All Saints Day – 1 Nov 2021 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our father and our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The texts for this meditation are written in:

Isaiah 25: Verses 6 – 9: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
⁷ And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
⁹ It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Revelation 21: 1 – 6: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” ⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

 John 11: 32 – 44: When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴ He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus began to weep. ³⁶ So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

 

Over the past two COVID infected years, I feel as though we have been living what one theologian calls “the Saturdays of our lives.”  The Saturdays of our lives represent those desperate places in life between the crucifixion of Good Friday and the resurrection of Sunday.  They represent the stench of death we have experienced and felt over the past two years. Of course we as humans experience these times in our daily lives as well. They represent the wilderness of despair.  They represent those places in life where what is crystal clear is the suffering and the pain and the agony and the chaos, and where Sunday, the resurrection and the promise of new life, seems like a fantasy or fairy tale that is certainly nowhere in sight.  Living in the Saturdays of our lives is a difficult place to live.  And, that desperate place of despair – that is the context for our reading from Isaiah on this day.  It was the 8th century BCE and the people were in a dark place.  The Assyrians had swept in.  They had captured the Israelites and forced them to scatter throughout the empire.  It was, in essence, yet another wilderness experience and the people were asking that despairing question, “Where is God?”

Many had lost their faith and it was there, in the anguish, that God came to the people of Israel. God met them right where they were, made God’s presence known to them through the prophet Isaiah, and gave them words of hope they desperately needed to hear.  God gave them words of hope and promise that ring down through the centuries to provide the words we so desperately need to hear on this day. 

It is interesting that when the Bible deals with matters of death, it talks about them in terms of the future.  It offers words of hope in terms of a future that is out in front of us but not yet here.  The Bible often does this by means of poetic writings and visions.   And, in Isaiah, we hear these beautiful, poetic, hope-filled words of a future day when God throws a big party, when the “Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food.”  We hear the hope-filled words of a future day when God will destroy “the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations.”  We hear of that future day when God will swallow up death forever, wipe away the tears from all faces and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth!  Oh, these are hope-filled words we so desperately need to hear in the Saturdays of our lives. 

Then, in our reading from the Book of Revelation, we are given another vision of the future as the writer describes a whole new heaven and new earth.  And, what is so interesting about this vision is that it is about the future of ALL things.  It is about an amazing future that God is creating where the chaos and pain and destruction of this present time will be no more!  How desperately we need to hear the promise of this future as we experience Saturdays of our lives!   

But, wait.  There is yet another story of hope and promise!  On this day, we are also told of the raising of Lazarus when the very shroud of Lazarus is cast off.  Oh, we need to hear these words because the stench of death and the roiling chaos reeks all around us.   

Lazarus, Jesus’ close friend, has died.  Mary and Martha knew their brother, Lazarus, would not have died had Jesus been present.  They are living and experiencing the Saturdays of their lives.  And, like us, we discover Mary using the “if only” phrase as she kneels at Jesus feet saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  Then, as Jesus responds to Mary’s weeping, we are confronted with the harsh but ultimately comforting truth of the situation.  In this moment of darkness, this moment that renders God’s Word silent, we find that Jesus himself weeps.  It is in this moment that we discover the incarnate God who weeps with us as Jesus reveals the passion and love of an immobilised yet seemingly almighty God.  And, in this moment, Jesus reveals one of the most important characteristics we can ever learn about the heart of God: "Jesus weeps."  When Jesus experienced Mary and Martha weeping for their dead brother Lazarus, he was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled."

The God whom Christians worship is not a remote and aloof "sky god" somewhere out there. No, God is a tender God who is deeply moved, even grieved, by anything and everything that threatens our human well-being.  In this moment, we discover God with us, a God who even weeps with us.  And, oh, as we experience the Saturdays of our lives, we need to hear these words!

But, the story does not end there.  Jesus commands them to take away the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb.  Now, there is nothing pretty about death.  Death brings decay, rotting and stench.  Oils and spices applied to a dead body would have held unpleasant odours at bay for a while, but after four days the stench would have been overpowering.  And, so it was with Lazarus.  Martha becomes the realist as she says, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.”  However, Jesus responds by saying, “Take away the stone,” and with those words we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ coming resurrection.  Oh, yes, we need to hear these words in the Saturdays of our lives.

