SERMONS

Mark 1: 29—39
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
February 8, 2009

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.”

So begins the gospel of Mark, which we at Bethany will be studying and listening for a word from God in the weeks ahead.

From the get go, Mark states his purpose as a gospel. Simple, succinct, clear and to the point.

The gospel of Mark is the earliest written and of the four gospels – the most brief, only sixteen chapters. Known for his urgency to share the gospel, Mark consistently uses the words, “Now” and “Immediately.” There is little or no time for people of faith to dilly—dally around acting busy. For the gospel is at stake here, and needs to be proclaimed.

From the beginning, Mark takes us on an action—packed journey with Jesus and Jesus’ teachings—and you and I, as Jesus’ disciples, are called to follow by keeping up with the pace.

Even the writers of the gospels of Luke and Matthew make reference to the earlier gospel of Mark. Together the three are known as the Synoptic Gospels as they share similar stories. The fourth Gospel, the Gospel according to John, comes after these three, with a fourth perspective.

Yes, one Jesus, four gospels.

As we study the Gospel of Mark, one discovers that the best way to bear witness and grow in faithful discipleship is to tell the story of Jesus.

And in order for the community to tell the story of Jesus, the community first needs to know the stories.

I wonder what could happen if we had a gathering of Bethany people together for a meal and lighted candles—reading through the entire gospel of Mark together in one sitting to see and hear the whole story and not just the parts.

Following Mark’s first words, “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”, we the readers and hearers listen for a word from God. As written in the prophet, Isaiah, there is “a voice of one crying in the wilderness” who is John the Baptist, the one called to prepare the way.

From there, the gospel follows the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, Jesus tempted by Satan for forty days and Jesus calling his first disciples by saying “Follow me.” Then it is off to the synagogue.

If we want to see the gospel of Mark as a whole, we may see that the first part of Mark includes a series of five passages of healing followed by a series of five controversy stories. In the healing stories, we see Jesus proclaiming the Word, teaching and healing with great response. In the five stories after, we listen as the Pharisees, unhappy with Jesus’ unconventional ways, went out and immediately conspired against him.

The second part of the gospel of Mark reveals Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Jesus calls his disciples as he is proclaiming God’s Word, teaching and healing—which begins with Jesus naming the Twelve.

The third part of the gospel of Mark follows the turning point of Jesus’ mother, sisters and brothers thinking he is a bit crazy or “beside himself” and Jesus responding, “Who is my mother and my sisters and brothers? And looking at all those who were gathered with him, Jesus responds, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”—giving the community and us a new and interconnected way of understanding who is kin.

We also listen and learn as the Twelve, having heard Jesus proclaiming the Word, teaching and healing are now sent out themselves to proclaim the good news, teach and heal. They are not allowed to only take in Jesus’ words. They are called to put Jesus’ teachings into faith and action.

The fourth part of the gospel of Mark shows Jesus trying to heal the blindness of his disciples. The disciples were blind at times? You bet! For the only two healings of blind people in the gospel Mark occur here: the blind man of Bethsaida and blind Bartimaeus.

If we the readers and hearers listen and listen hard, there is a shift in the gospel from Jesus’ public ministry to Jesus’ instructing his disciples in the fifth part of Mark. Included in this part are the three passion predictions where Jesus foretells that “the Son of God is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again” occur as Jesus is “on the way” followed by the entry into Jerusalem.

The final part of the gospel of Mark is the beginning of the passion narrative, which is the end of Mark’s drama.

Many themes converge in the passion narrative, which include Jesus’ rejection by his enemies, the failure and misunderstandings of his friends, and the unfolding mystery and revelation of his true purpose and identity.

It is only in the final chapter of the gospel that the darkness and silence are broken and the resurrection of Jesus becomes now, not Mark’s gospel, but the gospel of God!

Having the context of the whole gospel helps as we as a congregation look to our scripture text for today where the scripture text begins with the words, “And immediately.”

“And immediately, Jesus left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.”

Here, Mark is letting us in on the first disciples, who will later become a part of Jesus’ inner circle, even if they miss most of what Jesus was trying to teach them at the time.

Sound familiar?

