Sunday, July 5, 2009
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Ezekiel 2:1-5
II Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13
Sermon Title: “Who Does He Think He Is?
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our loving Creator, the great “I Am;” from Jesus the Christ, who enrobed himself in the garment of humanity and by his death and rising from the grave made us joint-heirs with him; from the promised Holy Spirit who dwells with and in us. This Holy Spirit daily brings to mind the calling of our baptisms and to live as Christ’s Ambassadors through whom God appeals to the world. Only in the name of the Triune God that we can even draw breath to speak. I come today praying God’s noblest intentions for your lives and speaking peace. Shalom.
It is July 4th weekend and most preachers skirt around the fact that it is Independence Day for the U.S. We seem skittish because from childhood all of us have heard the admonition not to discuss…what? Religion and politics. Exactly. A patriotic holiday shoves both subjects to the forefront. One response is to behave as though it has no bearing upon what we do in church—the ostrich in the sand approach. While effective in the short term, eventually the birdie has to come up for air. Another approach is set ourselves apart from the rest of Christendom in the world by the belief that God’s favor falls only on the United States. That doesn’t work either because it is a kind of spiritual arrogance which separates us from our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world. Here’s my third option: Independence Day is a celebration that we should embrace fully but all the while remembering that what we are is of God’s gracious making and we receive this blessing with the utmost humility. As such, we live to bless the entire world. This is a discussion for a Christian education forum at a later date should interest call for it.
Following Jesus through the early chapters of the Gospel of Mark finds him stilling storms, casting out demons, healing hemorrhages, raising little girls from the dead among many other things. Every one of those signs and wonders points to his identity as the Son of God. Additionally, the healings not only restore people to physical health but bring them back to the community that set them at the margins in the first place—this is the work of reconciliation. After all of that Jesus goes to his hometown. He goes to the synagogue and teaches with authority of God. Undoubtedly, his reputation preceded him and they declared, “What deeds of power are being done by his hands!” This is the pivotal point. Those gathered could have grabbed the opportunity and received the blessing in their midst. But, no! Someone pipes up, “Is that not the carpenter, the son of Mary…?” Mind you, they did not even dignify Jesus by calling his name. The 21st century equivalent put-down would be “Isn’t that the day laborer?” Hyacinth Buckett, pronounced Bouquet, of the PBS show “Keeping Up Appearances” would be the one to deliver this line with all the acridity it deserves. In other words, “Who does he think he is?”
How is it that people can be amazed and offended at the same time? Social relationships in Jesus’ day were quite different than present day relationships in the US. In the US our story is shaped by the belief in the American Dream. Rugged individualism, hard work and true grit are what you need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps to elevate your station in life. We love a good Horatio rags to riches story. Not so in Jesus’ time. If you were a carpenter that was all you could ever hope or expect to be. You were confined your station in life. No “boot-strapping” allowed back then.
Here comes Jesus doing God’s work in the world—not in princely robes but as a carpenter or day laborer. It was cognitive dissonance in the truest from. Perhaps, they were intrigued by the possibility and just as they were going to grasp it, a voice called them back to the present reality that said, “Stay where you are! You can’t do that!” Who does this carpenter, Mary’s boy think he is? Does he think he can flout the rules and bend his status? This shut those gathered down to the possibilities which caused Jesus to quip, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” Jesus marveled at their unbelief. This is not to be confused with faith that’s lacking. Unbelief differs. It is cynicism that refuses to believe despite supporting evidence. God can leaven a minute particle of faith (see Isaiah 43:2). In Mark 9:24 a father desperate for Jesus to heal his son cried out to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief.” And so, Jesus healed his son. Jesus, however, was able to heal only a few folks in his hometown.
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of today’s in the Message gets at the heart of the matter:
He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea that he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?”
But in the next breath, they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is? They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
How many times have we tripped over what little we know about God and fell sprawling? Not only do lie there on the ground but we refuse the very thing we need to get back up—God’s grace. There are striking similarities between folks of Jesus’ day and us. Like us, they asked and answered their own question without listening to God’s gracious appeal to our hearts.
Q: “Who does he think he is?”
A: “Nobody, but a carpenter!”
Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism wrote a short little booklet for aspiring monks to follow simply called “The Rule.” The first word of it is the word “Listen.” As we continue to open our hearts to formed and reformed by God, we learn a few things as we grow in years and grace. We learn to listen deeply—to listen with the ear of the heart. Sometimes we have to quiet ourselves and still the swirling questions and listen for God’s question. God’s the Son’s question will come in the eighth chapter of Mark and it is simply, “But who do you say I am?” Who do you say, Jesus is? When we say, “Thou art the messiah,” as did Peter, the hand of grace picks us up and sets our feet on high places. And once again, we are saved from ourselves and retro-fitted to serve God in the world.
One with you in Christ,
Pastor Angela Shannon
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