God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. My sermon title is RPS – Reward,
Punishment, Salt. My focus is our gospel (Mark 9:38-50). 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.[1]
Research RPS and
you find that it is an acronym for numerous ideas, programs and projects. It is
an acronym for Retirement Planning Seminar, Rockford Public Schools, Radiation
Protection Supervisor, Royal Philatelic Society, Role Playing System, Railways
Pension Service and many more common ones we may use, such as revolutions per
second, remote power supply and one that we all know and play – rock, paper,
scissors.
Today, I am not
playing games. I am not interested in your power supply or retirement plan. For
the purpose of this sermon, RPS stands for Reward, Punishment and Salt – three
key words in today’s passage.
Reward, Punishment
and Salt. First, Reward. Reward is defined as something that is
given in return for a good or a stimulus administered to an organism to
reinforce a desired response. When we think of rewards, we imagine obedient
dogs or retail discounts.
The noun, reward,
is a mid-14th century French word that means repayment for some
service. The verb means to take notice of, regard, watch over, and comes to us
from the German word, wardon, meaning to guard, watch out for or
perceive.
We enjoy rewards
whether they come as club members at the cash register or trophies at the end
of the season. My Golden Retrievers, Travis and Maggie, love receiving a reward
for good behavior.
Jesus used the
word when he responded to John. “Whoever gives you a cup of water to
drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” His
response is in regards to another fellow driving out demons in Jesus’ name who
did not belong to the band of disciples. Unlike the Sons of Sceva in Acts 19
who tried to drive out demons but were defeated and humiliated because they
used Jesus’ name as a magic formula, this unknown exorcist acted with
authentic faith in Him.
Mark’s point is
that there is no room for exclusivity among those who invoke the name of Jesus
because those who perform a mighty deed in his name cannot speak ill of him. To
do a work of healing or deliverance in his name is to honor him, and is not
compatible with being his adversary.
Continuing with
his reply, Jesus emphasized God’s generosity toward all and the great value of
simple, humble acts of service. No good deed will be overlooked by someone
inside or outside the church. Even the smallest act of kindness toward a disciple
will be rewarded by God. Reward does not mean compensation that is earned but a
generous gift freely given by God in response to a good deed. Here, Mark
highlights reward’s relevance for his audience.
The phrase “because
you belong to Christ” is similar to Paul’s description of
Christians as those who are “of Christ.” In Galatians,
Paul wrote, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you
are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Before I move to
my second point, let me end with something for you who are of Christ or belong
to Christ to ponder. If God freely rewards people for good deeds, do we respect
the lively faith of other Churches which preach the Gospel and rejoice in the
grace of God that is at work among them? Without ignoring our doctrinal
differences, when we see other Christians living the Gospel, do we promote
Christian unity or denominational discord? Do I thank God who rewards them?
And so, from
Reward to Punishment, my second point. The word punish means to impose a
penalty on for a fault, offense or violation. It also means to deal
with harshly or to hurt. It comes to us from the Latin verb punier, and
the earlier word, poena, meaning penalty.
Philosophers
generally agree that conditions commonly considered necessary to describe an
action as punishment are: (1) that it is imposed by an authority, (2) that it
involves some loss to the supposed offender, (3) that it is in response to an
offense, and (4) that the person to whom the loss is imposed should be deemed
at least somewhat responsible for the offense.
Punishment is
applied to encourage and enforce proper behavior as defined by society or
family. We punish criminals, children, pupils, employees and others for
breaking rules, in the hope that they will change their behavior. We do this to
rehabilitate the offender and protect society, to restore what was taken from
the victim, and to educate others about breaking rules and laws.
In many religious
cultures, including Christianity and Islam, Hell is the individual's ultimate
punishment sent by God, the highest authority. Hell is traditionally depicted
as fiery and painful, inflicting guilt and suffering. Despite these common
depictions of Hell as a place of fire, other traditions, such as Buddhists,
portray Hell as cold.
Before we get to
hell, figuratively not literally, allow me a few minutes to examine our
passage. Whereas vv. 38-41 accented the broadmindedness regarding others’ good
deeds, vv. 42-48 showed how seriously Jesus took sin. If God graciously rewards
little acts of kindness, he also severely punishes acts of evil, especially those
that lead little ones astray. Synonymous with child, ‘little ones’ refers
to the weak and vulnerable. Those who lay obstacles in front of them
deliberately or by irresponsible negligence, shake the faith of others and lead
them into sin.
