Just What Belongs to
Whom?
Grace, mercy and
peace be unto you from God who is Creator, Christ and Comforter. Amen
Today’s lesson from Mark needs some help…contextual
help. It’s always best to know context
before we get to content. So, let’s set
the context! In Chapter 11 of Mark,
which we have totally skipped, and will get back to in a month, Jesus has
entered Jerusalem on a donkey and people were so excited that they broke off
palm branches and laid down their cloaks for him to enter! They were shouting hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!
So, the religious authorities are on HIGH alert! This Jesus dude is causing a lot of
commotion…and they want him dead! Lucky
for them, he has just played into their hands – he’s on their turf so they can
plot, plan and scheme to get him killed!
Question 1, just who is “them”? For that information we need to back up to
verse 27 of Mark 11, and see that the “them” is: the chief priests, the scribes
and the elders. They came to Jesus with questions
about his authority to do the things Jesus was doing, and say the things Jesus
was saying. And being a typical Rabbi,
he answered their questions with a question, “Did the baptism of John come from
heaven, or was it of human origin?”
They refused to answer because they saw that they were
trapped…so Jesus refused to answer their question about authority.
Instead, he told them a parable about a man planting a
vineyard. This vineyard imagery (Context point #2) comes straight from Isaiah
chapter 5 where the vineyard stands for Israel and the landowner for God. But the imagery doesn’t stop there for those
who listen (point 3)…absentee landlordism was a reality for them…a minority of
the people owned the majority of the land – kind of like the 99% and the 1% of
recent political speech.
All which flew directly in the face of the Torah teaching of
ownership…that everything belonging to God alone!
The abuse of the slaves, goes right back to the way that the
authorities, political and religious, had treated nearly all of the prophets of
the Old Testament who spoke for God and God’s ways (point 4). To be a prophet meant that those to whom you
spoke would most likely NOT enjoy your words, or your teachings. But, to speak for God was what they must do.
So, finally, God (who owns everything and is far from
absent) decides to send the beloved son.
For those chief priests, the scribes and the elders, and those
listening, this would evoke images of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, and for
those who loved Jesus, they would remember the voice from the heavens at his
baptism and for Peter, James, and John additionally, the voice from the cloud
at the transfiguration (#5).
Killing the Son seems so irrational to us, but then, as now,
possession is 99% of the law. If the
heir is dead, and the land is ownerless, the property goes to those who can
claim occupation! Reminds me of Abraham
having the conversation with God before the birth of his sons, “Will Eliezer of Damascus be my heir? (point 6)
The verses that Jesus quotes comes from Psalm 118. You gotta listen to this, there’s no way I
can make this up!
22The
stone that the builders rejected has
become the chief cornerstone.
23This
is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This
is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save
us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26Blessed
is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord. (point7)
So, being
called out in public by Jesus, knowing that his popularity was far bigger and
stronger than theirs, they went away and sent some Pharisees and Herodians to
him to try to get Jesus from another angle – since the religious one didn’t
work!
Let’s try
the governmental angle!
Now,
Pharisees are the group of Jews from which modern Judaism stems. They were interested in obeying Torah so
thoroughly that they created 613 additional laws to the 10 Commandments, or to
the two that Jesus explained earlier in his ministry: love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as
yourself. (8)
The
Herodians were those Jewish leaders who supported King Herod and his dynasty,
which means they were fully vested with Rome and all the trappings that came
with it. Can you think of a more
opposite-feeling coalition heading to test Jesus on taxes? (9)
And, in Jesus’ usual way, he amazes them at his answer, and they go back
with even more anger and readiness to kill him.
Has Jesus
surprised you in your walk with him? Do
you know who belongs to what? And who belongs to whom? Have you put Jesus to the test in your own
faith life and had answers beyond your own understanding? I know I have!
Who would
have thought that when I stood railing against God, and the unfairness that our
family was experiencing over 25 years ago that I’d end up as your pastor? Who could ever have thought that as our
family went through those dark times, that God was leading us to a new
life? Not me.
Jesus
stands, in the final week of his life, and makes time to teach and to open
hearts to God’s plan for salvation. It’s
true. Life isn’t always easy; life isn’t
always fair; and it’s also true that we do NOT go through life alone!
The God who
owns the earth and everything in it is not some distant landowner. God is with us…Emmanuel is with us…every
step, every breath, every tear, every laugh…with us…
For we have
been marked by the cross of Christ. We
are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We feast
at Jesus’ table of forgiveness, life and salvation.
Why? Because we belong – for today – for tomorrow
– and forever!
In the name
of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment