A full house, and a wrecked roof!
A lunch and a lecture!
Words about fasting and words about feasting!
One thing you’ve gotta say about Mark – He doesn’t waste any words, and he doesn’t pull any punches.
Three stories, a healing story, a call story, and a parable. It’s a little strange trying to interpret Mark sometimes, because he writes so concisely. As a writer, I’m a little jealous of Mark. Three things he does over and over in his gospel, which is only 16 chapters long.
First, everything is IMMEDIATE. They followed immediately. Immediately, it was done. And in today’s text, immediately, he took the mat and left.
Second, Jesus keeps telling everyone not to tell anyone what he’s doing. And as you can tell from the full house in the introduction to today’s Gospel, it’s not working very well. I think Mark understood human nature pretty well – the more you tell people NOT to share information, the faster it spreads!
And third, Mark keeps creating these three-story groupings – my LSTC professors actually called them Markan sandwiches. That’s because if you really want to know what’s happening, pay close attention to the meat, the middle of the sandwich.
And here in the middle of this sandwich, Jesus is eating with Levi, a tax collector, and other “sinners.” Now, as followers of Jesus, we know that we’re all sinners – not one of us is sin-free without God’s forgiveness. But during the time of Jesus, the religious leaders and Jewish people who followed all the laws would be in the “righteous” group. They would consider themselves righteous and everyone else who saw them would, too. And everyone else would be “sinners,” the people who didn’t have their lives together.
So imagine the scene. Over here,--->> at the market food court, the Pharisees and their scribes, ritually washing themselves.
<<--- And next door, in Levi’s front yard, the outcasts. The riff-raff. Not the kind of people you want to invite to your Christmas party or chamber mixer, and not the people that an up-and-coming Jewish teacher would want to be seen eating lunch with.
But here was Jesus, sitting and laughing with this tax collector – better yet, tax enforcer – and his friends. Who knows? Maybe a petty thief, a beggar, and a couple of livestock handlers. And the Pharisees and their scribes started poking each other.
“Find a better table, Jesus.”
“Who are you going to invite to eat with you next – a sex worker?”
“Hope you can clean yourself up before sabbath.”
And pretty soon, his tablemates are uncomfortable. Levi says “Maybe you better go.” And Jesus decides he better set the record straight.
“You don’t go to the doctor when you’re well, do you? Then why would you need a rabbi if you’re righteous? I’m here for the people who know their lives are out of whack.”
Burn! Jesus just lobbed a missile at the Pharisees. And they were none too happy with Jesus implying that he could help people – all kinds of people – get right with God. That was their job – so they thought.
And once you see this story – then the other two stories come into focus. In all these stories – the healing, the calling of Levi, and the discussion of fasting -- Jesus was talking about change. Not just external changes – a new job or different religious practices, New Year’s resolutions or a new Stanley mug – but wholesale changes in how people live their lives. Not just putting some new wine in the old wineskins, but starting with fresh wineskins entirely. Being changed from the inside out.
In the Tuesday Bible study, I said Jesus packed it all into Chapter 2. That we could skip some chapters and go right to Jerusalem and Holy Week now. Because Jesus condensed his message to his disciples, about how we need changed lives, and he provoked the religious leaders in one reading, three short stories.
A lunch and a lecture!
Words about fasting and words about feasting!
One thing you’ve gotta say about Mark – He doesn’t waste any words, and he doesn’t pull any punches.
Three stories, a healing story, a call story, and a parable. It’s a little strange trying to interpret Mark sometimes, because he writes so concisely. As a writer, I’m a little jealous of Mark. Three things he does over and over in his gospel, which is only 16 chapters long.
First, everything is IMMEDIATE. They followed immediately. Immediately, it was done. And in today’s text, immediately, he took the mat and left.
Second, Jesus keeps telling everyone not to tell anyone what he’s doing. And as you can tell from the full house in the introduction to today’s Gospel, it’s not working very well. I think Mark understood human nature pretty well – the more you tell people NOT to share information, the faster it spreads!
And third, Mark keeps creating these three-story groupings – my LSTC professors actually called them Markan sandwiches. That’s because if you really want to know what’s happening, pay close attention to the meat, the middle of the sandwich.
And here in the middle of this sandwich, Jesus is eating with Levi, a tax collector, and other “sinners.” Now, as followers of Jesus, we know that we’re all sinners – not one of us is sin-free without God’s forgiveness. But during the time of Jesus, the religious leaders and Jewish people who followed all the laws would be in the “righteous” group. They would consider themselves righteous and everyone else who saw them would, too. And everyone else would be “sinners,” the people who didn’t have their lives together.
So imagine the scene. Over here,--->> at the market food court, the Pharisees and their scribes, ritually washing themselves.
<<--- And next door, in Levi’s front yard, the outcasts. The riff-raff. Not the kind of people you want to invite to your Christmas party or chamber mixer, and not the people that an up-and-coming Jewish teacher would want to be seen eating lunch with.
