Mark 10:2-16

A Newly ordained minister had just finished preaching her first sermon in her very first church when a woman approached her at the welcome reception being held in the fellowship hall.  The woman, dressed in a flowered-print dress had a stride of purpose as she came across the hall as soon as the minister appeared in the doorway, this is never a good sign by the way. The newly ordained minister extended her hand, and she approached, and started to open her mouth to say something like “good morning,” when the woman blurted out, “Pastor, do divorced people go to hell?”

The brand new minister thought, “I just passed my ordination exam. What is this? Another test of some sort?” She raced through her mind’s date bank for something that she might have learned in pastoral care, or New Testament courses that she might be able to offer this woman, and also get her off the hook. She finally spoke, “Better people than me get divorced.” The woman smiled and walked away.

During a more extended conversation in the woman’s home, she told the minister about her son who had recently divorced. Behind her question at the reception was a deep concern for her son, who had chosen to end a troubled marriage and was about to remarry. As a serious student of the Bible, she knew the word of Jesus to the Pharisees (who put him to the “test” with the question about divorce) and his words to the disciples (“whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.”) Although her faith would mature later, at that time the woman was in distress and she held to a rigid belief about sin and punishment. She believed that her son was endangering his soul.

This is not an uncommon situation that ministers face and one that is enhanced by a strict and rigid interpretation of scripture.

But first, never ambush the minister at fellowship with profound theological questions.

These are always difficult conversations to have, and I have had my share of them over the years of ministry, and there is one thing I have learned, there is no simple answer.

We like to have things in nice tidy little piles especially where religion is concerned. We want to have a list of rules to follow so we know how to act, even though we ignore the most basic of the rules that Jesus left us. However, the problem with rules is there are always exceptions to these rules.

You see there is no “one size fits all” solution to problems that we might face. Situations are always multifaceted and require a tremendous amount of pastoral sensitivity. Not knowing the situation with the woman’s son during the first conversation it is difficult to come up with a response other than, “well, let’s talk about it.” However, the more significant problem was, the woman had a strict understanding of the Bible, and as we discussed last week, that can lead to a lot of problems.

Stepping back to the books of the Old Testament, we find many books, Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus, to name a few, that are filled with laws and the penalties for breaking those laws. Here are only a few of the more than 100:

Failing to include salt in your offering to God.
Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve witnessed.
Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve been told about.
Bringing unauthorized fire before God.
Letting your hair become unkempt.
Tearing your clothes.
Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales.
Going to church within 33 days after giving birth to a boy.
Going to church within 66 days after giving birth to a girl.
Reaping to the very edges of a field.
Picking up grapes that have fallen in your vineyard.
Swearing falsely on God’s name.
Perverting justice, showing partiality to either the poor or the rich.
Spreading slander.
Seeking revenge or bearing a grudge.
Mixing fabrics in clothing.
Planting different seeds in the same field.
Trimming your beard.
Cutting your hair at the sides.
Getting tattoos.
Not standing in the presence of the elderly.
Mistreating foreigners.
Working on the Sabbath.

So, how many of us here today, based on these rules, will not be thrown into the fires of Gahanna?

The point to all of this is while we focus on the silly little things we miss the big ones, like love God, and love your neighbor. What Jesus is saying is that we have to show compassion and although there are rules to follow, we must be sensitive to others and what they might be going through. The other point is that although you might have a personal ethic and believe strongly that this or that is wrong, does not mean that everyone thinks that way nor should he or she. It also says that we cannot force our beliefs on others.

So back to the question about divorce and how I might advise the woman. First thing I would say is that no, her son has not endangered his soul and no he is not going to hell because he divorced, and I don’t think Jesus was saying that either. As the minister learned, the marriage was troubled. There is no indication that couple attempted to seek counseling, which is something I would advise, the couple and, we are not sure of the reason for the trouble, was it infidelity, abuse, or some other problem that led to the dissolution of the marriage? None of these questions I would ask of the mother but I would of the couple if they came to me.

As everyone here who is married knows, marriages take work, and they have their ups and downs, there good days and there bad. I believe that far too often we throw in the towel on marriage because we do not wish to do the work necessary to make it work, and, it is my experience that the number one thing that breaks down marriage is lack of communication.

