God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. My sermon consists of three questions, and my focus is our
Gospel (Mark 1:14-20) Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear
your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our
hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity.
Amen.
If you never read
the Bible, my advice is that you start by reading the Gospels. I say that
because we read the Bible through Jesus as our interpreter. So, like the first
disciples, it behooves us to understand all that is written in the Law and
Prophets through Christ. Start with the Gospel of Mark because it is the
earliest and the shortest of the four Gospels.
If you like action
stories, Mark is a good book to read because Jesus is always on the move. If
you like mysteries, think of Mark as a whodunit murder mystery. And if you stop
reading at chapter 16:8, you need to ask yourself a question. What would I do if
I saw the empty tomb and an angel invited me to see where Jesus was laid and
then instructed me to “go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going
before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” Like
the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body, would I also flee
trembling with so much fear that I would say nothing to anyone? … As you read
Mark, note these three questions. Who are these people? What are they doing?
Why should that matter to me?
First, who are
these people? Our passage mentions John the Baptist, Jesus, Simon, Andrew,
James, John and Zebedee. I covered John previously, and Mark mentioned Zebedee
only as a reference. Hence, I focus on Jesus and his four disciples.
Who was Jesus? We
know him by numerous titles – Lord, Son of Man, Son of David, Lamb of God,
Rabbi et cetera. Based on the opening
verse of the Gospel, Mark preferred Christ, the Son of God. Yet, titles are not
enough to portray a person. As quarterback, running back, receiver or lineman
tell us only so much about men who play football, Mark needed more to complete
his portrait of Jesus.
Mark portrayed
Jesus differently than other evangelists. In fact, he complicated Jesus’
identity by offering six portrayals: (1) man of authority, (2) man of power,
(3) someone feared, (4) someone divine, (5) someone human and (6) someone odd.[1]
Unlike other
ancient biographers, Mark aroused feelings in readers’ minds and hearts with
his style and content. He showed Jesus, through his deeds, words and suffering
as a man making his way through an anxious world of humans and demons.[2]
While there was no doubt Jesus was the hero of the story, Mark portrayed him as
an unrecognized, rejected, humiliated, disappointed individual, deserted by his
closest allies and victimized by a hostile environment. … So, who was Jesus? The answer can fill
libraries. Personally, Jesus is my Lord and Master.
What was Jesus
doing? Our Gospel opens, “After John was arrested, Jesus came to
Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, the
kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mk 1:14-15)
Clearly, Jesus
proclaimed the Gospel of God. He began his ministry in Galilee after John the
Baptist, who also attempted to reform Judaism, was arrested. Why did Jesus go
to Galilee after Herod, who ruled there, arrested and beheaded John? Was Jesus
naïve? Was he challenging Herod by moving into his territory? On the other
hand, did Jesus simply realize he would reach more people in Galilee?
Jesus’ first
message, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel,” summarized the first chapter. It was also the
most basic statement of Christian faith – repent and believe in the gospel.
So, what was Jesus
doing? Calling people to repent and believe – to live now as they would in the
Kingdom of God. Jesus saw the reign of God in his lifetime, and when others
responded to his message and recognized God ruled their lives, he formed a
community. Jesus needed and called disciples because he knew his work would
have to continue after he ascended to his heavenly throne.
To ask who Jesus
was, and what he was doing means I must ask who his disciples were. Mark knew
that he not only needed to tell the personal story of a prophet from Nazareth
but also needed to inspire others to play their proper part in the movement
Jesus founded. So, when we discuss Jesus in Mark, we not only discuss
Christology – the study of the Christ, but also discipleship – what it means to
accompany him as disciple.
The disciples were
a central element in Mark’s story; and discipleship is the proper outcome of a
healthy Christology.[3]
In other words, if you are going to talk about Jesus, you need to know and
articulate why you are following him, and why others, including immediate
family members, should join you.
In verses 16-20,
Jesus called the core of his disciples – Simon, Andrew, James and John. Unlike
rabbis, Jesus did not wait for disciples to come to him. He went to them.
Unlike Greek scholars, Jesus did not entice students with his reputation, but
like Elijah, he called people to leave their work and follow him. Interestingly,
Jesus not only called these men to repent and believe, but also recruited and
trained them to become fishers of men, a skill more difficult than fishing in
the sea.
So, who were these
disciples and what were they doing? These were fishermen who left their jobs
and families and followed Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who called people to
repent and believe in the Gospel.
Before I answer my
third question – why should that matter to me? – I remind you that for
centuries the Church set aside specific days to remember persons and events
significant in the proclamation of the Gospel.[4] The
Lutheran Service Book lists January 24th as the Feast of St.
Timothy, January 25th as the Conversion of St. Paul, and January 26th
as the Feast of St. Titus. Ancient saints are not our only models of faith. God
called countless saints who left opportunities on the table to serve Christ and
His Kingdom. Here is an example of a man from St. Louis.
Thomas Dooley
captured the imagination of the world, when, fresh out of medical school and
the navy, he went to Southeast Asia to do medical work among the world’s
poorest. This was especially surprising because Dooley came from a wealthy
family and enjoyed a very good life.
Dooley said, “If people can be born with a desire, I
guess mine was to have a good time, and good times came easy in our home. There
was plenty of money; I had my own horse, went to school abroad, and studied to
be a concert pianist.”[5]
Dooley’s family
was deeply religious. He said, “We were
the prayingest family you ever saw. We prayed when we got up in the morning,
when we sat down to eat, when we finished eating, when we went to bed, and frequently
in between.”
