Running scared
Commentary
Whether by the choice of the designers of the lectionary or by coincidence, fear is operative in each of the lessons for this day. Job confesses, "God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face!" The congregation to whom Hebrews is addressed is running scared in the face of persecution. The man who ran up to Jesus is hostage to his own brand of fears and insecurities. He dares not risk. These observations are not made judgmentally. We all run scared at times.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Job continues to cling to his orthodox belief in reward and retribution. He is arguing his case, for his whole world of meaning is under challenge. If the old orthodoxy is wrong then caprice reigns on high and God is unpredictable. This is indeed a threatening prospect. It means we cannot put God in our debt. The challenge of Jesus to his opponents triggered fear in them for their identity would collapse with the death of old dogmas.
Job, however, persists in his desire for understanding. It is of interest to note the argumentative style of prayerful dialogue that characterizes Job as well as many of the Psalms. We do not think of laments or complaints to the Almighty as part of prayer. But why not? Darkness is also part of our life experience.
Hebrews 4:12-16
The temptation facing the congregation to which Hebrews was addressed is the temptation to bolt and run in the face of persecution. They were in danger of becoming an apostate church. They were torn between their conscience fired by the Word of God and their fear of public censure and even persecution in a society whose values were in conflict with the way of Jesus. The Word can prod us into uncomfortable situations. Jesus had faced those same sort of temptations when the heat was on. Those are beautiful words, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."
A congregation can fall into apostasy not only by completely abandoning the faith, but also by a process of reductionism. Chapter 36 of Jeremiah is highly instructive. Jeremiah prepared a special sermon to be delivered in the temple. Since he had been forbidden to enter the temple he sent his secretary, Baruch. The sermon was reported to palace officials who summoned Baruch who read the sermon to them. They ordered Baruch and Jeremiah to go into hiding. Then they reported the sermon to the king who sent his secretary, Jehudi, to fetch it and read it. As Jehudi would read a few lines, the king would contemptuously cut out the text with a pen knife. You might call this the King Jehoiakim version of scripture. Significant sections have been removed. In the end the king burned the scroll. The king removed the words that rubbed him the wrong way, which was most of them. The King Jehoiakim version of the whole Bible would be a significantly abridged version. You might find the words of Jesus about the lilies of the field; it is doubtful you would find his words about the thieves in the temple. This is the way of reductionism. We can proclaim a Jesus who is a comforter and a heart savior and forget all about the proclamation that he is the savior of the world. Verses 12 and 13 of Hebrews refer to the unabridged word. Cutting out the parts that rub is the way into apostasy.
Incidentally, verses 14-16 make a great call to worship if one opts not to preach from the epistle lesson.
Mark 10:17-31
Judged by the doctrine of reward and retribution by which Job lived, this man who ran up to Jesus would be called a winner approved by God. But he obviously doesn't feel that way about himself. There is an intensity about him reflected in the way he ran up and knelt before Jesus. The Greek word that Mark uses to describe him as running is rare in the New Testament. It has an association with athletics and suggests a forerunner followed by other runners. Might this suggest that he is a trendy pacesetter running in the fast lane, an ancient version of a Reebok-shod suburban jogger?
He put a heavy value-laden question to Jesus. Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." That should have cued him that he was in for some unconventional conversation. In a way he is a bit like Job, a fastidious follower of the precepts of the law. But something was missing. He had obeyed all the oughts imposed by church and culture but satisfaction was eluding him.
Jesus looked at him and loved him, Mark tells us. Jesus also used him as a classic example of the difficulty the wealthy have when it comes to risking the kingdom decision. The running man was being held hostage by his possessions. Roberta Flack sings a song, "Let Pharaoh Go." There is a reverse thought that grabs us. We think of Pharaoh as the one who can make the decision to liberate us. But so often the reverse is true. We are afraid to let go of the things that hold us. After all, wealth and possessions give identity and assurance in terms of the values of our culture.
When Jesus told the running man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, the man was shocked and the disciples were perplexed. Saint Francis took the words of Jesus literally and the world was made brighter by his decision. Jesus spoke this word to a specific person to shock him into an awareness of the fears that held him back. We can hear him telling all of us to cut the nerve of our dependencies.
A story currently in circulation tells of an Amish man who momentarily stopped his farming to watch a new neighbor move in. Among the many items that came out of the delivery van were a deluxe refrigerator with a built-in ice cube maker, a state-of-the-art stereo system with a compact disc drive, a remote control television with a VCR, and a whirlpool hot tub. The next day the new resident was welcomed by the Amish man and his wife, who brought a gift of homemade muffins and jam. After the usual greeting and conversation, the Amish man said, "If anything should go wrong with your appliances or equipment, don't hesitate to call me." "That's very generous of you," the newcomer said. "No problem," the Amish man replied, "I'll just tell you how to live without them."