When Jesus cries out with a loud voice saying, “Lazarus, come out!” he heralds a stunning new possibility as the stench of death meets the fragrance of the resurrecting power of God’s Son.  It is fascinating that the Greek verb used for come out occurs only eight times in the whole Greek Bible, six of which are in John.  And, it is used four times for the shouts of the crowd that cries out to crucify Jesus.  So, isn’t it interesting that while the crowd’s shouts will bring death to Jesus, Jesus’ shout brings life to Lazarus!  Lazarus, the dead man, emerges from his tomb, bound from head to foot in burial wrappings.  Jesus then commands that these burial wrappings, the last remnants of death, be removed as he says, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  The shroud, that death sheet that had been spread over Lazarus’ body, is removed and the stench of death is gone.  Oh, we need to hear these words in the Saturdays of our lives.

My friends, Lazarus is us.  Bound by death in our current lives, we are called to life by Jesus who is the Light and the Life of the world.  And, it is from the light of Easter dawn that we confront the darkness of death.  Jesus stands at the edge of the Saturdays of our lives, at the edge of our tomb, the many tombs in which we presently exist, as we shrink from being fully alive.  Jesus stands shouting, “Come out!”  He calls us to come out and walk into the light of day, pulling free of our grave clothes as we go.  From the other side of Christ’s resurrection, we gain the courage, not to deny death, but to be honest about its ability to cripple us.  We gain the courage to not let the fear of death distort our lives, but to walk through it and figure out ways to integrate it into our lives.  As we do this, we walk placing our faith in the Risen Christ who has promised us that death does not have the last word.  And, knowing that death is not the last word, we are free to live.  We can stare death and darkness in the face and even embrace its reality as a part of earthly living – even in our grief, and even in our pain.  Oh, yes, we need to hear these words on this day!

Friends, we are Lazarus, and the good news is that, in Holy Baptism, we have been joined to Christ’s death and resurrection.  And, we have been promised not only life eternal but also abundant life right here and right now.  We are called to live as though the Eternal were now because God is, and because God is present to us here and now.  We are called to live as though we belong to God, in life and in death.  We are called to live fully alive because we have been given the promise that neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  So, we can let go of the despair and the fear.  We can let go of all that holds us in the Saturdays of our lives because the future God holds out before us is not dominated by death.  It is one of life and God calls us into life!  Oh, yes, we so desperately need to hear these words in the Saturdays of our lives! 

The love and peace of our Great triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Pentecost 22 – 24 October 2021 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 46 – 52:

 

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. 

 

We probably don’t think much about how our priorities have a great influence on our needs. About nine years ago a well-off retired couple were realising their dream. They were booked on the Queen Mary 2 for a world tour. The day they were about to board the ship they were notified that their son who lived in Mackay had committed suicide. He had a professional job, a new baby, a loving partner and a new home. These parents went from having it all, to having nothing but a black hole of despair. Their very being was begging for answers, for consolation.

 

Bill Clinton was a very cool and confident President of the USA. Even under the pressure of impeachment, he held up well, he was in charge. I don’t know if you have seen Bill since he recently came out of hospital, but you can see that he has an illness, and somehow he looks like a man who is seeking answers rather than giving them, his priorities have surely changed

One of the key figures in our story today had just such a need. His name was Bartimaeus – and he was blind. He was living in a time where the sightless had to depend on the charity of others. If they were fortunate, their families cared for them. If they were not fortunate, they begged on the street.

 

Bartimaeus was not fortunate. He spent his days on the side of the busy highway from Jericho to Jerusalem; perhaps hoping that the faithful headed to the Holy City would seek to gain God’s favour by throwing him a coin or two. More than likely, he caught as many curses and insults as he did coins, and, just like today, a blind pauper made a tempting target for the punches of bullies and the nimble fingers of thieves.

 

It is a gross understatement to say that Bartimaeus did not lead a happy life. All that he needed, though, was one thing to turn his life around. One simple change would have allowed him to leave the side of the road and actually walk upon it. All that he needed was his sight, and for that he needed a miracle.

