Mark 16:1-8: the end that is still being written

How do we tell the Easter story, the story of Jesus’ resurrection?  The varied ways of telling the “greatest story ever told” are evident by the contrasting ways that the gospel writers tell us of the same event.  In Matthew, we read of an earthquake, terrified guards, and Jesus meeting the women after they leave the tomb.  In Luke, Peter is shown running to the tomb, disciples encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and then that same Jesus appears to a larger gathering of disciples.  When we read John’s gospel, we see a Thomas full of doubt, and Jesus meeting with the disciple by the seashore.  We place Mark’s gospel next to all of these, and we discover that we aren’t even sure where the gospel in fact ends.  The only common thread in all these various accounts is the visiting of the tomb by the women.    

Despite its brevity when compared to the other gospels, Mark’s resurrection story does teach us some important things- not only about Jesus, but about our faith as well.  First of all, the women who visit the tomb are seeking the crucified Jesus, rather than the resurrected Lord.  This is more than understandable, as they were there for Jesus crucifixion.  These three women all saw the death of Jesus (Mark 15:40), and the two Mary’s were there for Jesus burial (Mark 15:47).  Despite their confidence in what they have witnessed the young man, who is most assuredly an angel, instructs them that they are looking for Jesus in the wrong place.   His statement that Jesus “was crucified” has the ring of a Christian confession, as the crucifixion is now in the past.  More than that, the testimony continues beyond Jesus recently endured crucifixion, to state that “he has been raised.”  Jesus death been overcome by life, by resurrection, and it is God who has accomplished this, as is made clear by the fact that “has been raised” is cast in the passive. 

Where do we seek Jesus?  As important as the crucifixion is for us, for our redemption, it is firmly in the past.  The cross is important, even vital to our spiritual lives, but the power it possesses to shape us comes not from Jesus death, but from His resurrection.       

Of course, that power is only relevant if we believe the word about Jesus that we hear.  In the words of the author of Hebrews, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)  To that end, there is no dispute that the tomb was empty.  If Jesus’ body had remained in the tomb, stating that fact would have been the easiest and most logical way to undercut the power of the Christian message.  After all, as Paul would tell the Corinthians, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (I Corinthians 15:14)  In other words, if Christianity’s early opponents could discredit the resurrection, they would have all but discredited the entire faith.   And yet, with that being the case, in all the early Jewish polemic against Christianity, the empty tomb is never disputed, nor is Jesus’ body produced. 

The real thrust behind the news of Jesus resurrection is not just the indisputable fact that the tomb was empty.  The power lays in the fact that Jesus’ followers saw in this action, in Jesus’ resurrection, a fulfillment of what God had promised to do all along.  The prophet Hosea would foretell the event centuries earlier, when he said: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hosea 6:2)  Jesus himself hints at an interpretive lens through which we should we view both the crucifixion and the resurrection, when he says as he hangs on the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  By quoting the first verse of Psalm 22, a psalm that begins with such anguish and pain, he is pointing us forward to the end of the psalm, to an ending characterized by renewal, and even resurrection.    

Like the women, we are left with an empty tomb.  The question is, what will we do with it?  Will we believe that word of revelation that interprets the empty tomb, and infuses it with meaning? 

Embracing that word of revelation is more than a mental or intellectual exercise.  The women are told to go and tell the disciples and Peter, the news of the resurrection.  In short, they are to take the news to those who need to hear it the most.  Those who abandoned and even denied Jesus are rehabilitated.  The lack of closure in the gospel is intentional and draws us into the story, giving us the task of interpreting the rest of what has, and indeed what will happen.  In essence, the gospel tasks us with writing an end to the story through our own faithfulness.  D. English would write that “our first century forebears in the faith were not naturally superior (or inferior) to us.  Neither did faith and discipleship come any easier for them.  Yet despite all, they went on believing and laid the foundation for us.”  The question is, like them, will we embrace faith and discipleship in spite of the cost?  Will we build on the foundation laid by them, a foundation grounded in the blood of Jesus Christ, and the power of His resurrection?

Mark 15:33-47: the cross as prophecy and purpose

It’s impossible to add to the story of love written by Jesus upon the cross.  All we can do as mere mortals is to use that story to encourage one another.   Part of the encouragement comes in recognizing the role of the cross in God’s plan.  By discerning the role of the cross in salvation history, we can come to a proper understanding of its ability to shape our lives as disciples of Jesus. 

The first thing to note is that Jesus’ suffers in a scriptural way, to fulfill a scriptural purpose.  In other words, Jesus’ suffering is not something we read of for the first time in the gospels, in fact it is foretold in scripture long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  Psalm 22, a rich text rooted in Jewish scripture, is quoted five times in the Passion narrative of Jesus.   We see it as prophecy when v. 18, “they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots”, is fulfilled in Mark 15:24:

“And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.”

And again when v. 7, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads”, is fulfilled in Mark 15:29-30:

“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

We also see Psalm 22 cast as prayer, when Jesus uses the language of Jewish faith to exclaim in Mark 15:34 “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

We see our Lord not only fulfilling the prophecy of scripture, but also using scripture to pray.  In doing so, Jesus teaches us something very real about genuine faith.  In the words of Eduard Schweizer, “it is a radical expression of devotion to God which endures in every adverse experience- a devotion which continues to claim God as ‘my’ God and will not let him go although he can be experienced only as the Absent One who has forsaken the petitioner.” 

