of God may come as a shock, but when we look back over our lives we will probably be able to identify the ways in which God has been trying to get our attention.

The series of meditations to mark the twentieth anniversary of the ordination of women as priests (http://20thanniversarywomenpriests.wordpress.com/) in this country reminded me of my own sense of call and also gave me an opportunity to learn about the journeys of other women – ordained and lay. Many of the participants expressed a belief that God had been quietly working in their lives for some time, so that when they came to accept their vocation they could look back on their lives and see how God had been leading or prompting them until they finally acknowledged their call or responded to a more dramatic event which they could not ignore.

Today’s reading from the book of Samuel tells the story of God’s choice of David as King. As we heard last week, the people of Israel had demanded a king to rule over them so that they could be more like the neighbouring countries. The first king – Saul – was not only mad, but he also rejected God and failed to trust God so that God was determined to take the throne from him and from his heirs. Unlike the situation in Europe where royal families are often related to each other, there was no obvious family from whom to choose a replacement future king, so God sends Samuel off to find the man of God’s choice – a son of Jesse. Jesse has eight sons, all of them appearing to Samuel to have the bearing and character of a king. However, one after another they are rejected by God. The seven elder brothers pass by Samuel but not one is chosen. The youngest son is not even present. No one imagines that he is of any importance. However, despite his youth and his inexperience, David is the one whom God has chosen to be king over Israel.

Samuel had thought that of the eight sons, Eliab was the obvious choice for king, and if not him, then Abinadab or Shammah, or any one of the older sons but, despite what Samuel sees, none of them are acceptable – for God sees what we do not see. God does not judge by outward appearance, but by the heart.

Over and over again, in both the Old Testament and in the New we can see that God’s choice is not determined or limited by human standards. God chooses the younger, slyer Jacob over his brother Esau, Jacob’s second youngest son, Joseph, is the one out of the twelve brothers who is set for greatness. Moses, who by his own admission is no orator, a selected to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Ruth – the Moabite – is chosen to be the forebear of Jesus and so it goes. God chooses the most unlikely people to do

God’s work in the world.

God does not choose the good, the brave, the rich or the powerful – just the opposite. Very often God chooses the unscrupulous (Jacob), the cowardly (Jonah), the proud (Joseph), the vulnerable (David), the sinful (Moses), the outsider (Ruth) and the sulky (Elijah). Our Old Testament heroes are deceivers, murderers and adulterers – hardly the sort of people whom you would expect to have held up as exemplars of the faith and certainly not the sort of people whom we would want to set up as role models.

In the New Testament, the disciples are slightly more conventional – that is, so far as we know they do not include people as flawed as Jacob and David. We don’t think that they were murderers or adulterers. However, they are not exactly hero material either. They compete with one another to be Jesus’ favourite, they try to talk Jesus out of his mission when it gets dangerous, they push people (including children) away from Jesus and they fail to trust in him and in his sense of purpose. Peter denies him and when Jesus is arrested and crucified, the disciples are nowhere to be found. Paul, the imposing figure of the early church, is the last person you would expect to be chosen by God. He was so convinced that Jesus was a fraud that he actively persecuted those who believed and yet, without his passion and enthusiasm it is possible that the church as we know it simply would not have come to be.

All these frail and very human figures were chosen by God to do God’s work. These most unlikely heroes formed the people of Israel and ensured that the memory of Jesus lived on in the generations that were to come. These broken and very human characters were chosen because God knew what was in their hearts and of what stuff they were really made. God knew that despite their very obvious flaws, these would be the people who would be able to carry and spread the faith and, that in many cases, it would be their very frailty that would enable them to depend on God and to allow God to work through them to achieve God’s purpose for them and for the world.

God’s choice is the most extraordinary thing and not something that we can easily comprehend because God is not bound by human expectations or confined by human conventions. God chooses those who can carry out God’s purpose and God chooses them regardless of their strength, their influence, their appearance, their stature or their state of perfection.

So it is with us. We are not necessarily set apart by our piety or our goodness, but by our frailty and brokenness and our belief that despite all our imperfections, God has chosen us, God loves us and perhaps most amazing of all, God can use us to achieve God’s purpose in the world.

Posted in 1 Samuel, King David, Mark's gospel, Uncategorized, Vocation | Comments Off on Flawed but chosen

Deciding where you stand

June 9, 2012

Pentecost 2 – 2012

Mark 3:20-35

Marian Free

In the name of God who asks us to look beyond the obvious to what lies beneath and to discover the presence of God in unlikely places. Amen.

