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The Disturbing Gospel
Pastor James Clarke’s sermon for Sunday, July 22, 2018.
The scripture text is Mark 6: 1-13.
I hate the phone!
I have hated the phone long before cell phones came along. Growing up it was like there is this cultural rule that the phone has to be answered – no matter what! We could be in the middle of a serious discussion or having some time with our families – RING, and up we got. If anyone finds out that we didn’t answer the phone even though we were home…it is treated like an offense.
I really love caller ID and voicemail!
But you know, if I really didn’t want to be interrupted I chose the wrong life. I should have been a monk. Then again, monks seem to have cell phones too.
Is there anyone who doesn’t have a cell phone? How do they live?
Lets’ face it one can’t get married and not have a cell phone. Remember how it used to be when we went driving? A time without disturbance. I remember my first trip with a cell phone – huge bulky thing. Sure enough Paula called me. I was fumbling with it trying to figure out how to talk and drive and I knew my life was changed forever.
One should not get married or become a parent if one does not expect disturbance.
In the text from Mark for today Jesus disturbs the home town folks. He’s teaching some pretty radical stuff. He’s healing people – and not just the wealthy leaders. The mayor’s daughter was waiting for him and he stopped to heal a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years! Doesn’t he know how things are supposed to be? What a nut case!
He comes to his home town while people are working hard to make a living – working in the fields, kneading dough all day long and it is hot (anyone?). Or maybe it’s after work and they are trying to relax in the cool of the day.
And Jesus comes along…
“Man, shouldn’t he be working with his father, anyway?
“And where does he come off talking like a know it all?”
“Young whipper snapper – who does he think he is?”
“He’s got issues!”
He was not preaching ‘leave things just the way they are’. ‘Just have faith, and you will have riches beyond your wildest dreams’.
Jesus uses a common saying here: “Prophets are not liked in their home towns.” But Jesus attaches it to his message about the Kin-dom of God. “You know that saying about prophets in their home towns? Well this is it…… You’re it.” They were insulted!
And at the same time he suggests to his disciples and the crowd that to be my disciple you will be disturbed. Your whole life will be interrupted. Paul is accused of “turning the world upside down”. The gospel was counter cultural from the outset. It demands one’s whole life. How can that not disturb us?
In the second part of the lectionary text the disciples are sent out two by two carrying next to nothing. Don’t you know that they disturbed people and were disturbed by them? Jesus tells his disciples to expect to be rejected and not to resist or fight back but simply to go on. He knew that if they were to share the Kin-dom people would be disturbed.
No one wants to be a prophet! Why on earth would anyone want to be a prophet?! There’s a reason we do not see any ‘prophet action figures’…
‘Here goes Jeremiah thrown into the great cistern again’…
‘Stephen is stoned… pop, crunch, pow!’
‘Throw Paul back in prison – the guards whip him… snap!’
“Hey guys, this isn’t any fun, let’s go back to Star Wars – at least they have light sabers!”
In the same light, one must wonder why on earth anyone would want to be a pastor!? Young pastors always come out of seminary so idealistic about how they can help change the world. Little do they know what is about to hit them in the local church.
When I went to my first church in Spokane I made comments about global warming and mentioned SUVs. Honestly, I think I spoke the truth but it wasn’t…. well received. One of Paula’s great prophetic acts was to use the Inclusive Language Lectionary. You’d have thought she asked them to give up hunting!
When Paula got back from the Congo she got all upset about an egg toss at a church picnic. Eggs were so valuable in Africa – how could they be tossed? You can imagine that can’t you?
“No, No… STOP! Those eggs are too valuable!
“I don’t know, they were only $2.99 a dozen.”
Talk about different perspectives…young whipper snappers!
We WANT young people who go away to come home filled with passion and excitement, don’t we? I think we would be sorely lost without young idealists challenging us – disturbing us.
