“And [Jesus]sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’”
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is an election year, and our election season has been full of controversy and conflict. At the heart of this conflict is a profound distrust of our government and of our institutions, including schools, businesses, and churches. And the heart of this mistrust is the increasing belief that these institutions are no longer serving the people they were created to serve but have become self-serving and unaccountable entities whose policies seem to benefit only those running the institution. Let me cite some examples: First, the Covid pandemic led to widespread lockdowns and mandates, including mask and vaccine mandates. There was a notable lack of transparency about the scientific data supporting these policies. Now, four years later, it has been revealed that there was little or no scientific data supporting lockdowns, mask mandates, or social distancing. Furthermore, the Covid vaccine that was given to millions of people was proven to be ineffective in many cases and led to harmful side effects in many others. None of these events has resulted in greater humility or transparency on the part of public health officials. Second, the American Big Three automakers are facing dealership revolts over the fact that the automakers embraced government mandates regarding EV’s and spent billions to make EVs that the public won’t buy. The dealers are stuck with inventory they cannot sell, while prices for internal combustion engine cars are driven higher by inflation and scarcity. While the leadership of these companies are starting to retreat on their commitment to EVs, executives continue to make huge salaries even as their companies lose money. Third, the leaders of many churches meekly submitted to government mandates to close their churches during the Covid pandemic. Only a few church leaders ever spoke out against government dictates to close churches. Many leaders, particularly in the Episcopal Church, imposed strict bans on church services, thus depriving their own people access to the Sacraments and to public worship. When you look at human history, you will discover that self-serving bad leadership is not unusual, it is commonplace. It was the norm during the time of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah after David and Solomon, with a few notable exceptions. And it was certainly true in Jesus’ time. And it is with this backdrop in mind that we discover that Jesus’ commandments regarding true leadership are both startling and inspiring. We discover that Jesus’ teaching about leadership is rooted in His way of exercising His ministry as the Messiah. Today’s passage from St. Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ foretelling of His coming death and resurrection. Jesus tells them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.” This statement is both painful and controversial to the disciples, because they expect Jesus to be a King David style Messiah, who will drive out the Romans and re-establish the Davidic monarchy. They expect that they will be a part of this new ruling elite. But Jesus’ statements underscore the fact that His Kingdom will be established not by war and conquest, but through the Cross. Jesus intends to be the suffering servant described in Isaiah 53. This truth is underscored later, when Jesus overhears the disciples arguing about who is the greatest among them. Many of us who have been watching The Chosen video series have noted that when Jesus responds to Simon’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus declares that Simon is now Peter the rock, and that Peter will be the leader of the disciples with the authority to act in Jesus’ name. This stirs up feelings of jealousy and rivalry among the disciples, who want to make a case for their own contributions to “the cause.” Jesus intervenes and gathers the disciples together to redirect them. He tells them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” This statement is a radical departure from what was the traditional method of leadership. In those days, as well as today, to be the leader was to be “large and in charge.” The leader was the boss, and you had to do what the leader said. The leader got special privileges, and he could act arbitrarily if he wanted to. The disciples witness this firsthand with the behavior of their Roman overlords and their local puppet rulers like King Herod. They even see it in the behavior of local tax collectors and the Jewish religious establishment. But Jesus turns their understanding and experience of leadership on its head. According to Jesus, being the leader does not make you “large and in charge.” Rather, the leader is the one who is “last of all and servant of all.” Jesus says that true leaders are the ones who serve others and put their needs first. True leaders are ones who put the needs of the institution, the customer and the public first, even children, who were usually overlooked in ancient times. Jesus demonstrates His own commitment by His life and ministry. He is constantly at work: healing, teaching, and serving. He washes the disciples’ feet. Then Jesus goes to the Cross and dies a painful and shameful death for the salvation of humanity. Jesus is the true Servant-King. His Kingship and His commandments are all rooted in obedience to His Father’s will and His love for all of us. Jesus is more than simply “large and in-charge.” For Jesus is, as it says in Luke 6:35, “kind to the ungrateful and evil.” In this way, then, Jesus defines leadership as discipleship. To lead means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and to learn His ways. To lead means to embrace humility and accept responsibility. When I think about those who have been great leaders, they have all embraced these aspects of Jesus’ teaching: They put the needs of the organization and those around them first. They will do what they expect others to do. They are “the last of all and the servant of all.” +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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“And when [Jesus] had entered the house, His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ And He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.’"
