“Stumbling” (Mark 9:38-50)

 

One of the problems with the disciples is that they were certain about themselves.  They knew who they were.  They were the leaders of the fledgling Jesus movement.  They were it!  Up against this, no one else stacked up.  Because of this they have no problem complaining—no, whining—to Jesus about some guy they encountered who was “driving out demons” in the name of Jesus.  They proclaim to Jesus that they told the man to knock it off because he wasn’t one of them.

 This did not make Jesus happy.

 

Jesus is well aware of what is going on.  The disciples were not sharing information . . . they were seeking affirmation.  The disciples wanted Jesus to affirm their judgment and action against this other follower who was not playing by their rules or following their lead.  All of which seems kind of silly if you remember what we were talking about last week when Jesus had chided them over their arguments about which of them was the greatest.  Silly because all they have done is to switch gears to unite and pit themselves against everyone else.

 

As I said, this did not make Jesus happy.  I think we get Jesus’ drift by the statements he makes about causing “one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble . . .”  Just glancing at the list should be enough to encourage any of us not to pursue this path.

 

Here in lies the problem . . . as Jesus does not want us to create stumbling for others journeying down the path of faith, what do we do about ourselves as we stumble down that path of faith?

 

Admit it.  We all stumble.  We all have those moments of doubt . . . those moments of questioning . . . those moments of stubbornness.  The journey of faith is never a smooth ride.  Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy.  But here Jesus is getting at something that concerns him deeply.  Within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement this issue has always been addressed.  Here it is put simply: “Christians, but not the only Christians?”  As skinning a cat, there are just as many ways of being a follower of Jesus.  Just because another follower of Jesus does not practice their faith as we practice ours does not make them any less of a follower of Jesus.

 

We all know that there is more than one way of looking at and interpreting a picture.  We don’t all see eye to eye on a lot of things in life.  We see things differently . . . even when it comes to our faith.  Who are we to nullify another’s experience of the Holy?  Another’s relationship with the Holy?

 

This is the crux of Jesus’ concern with the disciples’ tattle telling.  Here was a person doing acts of ministry in the name of Jesus.  Obviously, the person believed in Jesus.  Why else would he be doing miraculous acts like throwing demons out of people in the name of Jesus?  Though the person was not one of the intimate group of disciples tagging along with Jesus, he obviously was one of Jesus’ followers.

 

This was one of the big issues within the Jesus Movement in the beginning . . . a conflict within the bodies of faith that were forming.  We saw this issue played out with Peter and his struggle with “pure and impure” food.  We saw it with the original disciples as they struggled with Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles.  We have seen it in the many splits within the “Body of Christ” or what we call the “church” over the many generations as the body splintered over and over again into so many interpretations of following Jesus.  And we still see it today.  Jesus sought unity . . . sought the Kingdom of God, and what we have is a scattered puzzle with no idea of what it forms. 

 

In our stumbling we are making others stumble.

 

The bottom line is that none of us is the same . . . we are all different.  We know this because we are told this in the scriptures.  We are unique, individual creations created by God.  We are different and that is what makes “us” who we are.  We are all individual pieces of the great cosmic puzzle.  Now remember, not only are we unique creations created by God, but we are also created in the image of God . . . or at least a portion of God.  The goal, as Jesus saw it, is to get all the pieces of the puzzle together to see God . . . to be one . . . to realize the Kingdom of God.

 

Jesus did not seek division.  Jesus sought unity.  Within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we proclaim: “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”  With this statement we seek to bring together the pieces of the puzzle . . . to complete the picture . . . to bring about the Kingdom of God.  And the toughest lesson we have learned from generations striving to attain this is that there is no unity in uniformity.  It is a lesson that the Apostle Paul even mentions in his letter to the followers in Corinth: “There is one body, but it has many parts.  But all its many parts make up one body.  It is the same with Christ . . . it does not matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people.  We were all given the same Spirit to drink.  So the body is not made up of just one part.  It has many parts.” (I Corinthians 12:12-14)   

 

The goal is not division, but unity.  There is no “we’re number one” . . . there is only “One”.  We are not about turf protecting . . . we are about building the body . . . building it together.  So, let us not get caught up in this stumble.  Instead let us go about the business of what Jesus would want us to do as his followers.