I think we all need to be better “whipper snappers for the gospel” – that is to get back in touch with what impassions us – to look at the world for where God’s love is needed – and be disturbed and prophetic.
It could be healthcare, children in Africa, a cure for breast cancer, gun control. But it doesn’t have to be big issues either. It could be native plants, tutoring youth, Habitat for Humanity. It could be children – teaching Sunday School. Now that will keep you young!
When we allow ourselves to be disturbed… and become passionate and compassionate (even a little idealistic), we may feel younger… I guarantee it!
I am not saying that we should avail ourselves to every interruption in life or that we must be open to every disturbance. It’s OK to avoid solicitors. It’s OK to hide from the Mormons on your doorstep. I think it’s even OK to turn off the cell phone…. there, I said it…I said it!
There are many, many trivial disturbances every day in life that truly do not warrant attention. And it is our task to discern what is an annoyance and what is holy disturbance. And we all need Sabbath time when we cannot be disturbed…
I am saying that as a stance to life – specifically Christian life – we can’t live it as if we were wearing a DO NO DISTURB sign around our necks.
“Pastor Jim, I really don’t want to disturb you but…”
“Honey, can we take some time to talk?”
“Dad, can you help me with my homework?”
“I don’t want to watch the News, it’s just too disturbing”
“Do you think you would be willing to teach Sunday School?
We must expect disturbances just like the first disciples going out two by two… and for the Holy Spirit to be in those disturbances. Imagine if the phone rang and on the caller ID it said 1-800-4gospel? Would we flinch?
“O God, I’m being called by God!” And it isn’t “Toll Free!”
The gospel of Jesus Christ is grace, freedom, love and assurance. But it isn’t without toll or cost.
The gospel is grace and forgiveness, that’s the first disturbance. When we really, really accept God’s love for us is disturbing…. it kind of upsets everything. It is assurance that God in Christ will never be torn from us. It is freedom from the burden of feeling that we are alone or that we have to do it all by ourselves. It is the understanding that there is something larger than us, that we belong to God, rather than simply to ourselves. And yes, that is all very disturbing.
The gospel is also, as Paul said, the power of God for righteousness and justice and that is even more disturbing. And that is a call to change the world.
I have reconciled to the fact that I will be disturbed every day. It doesn’t mean that I don’t complain and grumble when I am interrupted. It doesn’t mean that I will jump at anything. It doesn’t mean I won’t turn off my cell phone occasionally. It doesn’t mean that I don’t take care of myself by having time alone.
What it means for all of us is to will to live with an Open Heart. To open our hearts to holy disturbances, to be open to the prophetic wherever it may come from:
from the pulpit,
from the youth returning from work camp,
from the foreigner or stranger,
even from a child.
Let us pray…Holy God, fill our souls with your peace and assurance. Then disturb us with your gospel that we may be a part of turning the world upside down. Amen.
Freedom of Simplicity
We’ve had to simplify our lives a bit recently as the result of life circumstance – Paula not working. So, we are looking at what we spend money on… And as I look at the things of our lives and many seem trivial. All the entertainment feels indulgent and in excess. Much of it has lost its appeal and there is a freedom in not being engrossed in all of its mania.
We begin our Stewardship Program this Sunday. Each year during this time we take time focus on stewardship as we make financial plans for the coming year. This year I will be using an old book – published in 1981 – by Richard Foster: Freedom of Simplicity. Foster’s first book became a best seller: The Celebration of Discipline about spiritual disciplines and practices. Foster is a Quaker, and therefore not a part of the Reformation theology that is distrustful of anything that seems like “works”. Foster revived the belief that what we do is important in our spiritual lives – that it isn’t just about what we believe. And one of the things we do; one of the practices is: Simplicity.