Jesus suffers in a scriptural way, to fulfill a scriptural purpose, which is no less than the reconciliation of all humanity to God.  We see this symbolized in a few ways, the first of which is the rending of the veil in the temple.  The only other time when the word “rent” is used in the gospel of Mark, describing something being torn open, is in 1:10 at Jesus’ baptism.  There the heavens are “rent”, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, and the Father speaks words of affirmation.  Just as the heavens were rent at his baptism, now the curtain in the Holy of Holies is rent at his death, rent from the top to the bottom, symbolizing not only divine initiative, but a renewed access to God through the atoning death of Jesus Christ.   In Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit descends to earth and takes on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ death, the Holy Spirit, God’s abiding presence leaves the temple, and is now capable of taking up residence in the human heart.  The other way we see this purpose symbolized, or announced, is through the proclamation of the centurion.  It is the centurion in charge of Jesus’ execution that proclaims him to be the Son of God.  Way back in the very first verse of the gospel, 1:1, Mark began with this declaration,” the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”   Now, on the cross, and through his sacrificial death, Jesus’ true identity is revealed to the world.  Not only is it revealed, but it is revealed through the lips of a Roman centurion, a soldier of the emperor who competes with Jesus for the world’s worship and adoration.  Imagine what it would mean for a Roman Christian to see in the story of the gospel, that even a soldier of Rome could come to knowledge of who Jesus is, and make the good confession that he is the Son of God.  We should not let the cross obscure our ability to recognize Jesus as the Son of God.  Jesus reigns, not despite his crucifixion, but because of it.  Perhaps Venatius Fortunatus put it best in his Passion Hymn when he declared, “God has reigned from a tree.” 

I probably haven’t told you anything you didn’t know, in pointing out that Jesus crucifixion was the fulfillment of prophecy found in scripture.  You probably also knew that Jesus crucifixion was for the purpose of our redemption.  While I haven’t told you anything new, I hope that I can at least encourage you to think about it in a new way.  You see, as I pointed out in the last blog post, the cross is as much about formation as it is forgiveness.  God forgives us of our past, because he has plans for our future, big plans.  Sadly though, the cross too often moves us to gratitude…but not discipleship.  As Thomas a Kempis would say in his book The Imitation of Christ, “Jesus hath now many lovers of his heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of his cross.”  Or, in words perhaps a little more relatable to our generation, Ben Witherington III would simply observe that, “some are more willing to wear the cross than bear the cross.”  We cannot love what the cross represents, while at the same time shying away from what it requires of us.  Don’t just give thanks for Jesus’ cross, take up your own.   

Mark 14:32-42: Praying for ourselves...and for others

It has often been said that character, or integrity, is what you do when no one is watching.  I would add that it also consists of what you do in life’s most difficult moments.  During the most pivotal moments of Jesus’ life, we see him in prayer.  In the midst of such adversity, Jesus includes those who thought they could handle it.  Peter, James, and John are brought with Jesus.  Peter because he has just boasted, and James and John because they said they were able to drink the cup that Jesus would drink (Mark 10:38-40).  We learn something valuable here.  Rather than reproach them, or list all the ways that they are unready for what lies ahead, Jesus allows experience to both teach and inform them as to their short-comings.  It’s trial-by-fire at one of humanity’s most crucial junctures.  Their failure to stay awake, even for an hour, reveals their inability and unpreparedness to deal with what Jesus is facing.   As at the Transfiguration the three are left speechless, something we can rarely say of Peter, who is always putting his foot in his mouth.   Jesus’ closest disciples are the ones who fail him.   The one praying is ready, while the ones who choose to sleep are found unprepared. 

It is the praying one, the one who is prepared, that serves as our constant example.  Even in the midst of his agony, even with the disappointment of being let down by those closest to him, Jesus’ concern is for others.  With everything else going on, Jesus comes three times to check on his disciples.  I have seen this same Christ-like spirit manifested in the various Christian communities of which I have been a part.  I have seen those confined to hospital beds ask about the family who just lost a loved one.  I have seen the woman who just lost her husband go visit the chronically-ill man whose time is coming to an end.  I’ve seen the grieving visit the suffering and the suffering pray for the grieving, each in a unique way demonstrating the attitude of Christ, who always showed more concern for others, than he showed for himself.  We even see it in life and death moments in the early church, as Stephen prays for those stoning him, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”  (Acts 7:60)  It sounds eerily similar to Jesus’ prayer on the cross, because it is from the heart of Christ that we learn to pray for others, even as we ourselves are in the midst of great suffering.  It is this selflessness that allows us to, like Christ, face our fate resolutely.  This resolution is expressed in this scene with the phrase, “get up.  Let us go to meet them.”  Jesus doesn’t run.  He doesn’t lay low hoping they can’t find them.  He goes to meet them.  He understands that in a powerful way, his misfortune will serve to enrich others.  The emphasis is made subtly in the original Greek when we read the phrase “see, my betrayer is at hand”.  The word for “at hand” is the same word Jesus uses to describe the in-breaking of the kingdom of God (1:15).  Judas is at hand, but he brings with him not betrayal and death, but the kingdom of God.  In the ultimate reversal of fortune, God is in the process of using death itself to bring about abundant, eternal life. 

Just as rebellion in one garden led to the victory of sin and death, faithfulness in another shall lead to redemption and eternal life.  

Mark 14:26-31: When our feelings outrun our faith

What happens when our feelings outrun our faith? 

At the conclusion of the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples would have sung a hymn.  During the course of singing the hymns that night- which would have been centered on Psalm 113-118, the traditional hymns sung at Passover- Jesus would have made several statements. 

He would have pledged to keep his vows in the presence of all the people:

“What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.

You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.

 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!”

-          Psalm 116:12-19

He would have called upon the Gentiles to join in the praise of God:

“Praise the Lord, all nations!  Extol him, all peoples!

For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!”

