Mark 10:32-45 - The Upside-Down Kingdom

As Jesus' ministry is leading to something big, the disciples are vying for position. James and John (with support from their mother according to Matthew 20) put their bid in for top positions under Jesus' rule.

Don't we all feel the pull? We long for significance, to be seen as someone special. But Jesus says the one who wants to be great must become a servant.

In one of his novels from the 19^th century, George MacDonald has a character speculate that in heaven serving others will be the highest goal. Every citizen of that kingdom will seek ways to serve.  The one who excels in service will be held in high regard.

What a different value system that is from the one we live in. Can you imagine if the service industry commanded the highest regard and wages in our society? Housekeepers and janitors would be highly sought after and paid a premium. Taxi drivers would be seen as community leaders. Wait staff at restaurants would be generously compensated according to their skill at serving others. Those being waited on would be aware of how lazy and unproductive they appeared compared to the clean, industrious character of those waiting on them. They would be expected to value not only every act of service they received but the extraordinary grace of those rendering that service.

That's not the type of world we live in now, but as citizens of the kingdom of God can we nurture that value system within ourselves? Can we see those serving us as offering prime examples of the lifestyle to which we aspire?

We tried... but we couldn't do it.

Mark 9:14-29

Peter, James, and John were up on the mountain with Jesus having a fantastic experience.  The rest of the twelve disciples were left behind.  Not on a mountain.  No spiritual high for them.  They were down in the lowlands trying unsuccessfully to heal a boy brought to Jesus. Unsuccessfully is the key word here.  They tried, but accomplished nothing.  Rather than healing the boy, they ended up standing around arguing with the teachers of the law.

It's not as though they hadn't cast out demons before.  In chapter 6, Mark tells us Jesus sent out the Twelve in pairs with "authority over unclean spirits."  Mark 6:13 says: "They drove out many demons and anointed sick people with oil and healed them."  But that was then and this was now.  As any good investment firm will tell you concerning stocks, "Past performance does not necessarily indicate future results."

What made the difference? Why were they powerless in this case?  When they asked Jesus about it he said, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

Prayer?

How much prayer?  What kind of prayer?  Is he talking about prayer in the moment when one faces the unclean spirit or an ongoing prayer life that prepares one for facing many things, including unclean spirits?

And what does Jesus mean by, "This kind..."?  Is he referencing the type of "unclean spirits" that cause what we would now call epileptic fits?  Are they different from other unclean spirits?  Is epilepsy particularly difficult to heal by miraculous means?

Whatever is happening here, I can certainly identify with failure when trying to make a difference in my world. Not that I have often tried to cast out unclean spirits or cure epilepsy, but I have longed to see a miracle in the lives of those who are suffering.  Now, as then, I suspect prayer is the key.  As I pray for those around me to the point of moving into their suffering, I am changed in ways that gradually start to make a difference.

Much of the physical healing Jesus did in 1st-century Palestine would be handled by modern medicine today.  The blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk!  Still, we need miracles in our world.  We are desperate for inner healing.  Unclean spirits manifest themselves in the form of addictions, emotional turmoil, anger, and abusive attitudes.

Miraculous physical healing when we grow weary of doctors and physical ailments would be wonderful, wouldn't it? But how much more important is spiritual healing?  Is that where we should be focusing our prayers?

The Way of the Cross -- February 14, 2016

Scripture focus:  Mark 8:27-9:1

John the Baptist was dead. This son of Jesus' mother's relative and close friend, only a few months older than Jesus. When Jesus began his ministry he went to John to be baptized. Some of Jesus' disciples were first John's disciples. When John was imprisoned he sent a message to Jesus asking if he was “the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3). He was sitting in prison and wanted to make sure he was on the right track. Now his ministry was over. He had criticized King Herod for marrying his sister-in-law and it cost him his life.

Imagine the grief Jesus must have felt. John the Baptist, his friend, his relative, that voice crying in the wilderness, now silenced forever.

In last week's session we found Jesus looking for a chance to get alone with God for some serious prayer time after hearing the news of John's death. When crowds of people followed him to his solitary place, however, he had compassion on them. He taught them. When he realized they were hungry, he multiplied a few loaves and fish to feed them. Then he sent them away and continued on to his time of prayer. It was following that time in the presence of almighty God that he was so uplifted he could walk on water.

Now Jesus is with his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, away from the crowds in Galilee. He's about to break the news to them. He realizes that, like John the Baptist, he is on a path that will lead to death sooner rather than later.

Many times we are reluctant to see Jesus as fully human. We see him as all-knowing, fully aware of his life's path from the moment he comes to John for baptism if not before. But what if this was not the case? What if he was finding his way like the rest of us through prayer and meditation, dependent on the guidance of the Spirit of God for every decision along the way? What if it wasn't until he heard of the death of John and turned to the Father in his grief that he realized he too was headed toward a violent end?

We have been talking about the many ways Jesus didn't follow the expected pattern. His was new wine. Here he becomes even more surprising, talking about the coming end of his life instead of plans for years of successful ministry. No wonder Peter tried to persuade him to think again. Are we prepared for unexpected shifts as we follow Jesus? Will we follow him even if it means giving up the life we have planned? For most of us, our faith is unlikely to lead to directly to a physical death any time soon, but there are many other ways to die.

Slipped into this message is the promise of life on the other side of death. Does that promise make death -- physical or metaphorical -- any easier? What do you think?