 

Somehow, despite a miserable life that seems like barely a life at all, Bartimaeus managed to keep hoping for that miracle. In fact, our text for today takes us to the side of the road just as Bartimaeus’ miraculous opportunity is – quite literally – passing him by. Jesus and his followers are going through on their way to Jerusalem, a trip that will end in Jesus’ death and resurrection. On their way out of town, their group moves past the spot where Bartimaeus is begging for coins.

 

Bartimaeus hears more commotion than usual. Perhaps James and John are still arguing about who will sit at Jesus’ right and left hands in the coming Kingdom. Perhaps there is a crowd, still following Jesus for the spectacle or for the free food or to hear more of his teachings. Whatever catches Bartimaeus’ attention, he quickly figures out that – at the centre of the noise – is Jesus of Nazareth.

 

If we could freeze Bartimaeus at that very moment, it would be the perfect symbol of where almost everyone finds themselves at some time or another. It’s also a great snapshot of where much of the world is right now. Bartimaeus knows that his life is in shambles and broken; and he knows that he cannot provide what he needs to be whole and healthy and at peace. He sits in darkness, and he knows that only Jesus can offer him healing and hope; but he has no way to find Jesus. He cannot see, and with all of the shouting voices in the crowd, Bartimaeus does not know which one to follow.

 

Here he is struggling in the darkness, wanting to find Jesus, but not knowing how to get to him. Sound familiar? At some time all of us face the new day feeling exactly the same way. Bartimaeus in pure faith, shouts at the top of his lungs, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When he calls out, a lifetime of desperation and loneliness gives strength to his voice. Even over the noise of the crowd, some people there hear him. 

 

Unfortunately, they have their own priorities. They’ve come to Jesus for their own reasons. Some of them, like Bartimaeus, want a miracle; and the last thing they want is someone else butting in. Some of them are there for the teaching. They want to hear Jesus’ theological thoughts; …. Anyway, It’s their belief that this man is blind because of his sins or the sins of his father, so Bartimaeus has no right to speak.

 

To use an analogy: If Bartimaeus represents our own needs and the needs of the world, the crowd is, sadly, a potential image of the Church. Often we of the Church surround Jesus, each of us crowding Him with our own expectations of what He can do for us. It seems, at times, our personal agendas become a wall that boxes Jesus in, and keeps those with real needs out.

 

In saying this, I am not acting as Judge over the Church, but one only has to look back in history to see the trail of persecution, division, wars and bitter resentment brought about by mankind putting labels on God’s Holy assembly, the Church on earth, to suit their own needs and agendas. We reflect with shame on the atrocities that have been committed in God’s name; and on those who have been cast out from worship because they did not measure up to mankind’s rules imposed on God’s gracious gift to us in the name of Jesus Christ His only Son. 

 

When reflecting on the crowd rejecting Bartimaeus in this Gospel reading, we must ask ourselves “are we jealously guarding our Church against those whom we consider unacceptable, or are we complying with the command of Jesus in Matthew 28 to seek out, evangelise and baptise, those lost souls in our community?” – Jesus commands us to listen for the cry of those who are in need and are seeking him.

 

Well, Bartimaeus refuses to be silenced. He shouts again, even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The significance of his call is displayed in the sure and confident manner that he directed his plea directly at Jesus. In doing so Bartimaeus expressed the knowledge of Jesus’ deity, dominion, and power. … And in calling Jesus “Son of David,” he expressed his faith that He was the promised Messiah. 

In the face of the danger and threats, Bartimaeus’s sure faith gave him the courage to keep seeking Jesus.

 

You know it’s so easy for a Christian to forget that lesson in worship, and in life. After all, Jesus is right here with us. But the truth is – it doesn’t always feel that way. We hear the good news and promise of His Word, we drink Christ’s blood and eat His body to be again joined with Christ’s in forgiveness and eternal salvation in the merciful presence of God; but, in the midst of the temptations and distractions of this world, we are sometimes seduced by the logic of our own sinful nature. And like Bartimaeus we find ourselves in a dark place, lost and afraid.  

 

Through the inspired words of St Mark, Bartimaeus is also crying out to us – hold firm to your hope in Christ! Whatever that means for each of us, keep doing it. Keep praying, keep reading, keep studying, keep singing, keep preaching. Keep seeking. In these times God will come to us….. 