-          Psalm 117

And one of the last things he would have said would have been the following words:

 “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

-          Psalm 118:17

The boldness of the final statement is especially striking.  In that boldness, we see Jesus’ understanding that the events, events which seemed to have captured him, were really part of God’s plan for redemption.  He quotes from the prophet Zechariah, “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered…” (Zechariah 13:7), all the while knowing that the context of the passage is the forgiveness of Israel.  Back up to the beginning of Zechariah 13 and we read; “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” (Zechariah 13:1)  Jesus isn’t proof-texting, rather he’s showing that his own suffering is part and parcel with God’s plan to redeem mankind.  God’s agency in all these things is even communicated by a subtle change in the text itself, for while Zechariah reads “strike the shepherd”, in Mark Jesus says “I will strike the shepherd”, stressing God’s role in what is about to take place. 

Now that what Jesus is about to endure has become crystal clear, it’s a fair point to ask, “where are Peter, James, and John?”  What has happened to the ones who just a few chapters prior boldly proclaimed their willingness, and their ability, to go to hell and back with Jesus if need be.  While the other disciples remain silent, possibly pondering their fate if they remain with Jesus, Peter maintains his fervor in maintaining that he will show unswerving devotion to Jesus, even to the point of death.  Who among us hasn’t been in Peter’s shoes?  Caught up in the emotion of the moment, feeling that our commitment or character is being questioned, who among us hasn’t boldly proclaimed our feelings in powerful ways, only to realize that our mouth had written a check that our heart couldn’t cash.  So it is when our feelings outrun our faith.  It can be discouraging, and in some circumstance downright humiliating.  It’s hard to even see a bright side to the situation. 

And yet there is one.  There’s a bright side in the fact that God knows of our weaknesses, even if we haven’t realized them yet, and he loves us nonetheless.  In the words of Augustine:

“God knows in us even what we ourselves do not know in ourselves.  For Peter did not know his weakness when he heard from the Lord that he would deny him three times.”

– Augustine, Tractate on John

What God knew in Peter, he also knows in us.  He saw Peter’s enthusiasm, and knew that it often times set him up for failure.  He also saw Peter’s heart, and the potential for Peter to accomplish great things with a little help from the Holy Spirit.  If you find your mouth writing checks that your faith can’t cash, don’t write smaller checks, pray for a larger faith! 

Mark 14:12-25: a new covenant with an old story

What we see Jesus instituting in the middle of Mark 14 is a new covenant.  So many times we think of new and old as being antithetical.  However, while there is something distinctly new in this covenant, it is also rooted in something very old.  In fact, the context in which Jesus inaugurates this new covenant is in a celebration of the old one.  Jesus uses the celebration of God’s acting to deliver Israel in the past, to announce God’s deliverance of all mankind in the present. 

It was no accident that the Passover meal was the time chosen by Jesus to institute a reminder of the salvation wrought by God, for indeed that’s what the Passover meal already was.  The bread during a Passover meal would have been known as the “bread of affliction”.  It was a reminder of their former life in Egypt, and how they had to eat unleavened bread as they fled slavery.  Jesus takes familiar words, but then substitutes in “this is my body”, placing the emphasis not on the bread that we eat, but on his body which bore the price for our transgressions.   In his body, Jesus suffers the affliction that was meant for us.  In the Passover meal there are four cups: the cups of sanctification; judgment or deliverance; redemption; and praise or restoration.  It’s hard to say exactly which cup Jesus used to give us the memorial through which we remember his blood that was shed.  The most educated guess based on where it falls during the meal, would be the cup of redemption.  Why does Jesus use only one cup?  Maybe that particular cup carried the symbolism Jesus intended to convey.  Or, maybe his use of only one cup isn’t meant to symbolize just one of those four things; maybe the one cup is meant to symbolize the fact that Jesus is all of these things for us. 

He is our sanctification.

He is our deliverance from judgment.

He is our redemption.

He is our restoration, giving us reason to praise. 

Another way of stating this would be to say that Jesus is our Passover lamb.  The question has often been asked, if this is a Passover meal, where’s the lamb?  The main course of a Passover meal was the lamb, and yet in the account we have of the Last Supper, it is noticeably absent.  Of course that doesn’t mean they didn’t have one, perhaps they did and it simply isn’t mentioned.  Or again, perhaps there is a very good reason why it isn’t mentioned.  It’s possible that in the words of one commentator, “the lamb isn’t on the table, because the lamb is at the table.”  The words of John the Baptist ring true, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29) 

Beyond asking what this meal is about, we should also ask the question “who should we eat with?”  Is Communion, the Lord’s Supper only for the near-perfect?  Is it only the Christian with no struggles, no guilt, and no sinful past?  If those were the only one’s invited to the table, then the table would remain perpetually empty.  We all struggle, we all have guilt, and we all have sins in our past, and maybe even in the present to.  It’s important to note that Jesus eats with those who are about to betray, deny, and desert Him.  Could he have in mind the words of Psalm 23:5, “you prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies”?  Jesus knew what Judas was going to do, it says as much in the gospel of John.  Jesus predicts for us in the gospel Peter’s denial.  The others would also leave him standing alone in his hour of need.  And yet, there he is sitting with them; a traitor, one who is scared to even admit that he knows him, and others whose fear overcomes their faith.  It makes the petty differences I have with others seem a little less important.  It also shows how incomprehensible is the love of God.

Maybe you have betrayed Jesus.  Maybe you’ve denied Him.  At some point we all have.  As bad as that is and as guilty as we feel, the message of the gospel is that there is still room for us at the table.  Take comfort in the words of the final psalm they would have sung that night, “I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:17)  The table reminds us of the present deliverance of our gracious God, offered to us because of the past actions Jesus Christ.  The invitation of the table is to proclaim that new-found life, to acknowledge the deeds of the Lord, in the midst of a dying world.     