I wonder what you noticed, or what stood out for you in today’s Gospel. Was it the fact that Jesus’ family thought that he was mad? Or was it the accusation that Jesus belonged to Beelzebul? Are you puzzled or even feeling anxious about the mysterious and unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit – if you don’t know what it is how can you be sure that you won’t break it or that you haven’t already broken it? Perhaps it was the last section that leapt out at you – Jesus’ apparent rejection of his family.  It is possible that something completely different had significance for you this morning. I have only listed those things that have remained in my memory. There is so much in this short passage that it is easy to become distracted by just one small part of it. Of course, we will all have heard this reading so many times before that we are familiar with each of its component parts. However, at different times, different phrases or sub-sections will have caught our attention.

There is a lot of apparently disparate information in these few verses, but the fact that the passage is book-ended by comments about Jesus’ family indicates that the material has been deliberately placed together to make a point or to draw out a lesson. Living at a time so distant from the writing of the text, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to interpreting it. Not only does Mark seem to have gathered together a number of distinct sayings and events, but the way in which he has done so also creates some confusion in the reading. The elements of this passage do not fit easily together. For example, the criticism about Jesus casting out demons by Beelzebul is out of context. Jesus has not performed an exorcism in the immediate past. There are other anomalies – Jesus’ family appears out of nowhere, disappears and reappears without explanation. The scribes come all the way from Jerusalem simply to accuse Jesus of being a servant of Satan.

None of this matters to the author of Mark who has structured this section of the gospel very carefully. A clue to its meaning occurs in the previous verses. Immediately before this passage Jesus has chosen his disciples. Of the twelve, Judas, the one who will hand Jesus over, is the last to be named. Coming on the heels of Jesus’ controversy with the authorities, and their threat to destroy Jesus, the mention of Judas is ominous, especially when it is followed by an accusation that Jesus is a servant of Satan!

The author’s intention, it seems, is to demonstrate not only that Jesus is in conflict with the authorities of his day, but also that he is at the centre of a battle with the forces of evil which hold the world in their thrall. The situation is so serious that even Jesus’ own family do not understand him or what he is doing.

In this section of the gospel, the pivotal point is the parable of the binding of the strong man. In direct contradiction to the accusations of the scribes, Jesus makes the claim that rather than being the tool of Satan, he, Jesus will be the cause of Satan’s downfall and defeat. When Jesus casts out demons he demonstrates that he is not on the side of, or servant to Beelzebul, instead he is the means by which Satan will be bound and his dominion brought to an end.

The point is tightly and succinctly argued. In response to the accusation that he is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, Jesus points out that this would be ridiculous. If this were indeed the case, it would demonstrate that the powers of evil were divided against each other and would fall. In fact, Jesus points out, so far from being on the side of evil, he will be the means by which evil is destroyed. So in trying to discredit Jesus, the scribes have succeeded only in discrediting themselves. By refusing to recognize him, by identifying Jesus with Satan, the scribes have committed the one sin for which there is no forgiveness – the sin against the Holy Spirit. They have succeeded in identifying themselves, not Jesus, with the forces of evil. In so doing, they have put themselves beyond the reach of God. They have placed themselves outside the extent of God’s love. In this way they, not God, have chosen where they stand. That is, they have taken a stand against God.

According to this version of events, Jesus’ family have also chosen where they stand. At the beginning of the passage they have gone out to seize him. Now they are standing outside (outside the house and outside Jesus’ mission) and they are calling him to join them. In the first instance they, like the scribes, demonstrate their failure of imagination. Instead of recognising the good that he is doing, they accuse Jesus of being “out of his mind”. As the scene closes, they are depicted as calling him away, distracting him from his mission from the task that God has given him. In this way they are making it clear where they stand. They stand for the status quo, for the current situation in which the world is in Satan’s clutch. They are not yet ready for the defeat of Satan and the inauguration of God’s kingdom.

In the end, this is what today’s gospel is about. Where do we stand? On whose side are we – that of God or that of the world? Are we so firmly grounded in this world that we cannot see or feel the presence of God? Are our imaginations so limited and so poor that we think that anything out of the ordinary is necessarily bad? Are we so concerned to be seen in a good light that we spend our time trying to discredit others? Are we so rule-bound that we refuse to allow for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the world?

It comes down to this: Do we want Jesus to be more like us, or are we wiling to find out what it means to be more like Jesus?

Posted in Mark's gospel, Pentecost | Comments Off on Deciding where you stand

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