“Faith” a Sermon based on Mark 7:24-37

July 29, 2012
H. Kevin Derr
First Church of the Brethren
Mark 7:24-37
“Faith”

Mark 7:24-37 24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

What does it take to be healed? Is it the faith of the individual, is it a word or command from Jesus, or is it a touch of the hand, a touch of the clothing of Jesus or even the touch of Jesus’ saliva? We often retreat to faith as the operative element of healing, if you have enough faith you will be healed, but then no faithful person should ever die. We tend t o build systems to explain things that don’t make any sense to us, we do this with stories about nature, with stories about faith, with stories about things that scare us.
There are people in our rational world who think that if they wear their team’s jersey, it will increase the likelihood that their team will win. In the same way people do all sorts of superstitious precautions. What do you do if you spill salt, throw some over your should, I don’t recall if it is to be the right or the left. People are cautions about breaking mirrors, and the like. We create structures to support our ideas and rationalize our fears. Be that wearing our team’s jersey so that they will win or not waking under a ladder or avoiding the 13th floor of a building.
We do the same thing when we read scripture, we attempt to find a way to allow this or any other biblical narrative to intermesh with our lives and to do so without requiring any change for us. Assimilating scripture without change is adding religion to our lives, like adding ketchup to French Fries, it does not change the nature of the thing we add religion to or Ketchup, just makes it taste a little better. When we allow the whole story of Jesus to transform our lives and we become disciples then we will be c hanged. We will be a new creation in Christ Jesus.\

Prayer:

I. After the face off with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Jesus leaves Capernaum. Jesus seems to like his personal space; he seems to be in real terms an introvert, drawing energy from solitude and not from the crowd. Mark tells us, 37 24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.
a. Jesus left Capernaum and I snow in the region around Tyre. He goes into a house, whose we don’t know, and he stays there attempting to have a time away from the crowd.
i. This is a gentile area, is a Philistine or Phoenician population, and here Jesus is seeking refuge from the press of the crowds or time away and alone.
1. Regardless of his attempts to keep his identity secret, he is discovered. Paparazzi are not a new phenomenon, Jesus is discovered.
2. Somehow the word about Jesus got out, and a woman of whose daughter was possessed by an evil spirit, a demon, came and fell at his feet.
a. This woman assumes a position of inferiority, she submits to Jesus as one who has less power and authority.
b. This may not be socially appropriate today, but in the context she is doing some thing that is correct.
i. She is indicating that Jesus is a man of authority that deserves such respect.
ii. Mark then tells us a little more about this woman, he writes, 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
1. She is possible Greek speaking, but is clearly Hellenistic in her cultural background. Ethnically she is Phoenician born in Syria as opposed to North Africa in the region of Carthage.
2. Culturally Greek, Phoenician by ethnicity, a Semitic group and she probably could have passed for Jewish in appearance.
a. Mark makes it abundantly clear that this woman is not Jewish
b. She is an unclean gentile, with a child that is demon possessed. The issue of demon possession was not limited to adults, but also effected children, and both men and women.
3. She begs Jesus to drive the demon out of her.
iii. Jesus does not seem to be inclined to help her, listen to what he says, 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
1. the children here are the Jews, the Children of Abraham, if you will, and the dogs are the gentiles.
a. In fact, dog was a common word used to speak of gentiles, and dogs were not highly regarded in their culture, they were scavengers.
i. There is some indication that there are house dogs, those that live with the household, dogs that helped to protect the family, and they ate what fell on the floor.
2. Regardless, Jesus does not say something nice to this woman, he calls her a dog.
a. He tells her that what he has is for the Jews, and does so in a way that clearly depicts this bifurcated culture.
i. The children get the bread first, and they are to eat their fill.
ii. Then any crumbs that fall to the floor may be eaten by the dogs.
1. Jesus is essentially saying to this woman, after Israel is taken care of if there is anything left over, then perhaps.
b. Jesus comes across as harsh, bigoted and defending racial divisions.
i. He does not sound like the God who is love.
3. So, what do we do with a text like this?
a. We could say that Jesus was simply a man of his time, but that is not all that satisfying intellectually or spiritually.
b. We could say that he said this all tongue in check, he said the right things, but he said them in such a way that anyone present would have realized that they were in jest, and unfortunately the text does not indicate his tone of voice or his facial expression as he was speaking.
i. The trouble is that this Jesus does not sit well with the image that we have cultivated.
1. Perhaps our image is out of focus.
2. But, then we have to come to terms with a Jesus who is bigoted.
3. That is not a satisfying position either.
c. We could claim that Jesus is simply seeing how badly this woman wants her daughter healed.
4. Regardless of what we think, something significant is happening here. Mark continues the account, he writes, 28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
a. The woman agrees with Jesus. She understands all to well that everything is limited, honor, healing, health and food. She understands this.
b. She does not disagree that Jesus is Jewish and his mission is first to the Jews, and while such a think may not resonate with us, it make sense in the context of this woman’s life and experience.
i. So she responds, “Yes, Lord” indicating that the children should eat their fill before then dogs under the table. But she continues, “but even the doges under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
1. She is not asking to be treated as a Jew, but just like a dog under the table eating the scraps.
2. Then Jesus cast out the Demon, but notice there is no command, no action, no gesture, just his assurance to the woman that the demon is gone.
3. She goes home and finds the demon gone and her daughter resting.
c. You have to ask, did this woman get who Jesus was, did she understand something of the kingdom and that he was more than just a healer.
i. It seems so
ii. It is none the less an odd exchange.
1. We can and should learn from this that God’s grace is not only for those who follow him, after all he makes the sun rise on all and send the rain.
2. There is an experience of Grace beyond those who are followers of Jesus.
3. That grace should point people to Christ Jesus.
II. The next encounter we see is also in a non-Jewish context, in the Decapolis. A gentile man is brought to Jesus by his friends. Mark writes, 31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
a. Jesus fame as a healer has spread far beyond the Jewish population, gentiles are bringing people to Jesus to be healed. This man in question is deaf, and as a result is unable to speak well.
i. These people begged Jesus to place his hands on him and heal him.
ii. Mark continues, 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
1. We find Jesus doing some odd things here
a. He put his fingers into the man’s ears
b. He then spit on his hands and touched the deaf man’s tongue with the saliva
c. Then he looked up and said, “Ephphatha” or “Be opened.”
d. Then the man could hear and speak plainly
2. So why did Jesus have to do these things and with the demon possessed child just say that it was done.
a. There is a feel of folk magic to this account, was all this to communicate to these people that he could do these things while the woman already understood this truth?
i. The people in the second account begged Jesus to touch him and heal him, the woman in the first account simply asked for help.
1. She seems to have a greater understanding of who Jesus is.
2. Clearly what we understand of Jesus will clearly impact the way we come to Jesus and how we speak to him and of him.
b. Our level of knowledge will not change our salvation, but the more we know Jesus there will be a change in our interaction with Jesus.
b. These accounts are similar, both times Jesus is seeking solitude and is approached by people to heal people that they love. In both occasions they are gentiles who need healing.
i. Jesus does no preaching or teaching among these people and yet his fame and renown continue to spread.
III. The closing of these accounts tells us something we have heard before, 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