Mark 14:1-11: Honoring and Dishonoring Christ

Plotting, anointing, and betrayal, that’s how Mark 14 opens.  It is becoming obvious, even if this is your first reading of Mark’s gospel, that events are about to come to a head.  There is a question that lies behind the plot of these eleven verses though.  The plotting, the anointing, and the betrayal all took place at a point in history- a very significant one at that- and because of their part in that narrative, the deeds we read of here have won a type of immortality that even Jesus acknowledges (“And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her”).  However, beyond their importance historically, each of these figures also serves an important role as an example of how we can honor, or dishonor, Jesus Christ. 

Let’s start with the bad news.  Sometimes we dishonor Jesus.  Usually when that happens, it happens discreetly.  Few among us are bold enough to openly refute Jesus claims.  Even those who do usually try to soften the blow with acclaim for his teaching, despite their reservations about his identity as the Son of God.  Before we are too harsh in our judgment of the chief priests and scribes, we should ask ourselves if there haven’t been times in our life where we sought to throw off the seemingly burdensome yoke of Jesus lordship, albeit as quietly as possible, because we found it inconvenient.  Maybe you don’t find yourself in the “discreetly rejecting Jesus” category, but rather identify with the “outward worship, inward betrayal” model of Judas.  None of us would like to think we have anything in common with Judas, the arch-villain or arch-villains.  And yet, ask yourself again, are there times when the content of your heart fails to match the outward displays of worship others see.  The world may see raised hands, or the look of one quietly reflecting on the goodness of God, all the while the inner self contains a boiling cauldron of fear, doubt, disobedience, or hate.  Maybe neither of these describes you, and that’s good.  Even so, at some point we all of us fall into the third trap, the trap of self-aggrandizement.  In just a short while when Jesus announces his impending betrayal to his disciples around the table, they show more concern for exonerating themselves than what this means for Jesus.  How many of us are more concerned with looking or acting righteous, than how that righteousness can serve Christ? 

There are times, hopefully lots of times, when we honor Jesus.  One way we can honor him is through our actions.  Consider this woman, who anoints Jesus with costly nard, or perfume.  She could have used the money for herself, or used the perfume on herself, but instead she offers them as gifts to the Messiah.  The original Greek of verse 8, “she has done what she could…” deliberately mirrors the Greek of Mark 12:44, where Jesus comments on the largesse of the widow who gave the two coins.  Like that widow, the woman who anoints Jesus remains nameless to us, but nonetheless she is remembered because of her actions.  How much time do we spend trying to ensure that our names are remembered,  when we could be acting in ways that will make a lasting impact and be remembered, even if our name is not.

A few years back I was on a mission trip to New Orleans.  We were putting on a VBS for a church in a very impoverished neighborhood.  A few days into it, one of the other chaperones noticed that this one little boy kept showing up in the same clothes.  Deeply moved by the plight of this boy, this woman went to Old Navy that day and spent a substantial amount of money buying the kid several new outfits to wear.  Does that child remember the name of the woman who bought him the clothes a few years ago? Probably not.  But somewhere in the recesses of his mind is a tangible reminder, a memory that reflects the love of Christ.  Christ wasn’t discreetly rejected by my friend that day, nor was he outwardly worshipped while being inwardly betrayed.  Christ was honored.  He wasn’t honored in words or in a song, but with actions that embody his love.  How can you honor Christ today?  In a thousand different ways; it’s easier, and yet far more challenging than you ever imagined.  

Mark 13: No temple? No problem.

Mark 13 is one of those passages that preachers try to avoid.  Predictions, prophecy, apocalyptic sounding scenarios; few preachers relish having to explain it all.  The easiest thing to do is to avoid it altogether, but I would argue that even if we don’t totally “get it”, we can still learn some very valuable things from what Jesus says in this chapter of Mark’s gospel. 

First of all, the church’s true location is not the building where it meets, but Jesus Christ, and those who follow him as disciples.  By predicting the destruction of the temple, Jesus is showing that faith is about much more than a building.  It was a prediction that would cost Jesus dearly, as it comes up at his trial in 14:58 and at the cross 15:29 (where his words are distorted).  When he says “there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down”, it strikes a very unpatriotic claim.  And yet, when the Roman general and future emperor Titus burned the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, unfound reserves of gold melted and ran between the cracks, leading the Roman troops to literally pry the stones apart to get to the gold.  The destruction of the temple rocked Judaism to its core, to the extent that the temple was never again rebuilt.  It is true that the Jewish faith survived in synagogues across the Middle East, and even Europe.  But things were never the same.  Contrast this to the church, whose locus is not a geographical point on a map, or a sacred building.  Rather, the church finds its home in the person of Jesus Christ.  We always view buildings as being much longer lasting than individual people, however, when Jesus Christ defeated death, he provided for us a foundation for our faith that will last for eternity.  I preached this text on the 90^th anniversary of our church meeting at its current location in Glenmora.  We’ve spent those years in two different buildings, which have undergone renovations or additions.  We’ve even added a family activity center.  All of those buildings are great tools for ministry, but our celebration wasn’t about the church building, it was about the church.  It was to mark 90 years of the church assembling, of Christians assembling for worship, in one location.  Churches sometimes perish in fires, tornadoes, or hurricanes; sometimes they have to be torn down and replaced because of age or wear-and-tear, but so long as the church locates itself in the life of Jesus Christ, it has a home impervious to destruction. 

