Tawa Baptist

Bart’s Story

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Reimagining Jesus’ healing of Bartimaeus:

Many years ago, in a city far, far away, there lived a man who could not see. The man’s name was Bart. Not the Bart of Simpson’s fame. Another Bart from another time.

Bart lived in the city of Jericho. Yes, the same Jericho you learned about in Sunday school. The Jericho whose walls collapsed after a seven-day siege. The Jericho whose only survivors were a prostitute named Rahab and her household.

Jericho wasn’t supposed to exist anymore, but Herod the Great rebuilt the city as a monument to his own ego. The new and improved Jericho was beautiful to look at. But that was no use to Bart, he couldn’t see any of it.

Jericho was not like Wellington. The weather was warmer and dryer for one thing. More than that, there was no safety net for people who were blind. There was no Ministry for Social Development, no disability allowance, and almost no Human Rights.  

This meant Bart was forced to beg for a living, alongside all the other people with disabilities. Bart was part of that 5% of the population at the bottom of the heap. Invisible. Expendable. Excluded.

Not being able to see and not being able to work, Bart had time to listen and think. He learned who to approach for bread by the tone in their voice. Bart took in the smells of the marketplace, like a seeing person took in light. He sensed when rain was coming.

He heard the laughter of children, the constant haggling of shop keepers, the laboured breathing of camels after a long journey,

the footsteps of women, heavy with jars of water from the well.

The chatter of a thousand mundane lives.  

Bart also heard the silence of those who ignored his presence. He couldn’t see them, but he understood their choice not to face him.

It was just too hard for many people. They had enough of their own worries without being confronted with his.

Refusal to acknowledge human need breeds its own kind of blindness. Look away often enough and you will stop seeing your neighbour.

Worse than that, you will forget who you are and why you are.

As a professional beggar, Bart was well aware of people’s reasons for not giving. Afterall, Bart had not always been blind. He could see it from both sides now, like that Joni Mitchell song.

Many people simply could not afford to give. Some wouldn’t give because they felt it encouraged laziness, as if being blind was a lifestyle choice. And others simply didn’t care.

For some, the blind and the lame were being punished by God. These fearful souls believed in karma, a lazy belief system. Their idea of God left no room for grace. No room for mystery.     

Bart also understood people’s reasons for choosing to give. Some were quietly appeasing their conscience for sins both real and imagined. While others gave loudly to make themselves look good.

But people are not all bad. There were a few in each day who gave with genuine compassion. And it was their compassion which helped keep Bart’s faith alive. A winsome touch often came when he least expected it. Compassion helped Bart to imagine what God looked like.

Some of his colleagues on the begging circuit were cynical when it came to God. Years of disappointment had corroded their capacity for trust. 

But that wasn’t Bart. His father had always warned him against self-pity. “You can’t change the past, but you can sometimes learn from it”, his dad used to say. “Don’t focus on what’s wrong with the world. Imagine God putting things right”.  

So that’s what Bart did. When one of his friends who couldn’t walk was trampled to death in a street riot, he imagined his friend walking tall in heaven.

Or when tax collectors stole from hard working families on the bread line, Bart imagined authorities who only collected what was fair. In this way, he saved himself the burden of resentment.   

From a young age Bart had heard the ancient predictions of a king who would come to the rescue of his people. This Messiah would be like king David of old, who had conquered his enemies and established peace. This king would be God’s answer, God’s way of putting things right.

Living on the fringes of Jericho as he did, where many travelers passed through, Bart was in a good position to hear news from all over the region.

For about three years now he had been over-hearing reports of a miracle worker. A man who caused the mute to speak, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. This man had even been known to raise people from the dead.

He spoke with authority and without fear of the religious establishment. And although he had never taken up arms against the Romans, the power of his words and deeds was conquering all manner of evil.

He had become a hero to the people and, much like king David, he travelled with a band of unlikely misfits. His name was Jesus.

Bart thought about that name. Jesus. In Hebrew, Jeshua. Which translates into English as Joshua. It means, ‘the Lord is salvation’ or more simply, ‘God saves’. Hmm. God saves.   

The Joshua of Old Testament times had been instrumental in the destruction of the first Jericho. What would Jesus, the second Joshua, do?

One day, Bart heard a noise in the distance. Bart was a bit like Radar from MASH in that way, hearing the choppers carrying wounded before anyone else. But this wasn’t the sound of choppers. This was more like a wedding procession.

Bart could hear the excitement in people’s voices and sensed the crowd growing as it went along. He asked those standing near what was happening and they told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by’.

Nazareth, a small town in the region of Galilee. Nazareth was not unlike Tawa in some ways. To those who live outside of Wellington, Tawa is the butt of a joke, made famous by a comedian who never lived in Tawa. But to those who do live here, Tawa is a real community.

Nazareth was similar, misunderstood. To those who lived in Jerusalem (just 15 miles from Jericho) Nazareth was a despised place, the butt of a joke. ‘Does anything good come from Nazareth?’ is what people used to say.

Jesus came from the wrong side of the tracks which, in a strange way, made him more trustworthy in Bart’s mind.

