07 6th Sunday of Easter Mark 10.1-31 John 8.1-9
Well we sure have some interesting verses tonight don’t we? Kind of strange for a Mother’s day. But if you think about it, it really does go together. Because these verse have a common thread that runs through them, that is the Christian Family. And that is our theme for tonight.
Let’s unpack that a bit, shall we? What comes to mind for you when you hear “the Christian Family?” Now this is not a Christian family as in parent child and sibling, but it is the Christian Family. It is us the body of Christ. Do we act like a family? Sometimes we do. Right? And sometimes we really Act like a family.
David and Emily. There is no doubt in my mind that David loves his little sister. And he is a very good big brother. It is just that sometimes he does a better job of showing it, than at others. For example, if Emily is having a hard time falling asleep, he will comfort her and sing to her. If she needs her cup or needs help with a search and rescue operation for a baby doll, he is hot on the trail. If she is blocking his view of the TV, he won’t even think twice about shoving her out of the way. Sometimes we act like a family. And sometimes, we act like a family. It is for those moments when w act like a family that our first set of verses speak.
So what is going on, what’s the story? Jesus is in the territory of Judea and he is teaching the crowds that are gathered around him. It’s nothing new, or nothing out of the ordinary. And some Pharisees show up to test him. They ask the question about divorce, not because they really want to know, but because they are trying to get Jesus to mess up. And what is the question they ask him? “Can a husband divorce his wife?” And how does Jesus respond? He goes back to the law of Moses, which allows for it by the way and he says, “Moses wrote this command for you because you’re heartless.” Ouch. Those are some tough words aren’t then?
Well we have a couple of options when we come across difficult words in the scriptures. One is that we can ignore them. Two is that we can write them off. After all our culture is far superior to that one or maybe Jesus didn’t mean it. The third option is that we can try to understand these difficult words and see what we can learn from them. Now we do this we a great amount of humility and respect. I would be willing to bet that most, if not all of us here tonight have been touched by divorce in some way or another. We are familiar with the tremendous amount of pain that it causes. So because of that when we speak about this, we do it with great humility.
So why the tough words on divorce? What happens in divorce? We could spend all kinds of time getting into the deeper theology behind this, but at the end of the day it comes down to living life in relationship and what divorce does to relationships. Now to be sure that are situations where divorce may be the only option, but it should always be the last option, and even in those times where divorce has taken place, it is not the unforgivable sin.
Divorce destroys relationships. I know a couple who got divorced thirteen years ago and they still cannot talk civilly about one another. To be sure there is a lot of deep hurt on both sides, that I will never understand. But it is a relationship that has been broken.
As members of God’s family, forgiveness is to be one of the marks of our lives together. When we are sinned against we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. Now, to be sure forgiveness can come after divorce, but by then the relationship has already been destroyed. So do you see why Jesus uses such tough words? The relationships that we share with one another are very important.
In our next section we learn of some people bringing little children to Jesus and the disciples trying to stop it. Jesus tells them to stop stopping the children and says that famous line, “whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives it, will never enter it.” Now that is not to say that we are to be like children and to act like children, but rather that we should receive it as children. What do you think Jesus is getting at with this imagery? What do we know about God’s kingdom? What is it? Who is in it? What does it do? God’s kingdom is that place where the reign of God is lived out. So where is that? Right here, now in our midst. We have been bought and brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of our God. We live in it now. We live it out now in our lives, and we get to spread that kingdom. God’s kingdom is where he dwells in the midst of his people. His law is proclaimed, the good news of his Gospel is preached. The sacraments are distributed and his people live together as members of the same family as children of the same heavenly father, who share in the work that he does in our world. It is truly a blessing.
So how does a child receive it? I think they just accept it. I go back to David and Emily. David didn’t argue and debate with us when we told him that Emily was his sister, although he wasn’t too thrilled at the time. He didn’t demand a blood test or that she meet a certain level of requirements or knowledge, but he simply accepted it, and so I think it is kind of like that.
But that is the mystery of the kingdom of God. None of us in it are there because we deserve it. We haven’t done a single thing that is worthy of being in God’s kingdom, but we are only there by his grace. You see that is the dilemma that comes up in the next verses. This is a story that is told frequently. The rich young man. What happens in this story? Rich young man comes to Jesus, probably full of himself and looking for a pat on the back, and asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. How does Jesus respond? Then he tells the young man to go and sell all that he has and to follow Jesus. Does he do it? NO. But what is the point.? We don’t earn our way into God’s kingdom. We are not there of our own doing.
Do you know what kind of huge scandal this was? It was absolutely enormous! Do you know why? Because it was believed in those days that if you were rich, it was because God liked you. And if God liked you, who would be a good candidate for being in his kingdom? Absolutely the rich. It would be like us saying that Christians will certainly not be in heaven. Do you see this? That is why the disciples were amazed more than ever. If God doesn’t save the ones he supposedly likes, then who stands a chance? And Jesus says, with God all things are possible. All things are possible with God because he is the one who brings us to himself, who makes us his own dear children. Because we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, or come to him. But the Holy spirit, calls me through the gospel, enlightens me with his gifts, makes me holy and keeps me in the true faith. Do you see the distinction?
And so Peter, not getting it yet says, well we gave up all kinds of stuff for you. And Jesus responds by saying, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or fields because of me and the Good News will certainly receive a hundred times as much here in this life.” How is this possible?
Where are we? What are we members of? What is the relationships that we have with one another? See. As members of the church we receive in one another a home, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and children. It is really cool. Sometimes we can act like a family. And sometimes we can act like a family and in those moments where we are really acting like a family there is grace and mercy and forgiveness.
And that is where we get to the final section in this. Another familiar story. The woman caught in adultery. It is another attempt to trap Jesus. And what is his response. It is let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. And one by one the people walk away. What an amazing sight that must have been. And here is this woman with no one left to condemn her and Jesus says to her, “than neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” And we have a picture of the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our God, which he pours out richly into our lives, and we have a picture of the grace and mercy and fogginess that we are to show to one another. Who here is without sin? If you would raise your hand please that would be terrific? Well than we should deal with one another as such. That is not to say that we don’t call out one another when we need to be called out. But we never do it in a vain that says I am better than you. And we never do it for any other reason than to restore relationships. Because this grace and mercy and forgiveness is a life changing grace, mercy and forgiveness.
We began this evening talking about forgiveness and ended up with a picture of life changing forgiveness. God forgives, now go and sin no more. This is the picture of God’s kingdom. Can you see this? This is very exciting to me? How do we live this out in our relationships with one another here, what about at home, or how about in our work places or even in our neighborhoods. The grace mercy and forgiveness that our God has poured out into our lives is so powerful that we are not the same we were before he gave it to us. And so we go back out into the world that needs to know these things and we proclaim with our words and with our actions. Because the news that we have is truly good news.
The Christian family is a pretty amazing thing. Because we are a family and act as a family. And for those times when we act like a family there is mercy grace and forgiveness. Now and always. Amen.