Freedom of Simplicity was published after Ronald Reagan was elected president and with that came deregulation of anything that stymied business. The biggest of these was changes that allowed for credit to expand – VISA, Mastercard, American Express. We could now buy on credit!! And we did! Car companies were allowed to turn truck chaises into cars. Viola the SUV was born! In addition to that, many things we created and marketed in the 80’s: Personal computers (do we all remember floppy discs?) cell phones, camcorders, FGAX, Walkmans, CDs, HD TV and big screens. There were so many new things to buy. And we could…. On credit – so we did! The economy expanded; everyone was happy. At least we thought we were happy, but were we? In the midst of all of this Foster starts his book with this: Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess.
The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that more is better. Indeed, we often accept this notion without question, with the result that the lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic: It has completely lost touch with reality. Furthermore, the pace of the modern world accentuates our sense of being fractured and fragmented. We feel strained, hurried, breathless, the complexity of rushing to achieve and accumulate more and more frequently threatens to overwhelm us; it seems there is no escape from the rat race. Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania.
37 years later this mania has only gotten worse. cell phones are no longer a privilege but a necessity. We still drive large gas guzzling vehicles. And Black Friday has become one of the most important days of the year
Is this who we are supposed to be? According to Foster, Simplicity is not only good for the soul, it is fundamental to the meaning of Christianity.
Starting with the Old Testament, Foster give us the background for Christian Simplicity, the concept of radical dependence on God pervades the Old Testament. The radical dependence of the entire creation upon God is a central teaching…. we have no independent existence, no self-sustainability…. We are not the captains of our souls not the masters of our fate. No independent existence!? Not the captain of myself?!
These ideas are simply un-American! But they are biblical… so get over it. And it’s not only Radical Dependence, it’s also Radical Obedience. The deeper reality of obedience is the kind of spirit it works into us. It is a spirit that crucifies greed and covetousness. It is a spirit of compassion and outreach. It is a spirit of sensitivity and trust. But we’re not done: Do we all know about the Jubilee? This is in Leviticus 25: Every 50 years all the wealth would be thrown into a pot and then redistributed equally. Slaves were set free – all debts were canceled.
This principle of equitable distribution rather than hoarding and managership rather than ownership was as revolutionary then as it is now. The purpose of land is to serve the needs of humanity rather than to provide the means of self-aggrandizement. What often gets me is when some Christians harp about what it says in Leviticus 18 about homosexuality but ignore what it says in Leviticus 25 about sharing the wealth! The New Testament: There’s the Magnificat: Mary’s song:
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
And lifted up the lowly
He has filled the hungry with good things
And sent the rich away empty
And in Matthew 6, the text read today about where our treasure is you cannot serve God and wealth. In the gospels there is a radical identification of God with the poor. What is wrong with American Christians today? Don’t we get this? In our government today one almost has to be wealthy to be elected! Look at Trump’s Cabinet. They have more wealth than a third of Americans combined. Our problem with democracy is that we are actually a plutocracy.
Jesus Christ and all the writers of the New Testament call us to break free of mammon lust and live in joyous trust. Their radical criticism of wealth is combined with a spirit of unconditional generosity. They point to us
a way of living in which everything we have we receive as a gift. And everything we have is cared for by God, and everything we have is available to others when it is right and good. This reality frames the heart of Christian simplicity. It is the means of liberation and power to do what is right and to overcome the forces of feat and avarice.
Then Foster writes about the Saints. The Desert Fathers who sat on polls – for their whole lives!! The Desert Fathers renounced things in order to know what it meant to have the single eye of simplicity toward God. And let’s not forget St. Francis who owned nothing, walked bare foot and lived for others. All of this is to say again, Simplicity is fundamental to what it means to be Christian. So, are we all supposed to live like the Amish? Do we all know how the Amish live? They do not own cars but use horse and buggy. They cannot adorn themselves in any way. Not only no bling they can’t even have buttons. They have no cell phones – actually, they don’t have any personal phones! They don’t use electricity. Obviously, they don’t have computers or TVs. No video games either. Can our children imagine this? – Life without screens!? The opposite of the Amish is the Prosperity Gospel, who believe that if one has enough faith one will be blessed. In every way – in our relationships, in our work and also materially and financially. Joel Osteen: When you focus on being a blessing God makes sure you are always blessed with abundance. God wants you to be a winner, not a whiner. God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.