In verses 28 through 31 Jesus tells the disciples and us what we do receive from following him: a new family, a cause to serve, risks to take and battles to fight, and eternal life. That's not a bad deal at all.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Job continues to cling to his orthodox belief in reward and retribution. He is arguing his case, for his whole world of meaning is under challenge. If the old orthodoxy is wrong then caprice reigns on high and God is unpredictable. This is indeed a threatening prospect. It means we cannot put God in our debt. The challenge of Jesus to his opponents triggered fear in them for their identity would collapse with the death of old dogmas.
Job, however, persists in his desire for understanding. It is of interest to note the argumentative style of prayerful dialogue that characterizes Job as well as many of the Psalms. We do not think of laments or complaints to the Almighty as part of prayer. But why not? Darkness is also part of our life experience.
Hebrews 4:12-16
The temptation facing the congregation to which Hebrews was addressed is the temptation to bolt and run in the face of persecution. They were in danger of becoming an apostate church. They were torn between their conscience fired by the Word of God and their fear of public censure and even persecution in a society whose values were in conflict with the way of Jesus. The Word can prod us into uncomfortable situations. Jesus had faced those same sort of temptations when the heat was on. Those are beautiful words, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."
A congregation can fall into apostasy not only by completely abandoning the faith, but also by a process of reductionism. Chapter 36 of Jeremiah is highly instructive. Jeremiah prepared a special sermon to be delivered in the temple. Since he had been forbidden to enter the temple he sent his secretary, Baruch. The sermon was reported to palace officials who summoned Baruch who read the sermon to them. They ordered Baruch and Jeremiah to go into hiding. Then they reported the sermon to the king who sent his secretary, Jehudi, to fetch it and read it. As Jehudi would read a few lines, the king would contemptuously cut out the text with a pen knife. You might call this the King Jehoiakim version of scripture. Significant sections have been removed. In the end the king burned the scroll. The king removed the words that rubbed him the wrong way, which was most of them. The King Jehoiakim version of the whole Bible would be a significantly abridged version. You might find the words of Jesus about the lilies of the field; it is doubtful you would find his words about the thieves in the temple. This is the way of reductionism. We can proclaim a Jesus who is a comforter and a heart savior and forget all about the proclamation that he is the savior of the world. Verses 12 and 13 of Hebrews refer to the unabridged word. Cutting out the parts that rub is the way into apostasy.
Incidentally, verses 14-16 make a great call to worship if one opts not to preach from the epistle lesson.
Mark 10:17-31
Judged by the doctrine of reward and retribution by which Job lived, this man who ran up to Jesus would be called a winner approved by God. But he obviously doesn't feel that way about himself. There is an intensity about him reflected in the way he ran up and knelt before Jesus. The Greek word that Mark uses to describe him as running is rare in the New Testament. It has an association with athletics and suggests a forerunner followed by other runners. Might this suggest that he is a trendy pacesetter running in the fast lane, an ancient version of a Reebok-shod suburban jogger?
He put a heavy value-laden question to Jesus. Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." That should have cued him that he was in for some unconventional conversation. In a way he is a bit like Job, a fastidious follower of the precepts of the law. But something was missing. He had obeyed all the oughts imposed by church and culture but satisfaction was eluding him.
Jesus looked at him and loved him, Mark tells us. Jesus also used him as a classic example of the difficulty the wealthy have when it comes to risking the kingdom decision. The running man was being held hostage by his possessions. Roberta Flack sings a song, "Let Pharaoh Go." There is a reverse thought that grabs us. We think of Pharaoh as the one who can make the decision to liberate us. But so often the reverse is true. We are afraid to let go of the things that hold us. After all, wealth and possessions give identity and assurance in terms of the values of our culture.
When Jesus told the running man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, the man was shocked and the disciples were perplexed. Saint Francis took the words of Jesus literally and the world was made brighter by his decision. Jesus spoke this word to a specific person to shock him into an awareness of the fears that held him back. We can hear him telling all of us to cut the nerve of our dependencies.
A story currently in circulation tells of an Amish man who momentarily stopped his farming to watch a new neighbor move in. Among the many items that came out of the delivery van were a deluxe refrigerator with a built-in ice cube maker, a state-of-the-art stereo system with a compact disc drive, a remote control television with a VCR, and a whirlpool hot tub. The next day the new resident was welcomed by the Amish man and his wife, who brought a gift of homemade muffins and jam. After the usual greeting and conversation, the Amish man said, "If anything should go wrong with your appliances or equipment, don't hesitate to call me." "That's very generous of you," the newcomer said. "No problem," the Amish man replied, "I'll just tell you how to live without them."
In verses 28 through 31 Jesus tells the disciples and us what we do receive from following him: a new family, a cause to serve, risks to take and battles to fight, and eternal life. That's not a bad deal at all.