Secondly, the church will witness great calamities, and yet remains as a faithful witness to God’s mercy and grace.  Jesus words in this chapter are haunting and foreshadowing all at once:  “when they lead you away, handing you over.”  They are words that would have spoken to the experience of the first Christians to likely receive this gospel, the church in Rome.   Many of the calamities were man-made, a result of false messiahs and prophets:

“Anyone might make himself king as the head of a band of rebels who he fell in with, and then would press on to the destruction of the community, causing trouble to few Romans and then only to a small degree but bringing the greatest slaughter upon their own people.” – Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews

There would be wars, and rumors of wars.  Think again of the Christians in Rome, undergoing persecution and at the same time hearing rumors of the war in Judea, the birthplace of their faith.   Think of the struggle of churches to remain faithful in Nazi Germany, where speaking against the evils of the regime was fraught with danger.  Think of what some of our fellow Christians have witnessed, in wars fought around the globe. 

Some of the turmoil would be from “natural disasters”, earthquakes, famines, and the like.   Just a few years after this gospel was written, Pompeii was obliterated by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  I think of what churches in New Orleans and the surrounding area experienced with Katrina just a few years ago, as a city of hundreds of thousands was ravaged by incomprehensible forces of nature.  Think of what Christians in Japan endured with the earthquake, tsunami, and resulting destruction.  Yet despite all these things, the church remains.  In fact, it is usually the church that is found working in the midst of it all, to show mercy and compassion, testifying to the love of God, when there is very little hope for people to cling to.  Jesus was often found in the midst of illness, suffering, and death, and so the church that finds its home in him must locate itself there as well.   

Finally, the church’s mission is to set its eyes firmly on Jesus Christ, rather than the events of this world.  Jesus attempts to get his disciples to focus less on the things that will happen, and more on the one who will bring them about, the Son of Man.  The future will be determined less by signs on the earth, and more by signs in heaven.   One time in New England, a solar eclipse led to an uproar at the state house, where some assemblymen even moved to adjourn.  One man rose and said, “Mr. Speaker, if it is not the end of the world and we adjourn, we shall appear to be fools.  If it is the end of the world, I should choose to be found doing my duty.  I move you, sir, that candles be brought.”  His example is a good one.  What do we want to be found doing when Christ returns, spectating or working?  Make no mistake about it, when Jesus returns we won’t have to sit around and read the tea leaves to figure out what’s going on.   C.S. Lewis once said that when the author himself comes on the stage, the play is over.   In other words, when Jesus returns, it will be unmistakable.  Perhaps instead of lamenting the things taking place in the world around us, we should spend our time looking to the Son of Man, who has the ability to govern events both on the earth and in heaven.  Only then will we have the proper perspective to love in the midst of calamity, and go to the places most in need of God’s love. 

Mark 12:28-34: Two for the price of one

In our fast-paced world prioritizing is often, well, a priority.  We can’t do a million things, or pay attention to every little detail, but if we can narrow down our lists of concerns to just a few, we might have a shot at actually being productive, and feeling like we’re getting somewhere.  As much as we’d like to believe that our generation is unique in thinking that way, it’s not.  While parents didn’t have to worry about PTA meetings and baseball practice in Jesus’ day, simply working to put food on the table and a roof over one’s head took up a far greater proportion of their time.  That might have been why a scribe spoke up to ask “what is the greatest commandment?” 

With 613 laws in the Torah, it was only natural for people to want to prioritize.  With that many laws, it was entirely possible for paralysis by analysis to set in, so that one’s time could be entirely consumed just in trying to follow, or at the very least refrain from breaking, the rules.  Others had been asked this question before, and had given pretty decent answers.  Hillel the Elder would respond to a similar question saying, “What you yourself hate, do not do to your neighbor: this is the whole Law, the rest is commentary.  Go and learn it.”  His instruction is sometimes referred to as the “silver rule”, for reasons you probably already know.  While Hillel’s answer is good, it isn’t the best answer given.  The perfect answer I’m referring to comes from the one at whom the question is directed in our current context, Jesus of Nazareth.  And in fact it comes in the form of not one, but two answers.  Jesus weaves together two passages from the Torah, Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, to offer this divine synopsis of the Law:

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  - Mark 12:29-31   

The piling up of “heart, soul, mind, and strength” shows that we are to love God with our entire being.  While it’s not mentioned here, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus answers the follow-up question of “who is my neighbor?” by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, thus offering an illustration of the unbounded love that Jesus longs to see manifested in his creation. 

If you want to know what kind of impact Jesus’ teaching had on his first followers, consider the prominence of Jesus’ love commands in the church’s earliest teachings, given by the apostles themselves.  In his letter to the Romans Paul would write: 

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” – Romans 13:8-10

To the Galatians he would state the same truth more succinctly:

“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”   – Galatians 5:14

And this teaching wasn’t limited to the letters of Paul, as we see it propagated by James as well in his epistle:

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” – James 2:8

I can’t help but wonder if Jesus’ teachings about loving God and our neighbor still resonate the same way in the contemporary church?  It’s easy to love God, or so we think, because God is the one who redeemed us for all eternity.  But do we realize that if we implement our Lord’s instructions, that eternity can begin now?  I fear that the church has fallen asleep at the switch,  in many ways failing to realize that Jesus’ salvation is not just a future event, but that it can touch our lives even now if we care to listen to the words he speaks to us concerning how we ought to love others.  Did that scribe realize that he was receiving commentary from the very one who wrote the Law?  Probably not, but that didn’t stop him from seeing the wisdom and value of Jesus’ answer.  Considering that we know far more about Jesus than that scribe did, shouldn’t we value Jesus’ insight all the more?  