Bart knew the Kairos moment had come. Like witnessing a comet that only came round once in a lifetime, Bart had to act before the window of opportunity closed.

But how to get Jesus’ attention? He would have to use a click baity headline. Bart called out loudly, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’.

To call Jesus ‘son of David’ raised the stakes. No one had given Jesus the title ‘Son of David’ publicly before. Bart was essentially naming Jesus as the Messiah. God’s special king, chosen to lead and deliver his people.

It was revolutionary talk, bordering on treason.

The Roman empire was a dictatorship. Caesar didn’t take kindly to political rivals. Not that Jesus had any political aspirations. Far from it. But perception is reality and the empire needs to manage perception.   

Bart’s cry risked a riot.   

Many in the crowd tried to silence Bart. Perhaps they were afraid of the possibility of tear gas and water cannons. Or maybe they found Bart’s presence embarrassing. Beggars are a bad look. They bring property prices down and they make respectable people feel uncomfortable.

But the more they told Bart to keep quiet, the more Bart shouted,

‘Son of David, have mercy on me’. Bart would not be ignored.

If you had heard Bart that day, you would have been reminded of that Chumbawamba song, ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down’.

Years of insult, years of rejection, years of grieving and hoping beyond hope. Years of sheer frustration at his own powerlessness were finding expression in his heart’s cry: ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’.

And through the heat and the sweat and the dust and the cacophony of voices, Jesus did hear him.

Jesus didn’t especially like being called ‘Son of David’. It was true alright. He was the Son of David. He was the Messiah. But it was a truth prone to misunderstanding. The title ‘Son of David’, was a fuse waiting to be lit.

Jesus did not come as a warrior king, like David. Nor was he interested in compromising his loyalty to God in order to keep the peace like Solomon. Jesus was not like any king the world had ever known.

Jesus was unique, one of a kind, the real deal. 

In that moment, Jesus remembered something he had said in a sermon once. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’. To be pure in heart is to will one thing. This man, blind as he was, possessed an insight that those with 20/20 vision just didn’t have.

The man was asking for mercy. Not for power or prestige. Not for justice or revenge. Jesus knew that God, his father, did not ignore passionate, persistent prayer like this and so neither could he.

Jesus also knew that in responding to the man he was publicly accepting the title of Messiah. And he knew that pretty much everyone would misunderstand what that meant. But in a week or so it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Stopping traffic on the motorway, Jesus said to those standing near,

‘Call him’. The crowd grew still. What would Jesus do?

Like a radio finding the right frequency, the same voices that had just been trying to silence Bart, were now encouraging him. ‘Cheer up. On your feet. He’s calling you’.

Bart didn’t need to be told twice. Throwing his cloak aside he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. Bart’s cloak was his most valuable possession. It kept him warm at night and he spread it on the ground during the day for people to drop their coins on. Bart’s coat kept him alive.

Bart was prepared to leave everything to meet Jesus. It’s like Bob Dylan said, ‘When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose’. Bart had nothing to lose. Blessed are the poor for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.   

Jesus looked at Bart and saw in his face that the years had not been kind to him. Jesus saw him and understood his pain, his loneliness, the weariness of absorbing other people’s prejudice. And Jesus loved him. 

Jesus spoke to Bart saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’

How many times had Jesus uttered those words?

Just a day earlier Jesus had asked the same question of two of his disciples, James and John. They had wanted positions of power and prestige in his kingdom. They had come from privilege and didn’t know to ask for mercy.

Nevertheless, Jesus liked asking people that question. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The answer reveals so much.

Bart felt the weight of Jesus’ words, even though they were spoken softly. Bart was used to people tossing him a few coins or a piece of bread when he called for mercy. It often felt like they were paying him to be quiet.

But Jesus was different. Jesus made no assumptions about what Bart wanted. Nor did Jesus try to silence him. Instead, Jesus kept the conversation going, moving from the general to the specific.

Jesus was cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Challenging Bart to reveal his most intimate and sacred desire in front of hundreds of people. It takes real faith to be vulnerable like that.

Bart knew what he wanted. He would take the risk and ask for something big. Something for himself. Something that would last. Something that would set him free. Something that scared him. Something that would completely transform his life…

‘Rabbi, (Master, Teacher), I want to see’.

In asking for his sight, Bart knew he could never go back to his old life of begging. Bart knew he would need to start afresh, learn new skills, get a job, take responsibility and contribute.

He also knew that not everything he saw would be pleasant. Yes, there is beauty in the world, but there is also violence. Nevertheless, he was prepared to accept the challenge of living a more abundant life.

And Jesus, understanding the courage in Bart’s request, agreed to give him what he asked for. ‘Go, your faith has healed you’.

Faith is the conduit for life. We live by faith. If life is blood, then faith is the artery carrying the blood. If life is an electrical current, then faith is the cable carrying the power. If life is an underground stream, then faith is the well finding the water. If life is a piece of bread, then faith is eating the bread.  

Jesus is the source of life. The source of healing, forgiveness and intimacy with God. Find Jesus and you find life. Put your faith in Jesus, trust him in the core of your being, and you will tap into the source of eternal life.

As soon as Jesus spoke, Bart received his sight. He could see again.