 

There is no doubt that, because of our human frailties there will be roadblocks. Periods on our faith journeys that we can only get through if we muster up the faith and determination of Bartimaeus and keep calling on Jesus.

 

It works, just as it did for Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus calls into the darkness a second time. When he does, Jesus hears him and stops walking. Jesus tells the crowd, “Call him here,” and when He says it, the nature of the crowd changes. They stop being an impediment to the work of God, and become its instrument. Suddenly to them this man is acceptable in Jesus’ sight.

 

Hearing Jesus’ command, the crowd calls to the man, “Take heart; get up, He is calling you.” On hearing this, Bartimaeus gets up and – leaving his cloak, perhaps his only possession, behind – runs to Jesus. He gives up all he has and answers the call. Bartimaeus hears Jesus’ life changing question. “What do you want me to do for you?”

As worshipping Christians this is not a bad question to ask ourselves as well. What do we want from Jesus? Why are we seeking Him? Do we want wealth? Power? Prestige? Companionship? Or is it healing in body and soul that gives us a peace beyond all human understanding. What are we here for? Some of us will get what we seek, others will not; we have no choice but to trust the wisdom of God.

 

Bartimaeus answers Jesus, “Teacher, let me see again.”

Jesus responds, “Go, your faith has made you well,” and immediately Bartimaeus can see. 

 

Think about that! Jesus doesn’t say “I have healed you.” He isn’t theatrical, Jesus simply tells Bartimaeus that his faith has already healed him. It wasn’t finally meeting Jesus that gave Bartimaeus his sight. It was having the faith to seek Jesus in the first place. Interestingly, the Biblical translation for “made well” (sózó) is the same word for salvation. It means completeness and restoration.

 

It was Bartimaeus faith that kept him persistent in seeking Jesus and it was ultimately his faith that healed him. Not faith in himself but faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

 

When darkness clouds your vision, when forces seem to stand between you and salvation; stop and cast your mind back to the Baptismal font where you were made one with the Holy Trinity through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

  

At that time, we were given full access to the only gracious gift that can restore us and make us whole: the merciful love of God, the physical presence of Jesus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls to us ^{(Matt 11:28-30)} “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

Bartimaeus, like Job is restored to health and freedom of opportunity. We don’t really know just what he did with his life after that, but our reading does tell us that he followed in the path of Jesus,

 

The miracle of Bartimaeus’, the experiences of Job serve to remind us that regardless of our opinions, our wealth our standing in life, we live entirely by and through the Grace of God, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We live in the love He lavished on us on the cross, but in the Holy Scriptures we are constantly reminded that our life can only be complete if we become conduits of God’s love; the vessel through which it flows on to those fellow beings in need. 

 

If we can do that, if we can cling to our faith, we can be assured that regardless of what life throws at us, Jesus will be there and we will hear His voice calling to us “Go your faith has made you well”. Amen.

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

Pentecost 21 – 17 October 2021 – Year B

 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark; Verses 32 – 45:

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” 

³⁵ And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptised, you will be baptised, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ⁴² And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant  ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Today’s Gospel provides us with another narrative of confusion on the part of the disciples.  For once, it is not Peter who puts his foot in it.  Instead, it is Peter’s two fishing partners, James and John, the Sons of Zebedee.  These two brothers ask Jesus for the two seats of honour when Jesus comes into His glory.  “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  In the culture of that day, sitting didn’t just mean a physical posture, but it could also be used as a term of ruling.  So sitting near someone didn’t just mean that they were to be physically close to Jesus, but that they were to have a large share of the honour and authority that Jesus had.  We have brought a little bit of that culture into our own language when we refer to someone as a “right hand man.”  Basically, James and John were asking to be the two top men in Jesus’ kingdom.

I personally am astonished at the presumptuous nature of this request by James and John. It takes attitude to begin a conversation: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  Jesus is the teacher – the master – the Lord – He is the Christ.  James and John should be ready to receive the service Jesus wants to give.  How can they ask Him to serve them according to their desires?  Shouldn’t they, in all humility, be thankful for the gifts that He knows are best for them? 

