Christ Asks Us to Help Those Who Belong to Him Mark 9:38-50 by Michael G. Lilienthal Dear little ones who belong to Christ, Yes, you are all his little children, for in another place Jesus admonished us, Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it (Mark 10:15). So in this conversation with his followers, Jesus is indeed encouraging childlike faith: what does that mean? Think of a child; a helpless person who can do nothing himself, he has no choice if he wishes to live but to rely on his parents or guardians, those who provide for him. He relies on them solely, and he watches them with wonder, learning how these adults do things, and learning to mimic them, to grow, to improve. Childlike faith is faith that rests its heart entirely on what is done and given by another. So before we do anything, before we act, we begin by being called out of our deadness into life by the Word of our Savior we are reborn into new life as children in faith. We begin our spiritual lives as children. Look at your neighbors: you are all similarly children in the arms of your Lord. This is where we begin. We all belong to him. Therefore we can take the encouragement of Christ which he takes up now, and become enabled to help those little ones who belong to him: that means one another. We are asked to help such little ones as one another because I. Their Salvation Depends on It Here s the practical contradiction: we are all children, but we re asked to help one another. How can we help if we ourselves are in need of help? Well, God has
Mark 9:38-50 2 ordained certain structures to assist in the orderly working of his world: and these structures are in many forms. The institution of government is one, For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Rom. 13:1). It is to be an authority on law, which we obey in order that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Tim. 2:2), or as we pray in the Divine Service, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (ELH p. 48). God designed this order, so that, when it is properly utilized, crime may be checked and peaceful life encouraged. Likewise, the institution of family, even in a greater way, is another institution of God for the orderly working of his world: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Eph. 6:1), and the other side, Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). If this structure of parents guiding children in godly ways and children obeying parents dutifully is followed, peaceful life and growth in faith will result. The ultimate goal of all this is, as that last passage stated, that the children may be brought up in the training and instruction of the Lord, This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim. 2:3-4). The purpose of these structures, of government, of family, and even by extension of schools, of workplaces with employees and employers, and all other good and right institutions on earth is that God s Word may be spread and his righteousness revealed to the whole world, to make disciples of all nations, so that souls may be led to life (Matt. 28:19). This is
3 Christ Asks Us to Help Those Who Belong to Him necessary because everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and no other. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! (Rom. 10:13-15). It is in this connection that we see the overarching institution of God for the orderly working of his world: that is the Public Ministry of the Word. Our Evangelical Lutheran Synod issued a statement in 2005 explaining, One cannot hold the office of the Public Ministry of the Word unless called by God. Some men, such as the apostles, were called immediately, directly by God, to the Public Ministry. Since the time of the apostles God calls mediately[, that is,] through the church so that there will always be qualified individuals who have been set apart to administer publicly His means of grace for the salvation of souls. The church in an orderly way extends divine calls in the name and stead of Christ and on behalf of the believers. 1 Those whom God through the church sends out to proclaim the message (pastors, teachers, or anyone else the church calls to deliver to them the means of grace) are assigned a position of influence over other little ones who believe in Christ. And the seriousness with which Jesus takes the salvation of these little ones is apparent in his warning: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into 1 ELS Report 2005, 70.
Mark 9:38-50 4 the sea. Think about the extremity of that statement: the fate of one who leads people astray is worse than having a millstone a giant round wheel that crushes grain into powder, one that must be rolled by having a beast of burden, a donkey, pulling it, because it s too massive for human hands to maneuver having such an enormous stone, perhaps even as tall as the man is himself, hung around his neck, and with it strapped there, already strangling him with its weight, being thrown into the sea to be dragged downward with immense speed until he dies from either drowning or asphyxiation. Given the choice between that and the fate that awaits him, those who lead the faithful away would gladly take the millstone. There is symbolism in our churches that is designed to remind us of the serious weight on those who proclaim the Word, and it is specifically pictured in pastors: the clerical collar many wear (which is sometimes a white tab in the front over the voicebox, sometimes a full white circle surrounding the neck) is a reminder of the millstone. It is both a warning to the one who preaches that if he preaches anything other than the pure Word of God, a fate worse than a millstone around his neck awaits him. He is sticking his neck out, so to speak. And it is a promise to those to whom he preaches that he will proclaim only that Word of God, so that the words that come out of his mouth may be relied upon with childlike faith as one relies on the very Word of God. And where there is a warning against leading the faithful astray, there is also a promise for helping them, even if that helping is as simple as giving one who belongs to Christ a cup of water: whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
