Day 812 - Full Disclosure

A Sermon for Urban Outreach Ministry, Chattanooga, TN.  March 2, 2015

Mark 8:27-38

Genesis 2:4 –7

A disclosure: As I prepared the text for this blog it continued to grow longer than the actual sermon because it is a very difficult teaching that seems to require care to voice and to practice. As you read it, please read it with careful discernment because the teachings can be used in harmful ways.

There is so much packed into these twelve verses of Mark. The central message presents the full disclosure of what the future holds for Jesus and for those who seek to follow him.

Mark has raced through the entire ministry of Jesus in the previous seven chapters. Here in Chapter 8 his narrative is preparing us for his entry to Jerusalem in Chapter 11. From Chapter 11 forward Mark lapses into “slow motion” taking the last 5 chapters to cover the Passion of Jesus in his last week.

Here, in verse 31 of chapter 8 for the first time in the Gospel, Jesus breaks the news to his disciples and everyone listening (and reading) that the Roman cross is his future. In fact, if we hold to the consensus of seminary scholars that Mark is the first written Gospel, verse 34 is the very first disclosure in the Gospel story that death on the cross lies ahead of Jesus.

He and Peter, who has just stated he knows Jesus is the Messiah, engage in an outright argument over whether Jesus should have made this “full disclosure” of his fate and the expectation he has for his followers.  Jesus severely upbraids Peter, not with a prediction, not with an exaggeration, but with a full disclosure of this future. Jesus knows what is going to happen and it is time for everyone to know (v31):

^““The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.”

Up until now he has made every effort to keep his (divine) secret of who he is and where he is going. (He has just healed a blind man and told him not to go even back into his village but to go straight home in silence.)

But here he poses two questions to Peter and the others. “Who do people say that I am?” and "Who do you say that I am?" 

He leads Peter down a primrose path to reveal the contradiction between Peter’s understanding (and by extension the understanding of his disciples AND us) of what following Jesus means. Peter as he will do in the transfiguration, looks towards a party hanging out with Moses, Elijah and Jesus. 

Are we much different today?

What does Jesus say to Peter and the disciples after Peter’s upbraiding Jesus for speaking this way? He uses a verbal twist here. He tells Peter, “get behind me, Satan” and then tells everyone what it means to follow (get behind) Jesus. Maybe he is telling Peter to follow along over the next few weeks and learn that Jesus is now speaking the truth?

After he calls Peter “Satan,” he talks about what it means to live a Christ-like life: You must drop all your preoccupation with this world of flesh, and take up your own cross.

I know, someone is thinking, "This world of flesh - "Why are you bringing this up again, Henry?"

We learned earlier the “world of flesh” is every element of our bodily existence. To use the Greek word Mark uses, psyche, the "world of flesh" is what immerses and encompasses your psyche, as a living being. 

Although the term, psyche is often mistranslated “soul,” it does not mean some intangible, ethereal essence of being but the entire human living being, physical life itself, the human experience. It is connected in meaning to the Hebrew word “nephesh.” Nephesh does not mean “spirit” but living essence, being. In Genesis, in the creative event itself God blew his breath, life itself, the “vital force of living” into Adam and he became a living being.

It is important to appreciate that being is a quality or characteristic of this body itself being filled with God's breath. 

The immense power of this passage is its contradictory claim about the reality of living beings. Those who long for life, those living beings who cling to the things of the world of flesh to validate that being(existence) will lose life, but those who cling to the things that make life, namely the Kingdom of God (or we could say the breath of God) will gain life though they lose the life of the world. 

Being exposed to both Hebrew and Greek theology makes it a complicated effort for everyone to separate psyche from soul in this idea of a living being. It escapes our capacity to fully understand it but perhaps we can think about it as the Genesis writers did, we have this breath of God within us whose persistence is life itself. 

I’ve heard a lot lately in a tangential way about this conflict between seeing oneself as a living being and following the teachings of Mark 8:27-38. Yesterday spinning through the television channels, a televised worship service led by the pastor of one of the largest Protestant churches in the US came up.  If you like you can find him with an internet search. His smile is as big as that on Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat and he is full of “feel good” messages. I went to his web site and found this amazing quote:

“… God gives us the power to get wealth. There are seeds in you right now that can bring abundance: gifts, talents, skills, ideas, creativity, favor. God didn't leave anybody out. You've got to get up every morning and remind yourself, "I am a no lack person." … Keep the right image in front of you. You are blessed. You are prosperous. You are well able. And yes, you may need some kind of assistance right now. But if you'll have this attitude and keep pressing forward, before long, instead of taking a handout, you'll be giving a handout. Instead of borrowing, you'll be the lender! Don't settle where you are; don't settle for lack. Press forward past a lack mentality and switch over to a blessing mentality!”

Is that what Jesus means about gaining life here in Mark 8:34-38? Is Jesus preaching some kind of “Gospel of Prosperity” and charging people interest on money given to help? I think not.

Yet none of us can get too haughty about this. The same kind of mindset comes over us often when we get angry or resentful over a physical or emotional wrong done to us or a loved one by someone else.  A preacher may say, “You can forgive that person but you do not have to forget the wrong. You have to protect yourself. If I forget it then that person might hurt me emotionally or physically again.” Or, maybe you hear,"You can forgive that person when they apologize.”

Is that what Jesus means here in Mark 8:34-38? I think not.

We want it to mean that. It gives us an out with this forgiveness business.

We might bring up Luke 17:1-4, “Jesus said to his disciples, 'Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!  It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.  Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.' ”

The conclusion drawn from this might be, “No, I do not have to forgive someone who does not ask for forgiveness,” or "I can stand on my “righteous anger” to take a reprisal against them."

I hate to say it, but I don’t think it works that way either.

I surely struggle with the seeming contradiction, often several times a day.  How can Jesus say one thing in Mark (and Matthew) and then say something else in Luke?

I want to hold onto the hint of a rationalization for my anger that Luke 17:3 gives me. You say to me that you are sorry and then I'll forgive you. It satisfies my ego. 

But I am blessed at the times when I realize emotional hurt is only a matter of pride and ego, of the old world of flesh picking at my weaknesses and doubt. I may think, “That person embarrassed me,” or “That person made me look foolish in front of my wife, or congregation,” or fill in the blank with your own reason. It is all pride.

 The physical hurt is a harder nut to crack. What about those crazy people we call ISIL or ISIS who are killing all those Christians and even other Muslims in the most horrible way? We have to stop them any way we can. Some are saying we must exterminate them.

But is that righteous judgment (that only God can exercise), or is it revenge (that only living beings can exercise)?  Who exactly is in charge here? 

The bottom line is more complicated for our living being - but actually simpler. Luke is talking about those who cause others to stumble. Jesus says they have millstones around their neck. What happens when someone with a millstone around the neck falls out of the boat into the water of the deep sea? (Or tries to walk on water?) Luke may be telling us we should intercede with the ones who cause others to stumble. We may help both.

Jesus in Matthew 5:38-48 tells us we are expected to avoid judging our enemies, rather embrace them. Anyone can love a friend, try loving an enemy. 

We might go to Matthew 18:15-20, although its reference to the "church" seems a little anachronistic to me and makes me think this passage is a late addition to the Matthew text. But even this guidance says if you cannot find peace with a person it is better to separate yourself than continue the antagonism. (This would be good advice for a case of spousal abuse.)

We cannot escape the hard teaching of Mark 8:27-38. It is repeated in different form in the other three Gospels,  Matthew, Luke and John.  Jesus teaching on this is inescapable.

Everything about our world of flesh, our possessions, our lovers, our family, our nationalism tells us to do the exact opposite of these teachings. Never let it be said that being a Christian is living on easy street, regardless of what that smiling preacher of the big church says. 
You cannot escape this plain fact. The world around us wants us to think that but Jesus expects something different.

If you think about it, one cannot fully forgive a person if the memory of hurt remains a constant companion. It has to be put aside. God and Jesus' act of forgiveness of us means, if anything, that our slate is wiped clean in their eyes. How can we follow Jesus if we do not try to do the same?

We are human. It is easy to take this teaching of forgiveness and use if to convince a spouse, child or anyone to stay with an abusive relationship. But that too is an easy and unjust answer. The real answer also contained in these gospel passages might be, "Yes we need to forgive, truly forgive and forget, and if we constantly find our self in a state of agressive transgression we need to remove our self from the presence of the sin lest it draw us into it."

I suggest that you carefully consider Mark 8: 27-38. What should rule our actions and forgiveness is quite clear and it is presented in context of the death(execution) of Jesus, his passion. Jesus is talking about the greatest injustice about to befall him. He has just explained that his own religious leaders, the priests, scribes, the elders, the "religious people" (Pharisees and Sadducees) are all going to deny him and bring about his death.

Clearly Jesus is the only one of all men who has the power to stop this madness with a wave of his hand, or with a simple thought formed in his mind. But rather, he tells us if you want to be like me, follow me, get behind me and get ready to suffer from the abuse of those who despise you. 
You may retaliate, cling to the world, enjoy the sense of revenge and "justice," soothe your pride, think positively and make a lot of money so you can ease the pain of living in the here and now if you like. But what you do by clinging to the world you are immersed within is let go of life itself. You are giving up living in the Kingdom of God.

I repeat, we must all decide for our own self whether we can forgive and forget and brook the risk repeated harm, or whether we must forgive and separate from the ones who do us wrong so that we are not drawn into sin ourselves by anger, revenge or otherwise. No one should advise a spouse, child or congregant to remain with the other spouse, parent or pastor that continually abused them with no intent of stopping but rather encourage them to prevent the circumstance of abuse. But forgiveness always stands there with open arms. The spiritual challenge is getting to it.

The fundamental fact Jesus states is "being a Christian is extremely hard work." It can entail risk to your life, not just your pride. To say otherwise requires denying these teachings. 

In his dying breath Jesus forgave those who killed him. Three days later he arose and defeated death. 

We are an Easter people whose faith and only gift lies in that blessing of divine forgiveness. Divine forgiveness is something we can only strive to achieve because we live in this old world of flesh even though it is dying. It still feeds our anger, our hurt pride, our feelings of being dishonored over the acts of those who harm us; but the existence of divine forgiveness and forgetfulness is our hope and aspiration.

To rephrase verse 37 and 38, “If I barter my life for wealth, for the right to harbor hate, for revenge, for resentment over wrongs to me what will I get when I stand before the Father and the holy angels? Will the Son of Man who was wronged by living beings yet forgave them not also be ashamed of me?

AMEN.