There’s a belief that you’re supposed to be poor, suffering and show your humility. I just don’t see the Bible that way. I see that God came and Jesus died so that we might live an abundant life and a blessing to others. What translation is he reading, I wonder? This reminds me of Jeremiah 29:11: (which I’m sure is a Prosperity Gospel favorite) For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.
When asked people often choose this verse as a favorite and these can be inspiring words. But it isn’t truthful to be taken out of the whole of Jeremiah. Have we read Jeremiah? It is chapter after chapter of warning and indictment, of the Wrath of God, and exile and how people will have to suffer, and then there are these few verses of hope: Then when you call upon me and come to pray to me, I will hear you… I will let you find me…. And I will restore your fortunes. … But only AFTER the Exile.
This is how Joel Osteen reads the Bible: The Prosperity Gospel was born out of the power of positive thinking specifically, Norman Vincent Peale, who was a pastor in New York, and guess who went to his church? The Trumps. Paula White, another Prosperity Gospel preacher, is considered President Trump’s personal pastor. A pastor on retainer? Imagine Trump hearing these words in a sermon: Champions have courage to keep turning the pages because They know a better chapter lies ahead. You are on the verge of complete breakthrough in every area of your life. Spiritually, financially, and relationally God has shown me that this is a season of victory for His people. As I went deeper in the Spirit the Lord Revealed that before the breakthrough comes certain things must be dealt with. Specifically, there must be a complete defeat of your enemies. Don’t we know how much Trump would eat that up! A Champion, a Season of victory, a complete defeat of your enemies. Once again, what Bible translation is she reading?
Kenneth Copeland who not only has a jet he has an airport and numerous jets, and when asked why he needed them he said because when up in the sky he felt closer to God. What?! That can’t work in coach? Which of these, the Amish or the Prosperity Gospel fits better with American culture? If we met with a devotee of the Prosperity Gospel and an Amish person in Fred Meyer, which one would stand out? Easy answer: The Amish. Meaning that the Prosperity Gospel devotee fits better Into American culture. The Amish would be considered as the anomaly; the weird one, and which one would be closer to the Bible? Easy answer: The Amish.
John Wesley gave a powerful witness to simplicity in his life and fortunately he was OK with buttons… And would be OK with cell phones and digital cameras too. Richard Foster says this of Wesley: Examples abound of Christian simplicity in the task of evangelism, in the service of the poor, and in the cause of social justice. The vigorous evangelistic efforts of John Wesley and the early Methodists are well known. The simplicity of their lifestyle gave integrity to the Gospel they preached. Wesley told everyone that, if at his death he had more than 10 pounds ($23) in his possession people had the privilege of calling him a robber.” Near the end of his life he wrote in his journal very simply, “I left no money to anyone in my will, because I had none.”
Our own heritage includes valuing simplicity. Not to the extent of the Amish, but also in stark contrast with the Prosperity Gospel.
We believe simplicity is foundational to the Gospel. In our last Vision Team meeting, we set out to identify our core values and we came up with what I believe are some good words; like compassion and inclusion (I won’t spill all the beans). But simplicity never came up, part of the reason it didn’t come up is because it wasn’t on the list of words we were using as examples. Why wasn’t it on the list? Efficiency was on the list, forward looking, hard work, physical vitality were on the list, accomplishment, self-esteem and success were on the list. What’s worse, why didn’t I think of it? Here I am preparing for Stewardship and the theme of Simplicity and I didn’t think of it. We may have to rethink this….
Here’s the bottom line in the words of Richard Foster: The witness of simplicity is profoundly rooted in the biblical tradition, and most perfectly exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ. In one form or another, all the devotional masters have stressed its essential nature. It is a natural and necessary outflow of the Good News of the Gospel having taken root in our lives. One cannot serve God and money at the same time. So basic to Jesus. So fundamental to the Way. So, look around our world and tell me we see?
