A broadened view (a sermon on Mark 2:23--3:6)

In the children's sermon, we noticed the green banners and paraments and the motif of growing things around the sanctuary - the colors and symbols of Ordinary Time, which stretches from now all the way until Reformation Sunday at the end of October.

In this new season, we’ll get back to Gospel readings coming primarily from the Gospel of Mark. We started with Mark back in Advent, but skipped around to other gospels in the Easter season. But, now we’re back with Mark for the next 8 weeks straight. So, a few things to remember about Mark:

The theme of authority is a recurring motif, and one that is an undercurrent in today’s reading. Who has authority? Who bestows authority? Who gets to make decisions about religious matters? 

Another characteristic of Mark’s Gospel is the speed with which things take place. Mark loves to transition from action to action with the word “immediately”. In Mark 1, Jesus is baptized and immediately the Spirit drives him into the wilderness. Later, when Jesus spots Simon and Andrew fishing on the Sea of Galilee, immediately he calls them and immediately they leave their nets to follow.

Yes, things move quickly in Mark, which means also that the story is more condensed than in the other Gospels. What Matthew takes 28 chapters to say, and Luke 24, Mark says in 16 (or really 15 chapters and 8 verses!). 

I suppose it shouldn’t be much of a surprise, then, that already in the Gospel text we heard today, barely into the third chapter, the established religious and political leaders are already plotting to kill Jesus.

What is he saying or doing that’s so threatening? Is he really out to dismantle their religion, their way of life?

First, no - Jesus is not out to dismantle Judaism. We remember, of course, that Jesus was Jewish. That was the context in which he was raised, and those were the rituals and scripture and interpretations which shaped him. His clashes with the Jewish religious leaders were not undertaken with the goal of destroying Judaism, but rather were an attempt to expand the view of who God is and how God is at work in the world. 

But it is true that Jesus’ words and actions are perceived as a threat by the established leaders. The disagreements between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees begin early and escalate quickly. As soon as Jesus calls the first disciples to follow, they go to the city of Capernaum where Jesus teaches in the synagogue on the sabbath. Then, in the midst of teaching, he heals a man from an unclean spirit. (Strike one!) Later, Jesus heals a paralyzed man, first proclaiming to him “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes who are watching are horrified by this proclamation, and call it blasphemy, for “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Strike two!)

Shortly after that encounter, the scribes and Pharisees hear that Jesus and his disciples were eating with the wrong kind of people - tax collectors, and sinners. Then, another issue with eating - this time, that Jesus’ disciples did not participate in the religious practice of fasting at a time when the Pharisees and John’s disciples were doing so. 

Then, finally, we get to today’s text, where Jesus and the disciples again fail to observe the sabbath in the way that was expected, by doing work (plucking grain) and healing a man with a withered hand. 

Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

So, what is Jesus saying or doing that’s so threatening? Well, everything, I suppose. And, particularly in these first few chapters, it seems like he’s doing it on purpose. It seems that he’s deliberately poking and prodding and stepping right up to (or even over) the lines of good order that have been the traditional interpretation of things. 

The thing that Jesus is calling into question, though, is not the rigidity of the sabbath laws. The sabbath laws are a gift, a gift meant for liberation, and life, and connection to God. And in the spirit of this gift, the sabbath laws do allow people to act in life-or-death situations, and to care for those in need. But while there is room for exceptions, these actions by Jesus and his disciples don’t really meet the threshold of “emergency”. The disciples are not starving; they’re picking grain as they walk through some farmer’s field on their way to someplace else. The man with the withered hand isn’t dying; his healing could wait until the sun set and the sabbath was over. 

So what is Jesus’ point? Why provoke the religious leaders? The first reason, I suppose, is because he can. Even though the scribes and Pharisees don’t recognize it, Jesus is the Son of God. He has the authority to teach and interpret scripture. He has the authority to heal and forgive sins. He has the authority to decide how the Sabbath ought or ought not to be observed.

But, even more broadly than that, Jesus’ actions here are in line with the stated purpose of his ministry, right from the outset. In the very first chapter of Mark, Jesus declares the reason for his proclaiming, preaching, and healing. He says, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

The kingdom of God has come near! This kingdom, this reign, this way of life is so often at odds with the world’s way of doing things. It’s a kingdom centered on the expansive grace of God, where our expectations are upended and our narrow views and interpretations broadened. 

So what is Jesus’ point in poking and prodding and reinterpreting and calling into question? The point is to proclaim the nearness of God and God’s reign, and to invite people into it. God’s kingdom is found most fully not in restriction but in joyful abundance; not in shallow observance but in deep relationship with God and one another. 

It is easy to lose sight of this purpose; to get so caught up in rules or our narrow perceptions or our familiar, comfortable ways. But God’s grace is not narrow, familiar, or comfortable. God’s grace catches us by surprise. God’s grace includes people we’d rather avoid or condemn. God’s grace comes to us when we least expect or deserve it. 

God’s kingdom, God’s reign is still near. Sometimes it’s hard to see it, when conflict and violence and disagreement are so very present and loud. Change is hard, loss is hard. But the call to reinterpret and reimagine is an invitation to align our words and actions with the characteristics of God’s reign - joyful abundance, deep connection with God and one another, wholeness, rest, and love.