 

Jesus invites his disciples . . . invites us . . . just as he did last week, to entertain the peculiar logic of God’s kingdom where the weak and vulnerable are to be honored and where glory comes through service.  This is the way of the cross.  Jesus reminds his disciples . . . and us . . . that it through mercy and love that we discover and express who we are . . . through serving others.  And one of the great things about service, love, and mercy is that we never run out of them.  There is no scarcity of opportunity to care for others, no lack of occasions to love our neighbors.

 

Calls for Christian unity have consistently referred to Jesus’ prayer “They all may be one.” (John 17:22)  Jesus wants us to be one.  He does not want us fighting as to which of us is the greatest or most important or the most correct . . . individually or collectively.  Remember that joke about the couple who dies and gets to heaven.  Saint Peter walks them over to a huge, beautiful mansion and begins to give them a tour.  In one room he points out that there are the Methodists, another room the Presbyterians, and yet another the Lutherans.  Then he gets to a room with a door closed but obviously occupied.  Saint Peter turns to the couple and says, “Shhh . . . this is the Baptists, and they think they’re the only ones up here.”

 

 Let us not stumble as the disciples did.  Let us focus on what we have been called to do . . . to love God, to love others . . . to serve.  Let us focus on building unity . . . building the Kingdom of God.  Yes, we are Christians . . . we are the followers of Jesus, but we are not the only ones.  Let us remember we are only one part of the body of Christ, and we have been called to come together as one.  Let us remember our confession as members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from our Preamble to the Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) . . . our founding document:

 

As members of the Christian Church,

We confess that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of the living God,

and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.

In Christ’s name and by his grace

we accept our mission of witness

and service to all people.

We rejoice in God,

maker of heaven and earth,

and in God’s covenant of love

which binds us to God and to one another.

Through baptism into Christ

we enter into newness of life

and are made one with the whole people of God.

In the communion of the Holy Spirit

we are joined together in discipleship

and in obedience to Christ.

At the Table of the Lord

we celebrate with thanksgiving

the saving acts and presence of Christ.

Within the universal church

we receive the gift of ministry

and the light of scripture.

In the bonds of Christian faith

we yield ourselves to God

that we may serve the One

whose kingdom has no end.

Blessing, glory, and honor

be to God forever. Amen.

 

     Let us not stumble!  Amen!

“Almost Famous” (Mark 9:30-37)

It happens every year.  Each year towards the end of the year, I anxiously await my copy of Time Magazine with its “person of the year” award.  And, every year, I am disappointed . . . I didn’t get the award again!  Nor did I make any media organization’s lists of the “most influential people” in whatever category they are broadcasting.  I also have yet to receive an invitation to be inducted into any “halls of fame”.   I’m still waiting . . . still waiting for my 15 minutes of fame.  I ain’t got it yet!

I am not narcissistic . . . or at least I think I’m not, but I think we all have within us (whether we want to admit it or not) this innate desire to be famous . . . even if it is just for 15 minutes.  I think this desire within me has gotten stronger as I have gotten older.  I have noticed that the older I get the better I was.  Also, more than one person over the years has pointed out to me that I consider myself a “legend in my own mind”.  Whatever the case, I think that we all would like to be famous for at least 15 minutes.

 

In our reading this morning, Jesus and the disciples are traveling.  As they are traveling Jesus notices that his disciples are arguing.  When he gets the chance, he asks the disciples what the argument was.  Caught in an awkward moment, the disciples remain silent.  They are embarrassed . . . embarrassed because they had been arguing about who among them “was the greatest.”

 

They were arguing about fame.  There are lots of benefits to fame . . . to being the greatest.  For one thing, people fawn all over famous people . . . they get treated differently and better than everyone else.  They get the best seats, best food, and best hospitality.  Rarely do they have to pay for anything.  They are the center of attention.  To be famous is to be privileged and who doesn’t want to be privileged?  Apparently, it was a pretty heated argument that couldn’t escape Jesus’ attention . . . an argument they knew went against everything Jesus taught and believed.

