Mark 9

Trouble Makers

Posted on by Betsy

Today’s lectionary passage from Mark 9 describes the amazing Transfiguration of Christ high atop Mount Tabor. This Sunday will be Transfiguration Sunday in our churches, and many of you will hear the following passage read aloud as the text for the sermon. Most pastors will emphasize the revelation of Jesus in that moment as the King of Glory. The transformation that took place visibly changed Jesus right before his friend’s eyes. Indeed, in that moment, Jesus went from a weary, dusty rabbi who had just climbed up a mountain to something ethereal and blindingly white. But for today, let’s focus on Peter, James, and John.

A commentator that I read made a passing remark about the three disciples, saying we assume that these three were selected to witness this historic event because of their boldness of witness and their leadership skills, but he (the commentator) thought it was also possible that Jesus selected them to make the journey because they were trouble makers and couldn’t be trusted to be left behind. That made me laugh out loud. I know trouble makers like that! I’ve been a trouble maker like that. How about you?

I am deeply inspired by the late John Lewis, the stalwart civil rights activist, human rights advocate, politician, protester, voter registration pioneer, and leader in the cause for equality, jobs, and freedom. He coined the phrase “good trouble” to encourage people to speak up and speak out for the cause of justice in America. He was a trouble maker, too.

Mark 9:2-9 (Common English Bible)

2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of them, 3 and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. 4 Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s make three shrines—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t know how to respond, for the three of them were terrified.

Peter’s humanity in this moment takes all of us back to that place where we found ourselves in a startling situation and had no idea how to respond. His outburst is silly in hindsight, but who could blame him? Nothing like this had ever happened to this humble fisherman before, and he was confused.

But maybe there was something else going on. The Transfiguration happened just after Jesus had been explaining his impending crucifixion on a cross to the disciples. They loved him and didn’t want to accept that this would be the end of their three-year missionary journey. Surely, they didn’t want to see their friend and leader suffer and die in the way he predicted. So perhaps Peter saw this as a short-cut to glory. Why go through the horrible beating and death on a cross if glory could be had so easily? It was happening right in front of them! Couldn’t they just stay there and bask in the reflected glow of the King’s radiance, and skip the suffering part?

Many times we, too, want to take the short cut that would prevent us from having to suffer. Avoiding real issues, ignoring warning signs, looking the other way, glossing over what is really happening, are all things we do to avoid walking the way of suffering. Ask any family dealing with addiction and they will outline all the shortcuts they tried to take to avoid the reality of their loved one’s addiction. But sometimes, we must suffer in order to get to the other side of something.

7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Human One had risen from the dead.

Verse 7 resonates with what God said at Jesus’ baptism, but with a twist. He affirms Jesus as his beloved son and then adds “Listen to him!”

Let that be our focus today. Listen to him. Ask him for help along the way of suffering. See him for the King of Glory that he really is. Listen, and then go out and make some “good trouble” for the Lord.

Glory Revealed by Michelle Robertson

Handling Truth

Posted on by Betsy

Sometimes in life, you just have to speak the truth. Nobody does this better than children. They will tell you point-blank to your face things you don’t want to hear, like your elbow wrinkles look funny, or that you are old. Case in point: we were asking the four-year-old twins what they want to be when they grow up. Ryan immediately said he wants to be a paleontologist…which he slowly and carefully pronounced PAY-LEEE-ON-TOL-OH-GIST. He will make an excellent one….he teaches me something new every day. Nora at first said she wanted to be a princess, then changed her mind for something ”more real.” She chose to be a unicorn.

I’m with her. I want to be a unicorn, too. So I said, ”Oh, that sounds great! Do you think Nana could be a unicorn when she grows up, too?” She instantly replied, ”Noooooo, Nana! You’re too old! You’re already growed up.”

Rats.

Well, maybe it’s a good thing that Ryan wants to be a paleontologist, since apparently his Nana is a dinosaur.