“What makes you unclean” A sermon based on Mark 7:1-23

H. Kevin Derr
First Church of the Brethren
Mark 7:1-23
“What makes you unclean?”

Mark 7:1-23 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” 16
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'”

At point it is easy to assume that church tradition is always biblical and mandated by God. Yet, there are many things that we do that have no direct connection with the biblical tradition. For example, you will find no commandment to build churches in the New Testament, there is no direct mention of Church buildings at all in the New Testament. There is mention of the Temple, and of synagogues, but Jesus never told his disciples to put up Church buildings, and yet modern Christians have difficulty thinking of Christianity without the building. In fact the word we use to describe our buildings is ultimately connected to the notion of an assembly, not a building. The Church is literally the people, the Assembly of God’s people, not the building. Brethren historically called their buildings meeting houses, not churches, because the church is the people.

Prayer:

I. Clean and unclean are words that describe not the hygienic state of people but the religious state of things and people in the Jewish world of the first century. Just like our usage of the word church, some of the specific traditions around clean and unclean were not originated in the command of God, but in the traditions of his followers.
a. Mark writes, The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
i. A group of Pharisees and Sadducees came from Jerusalem to Galilee to see what Jesus was up to, and they seem to be looking for reasons to cause problems.
1. Now these folks who came from Jerusalem, Mark says, gathered around Jesus. Now they didn’t gather round him to learn, but to look for problems, to look for issues that they could raise.
a. This is something akin to the way that political advisories will dissect a speech or interview and then pull a line or phrase out of context to create problems for the person.
b. That is what is going on here.
ii. Just as they wanted they found a problem, something to derail Jesus’ plans and efforts.
1. The problem, some of Jesus disciples were eating with hands that were unwashed.
a. This is not the reminder in most restrooms, “Employees must wash their hand before returning to work” which is posted for reasons of hygiene
b. This was a ceremonial washing, on that was religious not hygienic.
i. The underlying principle was that in the course of the day, a person who was ceremonially clean could come into contact with a gentile, who by the very definition of the term were considered unclean.
1. It is possible that you could have touched or been touched by someone who was unclean, and now without a proper washing, you would be defiled.
2. Funny thing is, you won’t find this specific instructions anywhere in the Old Testament.
a. So this idea of ceremonial washing of the hands before eating, to avoid contaminating oneself does not originate in the command of God for his people.
b. So, where then did it originate? With humans, with people trying to understand and live after God’s intent.
i. In this it is very hard to fault them, because we do the same thing.
1. No where does it say in the New Testament that we ought to worship on Sunday.
2. No where does it say we should sing 16th century hymns, no where does it say that should sit in pews, in fact the earliest worship services were held in people’s homes or in synagogues that allow Jesus’ followers to worship there.
ii. But, what happens the people of God encounter things not expressly mentioned in the scriptures?
1. We create a solution by looking to what the scriptures tell us.
2. This is the same thing that happened then too, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees did the same thing.
iii. It is the reason why the Amish use horse and buggies, and don’t fly, they made decisions about what the faithful should do based on their understanding of the scriptures.
1. In Europe the Amish, know as Amish-Mennonites didn’t follow the same trajectory. They made different decisions.
2. The problem is not in attempting to address the issues not explicitly detailed in scripture, the problem is when we elevate our solutions to these issues to being God’s directive.
b. Now the Pharisees bring the question to Jesus, 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
i. Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders…?
1. You see here the problem; the tradition of the elders is elevated to being equal to the command of God.
2. So, Jesus quoted, not the tradition of the elders but a prophet of God, saying, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
a. They honored God with their lips, but not with their hearts
b. So they have a form of Godliness, but it is not derived from paying attention to God’s command, but by following the form created by men.
i. Jesus quoted Isaiah saying, 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
ii. And You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