However, the bottom line is, the woman’s son is not going to hell for getting a divorce. You are not going to hell if you plant different seeds in the same garden nor are you going to hell if you get a tattoo. The good news is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came and replaced all of that with a simple summation of the law, love God and love neighbor and yes it is that simple.

The good news is an angry, vengeful God does not punish us. God does not send weather events to wipe out cities and towns. God does not send earthquakes to kill off bad people. God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ who became flesh and dwelt among us so that we might know the love that God has for each and every one of us, just as we are the whole divorced, seed planting tattooed bunch of us!

The one lesson that Jesus teaches time and time again is compassion and mercy, and that is what we are to have in every situation. We have no other choice than to look at another human being as a child of God who is loved and cared for by that same loving God that loves and cares for us. It is up to us to show that compassion in every situation we encounter.

God has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

On infrequent occasions in the gospel, do we get a glimpse of Jesus alone teaching his apostles. There are not many times recorded when Jesus is truly alone with them, but this is one of those times. He has taken them aside, and he begins to tell them that his time is coming to an end but, in typical Jesus fashion he does not come right out and say he is talking about himself. We get another glimpse of the confusion of the apostles and Scripture tells us “they were afraid to ask him.”

As they were on the road, a discussion started among them, not a debate about what he had just told them but a discussion about “who was the greatest.” Jesus had just said to them that he was going to be betrayed and killed and their discussion was about who was going to be the greatest.

One of my favorite pictures of Jesus is the one that is known as Facepalm Jesus. I am not sure who the artist is, but there he is with his face in the palm is his hand in utter disbelief. As I read this story, I can almost see Jesus doing that. Sometimes I picture Jesus looking heavenward, arms outstretched, looking toward his father in heaven and shouting, why me?  What have I ever done to you? However, then I remember that Jesus is not only human but divine, and it is his divinity that inevitably takes over in times like these.

Jesus sits them down and begins to teach them about power and greatness. He starts by telling them that if you want to be great, you have to learn humility. If you’re going to be great and if you’re going to be first, you have to be last, and you have to be the servant of all. Jesus is making it understandable that he is identifying greatness with service and with empathy.

In the world of the first century Palestinian there was a stringent system of class, and the servants were at the bottom.  At the top, of course, was the ruling class both politically and religiously but at the bottom, the place where Jesus just said you have to be to be great, is the servant. In this first-century world, one did not move from the servant class to the ruling class, but this is precisely what Jesus was telling them, if you want to be great, start at the bottom.

I like cooking. I love watching cooking shows, I collect cookbooks, and I like cooking.  I think I like eating more, but I do like to cook. Several years ago I decided I want to be a chef in a restaurant. I mean I love to cook, and that is what these guys do for a living. So I enrolled in cooking school. It was fabulous, we got the white jacket, the big hat, a brand new set of the best German knives I could afford, and I set off to class every day it was amazing.

After the first semester, it was suggested that we might want to look for a job in the profession to see if we liked cooking at that level. At the time my brother was managing a place in Boston, and he secured me a spot on the line in the kitchen. I had an interview with the chef, he had me cook him something, asked me a few questions about mother sauces and the like, and I was told I got the job and should report the following week.

I was so happy.  I went out and bought and new white coat and a new big hat, and set off to my first job as a chef at a restaurant in Boston.  I arrived early, to make a good impression, met the chef and the others in the kitchen, was showed around a little, and then I was handed a rubber apron and a pair of rubber gloves and told I was going to wash dishes.

What? Surely there was some mistake. I am a chef! Look, I have the white coat and the big hat. “yes, it’s very nice” I was told by the head chef, but tonight you will be washing dishes. You see in the restaurant world everyone in the kitchen begins by washing dishes. Then, if you are lucky, you move up to salads then maybe you get to make sandwiches and so on. No one, in their first year in the kitchen starts at the top, you want to be top chef?  Get over there and wash those dishes. Being the dishwasher was the hardest job I ever had, and it’s also the job that taught me humility. We do not seek after greatness, greatness seeks after us, and it involves being a servant first.

True greatness involves humility and the willingness to serve all, and the most excellent example of this is Jesus.