Mark 12:18-27: seeing the world through God's eyes

We all come to God conditioned to believe, or disbelieve certain things.  If we are honest with ourselves, usually we are coming to God not to grow or to be challenged, but to have our existing beliefs confirmed.  Before we are too harsh with the Sadducees concerning their failure to believe in the resurrection, perhaps we should examine ourselves and ask if we aren't also guilty of some degree of blindness when it comes to God's power to work in our world, even today.  This story brings us a word from God precisely because we find ourselves more often than not identifying more with the Sadducees than with Jesus. 

So, when we read that the Sadducees came to him, those Sadducees who do not believe that there is a resurrection, perhaps we should reserve our judgment.  Rather than shaking our heads at their disbelief, maybe this is a chance to ask what baggage we bring with us when we come before Jesus.  “That man came to Jesus, the one who thinks that others sins are worse than his own.”  “This woman came to the Lord, the one who refuses to believe that she can truly be forgiven.”  “A child came to Jesus, a child who cannot understand what it means to call God Father, because they’ve never had an earthly father love and care for them.”  We don’t just bring our ideas and our beliefs, we brings our experiences, our insecurities, our prejudices, and even our judgmental attitudes with us when we come to hear a word from the Lord.  They blind our eyes to the power of Jesus, and more often than not prevent us from being able to see the world through the lens of the gospel.  We cling to these beliefs and ideas, even constructing our faith around them, so that we spend most of our time trying to score intellectual points, rather than trying to transform our world.  The entire story made up by the Sadducees is concocted to try to disprove the resurrection.  They aren’t asking Jesus a question to find out the truth, the come thinking they know the truth, and are trying to force Jesus into agreeing with them

The Sadducees idea of resurrection was raising up an heir for a brother.  A man might not live on, but his name and reputation will live on through his children.  Jesus idea of resurrection is raising the dead themselves.  It sounds silly to us, as Christians we would never deny the resurrection.  And yet, as we profess God’s ability to raise the dead, at the same time we fail to believe that God can transform our lives, our communities, and even our world into the one he envisioned all along.  God does more, is doing more, than we could ever imagine.  Sadly, like the Sadducees, we fail to see it, or fail to believe it.   

Sounds pretty depressing doesn’t it?  It would be, except for the fact that even in our disbelief Jesus meets us where we are, and tries to build our faith.  The Sadducees only believed in the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, so Jesus pulls a passage from there that demonstrates the power of the resurrection.   “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6)  There is a small grammatical detail that is often overlooked, one that Jesus is quick to point out.  God says I am, not I was.   God is not regulated to the pages of history, a forgotten deity worshipped by those long dead and gone.  If we open our eyes, we will see in the world around us a God still active, still working, still worshipped by those alive, as well as by those who are dead but who will live again. 

That’s why it is important that we come to Christ, willing to be formed according to God’s truth, not our preconception.  Why?  Because God’s plans for us are often bigger, grander, and far more marvelous than we could ever imagine.  

 

Mark 12:13-17: image is everything

It isn’t surprising that on the heels of Jesus stinging critique of the religious leaders of his day that they would seek to discredit him in some way.  Immediately following Jesus re-telling of the parable of the tenants some Pharisees and Herodians show up attempting to snare him in a legal technicality.  In fact, the Greek word agreusosin is used only here in the New Testament, with its usage elsewhere referring to the snaring of animals.  The hunt is on, and Jesus is the prey being stalked by the religious elites of his day. 

Their flattery is designed to force him into answering the question they pose, and their desire for an answer is understandable.  It would seem that they have cleverly formulated a question that will put Jesus between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  If he says yes, that Jews should pay taxes to Caesar, he is a collaborator with the Roman.  If he says no, he is a revolutionary.  Jesus’ choice is to be so unpopular as to become irrelevant and thus of no threat to the establishment, or to become an insurrectionist and thus a marked enemy of the state.  It was six of one and half a dozen of the other for Jesus’ enemies, who saw the end result being the same, the neutralization of Jesus preaching and teaching. 

      

What those opponents weren’t banking on however, was the cleverness of Jesus’ response.  Indeed, Jesus responds is such a way that ultimately it is the Herodians and Pharisees that are trapped.  By asking for a denarius, Jesus is showing that he doesn’t carry money, or at least not Roman money.  By providing it, his accusers are showing that they carry and make use of Roman coinage.  Before even attempting to answer the question, Jesus has discredited those who asked it.   The coin would have been well-known because of its circulation in everyday use, as is witnessed by their recognition of the image of Caesar.  This is what the coin would have looked like: 

(Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University)

Jesus asks whose eikon, or image, is on the coin.  One side of the coin would have read “Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus”, while the other would have said pontifex maximus, referring to Caesar’s role as high priest of Rome.  Tiberius reigned from 14-37 AD.

So it’s the emperor’s image.  What does that mean for how Christians should respond to political authority?  Paul and Peter, two of the most prominent apostles and leaders of the early church, both instruct Christians to respect the governing authorities.  They understood that peace and political stability make for a good environment in which to preach the gospel.  Paul traveled from Ephesus, to Corinth, to Philippi, to Colossae, and eventually to Rome, on roads built and protected by the Romans.  As a citizen, he enjoyed certain protections.  In a sense, the Roman Empire was a tool that God would use to help spread Christianity.  And yet, Jesus is sure to differentiate between the emperor and God.  The emperor needs your money and your loyalty, so it can be used to maintain, and even expand his domains, his power.  God doesn’t need your money or your loyalty, but he desires your love.  Caesar claims the coins in your pocket because they bear his image, but God claims the person carrying those coins, because that’s what bears the divine image.  Perhaps we should learn something from Jesus here.  He isn’t interested in quibbling over money, wealth, or material possessions.  Instead, he makes a statement about what truly matters, relationships.  When Christ looks at us, he sees someone that bears the image of God, and he desperately wants us to recognize that image in ourselves, and return the love and devotion that he offers us continually.  