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The evangelical Bible teacher Joyce Meyer once said, “When trouble comes, do you go to the phone or to the throne?” To put it another way, if you believe that God loves you and that He answers prayer, does your prayer life reflect that belief? Today’s Gospel lesson from St. Mark addresses a fundamental question that we all must address for ourselves: How much faith do I have in God? Our passage today involves an encounter between Jesus and His disciples and a man whose son is possessed by an evil spirit. Now we all remember that Jesus gave His disciples the authority to go out in His name and preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick and cast out demons. Here we have an instance where a man whose son is afflicted by an evil spirit goes to the disciples, but they are not able to cast the demon out. When Jesus is presented with this, His response is one of frustration and anger. He says, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” We’re used to seeing Jesus being patient and kind in most situations, but this time, Jesus’ frustration comes out. We see this with Jesus during His encounters with the members of the Jewish religious establishment (the Pharisees and the scribes), and with His own disciples. Despite Jesus’ many miracles, despite His teaching, and despite the miracles that the disciples themselves perform, their faith is lacking. On so many occasions, people do not respond in faith, but in unbelief. Jesus then asks that the boy (and his father) be brought to Him. The boy immediately bursts into convulsions, and Jesus begins to question the father about what is going on with his son. And after explaining to Jesus the situation, the father then says, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus is dismayed by the father’s words “if you can,” indicating the father’s lack of faith. Jesus says, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.” Sadly, for most of us, we’re like the father of that demon possessed boy. We wonder if God can or will do anything. We don’t really believe that prayer works. So, we fret, we complain, and do pretty much anything except prayer. Nothing really improves, and our mood gets worse. We find ourselves either slipping into despair or resentment. Fortunately, the father’s response to Jesus’ exhortation is helpful here. He says, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!” It is this honesty and transparency that God can use. The father confesses that while he does believe, he knows that his faith is weak and that he needs help, not just with the problem, but with his own unbelief! Do we have the courage to show that kind of honesty with God? Are we willing to humble ourselves and ask for more faith? Jesus responds to the father’s heartfelt plea and heals the man’s son. And when the episode is over, Jesus’ disciples approach Him privately and ask Him point blank, “Why could we not cast it out?” And Jesus replies to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Have you ever wondered why God seems to be at work in the lives of others, but appears to be doing nothing with yours? Do you feel like God is not listening to your prayers? The problem is not with God. The problem is with you. It is your faithlessness reflected in your lack of prayer. Jesus is telling His disciples that because their faith is weak, that their prayer life (or lack thereof) reflects that level of faith. We say that we need something from God, but we offer up halfhearted prayers. We say that something is very important to us, but we spend very little time in the throne room with God talking to Him about it. There’s a scene from the movie “The Untouchables” where lawman Elliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) is talking to his friend, the Chicago beat cop, Jim Malone (Played by Sean Connery). Elliot Ness is frustrated at his lack of progress in bringing down Al Capone. The police and the courts cannot be trusted, as they are bought by Capone. And Malone says, to Ness, “What are you prepared to do?” Malone tells Ness that if he is going to beat Capone, he’s going to have to go much farther and harder than ever before. What are you prepared to do to get your answer from God? Jacob wrestled with an angel. Hannah went to the temple every day for years to pray. Throughout the Bible we read about people praying for years, often with tears, and fasting too. You see, the point of prayer is not to let God know our need. The point of prayer is two-fold; to give us time with God and then to be changed by our encounters with Him. It’s pretty straightforward: more time with God in prayer leads to closer fellowship with God, which in turn leads to greater faith in God. +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Just as the light of the sun makes us able to see our world around us, so in the same way, Jesus, who is the Light of the world, gives us the ability to see and understand God and ourselves more clearly. Today’s account from St. Mark’s Gospel gives us not simply yet another example of Jesus’ power to heal, it is an example of how Christ has the power to set us free from our prison of sin and death—that is, before we were saved by Christ we were lost in our ignorance, and we could not hear or understand the truth. You remember that in the scriptures, one of the marks of God’s power and presence was the healing and deliverance of people oppressed by deafness, blindness, and the inability to speak. The Old Testament prophets wrote about how at the great Day of the Lord, the deaf would hear, the blind would see, the lame walk and the mute speak. In Matthew 11, the imprisoned John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He is truly the Messiah. Jesus responds to John’s question by replying, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” All this was to remind John that these were the signs of the Messiah, that God is at work through Him. In our Gospel lesson this morning, we have St. Mark’s account of Jesus healing a deaf man with a speech impediment. What is noteworthy in this encounter is that Jesus doesn’t simply heal the man by the power of His Words. Jesus uses physical actions to bring healing to the man: He puts His fingers into the man’s ears, and He spits on the man’s tongue. This is a reminder of what I said to you last week; that God can use physical things to effect spiritual results. By using placing His fingers into the man’s ears and spitting on the man’s tongue, Jesus is demonstrating His power and desire to heal or spiritual deafness and