ii. When we elevate our solutions to the problems of living faithfully in our culture to being divine mandates, we create idols fashioned by our minds that glorify our own needs and wants at this present time. We let go of the things of God for idols of our own creation.
1. There are many churches that will only let people read from the King James Version of the Bible, they feel every thing else is less and not authoritative.
a. If that were the case, there was no authoritative word of God until 1611 AD.
b. When we make this a criteria for faithfulness, we demean God’s word and his commands to us.
2. I know people who will not tolerate you praying in the name of the Father, because some people have had bad experiences with their fathers, and men who have abused them.
a. So, they remove this as a possible expression of understanding for God, in doing so they elevate their own command to the status of one of God’s and in fact attempt to nullify Jesus instruction to pray, our Father.
3. This happens in the whole spectrum of the life of the church today, both conservatives and liberals and all in between are guilty of this same sin.
II. Jesus then lists a specific example that impacted the faithful when he was speaking, Mark writes, 9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
a. We have this tendency to set aside the commands of God to develop our own sense of godliness, and often one that has a form of godliness but denies the power thereof.
i. In Jesus day, a group decided that if you promised to give whatever would have gone to support your parents in their old age as a gift to the temple, it was called Corban, from a Greek word for the temple treasure. This gift, or promise of a gift to the temple then made it fine to not give to your parents care and keeping in their old age.
1. This was their form of social security, children cared for their parents in their old age. There were no homes, no state aid for those who could no longer work.
2. So, to say, here is a godly thing, don’t care for your parents but give the promise of the gift to the temple.
a. In doing this they dishonored their parents, and perhaps never gave the money to the temple either.
b. It made things easier for them, cheaper. It gave them more to spend on their own avarice.
c. In doing so it became religiously fashionable to dishonor your father and mother.
ii. We do the same thing today. We find ways to make the uncomfortable things we don’t want to do, find a way not to do it, and we wrap them up in the language of faithfulness. It is idolatry and sinful.
1. We choose our tradition over the command of God.
a. We Brethren have been very concerned about baptism, and there was a time when we would not accept anyone as a member who had not been baptized in the fashion we said was right.
i. We emphasized triune immersion over any other possible means of baptism.
ii. We at times will do the same thing with other issues as well, place our own wants, traditions, and concerns and elevate them over and above the command of God, this is idolatry.
III. Then Jesus speaks into this mess, he identifies the sin, the idolatry in this case and speaks to it. He says, 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” 16
a. Jesus speaks again in a parable of sorts, speaking of what makes one unclean, it is not food, or touching a dead body, or even a gentile, this will not make you unclean.
i. What makes you unclean is what comes out of you.
b. In typical fashion the disciples do not discern the meaning of Jesus’ words, they miss the truth. In this they do just what we do. Mark describes it like this, 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'”
i. In a closed setting, when no one else is around, the disciples ask Jesus about the parable.
1. Jesus’ first response is, “Are you so dull?”
2. You don’t become unclean by what you eat, it does not matter because what you eat simply will pass through your body.
ii. What makes you unclean, is what comes out of your heart, that is what defiles you. Out of our hearts, our minds, the places we plan good and evil we draw upon what we have in us. If there is evil, we will find all sorts of unclean things, evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly, these will make a person unclean, not unclean hands, not unwashed hands, not food that is restricted.
iii. Or as recorded Matthew 12:34-35 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
1. So what is it that we will store up in our hearts and so be clean or unclean?

“Sardis and Philadelphia” A Sermon Based on Revelation 3:1-13

Revelation 3:1-13
“Sardis and Philadelphia”

To the Church in Sardis
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
As John continues to write the letters that the exalted Jesus told him to write, we see two additional churches being addressed the churches of Sardis and Philadelphia. Each of these cities had its own unique mixture of people and problems. The message may be unique to the churches themselves but the message also relates to every church, or every follower of Jesus. Their meaning is understood by those who have ears to hear the spirit, to hear the things of God.

Prayer

I. To the church at Sardis we find these words,
a. 1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
b. Again the message is sent to the angel of the church, one of the seven stars we saw in the hand of the exalted Jesus in John’s initial vision.
i. As we recall the exalted Jesus holds in his hand the seven angels of the seven churches in Asia Minor, we are told that this is he who speaks, the one who holds the seven stars, and also the seven-fold spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit.
ii. All of this is one way of saying, the one who is in control of these things.
iii. Now he addresses the church: I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.
1. Clearly we are not talking of people who are dead physically, so we must be speaking of something else.
2. I hesitate to say spiritually, as if it were something entirely different than the physical. One can be very much alive and still be mentally, emotionally, or intellectually dead. It is best to understand spiritually dead in the same way..
a. So, this congregation had a reputation for being alive, but they were in reality dead.
b. It would seem that they had become obsessed or fixated upon something other than serving Christ Jesus. When we serve others in the name of Jesus we do a service and share a vision of the kingdom. When just serve others, then we do help, but we do not show the kingdom, and as a result, we offer help at the moment, but we do not give then Christ Jesus.
c. My suspicion is that something like this took place in Sardis.
iv. The following verse unpacks this a bit more, . 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
v. Wake up! Is the command, that Jesus gives, It is one that is spoken to people who are not paying attention, to people who are unaware of what is going on around them. It says, pay attention.
1. What are they to pay attention to? Their deeds are unfinished in the sight of the Father. What deeds?
2. This is not busy work, but rather the realities of maturing spiritually, the work of faith, prayer, mediation, fasting, communing with the Almighty God.
3. The activities which they thought were essential, were not what they needed to be focusing on, they missed the best thing for something that was good, but not the best.
4. This is a call to complete what needs to be done, to deepen and mature their relationship with the Father.
c. We see now the need for focusing on those basics of following Jesus. He says, 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
i. This is remember the gospel, the message of Christ that you first received.
1. The command is to hold it fast, to hold on tight to that which you first received.
2. Everything that comes along with the faith is a blessing, if we loose sight of the new life we have in Christ Jesus, the rest becomes a prison that holds us in and deprives us of life.
a. We can build the most magnificent structures as our meeting halls, our churches, but they themselves do not hold the gift of life, it is found only in Christ Jesus.
b. While we may be beautiful ceremony and wonderful tradition, if it is not centered in Christ, it becomes meaningless and empty, dead.
3. Jesus says, repent!
a. Are we guilty of worshiping our building, our traditions, our practices?
b. The only solution is to repent.
ii. Then the warning, if you do not, I will come like a thief in the night.
1. This is not a message of hope, but a warning of dread.
2. This is the Lamb of God who comes to judge the world, and we know ahead that this group was not prepared.
3. Are we?
d. Not the whole congregation is dead, only part of the congregation at Sardis is asleep. Jesus says, 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
i. It seems that Jesus is now again addressing the angel, the messenger. In this we find that there are in Sardis, a few people who are living a life of faith and righteousness, thus the comment about them not soiling their clothes, their lives.
ii. The reward for obedient living is being in the presence of the Christ.
iii. The Reward for righteous living, for those who are victorious, is intimacy with the Living God. 5 Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
1. Those who live faithfully, righteously will have their name written in the book of life, and it will never be blotted out, they will live eternally.
2. To have one’s name written in the book of life means that one lives. A person who is alive, has his or her name written there, to die is to be blotted out.
a. In Christ we live eternally, our names our never blotted out and even if we die, we will live
b. Thus, we are still among the living. Beyond this, those who live faithfully and have their names recorded in the book of life, will also be acknowledged before the Father by the Son
c. We see similar statements in the Matthew, Mark and Luke that if we acknowledge Jesus before men we will be acknowledged by Jesus before the Father.
3. Again, not everyone will hear this and rejoice, but for those who are sensitive to the things of God, there is great cause to rejoice.

iv. The letter closes with these words, 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
1. Open your heart and mind to hear what God is saying, listen, that we might find life, richer, fuller, deeper and more vital than we have know before.
2. It takes ears that are willing to hear. Are we willing to hear?
II. The next letter is sent to the church in Philadelphia, Jesus says, 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
a. What does Jesus have to say to the Church at Philadelphia?
i. He tells us who is sending the letter, the one who is holy and true and the one who holds the key of David.
1. Holy and True describe elements of the character of Jesus, Holy is the domain of God. None is holy but God. True is the next title, there is no falsehood in Jesus, what he tells us is genuine and accurate.
2. He is also the one who holds the key of David. An odd sounding phrase, but one that will make a great deal of sense with a little thought.
a. Who was David, the one from who’s line would come the Messiah.
b. The Messiah would inaugurate the Kingdom of God
c. Jesus is the Messiah, and as such the means by which one enters the kingdom of God. Jesus gave the church this authority with the giving of the keys of the kingdom, as recorded in Matthew.
3. Jesus has opened a way into the kingdom for us, and what he has opened none will be able to shut, but if he shuts the way to us, none but himself will be able to open it.
a. This is not a warm fuzzy image of Jesus, but Jesus who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, this is the one who is speaking to us.
b. Thus we should pay attention.
ii. Now Jesus says, 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
1. Again an expression that Jesus knows the condition and situation of those who belong to him. He says, “I know your deeds.” This does not come with a reprimand.
2. Rather with an expression of hope, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
a. I have opened the way to the kingdom for you, rejoice.
b. I know that you have little strength, not that they are weak, but rather small in number.
i. They have been strong enough to be faithful to Jesus
ii. They have not denied the name of Jesus or disowned him at all.
iii. These are not weak believers, but rather a small band of the faithful.
iii. Because of their faithfulness, Jesus promises to them that their opponents would bow before them, and that the would be spared form a time of temptation that was or is coming on the world . 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
1. Who is the synagogue of Satan? It may well be a group in the church that wants to force gentiles to follow Jewish customs and practices.
2. It may be another religious group in the community that has been named by those in the church, the Synagogue of Satan
3. At a certain point, who they are does not matter, here the promise to the church, God will not only protect them, but seem the church, but also see that these opponents will acknowledge that God does indeed love the Church.
a. This text should never be used to prove that we are on the right side, and that sooner or later the others will bow before our feet and say, God loves you.
b. Our issue is not with the others, whoever they may be, but rather to be faithful to the Father, to Christ Jesus in all we do.
4. Protection from calamity is also promised, this may be refereeing to a specific time, or to temptation in general. If you recall from the Lord’s prayer we say, “protect us from evil” and “Lead us not into temptation.” This functions in a similar fashion, but from the promise side not the request, we will be spared temptation and given protection from evil.
iv. 12 Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
1. Those who live righteously will be honored in the Kingdom of God, they will be in the presence of the Father and the Son, and know them by name.
2. They will know the Father and the Son, truly. As Paul said now we see through a glass dimly, but then we will see face to face. The same notion is being expressed here.
a. In being pillars in the Temple of God, in knowing the true name of the Father and the Son, in knowing the name of the city of God, whatever the New Jerusalem will be known by.
b. It will be marked by intimacy with God.
b. This passage closes with a familiar phrase, 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
i. Those who belong to Christ Jesus, those who are sheep of his pasture, we will hear.
ii. We will hear and rejoice, for we are given good news, encouragement and hope.