“Almighty God,

We come to you, thankful for the grace and the mercy that you continually extend to us.  Help us to examine ourselves, and to discern your image not in our appearance, but in our entire being.  Help us to understand the depth of your love for us, a love so deep that you would send even your own Son to not only call us to repentance, but to die for us as well.  May we return to you the love and devotion that you show toward us each and every day.

We ask this in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ,

Amen.”

Mark 12:1-12: Coming with a vengeance?

The entire purpose of the parable of the “wicked tenants” is to evoke a question in our minds.  How will God react to our rebelliousness?  At once, Jesus is able to drive home the realities of the current world, while using them to effectively underline the grace and mercy of a God whose patience seems endless at times.   The story is one familiar to Jesus’ Jewish audience.  In the parable of the wicked tenants, Jesus is making use of a story familiar to the Jews.  Found in a passage at the heart of Israel’s scripture is the proclamation of the great prophet Isaiah, who identifies Israel as God’s vineyard:

“Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.  What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?  And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.  For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”  - Isaiah 5:1-7

Such a story lay at the core of Israel’s national identity, such as it was in a 1^st century consisting of a Promised Land occupied by a pagan Roman army. 

So what motivates Jesus to share his re-telling of this piece of Israel’s prophetic tradition?  In order to understand the point Jesus’ is making, it’s helpful to note a subtle change that Jesus has made to the plot.  In Jesus’ version, it isn’t the vineyard itself that is being judged, but rather the tenants responsible for it.  Jesus is asserting not just that the “tenants” (read religious authorities) are guilty of mismanagement, but that they have actually rebelled and attempted to claim ownership themselves.  At this point it becomes easy, dangerously easy, to fall right in line with Jesus’ point, condemning the leadership that had so corrupted the religious life of a people.  And yet…can we really claim to be so dissimilar from the Pharisees of Jesus’ day that we so villainize?  If we honestly examine our own lives we see that we attempt, almost daily, to make ourselves the king or queen of our own little corner of the world we inhabit.  Despite our continual disobedience, despite the rebellion that characterizes our everyday lives, God continues to give us opportunity after opportunity to repent, to cease our rebellion against him and recognize his ultimate authority.  In the course of human history, God has repeatedly acted in an effort to bring us to our senses.  First he acted in the communal life of his people Israel.  As God would say through the prophet Jeremiah,  “From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day.” (Jeremiah 7:25)  However, Jeremiah would go on to indict his people, stating that “you have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever.  Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’  Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.” (Jeremiah 25:4-7)  As the ultimate act of patience, like the owner of the vineyard in Jesus’ parable, God sent his own Son.  The connection isn’t concrete, but is certainly implied, especially when we consider that this is the only occurrence of “beloved” in Mark’s gospel except for usages at Jesus’ baptism (1:11) and the transfiguration (9:7).  The Greek of the sentence “come, let us kill him” is a match to the Greek Old Testament version of Genesis 37:20, when Joseph’s brothers plot his murder, motivated by jealousy.  We can even go a step further and compare the reception of the vineyard owner’s son in the parable, to Jesus’ reception in history.   In the words of the author of Hebrews, “so Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” (Hebrews 13:12-13) 

As interesting as all this is, to me at least, it still leaves unanswered the question, what does this have to do with us?  We aren’t Israel, and we certainly aren’t the religious leadership of Jesus’ day.  While it is true we are often, if not continually in rebellion against God, how does this change any of that?  Jesus statement “what will the owner of the vineyard do?” mirrors the Greek in Isaiah 5:5, where God asks what he will do with his vineyard.  Rather than destroy it, God has decided to reclaim it, by vindicating the one the world has chosen to reject.  Jesus’ statement comes straight from the psalms:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” – Psalm 118:22-23

It’s a play on the fact that son in Hebrew, ben, sounds a lot like stone in Hebrew, eben.  The son has become the stone, and more than that, the cornerstone.  While such a view doesn’t entirely negate God’s judgment on the rebellious, it shows that more than vengeance God is interested in vindication.  This idea of what the gospel is, in a sense God’s universal reclamation project, is at the heart of Christian proclamation.  Peter shares it in one of his first sermons, speaking before the council, when he states, “this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4:11)  Paul, when writing to the Romans, quotes Isaiah 28:16, where the prophet delivers God’s words to Ephraim and Jerusalem, saying, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33)  In his first epistle Peter writes: “for it stands in scripture: ‘behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (I Peter 2:6-8)  Paul, when speaking of how we Christians are together a structure, a holy temple in the Lord, refers to “Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”  (Ephesians 2:20)  It is evident in the gospel of John that Jesus is aware of the role he will play, despite his rejection, because he tells his opponents that if they tear down this temple, in three days he will raise it up again.  Jesus has become the center of our worship, the way that we have access to God.  The cross, an instrument of torture, has been turned it into a symbol of the graciousness of God.  What began as rebellion has ended in reclamation and reconciliation.  We even see the hearts of rebellious individuals reclaimed, as they become part of the telling of the story of God’s gracious action.  Peter, the one who denied his Lord on that fateful night, and Paul, at first a persecutor of the church of God, would know something about God’s ability to reclaim hearts, reconciling them to him.  If we take just a moment to consider the magnitude and scope of this good news, this gospel, then the words of the psalm will indeed ring true, “it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Mark 11:27-33: Learning to take a stand

This short segment of Mark’s gospel reminds us that there is great truth in the old saying, if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything.   Perhaps it would be more accurate to interpret it slightly different in the context of this story and say that before we come to Jesus, we must be willing to acknowledge out current state, or situation.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders- the ones who would have been responsible for keeping order in Jerusalem- are acting like good politicians and refusing to take a stand.  They’ve weighed the risks associated with both positions, and decided to simply vote “present”, rather than yay or nay.  Showing himself to be far more clever, and yet also more righteous than any politician or public official, Jesus puts the authorities in the position of having to choose between acknowledging their mistake and keeping the support of the crowd, or sticking to their guns and losing the support of the crowd. 