During the Last Supper, Jesus tells those assembled that he has to wash their feet.  Now, you have to understand how striking this would have been to not only hear Jesus say this but then actually to let him do this. When one entered a house in the first century, the first thing that would happen is your feet would be washed. You had just come off the road, the dusty streets, and your feet would be dirty. In houses without servants, there would be a basin with water, and a towel provided at the door for you to wash your feet. In homes with servants, a servant, the youngest and therefore the lowest of the servants, would be dispatched to wash the feet of the master’s guests. Here is Jesus taking on that role!

Jesus has turned society on its head. Up is now down and down is now up. Everything they thought they knew has changed in an instant. Jesus is telling them that if they hope to be great, they do not get there by stepping on others or making fun of others or Tweeting disparaging remarks about them, we become great by being servants, by humbling ourselves with service and with empathy.

I have told you this before, as Christians, we have to be able to look at another human being and see the face of Christ in their face, and they have to be able to see Christ’s face in us. We live in an ugly world, a world that tells us the exact opposite of the message of Jesus today. The world we live in tells us that we need to do whatever we need to do, even if that involves destroying people to get what we want. It tells us that it is okay to lie and cheat. It tells us that it is okay to put down those who are different then we are. It tells us that it has to be someone else’s fault that we did not get that job. It tells us that we have to demonize other races, nationalities, and religions to make us feel better about ourselves. Also, it tells us that if a woman waits 37 years to tell her story of abuse, it is okay to make death threats against her and make her out to be some wicked person so that we can get what we want. That is the world we live in today. Oh, and by the way, most of that is being done by people who will be hearing this same passage of Scripture that you have listened to today.

At the end of the story, Jesus calls over a little child. Children are the most vulnerable members of our society. They need care, and love, and support. Jesus calls the small child over and says, “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Greatness is embodied in caring for the most vulnerable members of our community, first of all by embracing them with love, hearing their stories, and responding to their cares. Greatness does not involve demonizing them and putting them in cages; it means being a servant to all, no matter who they are or where they have come from.

Being a Christian is not comfortable it means we have to sacrifice ourselves for others. It means that we have to put others first and it means that we have to be servants.

When you meet someone for the first time, you might ask them their name and where they are from. As the relationship continues you find out more about them, are the married? Do they have children? If you are applying for a job, the interviewer might wish to dig into your past and ask about where you went to school or your professional training. All of these questions move us towards a greater knowledge of each other as we discover more and more about each other.

The same seems to be true in the gospel passage we have heard today. Jesus asks his followers, “Who do others say that I am?” His disciples seem to be unsure. They respond, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others say one of the prophets.”

However, then the question the question becomes much more personal as he asks those in his inner circle, “Who do you say I am?”  Immediately Peter responds, “You are the Christ.” Also, Jesus tells them, “Don’t tell anyone.” There is uncertainty as to who Jesus is, and it becomes clear that the vast majority of those following him have no idea who he is, including those in his inner circle.

When Jesus appears on the scene, the Jews have been waiting for the Messiah for a very long time. They have been in and out of captivity since Moses led them through the wilderness out of Egypt and now they face captivity under the Romans. Some in the Jewish community were looking towards the Messiah as the one who would come and break the hold that the Romans had on them, this Messiah would be a military leader who would raise the people up in revolution and break the shackles that held them and free them politically.

This question of the military leader comes up time and again concerning Jesus.  “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.” John 1:45-46.

Nazareth was the back of the beyond and nothing good, especially not someone that was going to defeat the Romans was going to come from there. Nathanael was one of the ones standing there when Jesus asked: “Who do you say I am?” We only hear Peter’s response so was Nathanael still not sure?  We don’t know.

So historically who was Jesus?

We can look through the pages of scripture to determine he was, born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph who was his stepfather. He was a refuge have to flee from Herod when he was tiny and lived in Egypt for many years. He trained as a carpenter, like his stepfather Joseph. We know very little about his childhood other than when he was 12 he got lost in Jerusalem and was found, by his parents, in the temple. He look astonished when they chastised him, and he said, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49

We know that his stepfather died sometime after that because he is not at the wedding at Cana with Jesus and Mary. It was at that wedding that Jesus starts his public ministry with the changing of the water into wine. We know John baptized him in the Jordan. We know he spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by the evil one. We know, or at least we think we know, he was never married nor had any children. We know he was a charismatic, itinerant preacher who liked to stir things up. We know he was an agitator against the Romans and the religious leaders of his day. We know he was a radical in his thoughts on caring for and loving others. We know he was a healer and a reconciler and one who cared deeply for everyone, not just a few. Jesus was very political, but he was not partisan. His methods got under the skin of those in power which he spoke truth to on every occasion.