But here was Jesus, sitting and laughing with this tax collector – better yet, tax enforcer – and his friends. Who knows? Maybe a petty thief, a beggar, and a couple of livestock handlers. And the Pharisees and their scribes started poking each other.
“Find a better table, Jesus.”
“Who are you going to invite to eat with you next – a sex worker?”
“Hope you can clean yourself up before sabbath.”
And pretty soon, his tablemates are uncomfortable. Levi says “Maybe you better go.” And Jesus decides he better set the record straight.
“You don’t go to the doctor when you’re well, do you? Then why would you need a rabbi if you’re righteous? I’m here for the people who know their lives are out of whack.”
Burn! Jesus just lobbed a missile at the Pharisees. And they were none too happy with Jesus implying that he could help people – all kinds of people – get right with God. That was their job – so they thought.
And once you see this story – then the other two stories come into focus. In all these stories – the healing, the calling of Levi, and the discussion of fasting -- Jesus was talking about change. Not just external changes – a new job or different religious practices, New Year’s resolutions or a new Stanley mug – but wholesale changes in how people live their lives. Not just putting some new wine in the old wineskins, but starting with fresh wineskins entirely. Being changed from the inside out.
In the Tuesday Bible study, I said Jesus packed it all into Chapter 2. That we could skip some chapters and go right to Jerusalem and Holy Week now. Because Jesus condensed his message to his disciples, about how we need changed lives, and he provoked the religious leaders in one reading, three short stories.
But, the truth is, we need to hear Jesus’ words every week. We need the reminder daily that we are loved and forgiven, and because of that, we can risk living differently, counter-culturally, bringing the grace that Jesus lived out – into our everyday lives. We need to be reminded when we get it right, and especially when we get it wrong, as we all will, that we are works in progress. We are walking this walk together because only in community do we find others who are just like us – getting it wrong sometimes, getting it right sometimes – and continually living more and more into the image of Jesus the Christ.
Pastor Johannah Myers put it this way: “In any ministry, at any time, we are all apprentices of Jesus – lifelong learners who are developing the skills and practices necessary to live Jesus’ life.”
Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” and the people said, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Time and time again through Jesus’ ministry, people would show up and want to jump on the bandwagon. Follow this popular rabbi, join with the crowd. But then Jesus would start teaching about what it’s like to change from the inside out. Don’t take the best seats – become the lowly one, a servant. It’s hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom – a camel through the eye of a needle hard! The meek, the poor, the peacemakers – they will inherit the earth, not the powerful ones.
Ouch, that smarts.
Maybe it hurts because, so often, I’d kind of like to have it both ways. I’d like to live comfortably AND give away everything. I’d like to be recognized AND be the least of these. I’d like to have some control AND heal the world of its power-hunger.
Perhaps I hear a sigh of recognition there. Maybe I’m not the only one who struggles with this.
Take heart, then. C’mon along, if you dare. I’m pretty sure it was Mark who inserted all the “immediately’s” into this story. I think Jesus understood it was a challenging road to take, to be changed from within. I have to remind myself daily that the Creative Artist who made the universe is sculpting this hunk of rock, with amazing patience, into the masterpiece only the Creator could envision. And sculpting you too.
So, those words of today’s gospel were meant for us, too. Not just the words about being a sin-sick person who needs a healer. Not just the words about needing to put the new wine of Jesus’ teachings into new wineskins. But these words – far more difficult in practice, but easier to remember and live, day by day. The words Jesus spoke to Levi, as he joined him at his table and talked to him, face-to-face.
“Follow me.”
Amen.
Pastor Johannah Myers put it this way: “In any ministry, at any time, we are all apprentices of Jesus – lifelong learners who are developing the skills and practices necessary to live Jesus’ life.”
Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” and the people said, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Time and time again through Jesus’ ministry, people would show up and want to jump on the bandwagon. Follow this popular rabbi, join with the crowd. But then Jesus would start teaching about what it’s like to change from the inside out. Don’t take the best seats – become the lowly one, a servant. It’s hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom – a camel through the eye of a needle hard! The meek, the poor, the peacemakers – they will inherit the earth, not the powerful ones.
Ouch, that smarts.
Maybe it hurts because, so often, I’d kind of like to have it both ways. I’d like to live comfortably AND give away everything. I’d like to be recognized AND be the least of these. I’d like to have some control AND heal the world of its power-hunger.
Perhaps I hear a sigh of recognition there. Maybe I’m not the only one who struggles with this.
Take heart, then. C’mon along, if you dare. I’m pretty sure it was Mark who inserted all the “immediately’s” into this story. I think Jesus understood it was a challenging road to take, to be changed from within. I have to remind myself daily that the Creative Artist who made the universe is sculpting this hunk of rock, with amazing patience, into the masterpiece only the Creator could envision. And sculpting you too.
So, those words of today’s gospel were meant for us, too. Not just the words about being a sin-sick person who needs a healer. Not just the words about needing to put the new wine of Jesus’ teachings into new wineskins. But these words – far more difficult in practice, but easier to remember and live, day by day. The words Jesus spoke to Levi, as he joined him at his table and talked to him, face-to-face.
“Follow me.”
Amen.