And the first image to fill his mind was love, in the face of God’s Son.

As Bart looked into Jesus’ eyes, he saw what God intended for humanity.  

Although Jesus had released him from any obligation by saying, ‘Go’, Bart could not help but follow Jesus along the road to Jerusalem.

There was something attractive about Jesus. Something that drew people to him. ‘Something that has to be believed to be seen’. [1]

From the gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 46-52, we read…

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 

47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” 

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for Jesus, through whom we have life and friendship with you. Open our eyes to see Jesus at work in our lives and our neighbourhood. Help us to walk with the Spirit of Jesus, in humility and faith. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What would Bartimaeus’ life have been like as a blind man living in the first century? How would your life be different if you were blind?
  3. What does the name ‘Jesus’ mean? In what ways does Jesus fulfil the meaning of his name for Bartimaeus? In what ways does Jesus fulfil the meaning of his name for you?  
  4. In what ways does blind Bartimaeus show greater spiritual insight / vision than most of the seeing people around him? Who is Jesus to you? What is your perception / expectation of Jesus?
  5. Why does Bartimaeus call Jesus, ‘Son of David’? What does this title mean? How would the Jews of the first century have (mis)understood this title?
  6. Compare and contrast Bartimaeus’ request with the request of James and John (in Mark 10:37). Why does Jesus give Bartimaeus what he asked for?
  7. What do you want Jesus to do for you? What do you think Jesus might say or do in response to your request? How would your life be different?

[1] This sentence was inspired by a line in a song by U2. 

Tawa Baptist

Blind Ambition

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45

Video Link: https://youtu.be/zEJ2DkZTFQQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus’ humility (v. the disciples’ ambition)
  • Jesus’ vision (v. the disciples’ blindness)
  • Jesus’ redemption (v. the disciples’ anger)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

It’s October, which means some students will be sitting exams soon.

One method for exam revision is the 1-2-3-7 technique. That is, after your first read through, revise what you want to remember the very next day and then the day after that and then again on the seventh day.

Some people say you should re-read again 21 days after the first read, but if you are sitting exams two weeks from now you, you won’t have time. The point is you cannot expect to remember something you’ve only read once. Repetition is key to learning.    

Today we continue our series in the gospel of Mark based on the lectionary readings. This Sunday’s Scripture is Mark chapter 10, verses 35-45. If you have been following this series, then some of what you are about to hear will sound familiar. This is because it’s the third time that Jesus has said it.

Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand what he was saying the first time, so he kept repeating himself. But, with each repetition, Jesus adds a little more information and so this sermon is not a repeat. From Mark 10, verse 35, we read…

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In this passage we see the contrast between Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus’ humility stands apart from the disciples’ ambition.

Jesus’ vision sees beyond the disciples’ blindness.

And Jesus’ redemption shines like a star against the darkness of the disciples’ anger. First, let’s consider the contrast between Jesus’ humility and the disciples’ ambition.

Jesus’ humility (v. the disciples’ ambition)

Thomas Merton, the 20th Century Trappist monk, once wrote…

When ambition ends, happiness begins.

Merton is saying that when we let go of our relentless drive for success and achievement, we can find true contentment and fulfilment.

Ambition is the desire and determination to achieve something. Wanting to achieve something is not necessarily bad in itself, unless it comes at the expense of our well-being and relationships. If ambition is left unchecked, it tends to lead to things like envy and arrogance, anger and greed. Ambition is a hunger that is never satisfied.    

The brothers James and John had ambitions. James and John were the sons of Zebedee, a local fisherman. From what we can piece together it appears James and John came from a moderately wealthy family who were well-connected.

Their father Zebedee owned several fishing boats and employed servants.

Also, James and John may have had a family connection with the household of the high priest.

For James and John to walk away from a successful family business to follow a travelling rabbi, who often criticized the religious establishment, was no small thing. James and John had given up a lot to become disciples of Jesus.

Maybe this was in the back of their mind when they said to Jesus, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask’.

This request is the opposite of winsome. This request is a bit insensitive in fact, given how it follows hard on the heels of Jesus’ third passion prediction. Jesus had just been telling his disciples (in verses 32-34) how he will be mocked, spat on, flogged and killed before rising three days later.

Somehow this doesn’t register with James and John. Jesus is their teacher.

He is their boss, and he is soon to suffer terribly, yet they want to tell Jesus what to do. That is ambition speaking. 

But listen to the way Jesus handles their request. There is a grace and humility in Jesus’ response that is truly beautiful. Jesus does not get angry with James and John. He doesn’t yell at them or cast them into outer darkness. Jesus takes the posture of a servant. He listens.

‘What do you want me to do for you’, Jesus asks. That’s a listening question. That’s something a servant says. 

And James and John reply…

“Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

There it is. Naked ambition. James and John know that Jesus is a king. To sit at the right and left of a king is to occupy positions of power and prestige. It’s like saying, we want to be second and third in charge of your kingdom.

Although James and John’s ambition (to be in charge) looks quite ugly in many respects, we should not judge them too harshly. Each of us has a bit of James and John in us. None of us are immune from selfish ambition.

