Jealousy Unbecoming Numbers 11:4-29, Mark 9:38-41
Little Tommy received a very official looking letter in the mail.
It read: You are hereby ordered to cease and desist any retail, wholesale, or free
distribution of any liquid that has the look, taste, color, effects, or any other
qualities approximating what is commonly known as water (H20).
Disciple Water Distributors (known hereafter as DWD) has sole rights
to distribute water in your area, and your current establishment
at 415 Olive Tree Lane is in violation of those rights.
If you do not immediately cease and desist your illegal activities
DWD will have no other option but to sue
for maximum compensatory AND punitive damages.
Little Tommy couldn’t believe his eyes.
All he wanted to do was help alleviate the thirst of his neighbors
in the midst of the terrible drought that had gripped the whole region.
He wanted to fight the injunction, take it to the elders and get a ruling
But his father was a businessman who knew the ways of the world.
He knew a large concern like DWD had a huge legal team with bottomless resources,
and he knew it was fruitless to fight.
It hurt him to do so, but he advised Tommy to just close his free water stand
and consider it a lesson learned.
Tommy protested, “But Dad, there are so many thirsty people who pass my stand.
Disciple Water Distributors isn’t providing cups of water anywhere near here.”
“I know,” his Dad said. “The fact is, they aren’t distributing water anywhere!
But they purchased the exclusive rights to do so
and they keep saying it will happen any day now.”
“Run along,” Tommy’s father told him.
“Forget about the thirsty people. They’re not your problem now.”
That’s seems like a ridiculous scenario.
But it’s not far from the picture Mark paints
as he carries Jesus and his disciples down the road to Jerusalem.
Peter has already been singled out by Jesus
as being an impediment to Jesus’ mission
so Mark makes sure to let his readers know that Peter wasn’t the only one.
John exhibits jealousy unbecoming a disciple
when he reports to Jesus how he and the other disciples had TRIED to stop
someone they had seen casting out demons in Jesus’ name.
John apparently expected Jesus to give them an “A” for effort,
since they had at least TRIED to stop the unknown exorcist
from performing unauthorized acts of compassion.
But their inability even to do that
was simply one more example of how ineffectual
AND how misguided they really were.
Clearly the disciples didn’t get it.
They didn’t yet understand Jesus’ mode of operation.
They were still following the old manual that contained detailed instructions
on how to build fences;
how to keep the Jewish identity pure and undefiled from outside influences.
They saw Jesus as a new Moses and they were acting under the assumption
that they were, by extension, the new Israel.
They were like Joshua in the passage we read from Numbers,
only Joshua’s motive in reporting unauthorized prophesying by Eldad and Medad
was to protect Moses’ role as the sole arbiter of God’s Spirit.
The disciples motive in trying to stop the unknown exorcist
was to protect their own rights as the exclusive franchise for deeds of power.
But that’s what’s so pathetic about the disciples’ attempt.
Just a few paragraphs earlier in Mark’s gospel
we read of a man who brought his son to the disciples to be cleansed of demons
and they had been unable to do anything for the boy.
Yet here was someone OUTSIDE their group,
doing in Jesus’ name the VERY THING they couldn’t do.
Furthermore, in the paragraph just before out text today
Jesus places a child in front of them and talks about “receiving” others in his name.
Yet, here the disciples are trying to exclude someone.
They’re still following fence building instructions
while Jesus is trying to get them to read the manual on building bridges instead.
There are three reasons Jesus gives his disciples
for building a bridge to the unknown exorcist.
First, if somebody’s doing a deed of power in Jesus’ name
he’s not likely to turn around and speak ill of Jesus anytime soon.
The second reason is an extension of the first.
It’s a fundamental truth that if somebody isn’t overtly against you
then you might as well assume he’s for you.
In other words, as long as someone’s acting like a friend, don’t make him an enemy.
The third reason Jesus gives his disciples for building a bridge instead of a fence
is that they themselves are going to be on the receiving end of acts of compassion.
So the smart thing is to PROMOTE acts of compassion wherever you can,
not set up roadblocks,
because you never know when YOU’RE going to need mercy.