I should not be surprised, our sinful human nature is very much at home in the politics of power.  The boss rules.  The leader commands.  As Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”  Jesus totally understands how pagans rule.  There is no right and wrong.  There is only the accumulation and exercise of power.  This is our natural attitude when we come into this world.

Jesus had a totally different worldview.  He said, “Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  The Son of God did not take on the flesh of man in order to become the big boss.  The Son of God took on human flesh in order to serve us humans.  That is the reason we call what we do here in this room Divine Service.  We call it the Divine Service because it is the time and the place where God gives His divine service to us.  It is the place where we meet Him and He gives His gifts to us – the gifts earned by the service of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Here’s the thing.  God’s knowledge has no end.  It is infinite.  His wisdom is perfect in every way.  He knows what is best for us better than we do.  His way of serving us is holy and perfect.  There is much in His service to us that is beyond our understanding.

However, in spite of the fact that God loves us more than we love ourselves – in spite of the fact that God knows what is best for us better than we do – in spite of God’s perfect wisdom, we join James and John.  How often, when the pressure is on, or the going gets tough, do we have the incredible arrogance to approach God and tell Him, “God, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  God already loves us and wants to serve us in the best possible way.  Who are we to tell God to do things our way instead of His way?

When Jesus heard the disciples’ request, He said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.”  The fact is that most people don’t know what these brothers were requesting.

The problem is with the word glory.  When we use the word glory in its earthly context, we generally mean the power and authority that Jesus meant when He spoke of the gentiles - “Those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”  James and John were probably thinking of this kind of glory.  They were operating on the principle that the Christ would rule over a renewed Israeli empire.  They wanted to be the top men in His government.

There is much more to Jesus’ glory than power and authority.  When John’s faith and understanding matured under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He would write, ^{[John 12:16]} “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”  What does the word glorified mean in that verse?  What does the word glorified mean when ^{[John 12:23]} Jesus answered them; “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”?  Jesus had a conversation with Peter after the resurrection in which He told Peter about his own forthcoming death and John explained it in this way: ^{[John 21:19]} “This he said to show by what kind of death [Peter] was to glorify God”.  What does the word glorify mean there?

Jesus’ glory does not just refer to His power and authority.  It also refers to His victory on the cross.  When we look at the shame of the cross, we see the glory of our Saviour as He wins salvation for us.  As Jesus was walking the road to Jerusalem with His disciples, “He began to tell them what was to happen to him”.  He was telling them how He would bring glory to God by earning salvation for us with His suffering, death, and resurrection.

Jesus had just been explaining the glory of the cross when James and John came to Him.  They said to Jesus, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  Since Jesus had just been talking about the glory of the cross, James and John were unwittingly asking to be crucified, one on Jesus’ right and the other on Jesus’ left.  No wonder Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.”  They demonstrated that they did not understand.

We are like James and John.  We think glory is all about power, authority, and control.  We want that kind of glory.  We want to be important.  We want honour.  We want to be number one.  We want to be the centre of attention.  We are greedy and self-centred.  Jesus tells us that the truly great are those who serve, but serving is not always our top priority.  Jesus tells us that the leader should take up the vocation of slave, but our human nature does not aspire to being a slave.  Paul tells us in Romans 7: 13 – 24, that no matter how hard we try, we just can’t do things Jesus’ way.  We want our way.  We want what we want when we want it.  We want and we demand.  Jesus must tell us what He told James and John, “You do not know what you are asking.”

The disciples became indignant with James and John.  Their ambition, their attempts to be more important way led to fighting among the disciples.  One of the saddest causes of division in a congregation is when the faith of a few becomes a presumptuous belief that they can get things done by making bold demands of God. Like James and John; “God, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

As the Holy Spirit inspired James to write, ^{[James 4:1–3]} “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions”.  We expect God to supply our felt needs instead of the real needs that He knows we have by virtue of His infinite knowledge andHis perfect wisdom.

Fortunately for James and John, and you and me, Jesus does not have a problem with His role as servant and slave.  Even as Jesus set the standard for us, He also kept that standard.  He continued to teach His disciples in spite of their stubbornness, and He said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Even though we don’t serve as we should – even though we don’t adopt the role of slave as Jesus commands, Jesus still became the perfect servant for us. ^{[Philippians 2:8]} “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”.

