The
passage from Mark has a lot to challenge us and maybe even frighten us. These are not the kind of teachings we like
to have from Jesus. All too often I
think people imagine Jesus as this all around nice guy who never really says
anything mean. But today we read him
giving a blanket condemnation of divorce and remarriage. He talks about cutting off limbs and plucking
out eyes. He has these strange teachings
about salt losing its saltiness – that is chemically impossible. And there is the scene where Jesus is mad
because the disciples couldn’t cure the epileptic boy. He tells them, “You faithless generation, how
much longer must I be among you? How
much longer must I put up with you?”
(Mark 9:19)
You
may remember me mentioning when we started Mark’s gospel that this writing will
pull the rug out from under your feet time and time again. Every time you think you understand and you
think you have Jesus figured out Mark will upend your understanding. I think that is part of his point. He wants us to know that God is deeply
loving, and that God is very generous, and that God’s cares for all
people. But we cannot think that because
this is God’s nature that we can figure God out or control God or even intellectually
understand what God is up to. Instead,
we are called to trust, and trust God more deeply than our brains can
comprehend.
Let’s
look at some of these scenes in reverse order.
Some Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus by asking him about divorce. It’s an entrapping question because there’s no
way out. If he says no then he has gone
against Deuteronomy 24:1 which says that a man may divorce his wife for any
reason. The exact wording is, “…she does
not please him because he finds something objectionable about her…” That’s it – grounds for divorce were simply
failing to please a man. You may
remember me joking that a man could divorce his wife on the grounds that he
doesn’t like her meatloaf!
On
the other hand, if Jesus says yes a man can divorce his wife then he’d get into
trouble with the powerful Essene community, a large Jewish sect that forbade
divorce under any circumstances.
Jesus’
answer rightfully turns the question on its head. Marriage is based on God’s order of creation,
not about rules and regulations. Jesus’
private teachings to his disciples about remarriage being adultery are also
rooted in God’s order of creation, not rules and regulations. His teachings acknowledge the emotional
feelings of betrayal, hurt, and shame that any emotionally healthy person feels
at the break down of an intimate relationship and the beginning of another.
Notice
Jesus does not say people who remarry will burn in hell forever. He simply roots the situation in God’s order
of creation and names the pains that go with it.
The
scene prior to that talks about dismembering yourself if part of you causes you
to sin. Fortunately I see you have not
followed that advice or I’d be talking to a bunch of blind people without arms
and legs. I’d be like that too. Remember, Jesus often uses exaggerated
language in his teachings. And here he
is picking up on an ancient Greek teaching, “Cast away every part of the body
which leads you to intemperance; for it is better to live temperately without
it, than to live whole.” (Sextus
Sentences 13)
It
reminds us of the seriousness of sin. A
person who takes his or her sin lightly also takes God’s grace lightly. A person who takes his or her sin seriously
also appreciates the undeserved-favor-that-is-God’s-grace as a wonderful gift. Again, can you see that this is rooted in
creation and right relationship with God.
Going
back another scene we have the disciple John wanting to stop who’s doing good
work in Jesus’ name. John is acting like
Jesus’ name is proprietary and this other guy hasn’t paid the licensing fee. Once again we see how human logic wants to
put limits on God. The same can be said
for the scene previous to that where the disciples are arguing over who was the
greatest. This is a human tendency to
always want to rank and measure ourselves against other people. We want to feel like we are better than them,
and we certainly don’t like being beneath others. But this is all thinking from the human point
of view. It is not God’s way. As I said before, Mark’s gospel will always
witness to the abundance of God’s love, but never let us think we have control
over it, or that we can limit it, or predict it.
And
I think that leads us to the very first scene we read from the gospel. The disciples are unable to cast a demon out
of a boy. Based on his symptoms we can
conclude he has epilepsy. The whole
scene is filled with anger and chaos.
There’s a crowd, there are religious experts, there are the disciples,
there’s this father, and his boy who he wants to have cured. Jesus enters the scene as well and he seems
angry at everyone, calling them a faithless generation. Then the boy has a seizure right then and
there and Jesus forcefully drives it out.
In
the midst of all the chaos the boy’s father says something that has become
famous. “I believe; help my
unbelief!” What a strange thing to
say! But it is an authentic and deeply
revealing truth. I think we all have
felt just like that man. We want to
believe. We need to believe. But it just seems so impossible and we want
to have solid assurance right then and there.
The boy and his father are fortunate that they get it from Jesus.
The
final word on this scene is an interesting one.
The disciples ask Jesus why they could do nothing. He replies, “This kind can come out only
through prayer.”
I
think Jesus’ word on prayer and the father’s words that he believes but help
his unbelief go hand in hand.
Prayer
is definitely powerful, but many people treat it like a magical formula: It is as if God was a divine magician who is
available with miraculous powers if and only if you call upon God
correctly. You have to say the right
words and say them in the right way and be thinking the right thoughts and if
and only if you do, then God will act.
But
what have we been talking about Mark’s gospel?
God is guaranteed to be loving, but is God able to be predicted,
controlled or understood? No. Never.
Prayer is not a human being’s ability to dictate to God what God should
do. Prayer is a conversation of trust
between God and people.
I
suppose we could ask the question, do we trust in the power of prayer, or do we
trust in the one to whom we pray? If you
say you trust in the power of prayer I’d suggest that is coming from a human
point of view. It is as if prayer in and
of itself has power. But if you trust in
the one to whom you pray then you are trusting in God.
When
Jesus says this kind only can come out by prayer he is not suggesting that with
the correct prayer technique the demon, or the epilepsy could be cured. He is saying that God should be trusted to
have the power to cure.
The
cure then, is God’s, not ours.
Now
don’t get me wrong in what I say about prayer.
Many a hurting and angry Christian has swallowed their hurt and anger
and prayed to God, “This is what I want, but thy will be done and I’ll be okay
with whatever it is.” That is a
commendable thought, but is it a true prayer?
When
you’re scared or hurting or angry then is not the time to pray prim and proper
prayers. A prim and proper prayer with
fear and anger subdued within yourself is a very weak prayer indeed. Martin Luther taught to let it out. If you’re scared let God know it. If you’re angry let God know it, even if you’re
angry at God! And if you’re hurting let
God know it.
God
knows what you’re trying to hide in your mind.
True prayer, powerful prayer, is when you are bluntly honest and
truthful with God. Then is when you
trust not in the power of your prayer but the power of the one to whom you
pray. Then you are bold to trust that
God’s love has a hold of you and won’t let go.
All
of today’s gospel reading is about not legislating how God should act, but
knowing with surety that God will act with love. It’s easier said than done. The disciples messed up plenty, and we do
too. But God’s love always gets the
final word, and in that we rest our hope.
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