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Sunday, September 04, 2005
Rocks in the Road
8th in a series on Following Jesus through the Gospel of Mark
By Kyle Lewis
Mark 8
1 In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, 2 "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance." 4 His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" 5 He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." 6 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. 8 They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation." 13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." 16 They said to one another, "It is because we have no bread." 17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" They said to him, "Twelve." 20 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" And they said to him, "Seven." 21 Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" 22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?" 24 And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village." 27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 28 And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then he began to teach them that 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. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Several weeks ago I was riding my bike around Chatfield reservoir. I’ve ridden out to Chatfield before, but this was the first time for a trip all the way around the lake. Since I hadn’t followed the path before, I was a little unsure of where I was actually going. My starting point was the campground, I made it from there to the marina on the paved pathway with only one dead end into a fishing area of the lake. From the marina, I headed down a dirt road that ended with a steep path that took me up to the railroad bed and then over the dam on the east side. Down the hill and around to the swimming beach was a welcome coast, and also where the real fun began. Not wanting to just follow the road around, I found a paved path leading near the water’s edge. It quickly became an unpaved path, and then ended in the lake. Determining my options, I discovered a very narrow path that led off into the woods. The rest of my trip around the lake was defined by this unexpected ride of discovery. Throw in thigh high grass and bushes, tree limbs, mud pits, small tributaries to be forded, and lakeshore dead ends, and you can begin to paint for yourself the muddy, scratched, and weary explorer I became by the time I reached my beginning point.
While my adventure was not easy, and my near new bicycle was caked in a layer of mud at the conclusion – much like it’s rider - the journey was great! Obviously my lakefront path had been established in days when dryer weather allowed a more direct route, but there were many discoveries to be made along the way, and each enriched my experience.
This chapter of Mark was a challenge for me to assimilate into a cohesive message until I realized something about several distinct sections of the chapter. In those sections, there are people who are looking for the easy way…they want what they want, when they want it, without it costing them significantly. The disciples were mystified about how to feed the multitude…we’ve heard this story before, they would have much rather sent the people away to fend for themselves and not be bothered trying to deal with their hunger.
It’s hard to know what the Pharisees’ purpose was in asking for a sign. Some scholars say that they just wanted to know for sure whether Jesus was the Messiah. Others understand this as a challenge to expose Jesus as an agent of Satan able to conjure up all manners of signs with his demonic power. Whatever their motivation, the Pharisees were looking for an easy way to understand and categorize Jesus. The theme of wanting a simple answer is played out again in this story.
Jesus was frustrated with the disciple’s lack of understanding about the bread and the boat…we don’t know if they ever got anything to eat, but they seemed as mystified as Jesus was frustrated. Even the healing of the blind man in this passage was an involved process. It wasn’t about Jesus just touching him and his sight being fully restored, which we see in other accounts, but it took two steps for the man to be completely healed. The stories in this chapter of Mark do not have simple solutions.
It is the end of the chapter where Mark makes clear his interpretation of what it means to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is about being willing to take up your cross and do just that - follow him. It is about selflessly giving all that we are to the cause of Christ. This passage was written during a time in early Christendom when martyrdom was a regular experience for those who would not renounce their faith. Mark is addressing those who might consider abandoning Christianity in order to save their lives. He communicates in no uncertain terms that in saving their lives for the present time, they were, in fact, sacrificing their very soul.
It is not the easy road, but a much more challenging path that leads us to the Kingdom of God. It is perhaps those experiences of stumbling along the way that allows us to become the resilient people God is creating us to be. Throughout history, we see those whose lives have exhibited faithfulness to God not living in a comfort zone of plenty, but on the edges of life, relying on God – expecting God - to meet their needs and support their efforts to do great things for God.
Albert Einstein said, "A human being is a part of a whole…a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
I think Jesus provides us with a roadmap to the freedom Einstein describes. It is a place where we are challenged beyond the simple answers, where we are willing to discover a new path even if it means a few thorns, dead ends, and mud. The poem on the front of the bulletin – The Road Not Taken – came to mind as I was thinking about Mark 8 and our time together this morning. Take a look with me at the last stanza.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Somewhere down the road when you look back, what will you see? Which path are you being called to take? This morning, we heard Melanie talk with the children about the disaster we have watched unfold on the Gulf coast. How do you interpret Jesus’ example and apply it in that situation? In July, 20 people from St. Andrew spent a week in Arcadia, Florida working on homes damaged a year ago by two hurricanes. We were housed along with over 100 other volunteers in the First United Methodist Church of Arcadia. This church, with an annual budget that is less than 10% of ours has housed volunteers every week since two hurricanes hit there a year ago. Are there inconveniences for their ongoing ministries? I’m sure there are. They are choosing the road with bumps and rocks because it is what Christ has called them to do in their situation. You’ll find in your bulletin opportunities to respond as Christ is calling you – what will you do? What will we do as a congregation?
Several years ago, St. Andrew took a bold step out of the ordinary path of ministry with teens. That has resulted in LIFEspot, our outpost ministry near Arapahoe High School. Most churches are happy if they have a strong youth ministry for teens who are related to their own congregation, we chose a different path. If you had any involvement in this journey, you know there have certainly been rocks in the road to trip over. Today, we provide a ministry of presence to hundreds of youth each week because of this congregation’s faithfulness. As Jennifer Strimling reduces her hours to be the kind of new mother God is calling her to be, we are looking for a new director, and you can find more information about that in the bulletin announcements. We are also still learning what it means to be a part of a sustained ongoing ministry requiring volunteer leadership every day of the week. I want to invite those of you who are a part of the more than 200 people we have trained to join us in ministry on an ongoing basis so we can keep the center open all day every school day. A few hours every week or month from many of us will allow us to fulfill that purpose. I also want to invite those of you who have not been trained to consider doing so. You can sign up for training or to volunteer in the foyer as you leave this morning.
What are the other paths that God is calling us to as a community? What are the paths we are being called to as individuals?
- How do we respond to the war in Iraq and the people from our community serving there?
- Should we just grit our teeth and pay more for gas or find responsible ways we can conserve?
- What other people and needs in our culture do we need to recognize and respond to with God’s love?
Will we see these paths when they present themselves, or will Jesus be responding to us as he did to his disciples – “do you not yet understand?”
I am amazed by the giftedness of this congregation. God has blessed us immeasurably and our responsibility is to remember that to those whom much is given, much is required. A friend of mine echoes Jesus’ thoughts when he says that our faith cannot be just about a faith worth living for, but we need a faith worth giving our lives for. In Christ, I believe we find that faith. As we come together in “common union” to celebrate the Lord’s Supper this morning, I ask you to contemplate the path you are on. Are you following a road that allows you great views but keeps you insulated from the grime of life, or are you on a path strewn with rocks that provide possibilities for struggle, growth, and untold satisfaction? I want to be on the latter, too many times, I choose the former…what about you?