Looking at James and John in a more positive light, we note the strength of their faith and hope in Jesus. As I said before, James and John gave up a lot to follow Jesus. Their ambition may have been misguided but they have a confidence in Jesus which is quite inspiring.  

Jesus had just been describing how he would be rejected, mocked and killed. To the disciples this might have sounded like Jesus was a bit discouraged or plagued with self-doubt. Perhaps James and John’s request was their way of saying to Jesus, ‘we believe in you, even if you don’t quite believe in yourself’.  

But Jesus is not plagued with self-doubt. Jesus sees what the disciples can’t see. Jesus sees the cross before him.

Jesus came as a humble servant, but he is primarily a servant of the living God, the Lord Almighty, God of heaven and earth. Jesus does not take his orders from James and John or any other human being. Jesus takes his orders from God the Father. Jesus’ sole ambition is to love and obey God.

Humility does not mean saying ‘yes’ to every request. Humility is about having your feet on the ground. To be humble is to maintain an accurate estimation of yourself, remembering who you are and who you serve. Not being carried away by ambition but holding on to yourself. 

Jesus’ vision (vs. the disciples’ blindness)

Jesus has the humility to know that it’s not his call who gets to sit on his left or right, much less James and John’s call. Jesus will not usurp God’s authority. And so, Jesus declines their request saying…

38 “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

James and John answer with confidence saying, “We can”.

Their ambition has blinded them. Jesus has just said, “You don’t know what you are asking…”, but James and John are not listening, they act as if they know better than Jesus.

You have probably seen the drawing of the old woman which, depending on how you look at it, is also a drawing of a young woman. Some people can only see the old woman and some can only see the young woman. Then there are those who can see both.

When Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup he is about to drink and be baptized with the baptism he is about to be baptized with, James and John misunderstand Jesus’ meaning. They can only see the young woman.

In the Old Testament, the cup had two meanings. Sometimes the cup referred to joy and abundance of good things, like in the 23rd Psalm where we read…

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life…

Other times though, the cup is a symbol of God’s judgement and wrath, like in the book of Jeremiah where the Lord says…

Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink…

When James and John hear Jesus talking about drinking from his cup, they probably think Psalm 23, joy and abundance, dining at the king’s table.

But this is not what Jesus has in mind. Jesus is thinking about the cup of God’s wrath that he will drink in going to the cross.

Likewise, the image of baptism had two meanings in the first century.

When Jesus talks about baptism in Mark 10, he is not referring to the ritual of baptism that we are familiar with.

Baptism in this context is a metaphor for being overwhelmed or submerged under water, like with Noah’s flood or when the Egyptian army were drowned in the Red Sea or when the Psalmist in distress says, Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me…

For first century Jews though, baptism was also an image of cleansing and renewal. So, when James and John hear Jesus talking about his baptism, they probably think Jesus is referring to God’s destruction of their enemies and the renewal of Israel. They want some of that.

But Jesus has a different understanding of baptism in mind here. Jesus is contemplating the overwhelming suffering he will soon experience in going to the cross.     

Jesus can see the blindness of James and John, but he doesn’t humiliate them. Jesus’ vision sees beyond the disciples’ blindness. The Lord goes on to tell James and John…   

“You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with…”

In fact, James and John were witnesses to Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. More than that, James was among the first of the apostles to be killed for his testimony about Jesus. In Acts 12, we read how Herod had James put to death by the sword.

John was not murdered, as far as we know, but he did suffer in his witness for Jesus. John survived a series of state-sponsored persecutions of the early church and was eventually sent into exile on the island of Patmos.

The disciples’ experience speaks to our experience. When we first become believers, we don’t know what lies ahead for us in our journey of faith. We are blind, feeling our way like newborn puppies.

There is often an initial joy when we first accept Jesus. But there are also times of desolation along the way, when we feel alone and abandoned by God.

To follow Jesus is to drink from his cup and share in his baptism.

Sometimes, like the first disciples, we will get it wrong. We will misunderstand, we will fail and wonder how we might move forward. But Jesus understands. Jesus forgives and Jesus provides a way for us. Despite the disciples’ misplaced ambition and initial blindness, Jesus was still able to use them, and he is still able to use us.

Although James and John did indeed share in Christ’s sufferings, that did not automatically entitle them to call dibs on the best seats in God’s kingdom.

As Jesus said: ‘To sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’  

If Jesus had in mind the cross, then the ‘places’ in view here were allotted to two criminals. One was crucified on Jesus’ left and the other on his right. Ambition had blinded James and John, so they did not know what they were asking.

We have heard about Jesus’ humility in contrast to the disciples’ ambition.

And we’ve heard how Jesus’ vision sees beyond the disciples’ blindness.

Now let’s consider Jesus’ redemption in the face of the disciples’ anger.  

Jesus’ redemption (v. the disciples’ anger)

There are basically two main ways to define greatness. Top down or bottom up. The top-down definition of greatness asks, how many people can I get to serve me? While the bottom-up definition asks, how many people can I serve?

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, once said, “The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender”.

I believe it is true for women as well. Perhaps what Booth meant here was the more a person surrenders their life to God’s purpose, the more people they will help. William Booth thought of greatness in terms of obedience to God and service to others.