So what is so important about how the authorities view John the Baptist, and why do they fear him?  Josephus helps us answer these questions with a comment he makes on John the Baptist’s ministry, in his book Antiquities of the Jews.  Josephus says, “When others too joined the crowds about him [John the Baptist], because they were aroused to the highest degree by his sermons, Herod became alarmed.  Eloquence that had so great an effect on humankind might lead to some form of sedition, for it looked as if they would be guided by John in everything that they did.”  The authorities see in John’s rhetoric a powerful subversive force; Jesus sees in it a proclamation of the gospel.  Like Herod before them, those in power in Jerusalem are motivated by their “fear of the people”.  They don’t consider the truth of John’s words, but rather their effect on the people.  Because Jesus sees John’s words as gospel proclamation, he sees their missions, his and John’s, as being intricately linked.  John the Baptist is introduced in Mark’s gospel with a direct quote from Malachi 3:1, “behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”  Mark doesn’t finish the verse when speaking of John, but we see in it the prediction of Jesus mission as was illustrated earlier in Mark 11, “and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”  Thus, John the Baptist and Jesus are tied together not only in Malachi, but in history, in the story of God’s work in our world.    

God calls us to not only accept the reality of his presence in the world; he calls us to ourselves participate in his story.  It’s worth looking at our own lives, and asking if we are like the religious leaders of Jesus day, so paralyzed by our concern for the opinions of others that we cannot take a stand.   

“Almighty God,

Help us to follow you in faith.  May our belief in you not be merely mental, but allow it to make itself known through our actions.  Embolden us to take a stand for your truth, for the good news of what you have done for us.  May we share the story of your love with all who are in need of your grace and your mercy.  We ask this in the name of your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Amen.”

Mark 11:15-19: When Jesus' comes to church...

We almost miss Jesus’ first visit to the Jerusalem temple.  It comes at the end of the story of his triumphal entry into the city.  “And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.  And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” (Mark 11:11)  How many people thought he was a sight-seer, or that the way he studied everything meant that he had never been there before.    Some wonder if Jesus’ actions are not like those of the angel, who toward the end of the book of Ezekiel is seen to be sizing up the temple for destruction and judgment. 

While Jesus’ first visit to the temple seems more like an episode of “Undercover Boss”, his second visit is far more eventful, coming on the heels of a curious episode involving a fig tree (which we will examine in the next post).  Jesus’ actions in the temple surely invoke in the witnesses a reminder of Malachi:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.  And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?  For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”              – Malachi 3:1-4

If Jesus has come to cleanse and refine the temple, and by extension the church, what is the crux of his message?  Does he come to lay out a more exacting moral standard, to remind them of what form of worship is acceptable, or to unveil a new “church growth” plan?  Interestingly enough, Jesus’ focus seems to be on none of the things we often wage internecine war over in our churches.  His focus is on reminding those around him of the temple’s true purpose. 

The authorities had set up vending booths inside the precincts of the temple as if the main reason for the temple’s existence was to make money.  These vendors weren’t there for convenience, as archeology has shown that there were several markets for exchange located on the Mount of Olives, making the temple market redundant.  More than likely the temple market was set up for the express purpose of competing with these local markets, since they fell under the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin rather than the chief priests.  The prophetic witness of those same chief priests warns against the temple becoming a commerical battleground.  The prophet Jeremiah asks the question, “has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?  Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 7:11)  The last part of the book of Zechariah states “and there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.”  (Zechariah 14:21)  It’s hard to imagine how the chief priests, those entrusted with the spiritual care of Israel, could be so blind to the warnings in their own scripture.  And yet, isn’t that what money does?  It diverts our eyes from what is truly important, from our purpose in this world. 

If the purpose of the temple wasn’t to make money, what was it?  The answer is probably fairly obvious, but its purpose was to be a house of prayer, a place where people commune with God.  We can go back to the founding of the temple to see its original intent:

“When Solomon is dedicating the temple, this is what he says: “Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.  And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place.  And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.”  – I Kings 8:28-30

And this house of prayer was not just for Israel, but for all nations.  Jesus angst was probably partially due to the fact that by making the court of the Gentiles a market, the authorities had taken away the one place where “the nations” could worship.  This flew in the face of God’s intention, and again, of Israel’s scriptures, as we see from this passage in Isaiah:

 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant- these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” – Isaiah 56:6-7

Israel had forgotten that its vocation was not to be the only people of God, but rather the first among many of God’s children.

Before we are too hard on Israel, maybe we should turn an introspective eye to the churches where we gather for worship each and every Sunday.   I wonder what Christ thinks when he enters our midst as a church.  Does he see us welcoming others who wish to worship God and glorify the name of the Lord, or does he see us throwing up barriers?  If we are honest with ourselves, it’s probably a little bit of both.  May the Lord continue to “come to church”, till we are refined, purified, and empowered to be the house of prayer for all nations that God has always desired.   

“Lord, help us to be a community that seeks to welcome in those whom you have drawn to yourself.  Let our presence in this community always be an encouragement to others, and never a barrier to their coming to you.  Amen.”