His favorite
Scripture passage was “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will
be comforted.” (Mt 5:4) Dooley reflected on this verse after his ship
picked up a thousand refugees drifting off the coast of Vietnam. In the midst
of his backbreaking job of helping these people, he discovered that the
simplest medical treatment brought smiles to pain-filled faces. He also
discovered that helping them made him happier than he had ever been.
Dooley wrote that
those who mourn are not miserable, but simply more aware of sorrow than
pleasure in our world. He wrote, “If you
are sensitive to sorrow and try to alleviate it, you cannot help but be happy.”
If you are sensitive to sorrow and try to alleviate it, you cannot help but
be happy. Tom Dooley, like the apostles Jesus called, was aware of God’s
Kingdom and was ruled by it.
To get to my third
question – Why should that matter to me? – I ask – Why should it matter to you
to know who Jesus was and what he was doing? Why should it matter to you to
know who Christ’s disciples and Tom Dooley were and what they were doing?
It should matter
to you only if you call yourself Christian. It should matter to you only if
Jesus is your Lord and Master. It should matter to you only if you want to be
in God’s Kingdom.
If you call
yourself Christian, if Jesus is your Lord and Master, and if you want to be in
God’s Kingdom, it should matter that you repent and believe in the gospel – for
– like the people of Nineveh – time is short. Death offers no 40-day notice. …
That is why it matters to us who Jesus was and what he did. He offers us what
no one else can. He offers eternal life. How will we respond?
Few people, like
Tom Dooley, who have money, respond to Christ’s call as he did. Few people, who
have time, respond as Dooley did. By the way, he died one day after his 34th
birthday. When we enjoy the comfort of money and the leisure of time, Satan
tempts us. So, a story of three devils.
Three
student devils in hell were packing their bags. They were about to be beamed up
to earth for some on-the-job experience.
When
all was ready, they reported to their teacher for last-minute instructions. The
teacher asked them what strategy they decided to use to get people to sin.
The
first little devil said, “I will use the tried-and-true approach. I will tell
people, ‘There is no God, so sin up a storm and enjoy life.’” The teacher
nodded approvingly. Then, he turned to the second devil and asked, “What about
you?”
The
second little devil said, “I will use the contemporary approach. I will tell
people ‘There is no hell, so sin up a storm and enjoy life.” Again, the teacher
nodded approvingly. Then, he turned to the third devil and asked, “What about
you?”
The
third little devil said, “I will use a down-to-earth approach. I will simply
tell people, ‘There is no hurry, so sin up a storm and enjoy life.’”[6]
When you have
time, you succumb to the temptation that salvation will be there when you need
it … later. When you have time, you succumb to the temptation that the church
will be there when you need it … later. When you have time, you succumb to the
temptation that you will be there for others … later.
Throughout my
life, I have encountered many men and women who have said that the reason they
no longer attend worship is “because the Church was not there for me.” I
understand that. The Church I once knew is different. After I left ministry, I
was for a period of time a man making his way through an anxious world of
humans and demons. Most of these humans were well-intentioned men and women who
taught me how to raise money by writing appeal letters, grant proposals, and
hold special events. I raised a lot of money for social service and educational
organizations, and did a lot of good for a lot of people, but still felt like I
was making my way through an anxious world.
Later, more
well-intentioned people showed me how to conduct background investigations for
men and women requiring top-secret security clearances. During this time, I met
a lot of good people looking to serve our country as military and civilian
personnel. I enjoyed meeting a lot of good people. Still, I felt that I was
making my way through an anxious world.
I did these things
because for me church leadership was not there when I thought it should be, even
when I returned to ministry as a Lutheran Pastor. I was not rostered because a
congregation did not call me and the Synod did not place me. I was told, “Find
your own place because we don’t do that.” I was not recognized because I had no
call from a congregation, and then I was asked to serve here. That said, I
realized a long time ago that my call was not from church leadership or from a
congregation. My call is from Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, and what
the Father saw was that I needed to be in this place at this time because these
people need me. My call is from God to be here for you.
True, other men
have come and gone as pastors. All of us, including myself, have mixed memories
and emotions about pastors and congregations. That is history. Someday, I will
be past history. What matters for me is that Christ has called me to be here
for you now, and He calls you to be here for Him by serving one another.
Returning to my
story about the three devils, I ask: If you are not there now for others; if
you are not there now for the church; if you are not there now to respond to
Jesus’ call to repent and believe in the gospel, will you have time later?
The good news is
that Christ offers salvation here and now through Word and Sacrament. The good
news is that our merciful Father invites you into his kingdom now. The good
news is that all you have to do is accept God’s invitation – and live each
moment guided by the Holy Spirit. Friends, accept God’s invitation, accept Christ’s
call, and may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your heart
and mind in Christ Jesus.
[1]
James Voelz, Mark 1:1 – 8:26 St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2013), 41f.
[2] R.
T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2002), 4ff.
[3]
France, 28.
[4] http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=435
[5] Mark
Link, Decision. Valencia, CA: Tabor Publishing (1988), p. 83.
[6]
Mark Link, Challenge. Valencia, CA: Tabor Publishing (1988), p. 119.
No comments:
Post a Comment