You never know when YOU’RE going to need help with your own demons.
That last point was brought home to me once
when I visited St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
It’s a Presbyterian related college that has been in the forefront
of making their campus and their classes accessible to the disabled.
Only, they make a point of not calling those who are blind or in wheel chairs “disabled.”
Instead they call those with full physical function the “Temporarily Able-Bodied.”
We’re all at best only temporarily able-bodied
or temporarily free of grief,
or temporarily comfortable in our own skin.
Why in the world would we want to build a fence against anyone
who might, at some point, be able to help us in what is sure to be a time of need?
Today is World Communion Sunday.
I’m proud to say that this observance began seventy years ago
in the Presbyterian Church though from it’s very beginning it was designed
to be an ecumenical event.
It is a day when we very intentionally remind ourselves that we as Presbyterians
or we as Protestants
or we as Americans
or we as Westerners
do not have the exclusive franchise on Jesus
or on acts of compassion in his name.
It is a day we remind ourselves that the big tub of Legos God gives us as the church
is intended not for building gates or fences or walls, but for building bridges.
Today we receive the Peacemaking offering. It’s a bridge building offering.
25% of what we receive will stay in Nelson County
to be used by Blue Ridge Medical Center in their free dental care program
helping children have healthy smiles.
25% will stay with our Presbytery and Synod for peacemaking initiatives.
50% will go toward national and international peacemaking programs
that aim to help groups and nations turn swords into plowshares.
But in addition to offering our money,
the Peacemaking offering is an opportunity for us to offer ourselves
to the ethic of building bridges instead of fences,
to commit ourselves to walk a path of humility and cooperation
instead of building barriers of belligerence.
Making enemies is easy.
Making friends is much harder.
But making friends BECOMES easier when we realize
that it’s not our job to jealously guard the name of Jesus. God can do that.
And besides, as the letter of Ephesians tells us in chapter two,
Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has…broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity…, thus making peace.
If that’s what Jesus is all about.
If Jesus has already laid the bridge foundation,
who are we to build a fence instead?
It read: You are hereby ordered to cease and desist any retail, wholesale, or free
distribution of any liquid that has the look, taste, color, effects, or any other
qualities approximating what is commonly known as water (H20).
Disciple Water Distributors (known hereafter as DWD) has sole rights
to distribute water in your area, and your current establishment
at 415 Olive Tree Lane is in violation of those rights.
If you do not immediately cease and desist your illegal activities
DWD will have no other option but to sue
for maximum compensatory AND punitive damages.
Little Tommy couldn’t believe his eyes.
All he wanted to do was help alleviate the thirst of his neighbors
in the midst of the terrible drought that had gripped the whole region.
He wanted to fight the injunction, take it to the elders and get a ruling
But his father was a businessman who knew the ways of the world.
He knew a large concern like DWD had a huge legal team with bottomless resources,
and he knew it was fruitless to fight.
It hurt him to do so, but he advised Tommy to just close his free water stand
and consider it a lesson learned.
Tommy protested, “But Dad, there are so many thirsty people who pass my stand.
Disciple Water Distributors isn’t providing cups of water anywhere near here.”
“I know,” his Dad said. “The fact is, they aren’t distributing water anywhere!
But they purchased the exclusive rights to do so
and they keep saying it will happen any day now.”
“Run along,” Tommy’s father told him.
“Forget about the thirsty people. They’re not your problem now.”
That’s seems like a ridiculous scenario.
But it’s not far from the picture Mark paints
as he carries Jesus and his disciples down the road to Jerusalem.
Peter has already been singled out by Jesus
as being an impediment to Jesus’ mission
so Mark makes sure to let his readers know that Peter wasn’t the only one.
John exhibits jealousy unbecoming a disciple
when he reports to Jesus how he and the other disciples had TRIED to stop
someone they had seen casting out demons in Jesus’ name.
John apparently expected Jesus to give them an “A” for effort,
since they had at least TRIED to stop the unknown exorcist
from performing unauthorized acts of compassion.