Amen.
Pastor James Clarke
Words That Hurt; Words That Heal
One of the most common responses to our catastrophic loss has been “There are no words”. It is a genuine and good thing to say… But I think the truth is that we can’t find the words.
And we can’t find the words because we are not practiced at it.
And we aren’t practiced at it because our culture is rational and forward thinking.
So, we always want things to get better. We want to fix things. We think we must say something that will help.
We are trained to have ideas and to share them. But we aren’t the best at intuition or listening. As a result, unwittingly, and without intention we can be judgmental rather than compassionate.
Even the words, “Are you better?” can sound more like ‘aren’t you better yet?’ To the ears of one who is hurting. Should I be better?
“Why don’t you take a vacation?”
“You still have the rest of your family”
“I knew someone who said that work was good for him”
“God must have needed her”
“You won’t always feel this bad”
“You’re stronger than you think”
“At least you had her as long as you did”
Our focus needs to be turn from what we want to say to what a person needs to hear.
Our focus needs to be turn from what we want to say to what a person needs to hear.
One of the most touching things someone said to me was simply “I loved you son and I miss him terribly”.
“It is hard to see you hurt so much”
“This is a catastrophe – I’m so sorry”
“I don’t know what to say, but I care for you”
“I feel helpless in the face of this – and I love you”
Generally, I think we need to speak more from the heart than the head.
Our passage for this Sunday from James is about words mostly about how they can hurt. This passage follows James’ words on faith and works.
And he is identifying the tongue… words as dangerous and lethal
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless
Or wrongly placed word out of your moth can do that. By our
Speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw
Mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and
Go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (The Message)
The Epistle of James represents a branch of early Christianity that was different and sometimes in opposition to Pauline Christianity. Most notably, while Paul was saying we are saved by faith alone. James said, faith without works is dead.
I have thought on occasion that for Paul a person’s experience and salvation was the focus of faith, while for James, wisdom and how we affect others was more important.
Parenthetically, Luther championed Paul’s perspective and wanted to toss James out of the Bible calling it an “Epistle of Straw”.
I am one who believes language is important
A while ago, comedian Trevor Noah made a joke saying that Africa won the World Cup because many of the French team are immigrants from Africa’
Note: 17 of 23 members
Note: Noah is from South Africa and is mixed race
The French Ambassador, Gerard Araud sent Noah a scathing letter saying that to deny their Frenchness is to legitimize the ideology which claims that whiteness is the only way of being French.
He went on to say that in France we are not hyphenated, meaning we are not African-French, or Vietnamese-French.
Araud said the team represented France’s diversity, to which Noah responded, More than diversity, it represents France’s colonialism. And Noah asked, why can’t they be both?
The problem with Araud’s words is that if an African immigrant is only French as long as he acts French. But if he starts acting too African or especially too Muslim, then he is no longer French.
The irony here is that to claim to be “color-blind” is actually to reject a person’s ethnic background, which is more racist
I believe it is important to identify and celebrate the different ethnic backgrounds that make up America, to refer to African-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and to Euro-Americans – not white-Americans, Euro-Americans.
Words matter; even hyphens matter.
Is it really an effort to replace mankind with humankind? Or how about chairman with chairperson. At first it seems strange, but one gets used to it.
Now if someone says “chairman” it feels strange, and antiquated
I think how we refer to God makes a difference. If we use exclusively male words for God, we will see men as closer to God than women. And to say that it doesn’t make a difference is stubborn and unreflective.
Of course, it makes a difference!
I am apathetic enough to want Nominations Committee not to be changed into the Leadership Selection and Development committee, but I understand that including the word “development” changes the image and the purpose of the committee.
With this in mind, I have problems with the phrase, “people of color.” It sounds…. PC. But are white people not a people of color too?