“Going Home” A sermon based on Mark 6:1-6

June 17, 2012
First Church of the Brethren
H. Kevin Derr
Mark 6:1-6
“Without Honor”

Mark 6:1-6 NIV Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

We Brethren have often, though not always held to the notion that there should be no force in religion and this idea does not originate with the Brethren, but it is something we see here. Jesus did not force anyone to accept him as Messiah, he did not force anyone to bow before him and worship him, he did not demand that anyone receive healing from. Only those who had faith were healed, not faith that enabled him to heal them, but a sense of trusting in Jesus to be who he said he was.
Often we define faith as a belief in something that you can’t see or prove. This is a short sighted definition on many accounts. Faith also implies a trust, not just a hope that something will happen, but dependence on and an abiding trust. There was an effort in the 19th and 20th centuries to make faith a rational exercise. If we present the gospel in a rational manner, rational people will make a decision for Jesus Christ. It sounds nice in a lot of ways, but while there are points where faith is clearly a rational endeavor, there are also points where it is not.
To trust that Jesus is who he says he is, is not altogether rational. First of all, we’ve never encountered Jesus in the sense that we have uncounted each other. Secondly, there is no proof that he is who he said that he is. Now you can say quiet quickly that the Bible tells us he is, but that makes an assumption that the Bible is trustworthy and reliable. But, if you don’t believe that Jesus who he claimed to be, why would you trust the Bible to be reliable and trustworthy? It becomes an exercise in circular logic.
I am convinced that the scriptures are reliable and trustworthy, because I have come to know Jesus. Arguing that we someone should believe in the Jesus because the Bible tells us too, is not a logical or rational thing to do. If you read Acts closely the apostles only argued for Jesus from the scriptures with those who already found the scriptures to be trustworthy, in other cases they argued from other sources, including their experience, the experience of the one to whom they were speaking, and so forth.
Jesus does not force anyone to be his follower, he invites us, calls us and we may respond in a variety of ways. Now, clearly the Holy Spirit plays a role in how we respond to Jesus and there is some sense of free will, but there is also a sense that God enables faith within us.

Prayer:

I. Jesus is living in Capernaum, on the shore of Lake Galilee. It is here that he has called his disciples and began instructing them, he has taught the masses and given instruction, healed people, driven out demons, cured illness and injury, calmed the wind and the waves. Now, he is going home, to Nazareth.
a. Jesus now reverses the journey that his mother and brothers had taken some time a ago, days or weeks is hard to pin down. They came to    Capernaum to bring Jesus home, he now goes home on his own.
i. Mark writes, Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
1. Jesus and is disciples take the trip to Jesus home.
2. Going home is not always easy, especially if you are the one who left and has gone on to do things that no one there ever expected you to do.
3. Especially if you have achieved some measure of celebrity.
4. Especially, if everyone there things that you are still the kid that lived down the street.
ii. This is what Jesus is doing, going home, home to a family that thinks he’s crazy, unhinged, and a bit off the deep end.
1. He is going home to a family that came to get him and lock him up at home.
2. There are likely some real questions as to how Jesus will be received by his family, relatives and people he grew up with.
b. So far in the Gospel of Mark would seem that things are going easily, that many people are flocking to Jesus, a respected teacher, a prophet, perhaps more, the Son of God, the Messiah. There have been a few hints of undercurrents of trouble, those who felt Jesus was a problem, but the majority of people responded to him in a very positive manner.
i. Now, things seem to be going well in Nazareth as well, Mark writes, 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!