But their inability even to do that
was simply one more example of how ineffectual
AND how misguided they really were.
Clearly the disciples didn’t get it.
They didn’t yet understand Jesus’ mode of operation.
They were still following the old manual that contained detailed instructions
on how to build fences;
how to keep the Jewish identity pure and undefiled from outside influences.
They saw Jesus as a new Moses and they were acting under the assumption
that they were, by extension, the new Israel.
They were like Joshua in the passage we read from Numbers,
only Joshua’s motive in reporting unauthorized prophesying by Eldad and Medad
was to protect Moses’ role as the sole arbiter of God’s Spirit.
The disciples motive in trying to stop the unknown exorcist
was to protect their own rights as the exclusive franchise for deeds of power.
But that’s what’s so pathetic about the disciples’ attempt.
Just a few paragraphs earlier in Mark’s gospel
we read of a man who brought his son to the disciples to be cleansed of demons
and they had been unable to do anything for the boy.
Yet here was someone OUTSIDE their group,
doing in Jesus’ name the VERY THING they couldn’t do.
Furthermore, in the paragraph just before out text today
Jesus places a child in front of them and talks about “receiving” others in his name.
Yet, here the disciples are trying to exclude someone.
They’re still following fence building instructions
while Jesus is trying to get them to read the manual on building bridges instead.
There are three reasons Jesus gives his disciples
for building a bridge to the unknown exorcist.
First, if somebody’s doing a deed of power in Jesus’ name
he’s not likely to turn around and speak ill of Jesus anytime soon.
The second reason is an extension of the first.
It’s a fundamental truth that if somebody isn’t overtly against you
then you might as well assume he’s for you.
In other words, as long as someone’s acting like a friend, don’t make him an enemy.
The third reason Jesus gives his disciples for building a bridge instead of a fence
is that they themselves are going to be on the receiving end of acts of compassion.
So the smart thing is to PROMOTE acts of compassion wherever you can,
not set up roadblocks,
because you never know when YOU’RE going to need mercy.
You never know when YOU’RE going to need help with your own demons.
That last point was brought home to me once
when I visited St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
It’s a Presbyterian related college that has been in the forefront
of making their campus and their classes accessible to the disabled.
Only, they make a point of not calling those who are blind or in wheel chairs “disabled.”
Instead they call those with full physical function the “Temporarily Able-Bodied.”
We’re all at best only temporarily able-bodied
or temporarily free of grief,
or temporarily comfortable in our own skin.
Why in the world would we want to build a fence against anyone
who might, at some point, be able to help us in what is sure to be a time of need?
Today is World Communion Sunday.
I’m proud to say that this observance began seventy years ago
in the Presbyterian Church though from it’s very beginning it was designed
to be an ecumenical event.
It is a day when we very intentionally remind ourselves that we as Presbyterians
or we as Protestants
or we as Americans
or we as Westerners
do not have the exclusive franchise on Jesus
or on acts of compassion in his name.
It is a day we remind ourselves that the big tub of Legos God gives us as the church
is intended not for building gates or fences or walls, but for building bridges.
Today we receive the Peacemaking offering. It’s a bridge building offering.
25% of what we receive will stay in Nelson County
to be used by Blue Ridge Medical Center in their free dental care program
helping children have healthy smiles.
25% will stay with our Presbytery and Synod for peacemaking initiatives.
50% will go toward national and international peacemaking programs
that aim to help groups and nations turn swords into plowshares.
But in addition to offering our money,
the Peacemaking offering is an opportunity for us to offer ourselves
to the ethic of building bridges instead of fences,
to commit ourselves to walk a path of humility and cooperation
instead of building barriers of belligerence.
Making enemies is easy.
Making friends is much harder.
But making friends BECOMES easier when we realize
that it’s not our job to jealously guard the name of Jesus. God can do that.
And besides, as the letter of Ephesians tells us in chapter two,
Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has…broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity…, thus making peace.
If that’s what Jesus is all about.
If Jesus has already laid the bridge foundation,
who are we to build a fence instead?
posted by David Cameron | 7:00 PM
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