The phrase says that there are people who are white and there are people of color. It subtly validates the belief that white is normal and then you have all the other colors. It’s like the return of the “flesh” colored Crayola crayon
Does this sound nit-picky?
Well then, I choose to be nit-picky in order to use words that do not hurt or discriminate.
Words can hurt, and words can heal
I have never believed in the adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
I can count numerous times in my life where I was hurt by words. I won’t count them out for you…. And I bet you can count your own.
When I was young the most common insult was to be called an MR.
Our public discourse today is full of words that hurt
The name calling
The attack ads
The lies and truthiness
Have we no shame?! Well, no…..
Fundamentally, I think we must reflect on whether our words hurt or heal?
To ask, are these words about judgment or compassion?
Are we speaking from the head trying to solve things?
Or are we speaking from the heart with empathy?
As I understand it, people who complain about Political Correctness want to be able to use the words they have always used in the name of freedom or free speech without being criticized or judged.
This is ironic – that people do not want to be judged for being judgmental.
Is it OK for Don Imus to call a women’s basketball team “Natty headed Hos?”
It isn’t kind or compassionate
Is it so hard to move from “Oriental” to “Asian” because that’s what Asians prefer to be called?
It takes a little practice, but changing “disabled person” to “person suffering from disability” is an easy change to make and it makes a difference to those who are suffering.
The insistence to use “illegal alien” instead of “undocumented immigrant” is about wanting to continue to vilify immigrants. And the phrase “anchor baby” dehumanizes. Why would we use such as term in the face of suffering?
Why do we want to freedom to use words like, pussy, slut, bitch, dike, fairy, coon, wop, cracker?
Yes, we have the freedom to say what we want, but not without being criticized for it.
And all the fuss over “Merry Christmas!”
There is no “War on Christmas” It’s just a war on ethnocentrism and bigotry
Actually, it’s not a war, but it is simply about R-E-S-P-E-C-T and basic kindness.
In the end, complaining about political correctness is simply a means to excuse being mean, dismissive and racist. It gives permission for people to be judgmental
and not compassionate.
Words are important – critical – they can hurt or heal. In James’ words,’ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing
The next part of James’ Epistle, after he has warned us about our “tongues” is about ‘two kinds of wisdom’.
One is from above and it is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
Full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy it is full of compassion
The other is rooted in bitter envy, selfish ambition; it is boastful and false to the truth.
From the Message translation:
Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.
It’s the furthest thing from wisdom – it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving.
Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better
of others, things fall apart, and everyone ends up at the other’s throats.
Maybe I should tweet this… if I had tweet….. Facebook?
If our eyes are the window to the soul, oOur words reveal our souls.
How hard can it be to avoid saying things like, ‘natty headed hos’ or saying ‘hos’ at all?
Or slut, or pussy or that’s so gay!
How hard can it be to say undocumented immigrant? People who suffer from disabilities? when these words convey respect, while ‘illegal aliens’ coveys judgment if not hate?
How hard is it to speak with compassion and kindness?
Are we so full of guile as to resort to name-calling?
How hard can it be to say Euro-American rather than white? Are we so proud? Or just myopic?
James wants us to have wisdom – not just to be saved, but to live our faith and speak our faith, not to be smart or knowledgeable, having the right answers so that we can fix things; but a wisdom of the heart.
That is pure, peaceable, full of compassion and empathy
And to that end to use words that heal rather than words that hurt.
How hard can that be?
Amen.
Pastor James Clarke
Words That Hurt; Words That Heal. The Sermon for Sunday, September 16, 2018. Scripture: James 3:1-1
Nevertheless, She Persisted
When I first read the gospel text for this morning I remembered this scene on Capital Hill: a conflict between Elizabeth Warren and Mitch McConnell.
During the confirmation hearing of Jeff Sessions in the Senate, Warren spoke against his confirmation citing the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s objection to Sessions and started to read a letter written by Coretta Scott King claiming Sessions attempted to obstruct the voting rights of African Americans when he was a federal judge.