Our passage from Mark today is in two parts. In the first, Jesus explains to his disciples that anyone who is for them cannot be against them, so a man who was exorcising demons in Jesus’ name was an ally:

Mark 9 (The Message)

38 John spoke up, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t in our group.”

39-41 Jesus wasn’t pleased. “Don’t stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath slam me. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.

Then he goes on to deliver hard truths and harsh words against anyone who would be a stumbling block for any of God’s children to come to know Jesus. In essence, he says that if you mess with them you mess with me…and there will be consequences that you won’t survive:

42 “On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.

43-48 “If your hand or your foot gets in God’s way, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.

Yikes! Jesus is not playing. This invites us to stop and take an internal inventory. Is there anything in our attitude or behavior that might be a negative witness to the power of Jesus in our lives? People are watching. People are reading our posts. People are observing our actions. This passage is a call to wake up and be aware.

49-50 “Everyone’s going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you’ll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace.”

Jesus’ call is clear: preserve the peace. Only by following him closely will we survive the refining fire. Remember that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be Christ’s ally in this world and not a stumbling block to his kingdom.

Do you need to clean up your act?

Refiner’s Fire Sky by Michelle Robertson

I Believe, I Believe

Posted on by Betsy

One of my favorite scenes from the marvelous movie, “A Miracle on 34th Street” is a brief moment at the end of the film. It is Christmas Day and young Susan, her mother Doris, and attorney Fred Gailey are attending a Christmas party at an old folks home. Susan had asked Santa to bring her a new home for Christmas, and is terribly disappointed when there is no evidence of it under the Christmas tree. She sits alone in a chair holding the doll she received and says despondently, “I believe, I believe. It’s silly, but I believe.” The story line has focused on Susan and Doris’ practical and jaded approach to all things fantastical, but eventually both of them have been won over by Kris Kringle. Susan’s disappointment in not receiving the gift she longs for is palpable, and while her words express belief, her monotone delivery and her slumped-over posture betray her conflict.

Whoa. Ever been there?

Have you ever experienced a moment of disappointment that was so profound that it rocked you to the very core of your deeply-held beliefs? Life can do that to you. The betrayal of a spouse, the discovery of a loved one’s addiction, the diagnosis of a terminal illness, getting fired from a job you love, a teenager’s rebellion…the list goes on.

In the 9th chapter of Mark, there is an amazing story about a man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus to be healed. The focus of this story is not so much on the healing, but what happens to the father’s beliefs:

Mark 9 (The Message)

21-22 He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

23 Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

24 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

25-27 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.

We are almost at the end of this ADVENT-ure that we’ve been on. Advent has been a time of rediscovering the miracle of Jesus’ birth, of centering ourselves on the manger, and of diving deep into the prophecies and discovering the Messiah in a new and personal way. But at the core, our journey has been about belief.

Do you believe? Do you accept the glorious ridiculousness of the immaculate conception, God-made-flesh, angels surrounding the hillsides, and peace on earth?

I believe. And I believe that belief is a life-long journey. I believe it is not unheard of to stand before Jesus in moments of deep crisis and say, “I believe. Help me with my doubts!” This isn’t contradictory, it’s HUMAN.

“I believe. I believe. The world tells me it’s silly, but I believe.” To the Susan who lives within all of us, know that it is OK to sugar your beliefs with doubts. It’s just not OK to be content with staying doubtful. That’s why we go to scripture every day, to help us with our doubts.

When Advent is over, we will quickly approach a new year. Let us continue this journey into a deeper belief by being in the Word every day…together.

At the end of the scene in the movie, a miracle of circumstances leads Susan, Doris, and Fred into a subdivision where the exact home that Susan has requested sits, with a For Sale sign in the yard. As she runs through the empty house squealing in delight, Fred and Doris give voice to their doubts and in the same breath, confirm their belief in all things good: reconciliation, marriage, hope, family, a future together in that house…and Santa. They gaze off to the fireplace, and there sits Kris’ familiar cane. Their belief is rewarded!

So, too, will yours.

Echo Lake Christmas Reflections