James and John’s ambition, their drive for success and achievement, threatened their relationships with the other disciples. In verse 41, we read how the 10 became indignant with James and John.

The word indignant means angry, but it’s a particular kind of angry. The other 10 disciples were angry with James and John because they felt James and John had behaved in a way that was unworthy or unfair.

By asking for top positions in Jesus’ administration, James and John were implicitly saying to the other 10 disciples, ‘we are better than you’. The other 10 disciples didn’t share James and John’s opinion. The other disciples’ indignation reveals they thought James and John were not worthy of sitting at Jesus’ left and right.

No one, it seems, was too bothered about how Jesus might be feeling, even though Jesus had just described in detail how he was going to suffer.       

Jesus is not indignant. Jesus does not take umbrage. Jesus sees a teachable moment, an opportunity for redeeming the disciples’ relationships. Jesus sets the disciples’ free from their ambition and their anger, saying…

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

This is the part that sounds familiar. Most people in the first century defined greatness in terms of how many people I can get to serve me. Jesus flips this on its head. Jesus redefines greatness as how many people I can serve.

Jesus goes on to use himself as an example saying, in verse 45…

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In the Jewish imagination, the Son of Man was a great figure, one of the greatest. But the thing that makes the Son of Man great is his service to others.

Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus is trying to tell his disciples that he came to die in order that others might live. That is one of the main ways Jesus continues to serve humanity.

Much ink has been spilt over what Jesus meant by giving his life as a ransom.

In the first century, if you wanted to set someone free from slavery or prison, you did so by paying a large amount of money. The ransom payment redeemed the person’s life, allowing them to go free and start afresh.

Some people over the centuries have asked the question, “If Jesus’ life was the cost of the ransom, then who was paid?” Well, that sort of question misses the point. No one was paid. Jesus is speaking metaphorically here.

Like when someone says, ‘grief is the price we pay for love’. No one receives a payment. Grief isn’t like money. The expression simply means, love costs you. Our redemption cost Jesus his life. Our freedom cost God his Son.

Conclusion:

Let me finish with a story. This is a true story. On Sunday, 16 August 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed shortly after taking off from Detroit Airport, killing 154 people on board and two people on the ground. Only one passenger survived, a four-year old girl named Cecelia.

Cecelia survived because, as the plane was falling, Cecelia’s mother, Paula, unbuckled her own seatbelt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter and shielded Cecelia with her body. Paula gave her life as a ransom for her daughter. She saved Cecelia.

Nothing could separate Cecelia from her mother’s love – not tragedy or disaster, not the fall or the flames, not height nor depth, nor life nor death. Such is Jesus’ love for us. He left heaven, became a servant for us and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body that we might live. [1]

Jesus’ sacrifice calls for a response from us. What will you do with the freedom Jesus bought you?

Let us pray…

Loving God, we thank you for Jesus who redeems our life and shows us the way. Set us free from misplaced ambition, blindness and anger. Help us to walk humbly with you. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Why does Jesus keep repeating the same message to his disciples? (That is, about his suffering, death and resurrection and about service.) What faith lessons keep being repeated in your life?
  3. Discuss / reflect on Thomas Merton’s words, “When ambition ends, happiness begins”. What does Merton mean by this? Do you agree? When is ambition good? When does ambition become harmful? What was Jesus’ ambition? What is your ambition?
  4. What did Jesus mean when he talked about the cup and baptism, in verse 38? How did James and John (mis)understand Jesus’ words? What realities has God opened your eyes to, since becoming a Christian?   
  5. How does Jesus define greatness? How do you define greatness? Who serves you? Who do you serve? 
  6. Why did the other 10 disciples become indignant (angry) with James and John? What does their anger reveal about them? What makes you feel indignant?
  7. What did Jesus mean when he said, the Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many? What freedoms do you enjoy because of Jesus? What will you do with the freedom Jesus bought you?

[1] Refer J. John and Mark Stibbe’s book, ‘A Box of Delights’, page 173.

Tawa Baptist

God’s Law – by Ewan Stewart

Scriptures: Luke 10:25-37, Genesis 12:1-3, Micah 6:6-8, Jer 31:31-34, Mark 12:28-33

Sermon Outline:

The coming of law

Abraham’s call – whole world to be blessed

The laws of Moses – focused on the Nation of Israel, yet often broken

Jesus and the greatest commandment

Jesus’ call on other commandments

Who is my neighbour?

The significance of the Samaritan

Who is YOUR neighbour?

Introduction:

At the time of Jesus, Jewish religious authorities were pre-occupied with enforcing “the law” as written in their scriptures.  As far as they were concerned, these laws were God’s law and any who failed to obey their interpretation of those laws were sinners.  They were not particularly concerned about those who were not Jews as long as they did not interfere with Jewish religious customs.  The nation was inward focused. 

Jesus had quite a bit to say about their ideas and attitudes to the law.  Are their interpretations and the underlying laws important to us?  Should we seek to obey those laws, as Christians?  What is important about the law anyway?

The coming of the law:

We are all familiar today with the idea of a legal code, the law.  However, prior to about 2000BC we don’t know of any written legal code in the world.  The law then was anything the powerful said and could change at any time. 