1. Clearly people have heard that Jesus has been teaching and preaching, he’s offered the chance to speak in the synagogue in Nazareth. He may well have taught in Nazareth before he left for the Jordan to be baptized by John, but there is no indication that he did.
2. It would seem that his fame has spread to his hometown of Nazareth and people want to see the local boy who did well.
3. So he began to teach, and this was the response of the people there:
a. Many were amazed asking
i. Where did he get these things?
ii. What is this wisdom that has been given to him?
iii. He even does miracles!
b. All of this is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
c. People are amazed, not well yep that’s Joe and Mary’s boy, he was always a deep thinker, always a good boy, never missed synagogue, leader of the youth group, often helped with work days, and food drives….
d. They are amazed that he can teach like this, shocked that he has this wisdom, amazed that he does miracles.
4. Then it comes, the doubt, the questions, the jealously. 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
a. They took offense at him, they didn’t like that Jesus, Mary’s kid is doing these things.
b. Isn’t this the carpenter?
i. Carpenter is not a term of derision, it is a very important position to hold in a town, he would have worked with wood, likely with stone as well. Perhaps even done some smithing.
1. He was the one who built homes, repaired homes, made furniture, repaired farm tools and implements.
2. He likely was a valued member of the community, well respected, at least until he took off and left them without a master carpenter to tend to their needs.
3. He was an invaluable part of the community like a black smith in the 18th century here in the states.
ii. Isn’t this the Carpenter?
1. Isn’t this Mary’s son…
2. Aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?
3. Don’t we know his sisters
c. Who is he to speak to us like this?
i. It would seem that Joseph is no longer living. That is the tradition, that he died sometime after Jesus’ twelfth birthday.
1. It could also be that they Joseph is still living but that everyone knows that Joseph is not Jesus’ father.
a. It would also seem that Mary kept the details of Jesus’ conception to herself.
b. After all who would believe such a story?
ii. There are a couple lines of reasoning to follow with who Jesus brothers and sisters are.
1. They could be cousins, which are a real possibility, the word translated here as brothers could be cousins, though it is not likely.
2. It could be that they are older brothers and sisters from Joseph’s first wife.
a. It was a common thing for women to die in childbirth, or the complications from childbirth, and so men married another woman, often younger.
b. Many of the pictures you’ve seen of Mary and Joseph depict Joseph as older and Mary as younger.
3. The third option is for Jesus to be the oldest sibling of the group. This I believe is the most natural reading of the text.
d. So, the townsfolk of Nazareth say, “Who is this Jesus, Mary’s kid that we should bother listening to him?”
II. Jesus then responds to them with a proverb, one that they likely had heard before. 4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”

a. Or as another has said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
i. If Jesus is shocked or surprised by all this it is hard to say. It had to be disappointing, but at the same time Jesus knew these people.
ii. He had grown up with them and knew their character and how they would react, what they would say.
iii. As John said, John 1:10-12 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
1. Just because they didn’t receive, Jesus didn’t write them off and forget them, they are still included in the promise to those who believe, are given the right to become the children of God.

III. It might be easy to assume that God has everything happen that he wants to happen. Yet, oddly enough, here we see Jesus’ ability to do miraculous things is limited by the faith of those who are present. Mark writes, 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
a. “He could not do any miracles there”, not “He did not do any miracles there”.
i. Jesus allows his ability and will to be limited by the willingness of the people in Nazareth to accept that he is more than just Mary’s boy who grew up down the street.
ii. Jesus did not force those in Nazareth to accept he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, rather he gave them a part to play in the process.
1. It tells us something of our God that though he could force people to his will, he curbs his power so as to allow us to make our own decisions.
2. God displays a great deal of trust in us, and often we display that we are not worthy of that trust, but at times we shine brightly and make God smile as we choose to do the right thing and be compassionate and merciful.
b. Jesus didn’t heal all the sick and the injured, he did heal a few people, he didn’t cast out any demons, but it was all in response those who trusted him that he was more than just Mary’s boy.
c. In the proceeding chapters, it is people who are amazed at Jesus, amazed at what he teaches, what he does. Most recently it is the people of Nazareth who are amazed at what Mary’s boy can do and teach.
i. Now it is Jesus who is amazed. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
ii. Jesus is amazed at their lack of faith. Their lack of trust.
1. So he left, and went to other villages around the teaching and healing.
2. What success he had is left up to us to imagine. Mark says nothing of how it goes.
d. We should not be surprised at those who know of Jesus, but want little to do with him, familiarity breeds contempt. Jesus does not force anyone to follow him, but lets us make our own decisions.
i. Mark will push us to make a decision about who we believe Jesus to be.
ii. That time is coming soon.

“Fourth Sunday of Advent” Matthew 1:18-25

December 23, 2007

First Church of the Brethren

H. Kevin Derr

Matthew 1:18-25

“A Son”

 

Matthew 1:18-25 ¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, {21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.} because he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” {23 Isaiah 7:14} –which means, “God with us.” ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

 

This is s a text that you have heard on numerous occasions, it may be that a few of you were actually reciting this in your head as I was reading. So, what is there that I can tell you about this passage that you have not heard a few dozen times before? Probably little! But, then this is not about giving you information, this is not primarily an educational endeavor.

Then what is it that we are doing here this morning? We are here to draw closer to the living God, to drink deeply from the spring of Living Water, we are here to listen to the Spirit speaking to us. It may not be as dramatic as what Mary or Joseph had with their angelic visitors in their dreams, but the goal is the same. We are hear to listen for what God has to say to us today. We are here to listen to what God wants to communicate to the world through you and me. The question is not, will God speak to us today, the question is are we willing to hear what God has to say to us today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer:

 

 

I. Mathew begins his story of Jesus rather plainly, in a straightforward and upfront fashion. There is little need to read between the lines.

a. He states, ¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:

i. Here is the point, he wants to make Jesus known to his readers, to the world. He is not about concealing Jesus, he does not encode secrets only for the initiate to receive, rather he puts the information there where anyone can understand what he is saying.

1. In Jesus’ day Mystery religions were very popular, you got the secret once you were in, had been initiated. And as you progressed more secrets were reveled to you.