 

Thus, it is that Jesus reminds them.  Jesus tells them: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

 

Ouch!  Kind of puts a crimp in this whole fame thing . . . even for 15 minutes worth.  What Jesus is telling them goes against everything that they had been arguing about.  It is the opposite of what they wanted.  They did not want to be the least of anything nor did they want to be servants.  They wanted to be famous . . . they wanted to be the best . . . the greatest!

There is none of that in being last or a servant.

 

If the truth be known, I really do not want to be famous.  From what I can gather, being famous can be a hassle.  What I do want is to be acknowledged . . . acknowledged for the person I am, the person God created me to be . . . that I am a person worthy of respect and love . . . that I belong.  This is what I think that most of us really want.  Not fame, but acknowledgement.  Acknowledgement that we are wanted.

 

Now I might be speaking out of left field in what I am about to say, but I believe that God created all of us in God’s image. We are all chips off the old block.  I also believe that God sees us as equals . . . that there is no hierarchy within the family of God . . . that God loves us equally.  Because of this Jesus focused upon those who were being excluded from the family in his ministry.  Jesus worked to bring the family together.  It is no surprise then that he would remind his disciples: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  Then to drive his point across, he held a child in his arms and told them: “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

 

From this example one would think that children were not valued in the time of Jesus, but this couldn’t further from the truth.  Children were a gift from God especially in Jesus’ lifetime where approximately 59 percent of children never reached adulthood.  Children were loved, but in society until they had gained social value within the family or community, they were treated differently.  They had no status in society, thus no recognition.  Also, in the way that families lived during the time of Jesus children were viewed as tattle-tales. 

 

In Israelite society it was not unusual for extended families to live together.  In this arrangement, the women lived in one section of the house and the men in another.  Children were allowed to wander freely throughout the house.  Remember that little ears have big mouths.  They were often used by the adults to discover what was going on in other parts of the house.  They carried stories back and forth . . . they were the ultimate destroyers of secrecy.  No one could keep secrets because the children would expose them.

 

Several times in the stories of Jesus and the disciples, the disciples shoo the children away for this reason . . . they couldn’t keep a secret.  The disciples did not want Jesus exposed for various reasons.  And that is what makes Jesus’ actions in our reading so important.  Jesus does not shoo the child away.  Instead, he gathers the child and welcomes the child into the fold.  Jesus welcomes the children to show that he has no secrets, that his life is open and above broad.  What he offers is for all people.

 

The core of Jesus and his ministry was not to be a secret . . . to love God completely and to love others.  This love is for every person as all are the children of God . . . all loved equally . . . all desired and wanted.  There is no hierarchy within the family of God.  Jesus welcomed all and that is what Jesus desires from those who follow him.

 

Unfortunately, the way Jesus sees things and society sees things are often at odds with each other.  Society seems to be built on hierarchy . . . position, wealth, and power.  These are the things that are valued in society, yet do not amount to much of anything in the eyes of Jesus.  Because of this those of us who follow Jesus and live in society find within ourselves this dichotomy that plays out in our daily lives.  Jesus and society are often are conflict with one another.

 

So . . . what are we to do?

 

What would you do?

 

Whatever we do as the followers of Jesus we must ground it in the ways of Jesus . . . his words and more importantly his actions.  We must welcome others into the family no matter how society views them. Acknowledge them for who they are . . . who God created them to be, after all they are chips off the old block created in the image of the Holy.  Acknowledge that they are wanted.  When this is done, God is invited in.  That is what Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

 

Almost famous . . . I can handle that.  I can handle that knowing that I am a child of God . . . loved for who God created me to be.  And, because of that I am desired . . . I am wanted . . . I am included.  God loves me, and hopefully others will too.  That is probably more than I could ever ask for . . . that any of us could ever want.  In this the Kingdom of God is realized.  Amen.