How then should we regard the law today? 

What is God’s law for us?

The oldest detailed legal code we know of was that of Hammurabi who ruled Babylon from about 1792 to 1750 BC, which is believed to have been shortly after the time of Abraham. Hammurabi’s law was inscribed on a stela in Babylon’s temple of Marduk and can be read today. Hammurabi’s Code was once considered the oldest written law in human history, though older, shorter law collections have since been found.

Those man-made laws were important steps for humankind and allowed people to know what the authorities expected of them.  However, God wants us to apply His law to our everyday lives.  We need to recognise the difference between God’s law and human law.

Mankind has always found it difficult to be obedient to any law, and the idea of God’s law makes it no easier.  Our bible tells the story of how God gave his law to humankind and made it possible for Him to forgive us when his law is broken.  This story begins with Abraham.

Abraham’s call – whole world to be blessed:

When God chose Abraham, when he was still named Abram, he told him (Genesis 12:1-3):

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

2     “I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3     I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

This promise was made on the condition that Abram left his native country and followed God’s advice.  Through it, God intended Abram would be renamed Abraham and be the source of blessing to all peoples on earth.  When the descendants of Abraham, the nation of Israel, later came into being, it was not to be an exclusive privileged nation.  It was to bring blessings to all peoples on earth. 

The laws of Moses – focused on the Nation of Israel, yet often broken:

In Egypt, those descendants of Abraham became the nation of Israel, and were led out of Egypt by Moses.  God gave the nation a detailed legal code through Moses, and this became the base for Jewish law at the time of Jesus.  A part of that legal code is directly attributed to God, through what we know as the ten commandments. 

The laws established by Moses were to:

1.        Establish God as the leader, guide and ruler of the nation of Israel

2.        Make them a separate nation from the rest of the world

3.        Make them an example the world could look up to as promised when God called Abraham

4.        Organise Israel as a nation

5.        Define codes of behaviour that would help Israel live in harmony

Israel gave only patchy obedience to their law over the centuries, and God punished the nation many times for its lapses.  They rarely ever considered that they were God’s example for the world or that through them, God would bless all peoples of the earth. 

By Jesus’ day, Israel had been reduced to Judah, and we know them as Jews.

God used the prophets to try and get Israel to obey the law.  Long before Jesus, the prophet Micah (around 700BC) gave one of the clearest expressions of God’s feelings about Israel’s failings.  This is what he said:

Micah 6:6-8

6     With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7     Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8     He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Then, about 100 years after Micah, Jeremiah gave God’s solution to Israel’s weaknesses, which we have seen fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31         “The time is coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

32   It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them,”

declares the Lord.

33   “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel

after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34   No longer will a man teach his neighbor,

or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,”

declares the Lord.

“For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”

Jesus and the greatest commandment (Jesus’ call on other commandments)

We understand that Jesus was the source of this new covenant, and that this covenant was for all who believe, not just Israel.  With the coming of Jesus, the need for an inflexible written form of God’s law as expressed by Jewish legal experts was over.  Laws intended to distinguish Israel from the rest of mankind would cease to be relevant when God sought to bring all humankind to himself. 

God’s law would be written on the hearts of His followers, and the promise made to Abraham could be fulfilled.  All peoples on earth would then be blessed through Abraham.  God’s law written on the hearts of His followers would keep their spirit in harmony with Him.  The time of a physical nation of God was past, and his law had a new focus:

1.        Establish God as the leader, guide and ruler of God’s people

2.        Define codes of behaviour that would help God’s people live in harmony

Clearly this meant the old written Jewish law was superseded through this new covenant. 

In his teaching, Jesus made a number of comments that gave examples of where the old written code was no longer relevant.  Mark 7 records Jesus saying that all food is spiritually clean, and in Mark 2, he commented that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  This implied that laws that were over interpreted could defeat their own purpose.

More specifically, Jesus took an opportunity to summarise God’s law.  In Mark 12, we find the following incident:

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

The response to these two commandments was interesting because although the command to “love God” was clearly the foundation of Israel’s relationship with God, “love your neighbour” is only found once in the law given through Moses (Leviticus 19:18).  Yet another Jewish teacher has agreed with Jesus about its significance.  God’s law can be seen as the law of love.

Who is my neighbour? (The significance of the Samaritan)

A very similar incident was described by Luke (in Luke 10), that took this a step further, where its significance is made more obvious.  This is the familiar story of the “good Samaritan”.

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

In this version of the story, we have one of the most important questions in the New Testament – “who is my neighbour?”.  We under-estimate the impact of this story today, yet it is pivotal to our relationship to God. 

In Jesus’ day, the Samaritans were the most extreme of all groups possible for Jesus to use for his illustration.  They claimed descent from Abraham and practiced a form of religion that in some regards was closer to the Jewish ideal than the Jews practiced themselves.  The Jews hated the Samaritans more than any other group.  Yet the story had a Samaritan hero.  This must have been hard to swallow.  In Jesus’ day, Jews would only have looked to other Jews as neighbours.