2. There are no secrets here, the point is to make the story of Jesus known, to make it public.

ii. Again there is no secret here, Mary is pregnant before she and Joseph are married, a scandal, not a badge of honor. This was a stoneable offence. But, Matthew tells us, : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

1. Mary is pregnant, with child, before they were married or intimate with each other.

2. Now we are told this came about through the Holy Spirit.

b. Now as the story progresses we age given a window into Joseph’s mind. Matthew writes, . ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

i. Joseph was not a vengeful sort, though by rights he could demand that Mary be stoned, he wants to divorce her quietly, not to shame her and her family. He is exercising mercy, forgiveness and being very generous.

ii. Additionally, he is giving the man, he still does not know that is happening is done by the Holy Spirit, who is the father the right to claim the child and Mary. He is not going to steal another man’s child. He is righteous.

c. Now, he was a man who was serious about his faith, he intended to do not what he was entitled to but what was right. He wanted to do what God wanted in such a situation. Matthew continues to tell us about Joseph, . ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, {21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.} because he will save his people from their sins.”

i. Joseph made up his mind, he knew what he wanted to do and what he felt was righteous.

ii. Then an angle to tell him what is going on.

1. To be honest, if Mary told him, do you think that he would have believed her?

2. Put yourself in his place, would you believe her?

iii. Joseph son of David, is the title that the angle uses to greet Joseph.

1. Remember David is known as a man after God’s own heart.

2. We have already seen that Joseph is a righteous man, not a legalist, but righteous.

iv. Then the angle paints for him the big picture:

1. Don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, she has not been unfaithful, there is nothing sinful about what has taken place here.

2. The child she carries is from the Holy Spirit

a. This child is a boy

b. He is to be named Jesus or Joshua, because he will save his people from their sins.

i. Notice it is not to save his people from the Romans, from the Greeks, Egyptians or any others

ii. It is to save them from their sins

iii. If you want to understand the problem that Jesus comes to solve it is our sin, our fractured relationship with the Father

1. The truth is that it touches every part of our lives, our world and our universe

2. This is how the problem is stated, it is dealing with this brokenness in us, sin, separation, alienation and all its consequences.

3. To save his people from their sins is what this story is all about.

a. This is where we often miss the beauty of this, we push it into moralistic legalism

i. We become the Pharisees

ii. We become about behavior monitoring

b. But this is about restoring relationship, this is about saving us from that which separates us from God and from each other, this is about sin.

II. Now Matthew gives us another piece of essential information for understanding the Gospel of Matthew, for understanding Jesus and knowing what it means to follow him. He tells us, that Jesus is God.

a. Matthew tells us in this fashion. He states, .” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” {23 Isaiah 7:14} –which means, “God with us.”

i. All of this, Mary being pregnant, Jesus being born to save his people from their sins, so that the what the Lord said, will be fulfilled.

ii. Now what did the Lord say?

1. The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.

2. But, the son was to be named Jesus, but they will say of him, God is with us.

3. How can Jesus be Immanuel, how can having Jesus present be a way of saying, “God with us.”

a. Because, Matthew is reading this passage from Isaiah 7:14 literally.

b. Jesus, literally is God with us.

c. In other words, Jesus is God, the Son of God, but at the same time he is also human, Mary’s son. From this rises the classic Christian understanding of Jesus, he is fully human, fully divine.

i. He is not a divine-human hybrid

ii. He retains full humanity and full divinity, how, I cannot begin to explain, it remains a mystery.

III. The first step we take in maturing in our faith is to learn to listen to God, to discern his voice calling to us, instructing us, leading us, guiding us and urging us to come closer to himself.

a. The second step is rather apparent, but not necessarily easy it is doing what we are instructed to do.

b. Joseph becomes one of our examples, ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

i. Joseph did what the Lord had commanded him to do, he took Mary home as his wife.

1. Now what’s the big deal about that

2. For him it caused public disgrace, he was unable to control himself with Mary and he defiled her before they were married.

a. By taking her home as his wife, he claimed the child was his

b. For a man who was worked to be righteous, he is now a man who is looked down upon.

ii. In today’s culture being people of faith is not popular, in fact it may well make life more difficult for you in several ways, especially the younger that you are.

1. doing what is right is not always popular or easy, but it is what is right

2. I suppose Joseph could have told his neighbors about the angelic visitor, but how many do you think would have listened?

c. Now, we are drawing closer to Christmas, but are we drawing closer to Christ Jesus?

IV. The outcome of the advent season should be just that, that we are now in a deeper more meaningful relationship with Christ Jesus and his people. We have the example of Joseph, and of Mary, though we did not speak of her today.

a. Our goals need to be structured around these two elements

i. Listening to God, like Joseph and like Mary

ii. We need to do what we hear from the Lord

b. This is ultimately about living out of a restored relationship with the Lord, and by doing so drawing others to enter into a renewed relationship with the Father.

Thrid Sunday of Advent, Matthew 11:2-11

December 16, 2007

First Church of the Brethren

H. Kevin Derr

Matthew 11:2-11

“Proclamations”

 

²When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

⁴Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

⁷As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written:
” ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

It is often easy for us to miss the importance, the power, the subtle and yet open message of Christ.  We are overwhelmed by all the activity of the Christmas season, the planning, the preparation, the shopping, the food, the services, parties, gatherings of family and friends, the calendar fills up all to quickly.  Our busy days become even more filled with appointments and responsibilities.  We have less time to do the things that we normally do, the things that include our times for devotions and mediation.  Is it possible to forget Jesus amid the tress, the stockings, the decorations, the gifts, the paper, the Christmas specials, the parties and the next item on the list of things to be done?

Of course it is possible, it in fact may be probable.  It is I suppose, not so much different than it was in Jesus day. Oh, then it was not Santa Clause and Reindeer, but it was when would the Messiah deal with the Romans, or when would the Kingdom be restored?  Missing the Messiah now is just as possible as it was then, the reasons indeed may be different, but distractions are just that distractions.  It does not matter what pulls our attention from those things that really matter, to the perceived pressing issue of the day.  The reasons may indeed be different, but in the end the result is the same, we miss the Messiah.