The person presiding at the time interrupted her and cited Senate Rule XIX, which essentially says one is not supposed to disparage another member of the Senate, but Warren objected and continued.
Then Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell objected. A vote was taken, along party lines and she was silenced.
After the vote McConnell said: “Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. “Nevertheless, she persisted.”
This last sentence has become a meme, and it became a meme because it expressed and revealed some things.
First, it expressed a subtle kind of misogyny. I doubt very much that McConnell would have responded in the same way to a man.
Amongst many in our culture there is still a belief that women should not be too outspoken or pushy, like Hillary Clinton.
Second, it revealed that Rules of the Senate are archaic, hierarchical and patriarchal. Why should the majority party have all the power? The power to stop any legislation. The power to avoid a vote on a Supreme Court nominee.
I see a system that invites corruption and abuse and what is needed is for Senators to cross the boundary and to be persistent – nevertheless.
The gospel text for this Sunday, the story of the Syrophoenician Woman is a story of a woman who persisted.
Let’s set the scene according to Mark:
Jesus and his disciples have grown a little weary. This story is proceeded in Mark by a long discourse on unclean hands. Jesus and his disciples are not following the letter of the Law.
In order to get a break they cross over into Gentile territory = symbolic. Jewish culture distinguishes between the Holy Land and not the Holy Land. Not the Holy Land is polluted by materialism. It is unclean territory and Jesus is brazen even to go there.
But fame catches up with Jesus, even in Gentile territory
A woman, who is of mixed ethnic background – not a good thing – accosts Jesus and bows at his feet, which was a grievous affront – like Senate Rule XIX!
The woman is desperate – her daughter is unwell and she wants Jesus to heal her.
In her book Women and Jesus in Mark: a Japanese Perspective, Hisako Kunikawa asserts that like Japanese culture, Jewish culture was one of Honor and Shame.
Men seek honor- recognition as upright persons by following cultural rules and staying in one’s place.
Academic wording: “Honor culture is a highly formal system that determined to whom and how one could speak and interact, regulated social roles and transactions, and circumscribed mobility within the system.”
(Did you know that the US Senate was an Honor/Shame system? And that essentially what McConnell was doing was trying to shame Warren)
By bowing before Jesus, something only a Jewish man had the right to do, the Syropoenician woman causes Jesus to “lose face” which for the Jews, was serious business.
Jesus would have had the right to punish her right then and there. Doing anything other would have caused him to be shamed more.
This woman was severely unclean – She was not only a Gentile but one of mixed race. And she was a woman. Good Jews should have nothing to do with her.
Jesus’ response? From the Message:
Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first
If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.
“Children” refers to the people of Israel while “dogs” refers to Gentiles.
I always thought this was a mean thing for Jesus to say. Jews first and then Gentiles? And to refer to her as a dog?
But to do so was culturally acceptable… even mild. He could have responded in a far more callous way.
The woman’s response is clever – She answers as if they were in a rhetorical competition – a political debate. And her response was better than Jesus’.
Another interesting detail is that Jews did not keep dogs as pets while Gentiles did.
To her it was OK to be considered a dog because dogs were a part of the household, like they generally are in our culture.
In other words, she says from her culture he just said that she is accepted…. And suddenly a boundary is crossed.
Recognizing this Jesus verbally affirms that she is accepted and that her daughter is now healed.
She persisted and she crossed a boundary which prefigures Mark’s community crossing the boundary between Jews and Gentiles.
The story isn’t about her faith but her persistence. And rather than being a story about healing, it is more a story of inclusion.
We do not live in an Honor and Shame culture. As a matter of fact, in our culture there are many who feel no shame at all. People of prominence are who have a great deal of responsibility
We do not live in an Honor and Shame culture. But we have plenty of boundaries that Jesus would cross’
During the Civil Rights Movement many barriers were crossed, and bridges traversed.