In Jesus Christ we see the glory of victory in the agony of the cross. ^{[Hebrews 2:9]} “We see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”.  

Jesus Christ confirmed that victory when He rose from the dead just as He had said.  In His resurrection, He certified His perfect service – His role as perfect slave in order to offer us perfect salvation.  He now offers us forgiveness when we do not offer ourselves as servants and slaves.  He offers us forgiveness for seeking our own glory, power, and pride.  He offers us the salvation that He earned with His glorious victory on the cross.

We, like James and John, want glory for ourselves.  We want popularity, fame, power, security, and all the other things that serve our own self-interest.  This is one more symptom of the sin that is around us and in us while we live in this world.

Jesus came for a different kind of glory.  He came to rescue us from this world of sin by submitting to death on a cross.  He has a special honour and glory because of the suffering of that death and He revealed that honour and glory with His resurrection from that death.  Now He offers salvation to us through the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith for He has given His life as a ransom for many.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

Pentecost 20 – 10 October 2021 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 17–22:

 

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments:  ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honour your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Gospel we just heard begins as a man ran up and knelt before [Jesus] and asked him, ^{(Mark 10:17)} “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This question is a form of a very basic question that every human being asks.  He was really asking the question, “What must I do to ensure my future?”

Every baby enters this world with the belief that he or she is the centre of the universe.  And, for a short time, the world does seem to cater to every little whim the baby has.  The slightest squawk from the baby and someone … usually Mum … scrambles to care for every desire.  For a brief moment in time, as infants, we all believed that we were the most important person in the universe.  We thought we were the sum total of why the universe is even here.

 

But then we grow up.  We learn that other people have rights.  We learn to share.  We learn to take our turn.  We learn to stand in line.  We learn that not only are we not the most important person in the universe, but we are not even the most important person in our own house.  We begin to learn that there are rules that govern the way we should live. ….

It doesn’t take long to figure out that some rules will help us get ahead.  The right education will help get a better job.  The right investments will produce a wealthier portfolio.  The right friends will open up new opportunities.  And so it goes on.

 

At some point in time, we begin to wonder if there isn’t some sort of rule that will get us ahead indefinitely … some technique that will give us some guarantee that we will win … that we will come out on top.  We begin a search for the key to happiness, health, wealth, wisdom, and so forth…  There are plenty of people who want to help us, there are thousands of authors in the “self-help” section of Amazon.com who would be more than happy to share the key to success with you for $32.95 plus postage.

 

The fact that there are so many books in the self-help section indicates that no one really has the secret to success.  But even if there was help for you in a book, or a seminar, or some other program, it would not be enough.

 

  When asked back in 1913, John D. Rockefeller, who owned about 3% of the entire US economy, or $500 Billion in today’s terms, how much is enough, He replied, “Just a little bit more.”  A simple answer that clearly reflects the desires of our inborn sinful nature.  We are always on the lookout for that magic formula that will give us an advantage … a magic formula that will give us just a little bit more.

 

The man who came to Jesus seemed to want a little bit more.  He wanted a little bit more assurance of his salvation.  He had done everything that he could think of to guarantee his eternal life, but he wasn’t really sure.  Did he have all the bases covered?  Was there one more technique that would give him confidence?  Would one more bit of wisdom from the Teacher steer him to life eternal?  Maybe Jesus had that one ploy that would ensure his salvation forever.  So he asked Jesus a question that demonstrated that he didn’t have a clue.  He asked Jesus, ^{(Mark 10:17)} “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 

Now, Carol and I and many of you have been heirs of one or more wills, and I can guarantee you that it was nothing in our case that we did that made us heirs of a will.  We were heirs of a will because someone else wrote us into the will.  We had nothing to do with it.  When the man came to Jesus and talked about doingsomething to inherit something, he showed a basic lack of understanding about God’s plan for the salvation of the human race.

 

Mark tells us that Jesus showed love for this man. And He did it by showing him the reality of his situation.  There is nothing the man could do to earn salvation.

