"Facing Reality"
James 3:13-4:3 Mark
Ike had a dentist appointment on Thursday. Being the compassionate person that I am, when I heard that Ike was going to the dentist my first thought was better him than me. When I think of going to the dentist all I can visualize is the drill hitting the nerve and me breaking out into a cold sweat. There are the needles and the drill and the pliers. When I am in the dentist chair I try to think of more pleasant thoughts, things like walking in the woods on a pretty sunny day or wading in the ocean and enjoying the view. That usually helps until I see the needle or the drill approaching my mouth and then I grab the arms of the chair and hold on for dear life. The truth is that I have to deal with reality.
I think the disciples of Jesus were trying to escape reality. Jesus had just finished talking to them about suffering and death. They didn't want to think about that. So they brought up a more pleasant thought. They talked about which one of them was the greatest. Who would sit next to Jesus and help rule the world. That was much more fun to think about than suffering and death. Maybe one of the things they wanted to escape was the reason for Jesus suffering and death. It had to do with sin, their sin and our sin.
There is a scene from the movie Dead Poets Society in which Professor Keating, played by Robin Williams, stands up on his desk in front of his class. He told the young men that they needed to try and see things in a new way. Then he had each one of the class members get up on the desk and look at the room from a new perspective. I have often wondered what it would be like to be seven foot tall, how the view would be different, especially on a basketball court. I know I like riding in a vehicle in which I can sit up higher as I feel like I can get a better view.
Jesus is trying to give the disciples a new perspective through which to view themselves and their relationship to him. Don't think about what it means to be the greatest of all, think about what it means to be the servant of all. Don't think about what is best for you, think about what is best for others. Don't think about how others can serve you, but how you can serve others.
And then Jesus took a child and put the child in the midst of them. And he said "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me." Keep in mind that in Biblical times children were not the center of attention. Children were seen as gifts of God who would some day be useful. Barbara Brown Taylor describes them as fuzzy caterpillars to be fed and sheltered until they could turn into butterflies.
Jesus did not wait until they became butterflies. He liked them just the way they were. When the disciples scolded people for bringing children to Jesus, he was indignant. Basically Jesus was saying that when we welcome them, we welcome God.
Can you imagine going to a leadership seminar and having the leader tell you "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." That's exactly what Jesus told his disciples. And then he gave a demonstration of what he meant by taking a child in his arms. So you want to know who is the greatest. Take a look at someone about thirty inches tall, unemployed, has a limited vocabulary, whose net worth is zero.
It's about trying to see things from God's perspective. I don't claim to understand it all. The one thing I can say is that some of the best elders and deacons I have ever worked with, from a worldly standpoint, had the least amount to offer. But in terms of faith and commitment they were rich. It may be that the most unlikely people may be the most effective servants.
It is interesting that the Old Testament Lectionary readings for this month are from the Proverbs. The book of Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature in the Bible. It is clear that wisdom that comes from God is different from worldly knowledge. God's ways are different from the ways of people. And until we can grasp that, the church will be no different from the society in which we live. The church is not about the smartest, the strongest, the most powerful. It is about service, reaching out to God's people, seeking the lost sheep, welcoming home the prodigal son.
It may be that the biggest question we face as a church is not how do we grow the church but how do we promote the kingdom of God, recognizing that the kingdom of God has values that are very different from the values in the world in which we live.