We know he was betrayed, turned over to the Romans, tried in a kangaroo court, which wanted to release him. We know he was crucified, died, was buried, and rose on the third day and eventually ascended into heaven. We know all of these things from scripture and history.

Now, since the time that Jesus walked on the earth it has been determined that Jesus is the Son of God, he says so in scripture, but it is confirmed. We know that he was both human and divine, an argument that led to the first division in the church around 325 AD.

Since the time Jesus walked on the earth multiple wars have been fought in his name. An untold number of people have been slaughtered, and continue to be murdered in his name. Since the time the healer and reconciler walked on the earth, an untold number have been cast out of his “church” and told they are not wanted by the one who welcomed all. Since the time the Holy One walked on the earth the church that was founded in his name has risen, and fallen, from political power and causes the suffering of millions of people. Since the time the one who commanded us to love everyone walked on this earth his followers, and his ministers have caused physical, emotional, and spiritual harm to those who wish to follow the Savior. Moreover, from the time Jesus walked on the earth and gave his life for all, many have been told they are not worthy of the love of God.  All of this has been done in his name.

So all of that answers the first question of Jesus for us this morning, “Who do others say I am?” Now comes the hard, personal question, who do you say he is?

When I was younger, I was out with a priest friend of mine, and we were discussing all things religious. In the middle of the conversation he stopped, looked at me very serious, and he asked me, “Who is God for you?” I did not know how to answer since I had not only ever been asked this question before I guess I never really thought about it. At the time the movie “O God” was very popular; you know the one with George Burns as God and John Denver as the one looking for God. So it the heart of the moment I blurted out God is George Burns! Ultimately my priest friend was not satisfied with my theological understanding of the Godhead, but he let it pass for the moment. However, what he did say was that we all see God, and Jesus, differently as we are all different people.

I am not particularly eager to share my image of my Jesus because I do not wish to sway anyone but I will share with you today how I picture Jesus.

For me, Jesus is a dark-skinned man with a radical theology who is not afraid to mix things up. He is compassionate and loving and accepting of everyone, even those he disagrees with. Jesus is forgiving, even of those who are murdering him. He goes along when he needs to, but he is not afraid to flip over the tables when necessary. Jesus is concerned about the greater good not the narrow opinions of political or religious leaders. He is a firebrand preacher that tells it like it is and is not afraid to take a position that is not popular but righteous. Jesus is someone who believes that love is the ultimate goal as Jesus was willing to sacrifice it all not for some political or religious purpose but just because he loved. He is someone who is willing to sacrifice everything he has to feed, clothe, and house people. Jesus is the one who reconciles people with each other and with their God. Also, he is someone who truly loves me and forgives me, and he accepts me just as I am. Moreover, Jesus is the one who calls me to follow him and the one who left me an example to follow. Also, he is the one who tells me, from time to time, to flip over the tables.

That is my Jesus, but the question remains, who do you say Jesus is?

Each of us has to determine who Jesus is for us. However, how do we do this? Just like in the relationship example I gave at the start, we get to know him through prayer and his words. Don’t let any politicians, television preacher, or even me tell you who Jesus is. You have to determine for yourself who Jesus is for you but I will caution you, if your image of Jesus does not include radical welcome and inclusiveness, if it does not include love for everyone especially those on the margins, if your image of Jesus does not involve feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and house the homeless, without qualification, if your vision of Jesus does not include unconditional love for all then I am here to tell you that you have the wrong image of Jesus because every one of those things Jesus did in scripture and every one of those things Jesus commanded us, as his followers, to do. If your image of Jesus says it is okay to look at another human being, created in the image and likeness of God, and think they are less than you are because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic situation, the country they come from, their legal status, or their political party then that is not the image of Jesus from Scripture.

We must, all of, determine who Jesus is and help others along the way the time is here and the time is now.