Jesus began by reminding the man that only God is good enough to provide salvation.  Jesus said to him, ^{(Mark 10:18)} “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone”. At this point the man should have stopped to think, “If only God is good and I am not God, then I cannot be good.”  Then Jesus reviewed the commandments that deal with loving the neighbour.  He said, ^{(Mark 10:19)} “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honour your father and mother.’ ”

 

At this point the man did not realise that he did not love his neighbour as he loved himself.  He did notunderstand that he could not possibly do anything to earn salvation.  Instead, he said to [Jesus], ^{(Mark 10:20)}“Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” He may well have been a disciplined, devout, Jewish man who did all in his power to keep the law; but in saying this, he demonstrated his total lack of understanding about the nature of humankind.  He had deluded himself into thinking that through his own efforts, he had kept these commandments perfectly.

 

It is at this point that the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to remind us that Jesus loved this man.  The Greek word is ēgapēsen, a verb form of the word agápi, that selfless form of giving love.  Jesus loved him enough to tell him the truth about his condition.  (Mark 10:21) “Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all 

that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, 

follow me.’” 

Jesus set up a condition that forced this man to realise that he loved his wealth more 

than he loved God. 

How did the man respond?  ^{(Mark 10:22)} “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”. The man’s possessions were literally more important to him than his own salvation.  This man’s possessions were his god.

 

How are we to respond? Jesus has spoken and it begs the question of us. Is there anything that Jesus would ask of us that would cause us to be disheartened and walk away sorrowful?  What gods are important to us?  Financial security?  Family?  Friends?  Happiness?  Getting our own way?  Our reputation among our peers?

 

Dr Martin Luther’s favourite hymn was “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”  In fact, you will hear it in just about every Lutheran Church during ‘Reformation celebrations’.  In verse 4 of that hymn we sing, “And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, though these all be gone, our victory has been won.” …. Is this really the case? Could we really surrender our life, goods, fame, child, or spouse?   - 

 

Our Gospel tells us that Jesus loved this man with agápi love.  Agápi love gives people what they need, and that often means that it does not give people what they want.  Jesus told this man what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear.  This man needed to learn the hopelessness of his situation.  He needed to learn that he could not save himself.  He needed to understand that he needed a saviour outside of himself.  That is how Jesus showed His love to this man … even if it meant that the man would walk away sorrowful.

 

Jesus loves us the same way.  He sends the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin.  The Holy Spirit comes to us through the proclamation of the Word of God in order to shine the searing light of the law into our hearts.  He shows our true nature to us.  He takes us to the depths of pure terror as He shows us the future we have earned for ourselves.  He shows us the true hopelessness of our good works.

It is only after we begin to understand that hopelessness of our own works that the Holy Spirit points to the one who actually did surrender everything … Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son.

 

  He surrendered His throne at God the Father’s right hand and took up our human flesh.  Even as a human being, He lived in poverty.  Even though He is the author of the law, He lived under the law.

Jesus surrendered everything.  He even surrendered His life, and when He died, He did not even own the clothes on His back. ^{(Mark 15:24)} “They crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take”.

 

Jesus surrendered Himself so that you and I would inherit eternal life.  It is not what I do that inherits eternal life.  It is what Jesus has already done.  We inherit eternal life because Jesus made us heirs in His last will and testament by the promise of His word and the seal of His blood on the cross.

 

Jesus Christ Himself demonstrated the inheritance that He offers to all people by rising from the dead.  In His resurrection, we have the promise that He will raise all the dead and give eternal life to all who believe in Him.

 

Jesus has named an executor to His estate, the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit works through the Gospel to deliver the inheritance of eternal life.  The Holy Spirit also works through the Gospel to establish the faith that receives the inheritance of eternal life. 

 

 Through that faith we constantly receive the forgiveness of our sins, and God declares us holy in his eyes.  We stop asking the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Instead, the Holy Spirit uses us to point to Jesus and declare “Look what God has done to give me eternal life.”

 

We who believe already have our inheritance of eternal life.  But when the time comes for us to leave this life, we will experience our inheritance more fully as members of the Church Triumphant in heaven.  There, in heaven, we shall leave our sins behind and live under Jesus in His kingdom.  There, we shall wait with Jesus for the Last Day when Jesus will raise our bodies to immortality, and we shall once again be complete in body and spirit and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.  Amen

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen