The Silence of Pride

Presented at County Line Brethren Church on September 20, 2009.
Year B, Proper 20
Scripture passages: James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37

May I just say that I thought it was remarkable that #13, LaVille's left defensive end, our very own Tim Wicks, made a dramatic defensive play immediately upon returning to the game following an injury. As he was assisting in a tackle, he stripped the ball from the Knox runner – with authority. That was awesome!

Jerry Bingle, General Manager of the Pilot-News, wrote in his “Bingletary” column yesterday,
“Hardly a week goes by anymore when someone well-known doesn't do or say something that they end up having to apologize for later, because what they did was so hurtful, insulting or just plain stupid that they just had no choice but to backpedal into some sort of public attempt to make nice.”

In this column, he discusses last weekend's tirade by Serena Williams that wound up costing her the semi-final match against Kim Clisters. She was so upset about a call made by a line judge that she had foot-faulted, that she vomited verbal chunks, cussing her up one side and down the other. This assault cost her two points and the match without another volley. Williams later apologized at least twice for the spectacle.

Bingle then addresses the Kanye West incident during the Video Music Awards. As I understand it, Taylor Swift had been identified as the winner of the Best Female Video Award. While she was accepting the award, Kanye stepped out of the crowd, up on the platform, took the microphone from Taylor Swift and proceeded to say that Beyonce had one of the best music videos of all time. In the days following this outburst, Kayne repeatedly apologized for his unacceptable behavior.

Whether it is Congressman Joe Wilson, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, or Chris Brown, their attempts to apologize often seem to be found lacking in some way.

By the way, if you need to apologize and don't know how to do it, just go to perfectapology.com for a complete guide for every situation that might require an apology. There appear to be many web sites devoted to the subject of public apologies.

Bingle puts it this way,
“These apologies have all the other words in them except the ones that really matter most – the ones that would let us believe that they really feel bad or remorseful about what they did or said. Many times these apologies are nothing more than an admission that what they did was in poor taste or unprofessional, not an expression of guilt over what they did or said. Or they will blame-shift, as Williams kind of did in her initial apology, saying something to the effect that the heat of the moment and her competitive nature allowed her emotions to run out of control.
Bingle goes on to ask the question that begs for an answer,
“Why is it so hard to just say, “I'm sorry. I should not have done or said that and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or offended you”?

Elton John sang about this when he said, “Sorry seems to be the hardest word.” Why is it so hard to say, “I'm sorry”? Perhaps we will find out the answer to this question as we explore our Gospel and Epistle Lection for today.

Our passage in Mark begins by Jesus telling the disciples that he will suffer and die. This is the second time Jesus reveals this prediction to them, and it comes with some additional information. Jesus says “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the hands of men.”
The NIV says that Jesus is going to be “betrayed into the hands of men.” This translation clearly points to Judas' betrayal of Jesus. But many scholars are not convinced of this. As far back as the early theologian, Origen, it was interpreted to mean that Jesus was handed over to the hands of men BY GOD! Romans 4:25 says this, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. And Romans 8:32 says this, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? It certainly seems to me that by mentioning Judas here, we are giving him too much credit. For what God had purposed regarding his Son did not depend upon the whim of Judas. The passion was God's planned week of liberty.

The delivering up of Jesus was part of God's plan for the world's redemption (cf. Rom 4:25; 8:32). If this is what the verb means, "the play on the words Son of man … men is no doubt deliberate; in a fallen world men had become so hostile to God that when, as the culmination of his plans for their salvation, he sent to them the Man, their Saviour and ultimate model, they regarded and treated him as their worst enemy. Men and the Son of Man stood on opposite sides in God's eschatological battle against the powers of evil"
(Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis )

Again, let me emphasize that this is the second time that Jesus mentioned this. Certainly, the disciples are taking note of this. We have seen before how they have asked questions before, like asking Jesus to explain a parable. We have seen where Jesus questions the disciples, like asking who do you say that I am?

And yet, here Jesus is addressing a subject of utmost importance and they are afraid to ask for clarification. While we are told that they did not understand, we are not told why they are afraid.

But the context does give us a clue. In the following verses, Jesus calls them out. Jesus asked them what they were talking about on their way to Jerusalem.

It is absolutely incredulous that the disciples are silent in response to his question. You see, in the context of Jesus telling them that he is going to be handed over to men, in order to die, they were jousting with one another about which disciple was the “greatest.” The contrast here is so bizarre and filled with contrasts. How can I paint this picture for you? I'm not sure I can, but I have to try.

Let us be reminded that the disciples are being groomed to be “like Jesus.” They were chosen because they were perceived to be capable of being “like Jesus” in the same way that all disciples are chosen by their rabbi. They previously passed the test and Jesus called them. The whole purpose of the disciple is to be like their rabbi. For those of you who still remember the Rob Bell video, this was one of the key points Mr. Bell was trying to help us understand.

Therefore, the rabbi's primary task is to lead these disciples into the way of the rabbi. The rabbi may model this behavior by drawing in the dirt when others are wanting to stone the adulterer. Jesus, as the rabbi, teaches by the use of parables. Jesus teaches this in his interaction with the religious leaders. Jesus instructs his disciples by touching and healing the diseased, spending time with the outcasts and by taking time alone to pray. He has broken down the barriers between women and men, the sick and the healthy, the rich and the poor, the religious the profane, as well as the barrier between the righteous and the ungodly. Literally everything Jesus does becomes teachable moments. For unlike other rabbis, Jesus' time is very limited. Indeed, in our passage today, he is on his way to Jerusalem for the final time.

The first contrast to point out is that in the context of Mark 9, the disciples are completely out of sync with Jesus, their rabbi. Jesus is about service. Jesus is about sacrifice. Jesus is about giving to others so that there is nothing left. Jesus is talking about dying and his disciples are talking about who is the greatest. In this instance, the 12 disciples are not acting like disciples at all.

It is quite interesting isn't it that the disciples do not have the strength to question Jesus about these statements, particularly when it says that they do not fully understand what he is saying.

But when Jesus asks them what they were talking about, they are totally busted. They are completely exposed as fakes, as non-disciples. That one question unrattles them to the extent that they are unable to even voice a response or come clean. No one ventured to speak words of truth, confession, not to mention remorse coupled with an apology. The report of our Gospel writer clearly indicates that each of the disciples stood condemned in their own heart.

I dare say that if pressed, they would have responded in ways similar to the public attempts at apology that I listed at the beginning. Blaming one another, providing excuses, or denying any wrongdoing at all. For as much as we have discovered, the disciples, as well as every character in the scriptures are just like us: frail and prone to falling.

And so, our Lord deemed it proper to summon a child to his side. That's right, a child who was little more than property to his parents in that society.

“Mark's audience would have heard the word 'child' as referring to someone like the servant who served the meals to everyone else in the household, in that both were seen as without 'honor' or high social standing . . . Children and servants were of equally low social status.”
(Sharon H Ringe, Feasting on the Word)

“Certainly, children in that time were regarded as nonpersons, or not-yet-persons, possessions of the father in the household. For Jesus to hold up a child as an emblem of living in God's household, and as a stand-in for Jesus himself, was to offer serious challenge to societal norms of the day.”
(Martha L. Moore-Keish, Feasting on the Word)

Jesus first calls the disciples to emulate the child, thus renouncing social status; he then calls them to welcome the child, to make space for those with no social status, since to do so is to welcome Jesus himself – and the One who sent him.
(Joyce Ann Mercer, as quote by Martha L. Moore-Keish, Feasting on the Word)

Those who are not careful will easily be drawn into seeing this exchange between Jesus and his disciples as yet another politician “kissing babies.” But here Jesus is anything but soothing. Indeed, Jesus is quite stern in his veiled rebuke of the disciples' coveting of power, greatness and fame.

“In discussing this aspect of the text, we hit upon something that is not merely analogical: as disciples of Jesus, are we not also afraid to engage Jesus' radical messianic teaching? Are we not also afraid to admit to him the posturing and power struggles that we have among one another as his disciples?”
(Nathan G Jennings, Feasting on the Word)

So, this is much more than the pleasant and saccharine warm fuzzies that are often associated with the stories of Jesus welcoming the children.

James speaks of selfish ambition, bitter envy, cravings and desires that are at war, even within our own hearts. It is this internal war of coveting what we do not have that is at the root of many conflicts and disputes among us as believers. And I speak not only of those struggles for control within congregations, but also within the one holy and catholic church, universal.

It is much easier to view conflicts and disputes among us as limited to us vs. them. However, James makes it clear that the real
“conflicts we face are those that come from within us – from disordered and conflicting desires that, when they come into contact with the disordered desires of others, lead to disputes and conflicts.
(Mark Douglas, Feasting on the Word)

As Jesus is heading to the final showdown, he teaches his disciples powerfully – with a little child. He turns upside down the desire for power, the desire for greatness and the desire for fame. Instead he offers us a new liberating pathway for living, that of service and deferral.

{I cannot let this pass without mentioning that the wise parent will pay special attention to this exchange between Jesus and his disciples. Let it be known that there are a variety of pathways to call attention to the errant ways of one another, some of which require not a harsh word or a consequence, but only a question followed by an example holding forth a higher value.}

A few weeks ago, William Calley expressed his regret for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968. Over 347 innocent Vietnamese were killed in this atrocity. For over 40 years, William Calley has remained silent. That has changed. On August 19, 2009, Calley made the following statements.
“I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed,
for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry,"
"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai.”
The closing portion of our passage from James says this:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”



Closing Prayer
Realizing we are not perfect, realizing that we have at various times sought power and control, realizing that we have fought the war inside our hearts of coveting and envy, realizing that we are no different than the holy apostles, realizing that this has resulted in strife and discord among as believers;
we confess with deep regret and remorse to our heavenly Father our sin, our frailty, and our weakness to you;
and make a commitment to turn toward a new path of service and deference to one another as you have taught us with little children by your side.