If we wish to consider “who is my neighbour” in modern terms, we tend to under-estimate the significance of Jesus’ illustration.  Today, here in New Zealand, we do not have any group that society could look on as the equivalent of the Samaritans.  Perhaps we might consider bikie gangs, or Islamists, but fortunately we do not have any group that is so universally hated as the Jews hated the Samaritans in Jesus’ day.  Elsewhere in the world we see groups who do not consider themselves neighbours.  The classic illustration, particularly today, is Israel and the Palestinians.

Even the church has demonstrated an inability to recognise neighbours over the centuries, ranging from the crusades to modern day sects that refuse to associate with other groups.

Jesus however was being consistent, and other Jewish teachers of his day agreed with him, at least in theory.  Their only problem was the question of “who is my neighbour”. 

In the sermon on the mount recorded by Matthew, Jesus took the idea even further, when he taught that we should “love our enemies” (Matt 5:43).  Even your enemy could be a neighbour.

Then, if we were to look at the laws of Moses in our bible again, we can see that “love God” and “love your neighbour as yourself” covers all of them.  When we accept Jesus into our heart, God writes his law of love in our heart.  With those commandments to love written on our hearts, we do not need the detailed list of things we should not do.

In our modern world, even our traffic laws can be recognised as helping us show love to our neighbour.  After all, driving on the wrong side of the road hardly shows love for our neighbour!

Who is YOUR neighbour?

With Jesus’ teaching in mind, I ask myself: Who is my neighbour?  Jesus tells me that anyone who is in need is my neighbour, even someone I hate, even my enemy.  Can I love my neighbour that much?  Do I follow the law written on my heart?  Even with God’s law written on our hearts, we still find it hard to obey it.

It is comforting to read Paul’s comment on the law.  He looked at how we should deal with the results of failing to keep the law.  He expressed the difficulty of obeying the law very clearly, in his letter to the Romans (Rom 3:23) when he said, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

This highlights the impossibility of full compliance with God’s law.  However, our failings do not exempt us from a requirement to try, even if we sometimes fail to keep God’s law.  Paul went on to say that we are justified by the grace of God through the redemption that came by Jesus, so we do have a path to God beyond failure to keep his law. 

Jesus is God’s answer to the limitation of human nature.  Through Jesus, God’s spirit can be in our heart and teach us the law of love.  If we fail to obey that law, God is gracious and loving, and is able to forgive our failures because Jesus, his son, died that we might be forgiven.

Loving your neighbour is not easy, but through Jesus, with God’s spirit in our hearts, we have God’s help and God’s forgiveness for when we are weak. 

Who is YOUR neighbour?  Is there someone you could help but find it hard to be a neighbour to?

Let us pray:

Our Father, you have written your law of love on our hearts.  We know you require us to love you and love our neighbour.  We find it hard to obey your law, and we want to limit our understanding of neighbour to people we are comfortable with.  Please help us to recognise that our neighbour is anyone we encounter who is in need.  Thank you for the love that sent your Son to us so that you are able to forgive us when we cannot keep your law. Amen.

Tawa Baptist

Self Care – by Murray Lucas

Scripture: Mark 12:30-31

Sermon by Murray Lucas on Self Care

When asked, what is the greatest life commandment, Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark…

‘So love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy’. And ‘Love others as well as you love yourself’. There is no other commandment that ranks with these.

There are three requests Jesus made that are contained in this commandment.  The first is Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is love others and the third is love yourself.  These three injunctions cannot be separated but each must be viewed in the light of the other two requests. For example, you cannot love God and others effectively if you do not love yourself.

In this message I will be focusing on the third request to love yourself. It is about self-care and this means to value myself as my heavenly Father values me. Self-care honours God through nurturing the body, mind and spirit with their limits and desires. As Will mentioned a fortnight ago it means being honest with yourself.

For some of us, myself included, loving ourselves seemed unbiblical. There is an acronym , JOY that went like this: Jesus first, others second and yourself last. There is some truth in this saying but it can easily be changed into a twisted theology about human worthlessness. 

Human beings are never worthless. To quote Adele Calhoun, God gave his dearest and only Son to love human beings, beings he treasures and adores. One of the greatest treasures we have next to Jesus is our own selves. We are gifts of God. His Spirit lives in us.  We are invited to receive the divine love that takes residence in our bodies. We are to take it in and let it form us into a place of prayer.

The Psalmist wrote “Thank-you High God – you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration – What a creation!” The apostle Paul wrote to the people of Corinth “You realize don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you”.

God’s love within us gives birth to more love: love of God, love of others and love of ourselves. Love is a quality of God that grows within us, enlarging our hearts and increasing our capacity. Self-love is not about self-centeredness. It is about caring for the body the Holy Spirit inhabits.

Paul reminds us in Romans 12 to present our bodies as an act of spiritual worship.

A Quaker writer Parker Palmer writes “Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.

The products of self-care are that we value ourselves as Jesus values us. We have a proper view of ourselves and are comfortable in our own skin. We live within limits without burnout and we practice self-awareness rather than self-absorption. We should have a deepening awareness of God’s love for us and ultimately have freedom from addictions that can destroy our health and relationships.

Having defined self-care and outlined some of the fruit of self-care I want to examine how we practice self-care.

