Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr B 2024

Peter H. Davids

Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted 3 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

Psalm 54:4

2 Thessalonians 2:14

Mark 9:30–37

Wisdom of Solomon 2:12

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The two roots of the conflict in the world are jealousy (feeling the other is enjoying something we should have) and envy (wishing to have what the other enjoys), which can twist into each other or develop into violence (psychological, spiritual, or physical) and death (again, in any sphere). That is what the Passion prediction expresses. Our texts express two solutions: the first is the humility of receiving a child, one who cannot give us what we envy or of whom we cannot be jealous and doing so coram deo. The second is countering the negative thoughts with the wisdom from above, i.e. God’s type of positive thoughts and strategies. We get to choose which fits our situation, but it is the actual doing appropriately that will set us off from the world and perhaps earn us a cross in the world that treats us as it did Jesus.

Notes

Transcript

Title

The Sources of Conflict

Outline

There is plenty of conflict in the world today

and our texts show us two of them, for they are two sides of the same coin.

The first we could name jealousy

That is, it is not wanting a person to enjoy something or feeling they are taking something that you want. In the case of Wisdom it is the righteous person enjoying their relationship with God. That induces guilt but the guilt is transmuted into jealousy (I do not want him or her to have that relationship or that relationship is not real) that results, as in James in murder ranging from character assassination to physical assassination. Jesus talks calmly about his upcoming assassination for he knew the character assassination (casts out demons through Beelzebub) was not working, but he also knew it was all in God’s plan.

The second we could name envy

I want what that other person has. In our Gospel the disciples, perhaps in denial of Jesus’ passion prediction, want to be known as the greatest, want the most honor. There is a root of pride here, but most of them do not have the first place and would like to have it, at least by association, e.g. by being best friends with the one they consider greatest.

Now envy can be of possessions, of power, of honor, or even of pleasure. It starts with a thought that simply is and its not evil in itself, but if we ruminate or let it grow and do not speak the truth to it it does becomes sin even deadly sin, even the struggles to the death James names.

That is the way of the world, but not of us

That it is the way of the world is easy to see - look at any media, look at the dynamics of the politics of our nation (where mammon and Mars are the chief gods).

Rather than saying, “Ain’t that awful,” our texts have two other solutions.

First, serve those who cannot give one what we desire: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” There is nothing to be jealous or envious about in a child, for they have no power or possessions or honor or the like. So serving them coram deo is to receive God’s type of honor, that of being close to Jesus.

The second is to substitute thoughts full of God’s wisdom: “the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.” If we respond to desires with “Instead I will think on and plan these types of thoughts,” we will get the fruit of righteousness which is peace, for we are cultivating peace. The struggle is over.

Which strategy we choose is up to us so long as it fits the situation. But it is this that will mark us as witnesses to Jesus, contradict the world without words, and likely earn us a cross as the world is jealous of us as it was of Jesus.

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