The young men who sat at the coffee counter at Woolworth’s.
The brave students who went to school in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rosa Parks sitting at the front of the bus
The movement for voter’s rights
Boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides
The first African American on the Supreme Court in Thurgood Marshall
And let’s not forget Jackie Robinson!
Today boundaries are cross in Black Lives Matter. And I believe Jesus would take a knee at NFL games. Anyone feeling like buying Nike products?
Barriers are been brought down in the MeToo movement as well. No longer will sexual harassment be tolerated. No longer will the hidden rule be, we just don’t talk about that.
In our Church, we really crossed a boundary when we elected a lesbian bishop in Karen Oliveto who now serves in Denver.
In The Way Forward other boundaries and bridges may await us. And we must persist, nevertheless.…
We must break down the barrier that divides us at the Mexican border. Did you read that American citizens who are Hispanic and live near the border are being denied passports? The reason given is, their birth certificates aren’t genuine.
Maybe Barak Obama can give them advice on this one
Same-Sex Marriage was a significant boundary to cross and I think we need to persist and challenge other gender identity barriers.
I am tired of the social pressure placed on boys to be strong, invulnerable and in control. It’s a recipe that creates bullies.
I also think we need to continue to press the barriers in the Senate. We need more women and people of color.
I dream of being able to cross the boundary of Evangelical/Progressive Christians. How can we break down our language barriers and enter into dialogue?
In our own personal and spiritual lives there can also be barriers to be crossed.
The decision to get out of an abusive relationship. Taking a fearful step into the future by going back to school. Getting married, having children, adopting children. Feeling challenged to volunteer somewhere. Reaching out to neighbors. The day we returned from Washington, DC there was a casserole on our doorstep.
The Honor/Shame culture of the Jews of Jesus day had tight and strict boundaries and the Syrophoecian woman crossed the room, bowed down and essentially said, “My daughter is dying and I don’t care about the boundaries”
She was desperate to save her child
Jesus’ first response was the culturally accepted response which was, Jews first!
And here may be the most exhilarating party of the story. By persisting as she did the woman shocked Jesus into being who he was. Shocked him out of being culturally acceptable. To become who he was called to be. A breaker of boundaries that oppressed and silenced people.
We are desperate today as well. We too must reach out beyond the barriers that divide us with persistence and courage.
A boundary that we have crossed is the old cultural assumption that politics and religion should never mix and that they should be separated – absolutely.
I have known since seminary that this belief is unbiblical and false that Jesus was political. He couldn’t be a boundary breaker and not be political.
The truth is, whenever two or three are gathered there is politics. And if we shut out politics from faith it becomes only about personal salvation, regardless of relationships…
Even regardless of love.
That’s right…. Love is political.
Marriage is political too.
And the US Congress and Senate need marriage counseling!
Before my father was a professor he was a pastor. When I was born he was serving as the Assistant Pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Alameda, California.
Legend is that in the very early 60’s Martin Luther King visited Oakland, California and my father sat on the same dais.
When I told this to Kenneth, nothing I have ever done in my life could compare. He told all of his friends and became hugely popular.
My father was active in the Civil Rights Movement but frustrated because there were people in his church who did not support it. So he was criticized and told religion and politics should never mix.
I think it is one reason he went on to become a professor. History has its lessons – and they are personal.
Last Wednesday at our last demonstration in the Town Center against the better judgment of myself and others, I decided to approach the man who accosted us. Who aggressively spouted Alex Jones sound bites.
I asked him if he was Christian – yes, he said. What does that mean to you? That Jesus died for my sins.
Who is Jesus to you?
Would Jesus limit immigration – no
Would Jesus call people names – no
Would Jesus bully people –no
After going on like this a little while he finally said, can we keep Jesus out of this?
NO
Pastor James Clarke
Nevertheless, She Persisted. The Sermon for Sunday, September 9, 2018. Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-18 and Mark 3:27