There are some obvious practical practices such as exercising and eating sensibly. This responsible attention to health in living will be examined more fully in an inspiring example I will share later.

Another practice is encouraging rather than neglecting yourself. If we are to encourage ourselves it is important we understand the value of realistic, positive self-talk. Sadly, I have met a number of good people who unfairly judge themselves more harshly than others, talk negatively to themselves and set up a spiral of gloom that is difficult to escape from. As humans we all make mistakes but it is very helpful for yourself to recall at such times some of the ways you have brought joy to yourself, your family, God, and to others. This should be spoken or written in a spirit of gratitude. This could be scaffolded as a playlist that you can recall when you go through a season of self-doubt and disappointment. Also, when you come down hard on yourself, remember that you can begin again.

Listening is another important practice. Again as Will shared a fortnight ago from this pulpit we should listen to the Spirit, Listen to the other person and listen to ourselves . Prayer is listening God and if we keep working at it prayer can be positively transformational.

A prayer by Joyce Rupp sums it up well…

Prayer is not only about entering into a relationship with God.

It is also about being changed. Healthy prayer strengthens our bond

With the creator and also transforms us.

Each encounter with God provides the opportunity to grow spiritually.

Prayer makes a difference in our life because it nudges and persuades us

To develop Christlike qualities in our attitude and actions.

Through prayer we become more loving, compassionate and justice oriented human beings.

When this happens, we are altered in a positive way and the world we touch is also changed for the better.

To practice self-care we need to observe appropriate boundaries. This can be particularly challenging if you are a perfectionist. For me, a propensity to try and improve everything can keep me working far past safe and healthy limits. In my job I came to realise that I cannot do everything to my very best. I have to pick and choose what gets done best and what just gets done so I can rest. At times I have to say “Good enough is good enough”. There is nothing wrong with aspiring for excellence and doing my best.  But when the quest for excellence drives my body beyond its limits, I have left the realm of appropriate self-care and I am trying to prove something to someone even if it is me.

Another key practice for appropriate self-care is to be able to give and receive love. It is perhaps easier for people to give love but many of us often struggle to receive love.

I love the allegory of the two seas in Palestine. One is the Dead Sea and the other is the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee gives, receives, lives and flourishes. The Dead Sea however has no outlet. It keeps everything, shares nothing, it neither gives nor receives and it is dead. A question to reflect on: what sea best represents you and your life?

Discernment is another practice that allows us to respect and care for ourselves. Discernment opens us up to listen and recognize the voice and protection in our lives. The Message translation of Philippians 1:9-10 captures the relationship between love and discernment. “So this is my prayer that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. It is important to engage both your mind and heart to use reason and attend to your hearts when arriving at a decision.

To conclude I would like to share with you a story of a young man who showed self-care in an incredibly challenging situation. Since lock-down in 2020, I was made aware of a church minister who demonstrated self-care, love of others and love of God.

His name was the Reverend William Mompesson. In 1664 he was appointed Minister of the Anglican Church of Eyam a town in the Peak District of England close to Sheffield and Manchester.

One year later the Great Plague arrived at his village. Late in 1665 a flea-infested bundle of cloth arrived from London for the local tailor, Alexander Hadfield. Within a week the assistant, George Viccars, noticed the bundle was damp and opened it up and heated it by the fire. This activated the fleas and not long after he was dead and more began dying in his household soon after.

As the disease spread the villagers turned for their leadership to their rector, the Reverend Mompesson. In response Mompesson showed that, “Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift he had, the gift he was put on earth to offer others”.

He did three things. He realized he could not lead alone so he turned to an ejected Puritan minister, Thomas Stanley, who still had solid support in the town and in a show of unity these two men persuaded the entire town to adopt a number of self-care health precautions to slow the spread of the illness from May 1666.

In this aspect Mompesson showed real discernment as he realized that Stanley’s gifts and talents were complementary to his. They also took the brave step of isolating themselves from neighbouring towns and cities to stop the spread of the Plague.

These measures included the arrangement that families were to bury their own dead and relocating Church services outside to a natural amphitheatre allowing villagers to separate themselves, social distancing 17th century style, and so reducing the risk of infection.

Perhaps the best known decision was to quarantine the entire village to prevent further spread of the disease (love of others). Merchants from surrounding villages sent supplies that they would leave on marked rocks; the villagers then made holes there which they would fill with vinegar to disinfect the money left as payment. There were many, many further practical examples of self-care.

The plague ran its course over 14 months and one account states that it killed at least 260 villagers with about 480 surviving out of a population of 800.

What was remarkable was that the villager’s actions prevented the disease from moving into surrounding areas. Major neighbouring towns such as Sheffield were spared as a result of the self-care but selfless actions of the township of Eyam superbly led by Reverends Mompesson and Stanley. This is a great example of loving others as you love yourselves. If the villagers had neglected these self-care measures the disease would surely have spread to Sheffield and other neighbouring towns.

Let us all love God with our heart, strength, mind and soul. Let us all love others but also let us have a healthy respect for our self and love ourselves by having appropriate self-care. When you do come down hard on yourself remember that you can begin again. Confess your harsh self-treatment and ask God for grace to receive who you are. The Christian message is about new beginnings.