Jesus could hardly
have stated more strongly the gravity of sins that harm the weak. Drowning was
among the punishments reserved for God’s enemies. Recall the fate of the
Egyptians pursuing Moses. In Revelation, we read, “A mighty angel
took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘So
will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no
more.’” A great millstone or a donkey stone, one so large that it
took a donkey to turn it, quickly plummets a person to the bottom of the sea to
suffer the fate destined for sin itself: for God “will cast all our
sins into the depths of the sea.”
The effect of
scandal is not upon others, but us. Whether our hands, feet or eyes cause us to
sin, we will not enter God’s kingdom with them; we will enter hell. But the
resurrected body will be liberated from all sinfulness and will be glorious.
Jesus’ teaching on
the two destinations have been constantly reaffirmed. Yet, today, Christians
often brush over or treat his teaching with skepticism. Many are reluctant to
comment on this or question how God might send one to hell. But the truth
conveyed in Jesus’ teaching is that we choose our own destiny. With every
decision and action over the course of a lifetime we orient ourselves either to
heaven or to hell, and at the moment of death we embrace what has truly become
our choice. Let me repeat that. We orient ourselves either to heaven or to
hell, and at the moment of death we embrace what has truly become our choice.
But God never ceases to hold out his unfathomable mercy, even at the very
moment when a person steps over the threshold into eternity.
Before moving from
Punishment to Salt, let me leave you with a question: If right now was your
moment of death, would you embrace heaven or hell? Is that choice reflected in
every other choice you make? Is that ultimate choice reflected in every moment
of your life? I leave it at that for you to ponder.
Finally, salt.
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride. Salt in its natural
form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. It is present in
vast quantities in seawater. In fact, the ocean has about one ounce of salt per
quart.
Salt is essential
for life in general. It is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous seasonings, and
is an important method of food preservation. Salt was prized by the ancient
Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Asians. There is a lot more to say about
salt. If you are interested, there is a book entitled Salt: A World
History that you can read.
Jesus’ sayings on
salt only seem to be loosely connected. As a typical rabbinic teacher, he links
disparate points through word association to invite his audience to thoughtful
reflection. “Everyone will be salted with fire.” The
meaning of this hinges on the purpose of salt, which is used to preserve and
season. Temple sacrifices were offered with salt, and the Israelites were
warned not to insult God with offerings that lacked “the salt of the
covenant of your God -” that is, offerings that lack genuine zeal
for God and his covenant. In other words, the fire of persecution is something
that every disciple should be expected to endure for the fire of persecution
and other kinds of suffering has a salutary effect, as in the refining process
of metals. We read in the Book of the Prophet Malachi, “who can
endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like
a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier
of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and
silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.”
The second saying
- “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will
you make it salty again?” – refers to the possibility that salt
can become so diluted that it loses its flavor. If your salt is tasteless, what
can flavor it? Here, Jesus cautions his disciples against falling into a bland,
insipid spirituality that has no power to attract others. Spiritual blandness
results from a reluctance to embrace Jesus’ call to humility and radical
self-denial.
The third and
final saying – “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one
another.” – is not about the absence of conflict, but the fullness
of communion. Conversations with other believers and outsiders must be marked
by the fervent love of Christ that leads to humility. Their spiritual intensity
will be kept alive through a profound conformity to Jesus in his self-emptying
love, that will bring them into unity with one another.
Now, all this talk
of salt has made me thirsty. I thirst, and what the world offers me will not
quench my thirst. Jesus calls me to be humble, and yet, the world offers me
public recognition. He calls me to self-renunciation, and society proposes
approval. So often, I slake my thirst with public recognition and societal
approval only to realize these do not satisfy my soul.
Salt soothes my
soul. Fire quenches my hunger. To be like Jesus – humble and holy – satisfies
my spirit, will, body and mind like no other food, refreshment or seasoning. If
you have ever been in the presence of a truly spiritual person – a Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, the Dali Lama, Mr. Rogers – you have felt your spirit rise
simply by being in their presence.
My friends, as we
leave here today, seek some quality time with our Lord in Word and solitary,
fervent prayer. Seek him for He seeks you. He calls you to humility and
sanctity so that you may attract others to His Kingdom. Pray that you may acquire
the Spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved. For when you
do, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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