2024 Sun Sept 29

From the SALT Blog

Link to Mark’s Gospel reading

1) “Once again (it’s a common theme in Mark), the disciples just don’t get it. Jesus, holding a child in his arms, has just been teaching them about true greatness; about seeking humility, not superiority; about being “servant of all,” not “first of all.” And how do they respond? With a breathless report showcasing their religious arrogance! Someone else is casting out demons in Jesus’ name, “and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us” (Mark 9:38). Note the phrasing: “not following us.” In a perfect illustration of Christian hubris, the disciples equate “following Jesus” with “following us.” If they’re not with us, they must be against us.

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I. Theme –  Healing and protection involving our work and inspiration from God

“Jesus Welcomes the Children” – Maha (1973)

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea” – Mark 9:42

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29
Psalm – Psalm 19:7-14 Page 606-607, BCP
Epistle – James 5:13-20
Gospel – Mark 9:38-50  

Today’s readings illustrate how God can choose unexpected people to do God’s work. The readings focus on healing and protection. Neither of these entirely comes from God, but involve our agency as well as divine creativity and care.

In Numbers Eldad and Medad, though not participating in Moses’ official “commissioning,” receive the same Spirit of prophecy as the seventy elders. James suggests practical guidelines for those who wish to do God’s work. Today’s gospel reading relates how Jesus, like Moses, endorses the work of those who, though not part of his “in-group,” still bring healing in God’s name.

Readers may squirm with embarrassment at the first words out of John’s mouth in today’s gospel. He brands himself a bigot with his snooty concern: those other guys are doing good! Translated to today’s terminology, it sounds all too familiar: someone of another age group/church/parish/gender/ethnic group/system of belief is threatening our monopoly on ministry. It is especially ironic in view of the fact that the disciples themselves had just failed at exorcism (Mark 9:14-19).

The passage has particular meaning as we enter an era when people are united more by common concerns than by religious labels. Could it mean more to be a committed Christian or a faithful human being than to be a good Catholic, Episcopalian or Lutheran ? If our brothers and sisters in synagogues or mosques make inroads on a social problem that plagues us all, we cheer for them, rather than jealously wishing we’d achieved that success.

As if we weren’t already squirming enough, Jesus directs a word to those who might consider themselves more educated or advanced in faith than others. He reserves his grimmest punishment for those who take advantage of the childlike. The next time we are tempted to poke fun at the simple beliefs of others, we might remember Gehenna: the smelly, smoldering garbage dump outside Jerusalem. Our little joke or ploy might buy us a one-way ticket to the place where maggots chew on offal. Is it really worth it?

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