Mark reports that Jesus could do no deed of power there -- except for a few miscellaneous healings too many closed minds, too many hard hearts.

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1 Proper 9 B July 8, 2012 Family of Christ Lutheran Church Chanhassen, Minnesota Pastor Kristie Hennig Mark 6:1-13: Jesus Faith in YOU Since the day the Holy Spirit blew into Jerusalem, stirring up a Pentecost firestorm that exploded the Jesus movement into far corners of the world, the world hasn t been the same. Centuries later, the church still spends most of each year remembering together how much people can accomplish when they are empowered by God. As this story in Mark shows us, it is not uncommon for people of faith, many well-meaning, hard-working folks, to experience frustration and failure, even when God is in the picture. Even Jesus has a bad day once in a while. After weeks of phenomenal success teaching and healing, calming storms and driving out demons -- raising the dead! Jesus comes home to Nazareth to face his toughest crowd yet. It s hardly the warm homecoming he was expecting, coming back to the hood. In fact, it s the polar opposite of warm Mediterranean hospitality. The people he grew up with come out to spit nails at him: Who do you think you are, you with dirt under your fingernails and sawdust in your hair, acting like a prophet? they snarl. And who s your real daddy, anyway? Mark reports that Jesus could do no deed of power there -- except for a few miscellaneous healings too many closed minds, too many hard hearts. 1

2 So the rabbi calls in reinforcements the motley crew of anybodies called the Twelve and sends them out in his place. Maybe it s because I ve been packing for our mission trip to El Salvador while working on this sermon, but I think the next part of Mark s story is especially interesting and it s meant, I think, to be encouraging. Like most mission team leaders, Jesus insists on careful preparation. I agree. It s smart to plan a mission trip, especially when you re going far away. Be wise, be wary, he says. When you re in an unfamiliar place, always buddy up. No one goes anywhere alone when we re in El Salvador. (In fact, no one goes anywhere without one of our Salvadoran friends.) Travel light, Jesus tells the dynamic duos as he sends them out. Now our packing list for El Salvador is two pages and 44 items long pretty different from Jesus list, except for the sandals. 2

3 We ve even used walking sticks (staffs) at times, and go out most days without money in our belts. I admit we take more than one tunic, but our goal is to travel light. That s so we ll have more room for the donations you ve given us to take as gifts to the students in our sponsorship program and to the homeless guys we ll have lunch with at Hope House. Now when we study the historical context of Mark s gospel we discover several reasonable explanations for Jesus prohibitions against the disciples taking any bread, bags, or money. For one thing, he wanted his disciples to be easily identified as the disciples of a rabbi, rather than beggars or merchants, or traveling Greek philosophers known as the Cynics, who typically carried a begging bag and bread. Jesus wanted his disciples to be set apart, to look and act -- the part. Secondly, he wanted them to be dependent on the hospitality of those who received them. That is why they were not to take more than one tunic, or change of clothes, in other words. A second tunic could be used to wrap up in for sleeping in the chill of the night. If the disciples didn t have one and got cold, they d be more inclined to reach out for lodging, villagers would be more likely to reach out to them 3

4 which would increase the chance that the gospel would be proclaimed and received. So Jesus was thinking Here s how I think Jesus means to encourage the disciples with this assignment to canvas the villages. In first century Palestine, typically only the best of the best of the best among the young men of a village would be invited by a rabbi to be his disciples the ones who showed they could memorize scripture, quote the rabbi s teachings verbatim, take on the rabbi s yoke. If a rabbi thought a young kid could do it learn everything, live the life he d invite that kid to be his disciple. If the rabbi said, Follow me, that meant, I think you can know what I know but more than that, you can do what I do, you can be like me. Come, then follow me. If the rabbi didn t think a kid had it in him, he d say, Continue learning your family s business, which really meant, Don t follow me. You don t have what it takes to be my disciple. But be the best darn carpenter or sandal-maker or shepherd you can be. 1 1 Ideas about how young men became disciples from Rob Bell, Nooma Video, 008 Dust. 4

5 Think about how the Twelve became Jesus disciples. As far as we can tell, it didn t happen after careful scrutiny, or any kind of evaluation process at all. Peter, Andrew, James, and John and the rest didn t have the perfect resume to wave in Jesus face, or the recommendations of people in high places. How much of the Torah had they memorized? Does Jesus even ask? The guys Jesus picks for his team were quite ordinary fallible human beings with no particular aptitude for the work of being a rabbi s disciples. Most of them were common fishermen who probably couldn t read, and at least one was in a sketchy profession. They were hardly the best of the best of the best, scarcely the cream of the crop. Against all common sense and the rules of the time, Jesus chose them. Jesus had faith in them. When we talk about faith, we tend to focus on the content of our faith, don t we? -- what we know about the Bible and the teachings of the Christian church. We talk a lot about strengthening our faith, placing more and more trust in God so that we can live fulfilling lives. There s a place for that, to be sure. But here, the point Jesus is making is different. He s demonstrating something very important about how disciples are made. By sending the disciples off two by two with only a walking stick, sandals, and a single tunic, he is saying to them: 5

6 I have faith in you. You can do it. You can be like me, you can do what I do. You have all you need within you to do the work I send you out to do. When you get the door slammed in your faces and you will just pick yourselves up and move on. Don t let the negativity of others stick to you and slow you down. Now go. Make me proud. And they did. That day, anyway. Now this story is about a lot more than door-to-door evangelism. It s about more than what to say about what we believe, or what to do when people laugh or snarl or roll their eyes when the name of Jesus slips through our lips. Following Jesus, being his disciples is about being like the rabbi who is walking ahead of us, leaving his footprints to show us the way doing what he does, being Jesus for others. Following Jesus is about risking rejection like he did, experiencing failure like he did and traveling light, because we don t need a lot of equipment for this journey. We are the equipment. We are the means of his grace. We are the voice of his message. We are the healing of his hands. We are his ambassadors. 2 Family of Christ, together let us follow Jesus, 2 Neil Chappel, awierdthing.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/concrete-footprints 6

7 the rabbi who has faith in us! And together let us pray Lord Jesus, Your church is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly, if I am. Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It will do great work, if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. It will be a church where people grow in faith and serve you, if I am open to such growth and service. Therefore, with your help Lord, we shall dedicate ourselves to the task of being all the things you want your church to be. Amen. 3 3 Pastor Meredith Musaus, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 7