5 Christ Asks Us to Help Those Who Belong to Him And now understand this fine truth: All who belong to Christ may be called little ones, because even adults who believe have, as the inner essence of their faith, childlike trust, for faith is not something that one can master, not something that one produces and gets better at producing as he matures; no, faith is a gift of God, and in this it is just the passive hearing of the message, knowing the truth of Christ s death that paid for all sins, assenting that this is true, and being confident that this means that your own sins are paid for by Christ as well. Therefore all faith is childlike faith. And further, understand this fine truth: All who have this faith are called upon to help and support others with that faith; and we see this in a plethora of places in Scripture: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9); Put on then, as God s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Col. 3:12-16); praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, says Paul (Eph. 6:18-19); and included in all this, even Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the
Mark 9:38-50 6 avenger (Ps. 8:2). Yes you are all children in faith, but it is God s will that even such children proclaim his Word to one another, help one another and support the faith of one another, because really, it is not their wisdom that makes them fit preachers, it is the Word of God, which they preach. And this takes different forms: the pastors and teachers and other workers who are called in an orderly way publicly proclaim the Word in the most public and visible fashion; but this support of faith may take the form even of something as simple as the giving of a cup of cold water to a thirsty Christian. II. And So Does Ours This is the work of all us Christians, and because our believing does not change but is all the same childlike trust, our growth is instead in the way we work, the branches that grow outward from the seed of that faith. And realize this: though one theologian might be so wise and learned that he is an enormous, mighty oak, and another might be so simple that he merely sits in the sanctuary each Sunday and barely grasps the truth that the figure hanging on the crucifix represents his Savior who paid for his sins 2,000 years ago, that he appears as simply a seedling, their faiths are really one and the same, and one is no more saved than another. And another difference between the two will be the way they work; the theologian may preach eloquent sermons, may debate with heathen scholars in other fields, may be an impressive figure, and the simple Christian may do nothing but open the door for a fellow Christian or bake a pan of bars for fellowship. But even these are really united in the fact that they are works growing out of the same faith and similarly are looked favorably on by God:
7 Christ Asks Us to Help Those Who Belong to Him And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Matt. 25:40). This is a familiar passage from Jesus discussion of the Last Day and the separation of the sheep and goats: and notice what it is that the King acknowledges favorably: it is the works of kindness (such as giving a cup of water) done to one of the least of these my brothers, i.e. these little ones who believe in me. Yes, our salvation depends on whether or not we help those who belong to Christ. Woah, woah, woah, that sounds like works-righteousness! Let me be clear: these works do not save, but childlike faith saves. Childlike faith will strengthen others by performing works for them, leading them in the correct way, and it will be strengthened itself by those same works. This is because these are not works we do, but they are works God does through us. This is how we must understand it. God is working through us, indeed through everything, for our good, so that even if we were to die in the name of our faith (as did nine students in Oregon this week), this becomes a powerful sermon preached to others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16). If we have such works sprouting naturally out of our faith, then that tree of faith is growing, flourishing, as living things must do. If our faith s life is blooming, then it is gaining stronger roots within us. On the other hand, if we are performing evil works, then we have a corrupted branch with a leprous disease coursing through it. If a tree has a diseased branch, that branch should be cut down, or else soon the whole tree will be diseased and need to be
Mark 9:38-50 8 uprooted. Jesus says a similar thing to his followers: And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. Jesus is illustrating the extreme to demonstrate the seriousness: faith cannot produce sin, so if sin is produced, faith is being harmed. This sin must be rooted out or that faith will be dead and the whole person doomed to hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Jesus therefore encourages his people to be flavored with the salt of his Word: Have salt in yourselves, that is, the good flavor of the Gospel message, and be at peace with one another. The cure to impurity is, essentially, to remain pure, i.e. rooted to the salt of the Word with firm roots. In Washington, D.C., there is a stretch of sidewalk with some centuries-old iron fenceposts. Behind those fenceposts are centuries-old trees. These trees, because they have grown so large and blossomed upward, producing more and more leaves each year, flourishing in liveliness, they have expanded outward as well, so that many of them have absorbed portions of these iron fenceposts. But more than that, their roots have grown as well, so that portions can be seen erupting from the sidewalk because the ground is no longer sufficient to contain it: our faith is the same way, for the more it is exercised, the more it grows upward in its works, the stronger its roots grow. That childlike faith reses on Christ, always has rested on Christ, and always will rest on Christ, and the growth outward signifies a building up of stronger walls to keep that sleeping, resting child of our hearts quiet and secure in the arms of Christ. All this is the gift of God he won for us salvation, and he holds us dearly in that salvation. Amen.