Prayer

 

I.                            John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask a question, one it would seem that he already knows the answer to, so why does he ask?

a.      Matthew presents the question like this, ²When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

                                                                          i.      So, the question becomes does John ask this question for himself or for his disciples?

1.      This arises because of what Jesus has doing.

2.      He was apparently doing something that was not assumed to be the activity of the Messiah.

3.      Thus, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

                                                                        ii.      We are shaped and formed by the culture we live in, just as John’s disciples were shaped by theirs.  They were shaped to expect specific things from the Messiah.

1.      What have we been shaped to expect from Jesus?

a.       A warm and fuzzy, always yes, never a harsh thing to say?

b.      Weak, meek, passive

2.      What happens when we combine this with the traditions of Christmas in the present culture?

a.       Do we even notice Jesus?

b.      And if we don’t, the Jesus we’ve created doesn’t mind and will just be happy when we do notice him again.

c.       All of this is far from the Jesus revealed to us in Scriptures.

b.      Jesus response to this inquiry of the disciples of John the Baptist is a reference to the scriptures.  He says, ⁴Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

                                                                          i.      Jesus points to another understanding of the Messiah, one that does not start with killing the Romans.  He takes them to a passage in Isaiah 66 which reads,

1.      ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
     and the day of vengeance of our God,
     to comfort all who mourn, . . .

2.      You see very quickly where this takes us, the day of the Lord is indeed coming, but before that day of judgment comes a time of good news, a time when the good news is proclaimed to the poor, freedom for the captives, release for the prisoner.

3.      Jesus says, I am the Messiah, but before the day of Judgment, I bring good news.

a.       See the blind see, the lame walk, those who are sick become well, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor hear good news.

b.      A day of judgment is coming, but the good news comes first, and you are hearing it.

                                                                        ii.      Then Jesus says these words, ⁶Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

1.      He is saying, “You expected someone else, or rather you expected me to do other things, don’t fall away because of that.”

2.      It has to do with what they expected.

a.       They expected the King to come and take the throne and drive the Romans and the Greeks from their hone and to restore the Kingdom of David

b.      But this is not about David, this is about the Kingdom of Heaven.

                                                                                                                                                  i.      David may have pointed toward heaven, but his kingdom was not the Kingdom of Heaven

                                                                                                                                                ii.      The Messiah is bringing something much better than Kingdom of David

                                                                                                                                              iii.      It begins with the pronouncement of Good News, with Healing by Jesus who is the Messiah.

II.                         Jesus then talks to the gathered crowd about John, he says, ⁷As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.

a.       He asks them “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed swayed by the wind?”

                                                                          i.      You don’t go out into the wilderness to see a reed blowing in the wind, you can see that out in the wilderness, but that in and of itself is no reason to go out into the wilds.

                                                                        ii.      Or you could read this, “Did you go out to see someone who could be swayed as easily as a reed in the wind?  Of course not, no one wants to hear a prophet that has no convictions, what’s the point.

b.      He then asks, Did you go out to see A man dressed in fine clothes,

                                                                          i.      You don’t go out into the wilderness to see a person dressed in the soft clothes, the clothes for an easy life in the palace of the kings and powerful.

                                                                        ii.      You don’t go into the wilderness to see a common thing, a reed being moved in the wind, and you don’t go into the wilderness to see people dressed in fine soft clothing.

                                                                      iii.      So why did they go out to the wilderness? Jesus says, ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written:
” ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

1.      People went out to see a prophet, this the people knew and understood

2.      Then Jesus states, “Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”

a.       How does one see more than a prophet, how do we understand that, how did they?

b.      I don’t know how they did, what they thought, but I do know how Jesus explained this role of John the Baptist

c.       He was the herald of the Kingdom of Heaven, he is the one who prepare the way for the Messiah.

d.      John came and announced the coming of the Kingdom, now Jesus is hear!  Now the good news is being preached to the poor, the blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the lepers are made whole.

e.       Just because it was not what people were anticipating, does not mean that it was not worthwhile.

f.       And right now we are invited to ponder, to realize a little more the power and impact of the coming of the Messiah, and the realization that a day of Judgment is also coming

III.                      Here is the shocking revelation in this text, Jesus says of John, ¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

a.       Jesus says, of those born of women,  there is no one greater than John the Baptist.

                                                                          i.      Consider who that means, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Sampson, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha. . . John is greater than them all.

                                                                        ii.      But here is the shocker, the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.

b.      The difference will not be realized until Easter, when Jesus is crucified and raised to life, and the kingdom established.

                                                                          i.      We enjoy the benefits of the resurrection, and admittance to the Kingdom of Heaven

                                                                        ii.      Something prophets like John longed to see, something we often forget because it ha for us become common place, comfortable, assumed

                                                                      iii.      In our comfort, let us not become complacent, perhaps this Christmas season we can pray that the comfortable will be afflicted and the afflicted will be comforted.

 

Rabbi Reveals name of the Messiah

I ran into this article to day, thought some of you may enjoy reading it.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Rabbi Reveals Name of the Messiah Shortly before he died, one of Israel’s most prominent rabbis wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was opened, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus), is the Messiah.Here is the link from Israel Today