Jesus makes a visit to the house of Simon and Andrew and heals Simon’s mother—in—law. The first woman to be healed in this gospel begins to serve right after she is healed. The faithful service of Peter’s mother in laws reminds us as a community that our healing leads to service. Or to put it another way, the grammar of the gospel is grace and response—God’s grace and our response.

Perhaps, more importantly in Jesus’ ministry is what I would call: People to People. In essence, there is within Jesus’ ministry a certain human touch. His ministry from the start is as organic and down to earth as it is revolutionary and transforming.

Jesus’ ministry is personal – people to people. At the same time, Jesus’ ministry has a public presence. Not a presence in the sense of a big ego (remember a big ego, as a friend shares is “edging God out.” But rather, one who knows himself as well enough as God’s Beloved that he preaches, teaches and heals with an authority from God.
People to People alongside a Public Presence.

At the evening gathering with Jesus, the disciples are bringing every one they could think of, many came who were sick or possessed, and inviting them to come. In healing the people who come and are present, Jesus does not permit the demons who know who he is – to speak.

That is right. They do not get to speak. They do not get to partake in work avoidance nor do they get to interrupt God’s work and ministry through Jesus.

For as we know demons tend to be powerful in their capacity to undermine faith, trust and newness by constantly yammering. So maybe, Jesus had to muzzle the demons to give healing and liberation a fighting chance.

People to People. Public Presence and yes, Proclamation of God’s Good News.

Early the next morning, we are told, Jesus went off to pray. He often went off to find a quiet place to pray and to listen for a word from God.

Meanwhile, the disciples see the crowd that is lining up and wanting healing as the day before. They panic when there is no Jesus in sight. What to do? Simon Peter and the other disciples hurry and go searching for Jesus. The disciples, forgetting their purpose is to proclaim God’s good news to the people, keep searching for Jesus to fix everything and make it right.

When Simon Peter finally finds Jesus, Peter is not pleased. “Everyone is searching for you.” Which means “Where the heck have you been – what are you doing? We have people ready and waiting for you.”

Just when the disciples thought they had figured Jesus out. Wow, he can heal anyone—let’s bring on the people and get everyone healed, folks—Jesus answers, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so I can proclaim the message.”
Did we and the disciples just miss something?

Aren’t we and the disciples nice Christian people who are called to fix everything? Making things all better for every one in the faith community?

Not exactly.

“Let us go out and proclaim God’s good news,” Jesus says.

What is with that!

For proclaiming God’s Good News may be harder than our attempts at healing people. Strangely enough, Jesus begins to teach Peter, as Jesus teaches us, that healing is connected with proclaiming the Word and not, what you and I might have thought, which is making people feel good.

Jesus does not move, talk and act according to our needs, desires or agendas. And God cannot be so controlled, apprehended, or tracked down.

In other words, God does not do our bidding, we as people of God are to do God’s. Hear the difference.

Just when we thought ministry was about getting busy doing one more thing. Jesus reminds us to stay on purpose which requires prayer and going out and proclaiming God’s Good News through our lives.

People to People – a ministry that never loses its human touch
Public Presence – a ministry that embraces all of God’s people
Proclamation of God’s Good News – a ministry that finds the courage to keep on keeping on even in the midst of great odds and tough economic times, and yet, finds hope in being open to God’s new possibilities.

Can we proclaim God’s good news?

Will we proclaim God’s good news?

A good sign is how this church can and will proclaim God’s good news to our children and our children’s children—which is not an easy task. Sure, as a justice church Bethany wants to share the good news of God to all the people. No doubt about that. We need to do this. This is our calling. And yet, as the disciples discovered, proclaiming God’s good news is usually not to whom and to what you and I think it is.

For to proclaim God’s good news to our children and youth, one needs to be willing to listen and speak their language, welcome them into worship—even if they make noise, yawn, act bored, be the teenager they were called to be.

If we have faith in them, as God has faith in them—chances are, amidst even the noise, yawn, and acting bored, our youth and children will hear the good news. And as they are accepted with all their questions and doubts, we may become more accepting of ourselves.

As we seek, with God’s help, in mentoring them to be who we want to be—authentic and faithful adult Christians, who love and go out and proclaim God’s good news—we, in turn, become who God calls us to be.

Now that’s the kind of ministry I want to be a part of! How about you?

Copyright © 2009 Angela Ying. All rights reserved.