blindness. “And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, be opened. And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” With these words, Jesus not only heals the man’s physical handicaps, but He goes deeper into the man’s heart and spirit to open his understanding of God’s love and truth. Furthermore, Jesus’ words serve to open the understanding of all those present, including His disciples. Jesus is no mere man, no mere prophet, but He is the Messiah, the God-Man who has come to save us from our sins. “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” The people wanted a King David style Messiah. They wanted a Messiah to drive out the Romans and reestablish the Davidic monarchy as is described in the Book of Chronicles. But Jesus is so much more. Jesus has come to liberate us from our spiritual bondage, from the prison of sin and self. Jesus wants us to finally believe in Him so that we may understand. I remember when I didn’t know Christ. I understood nothing. I didn’t know His love for Me. I didn’t know that life was supposed to be so much different and better. I didn’t know that great plans that God had for me. I didn’t know how much I needed saving, how much I needed Him. You might say that I didn’t know what I didn’t know! When Jesus revealed Himself to me, He healed me of my blindness, my deafness, and my inability to speak. I began to see, hear, and to understand. He gave me the Word of truth so that I could speak it to others. My friends, this is what we all need. We need Jesus to say to us, “Ephphatha, be opened,” so that we might truly come to know and understand who He is, so that by Him, we might truly see ourselves and everything else. +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Hear Me, all of you and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Law versus Grace has been perhaps the longest debate among Christians when it comes to living a live of discipleship. The argument generally boils down to two questions: Should I try to do all the right things? Or should I simply try to love God and let Him take care of the rest? And the answer is yes. Yes, I should try to keep all of God’s commandments, to do the right thing, and I should simply love God and let Him take care of my life. Both are true. The problem that we get into, and Jesus points it out in today’s Gospel lesson from St. Mark, is that we have a disturbing tendency to turn God’s laws into a human legalistic religious system. And by trying to follow a man-made religious system, we end up with mere external obedience, and unchanged hearts. Once again, we see that Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees, the members of a Jewish religious order that was highly respected by the people for their knowledge of the Law and for their diligent efforts to apply it to their lives. Here, we read them criticizing Jesus because His disciples did not strictly observe the ceremonial laws concerning cleanliness with respect to the washing of hands. Jesus’ response is to chide the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. That is, Jesus points out that the Law of Moses does not require the strict regimen of handwashing that the Pharisees are promoting. What the Pharisees are advocating for is a tradition that was established by the Jewish elders. Furthermore, Jesus is asserting that in their calling out of His disciples, the Pharisees are revealing their own hypocrisy, because their hearts are not motivated by love for God, but by the desire to appear pure in the sight of others. Jesus then cites a specific example of this. He reminds them of the commandment to “Honor your father and your mother,” and that they teach that those who do not do so are deserving of death. Yet, at the same time, Jesus reminds them that they have added a loophole: if you declare something “corban” or set aside for the Lord, you could withhold money from your parents, money that could be used to alleviate their suffering and poverty in their old age (After all, there was no Social Security back then). Thus, Jesus declares that in their effort to promote a human religious system, they are neglecting the commandment of God, pursuing worldly righteousness at the expense of godliness. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Jesus then addresses the whole realm of dietary laws. Now, we do find strict dietary laws in the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible). But a proper understanding of these dietary laws was the God was teaching the people of Israel obedience. That is, there is no moral reason for the Israelites to avoid eating pork or shellfish (though one could make a case for health reasons). In effect, God was telling the Israelites to avoid eating these foods out of obedience (because God said so). Now Jesus takes up this issue and tells the Pharisees that eating the wrong kind of food does not make you impure. Why, because all the food you eat is processed through your body’s digestive system and passed out of the body. Jesus declares, ‘Hear Me, all of you and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” We are not defiled by the things that we eat, or even by the things that we see and experience around us. Rather, we are defiled by the things that come out of our hearts: in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. St. Mark writes, “Thus He declared all foods clean.” Jesus then gives specific examples, saying, “For within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a person.” What Jesus wants each of us to understand is that our task as disciples is to nurture and grow the life of God in our hearts and souls. We are to engage in activities that help us do that. That is the purpose of the spiritual disciplines; things like attending Mass, prayer, fasting, confession, works of mercy and service, evangelism, loving our neighbor as ourselves. All of this is meant to help us grow the life of God inside our hearts. It is meant to be the antidote to the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. So the best test of my spiritual maturity in Christ is not how many times a day that I pray, or how much I give to the poor or to the church, but it is best measured by the things that Jesus mentioned—evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. Do I have these things in my heart? Am I working to purge these from my spiritual system? Ultimately, we need to remember that we are engaging in a spiritual war for our own souls. To that end, St. Paul exhorts us, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. |
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