The Good News Proclaimed
Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins at
the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, October 4, 2009.
Our gospel reading this morning is actually part of a larger conversation.
The tenth chapter of Mark’s gospel opens with religious people who liked to
antagonize Jesus questioning him about divorce. They were always trying to
trip him up about something.
Jesus answers his critics by being for once stricter than the tradition
called for. The tradition said that a man could leave his wife by formally
divorcing her. Usually, when confronted with scripture texts and religious
traditions, Jesus offered a progressive, liberal, inclusive view that
challenged the legalistic applications of the tradition. But this time, Jesus’
opinion seems even less flexible than the conservative view.
But really, Jesus is being consistent with his progressive, positive, and
practical approach to spirituality. You see, the tradition says that a man
could leave his wife… it didn’t seem to work in reverse. In that patriarchal
culture, women had very little status apart from a man. Women were known as
someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, someone’s mother.
Women weren’t considered by men to have agency… and men had the power. So
if a woman leaves the protection of her father’s house to become someone’s
wife, and her husband leaves her… her options might be very limited in that
time.
If her father is no longer alive, and if she doesn’t have an adult son or a
brother willing to take her in, the woman could be left to face very hard
times.
In his compassion and in his commitment to justice and fairness, Jesus is
suggesting that divorce in his culture places women at an unfair disadvantage.
Today… Jesus would probably tell women to get a career and men to pay child
support. Jesus isn’t condemning people to unhealthy and miserable and
sometimes even unsafe relationships, nor is he holding up heterosexual
marriage as the norm as some might suggest… he’s trying to prevent people from
being victimized by systems that favor men over women. He’s actually
challenging misogyny in his culture. He’s pushing back against the tradition
as he so often does, and he’s doing it for the same reason he always does…
because people matter more than the tradition. He’s saying what he’s always
said… Do unto others as you have them do unto you.
Later in chapter 10 of Mark’s gospel, a rich young man comes to Jesus and
asks what he must do to inherit divine life. Jesus says, “you know the
commandments — don’t murder or steal or defraud others” …in other words, treat
others the way you’d want to be treated. And the rich young man says, “I know
those commandments. And I keep them… I’m no murderer. I’m no thief. I’m not
even dishonest.” And Jesus says, “You lack one thing: Generosity. Sell your
possessions and give to the poor… then you will have heavenly treasure.” And
Mark says the young man’s face fell… because he had a lot of stuff.
Jesus didn’t say, “worship me.” He didn’t even say, “Worship God the way I
do” or “Call God the name I call God.” He didn’t say, “Be heterosexual” or
“join one religion and avoid all the others.” He said remember the
commandments that call you to recognize the sacred value of others, and then
put your money where your mouth is. Give to something beyond your own comfort.
Be generous, because if you needed a hand, you’d hope there would be one there
for you. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
You know, I never complain about social programs. I want them administered
efficiently, of course, but I hope my tax dollars are going to educate
children and to provide income for retirees and to provide medical care for
veterans and disaster relief when our neighbors are in need. I think a wealthy
and powerful country should make sure its citizens are safe and well fed and
educated and insured.
And I pledge to the church. Because I honestly believe that people need to
hear they have sacred value… not that they can earn it or that if they jump
through some hoops God will bestow it… but that just as they are, they are
already persons of sacred value. I believe with all my heart that people need
to know that they are persons of power and they can use their power wisely for
their good and for the good of the world. I believe in churches that promote
that kind of progressive, positive, and practical spirituality and I
especially believe in this one because I think we are as committed to that
message as any church ever has been. And I believe it is the message of Jesus.
So I’m not ashamed to preach stewardship and I take great pleasure in
practicing it.
Jesus’ message to the rich young man was: Don’t steal, don’t hurt people,
don’t defame people, don’t do anything that you wouldn’t want someone to do to
you… and that not withholding your generosity. Make generosity part of your
spirituality. Supporting what you say you believe in with your time, talent,
AND treasure is what Jesus told that young man would bring eternal
significance to his life.
Sandwiched between those two stories is the passage we heard today. The
kin-dom of God is like the innocence, the wonder, the trust, the generosity of
children. Children have to be taught to hate…because until they are taught to
hate, they have no ill will toward anyone.
Children are forgiving. The little kid that was mean to them time and again
can suddenly say, “let’s be friends” and the child is delighted at the
prospect.
Children hope beyond reason. No matter how many times the parent has said,
“No, you can’t stay up past 9”, or “No, you can’t watch that TV show”,
children will ask one more time… this might be the time someone says yes!
Children believe in magic. Santa and the generosity and kindness he
represents make sense to children. There may really be gold at the end of a
rainbow in the mind of a child. I really could grow up to be a doctor or a
rock star or president or a truck driver who thinks life on the road is
exciting and fun. Children really make a wish when they blow out the candles
on their birthday cakes… because wishes sometimes come true. To a child,
possibilities are endless… sounds like faith, doesn’t it?
Children will play until you make them rest. Children will take risks that
they have not yet learned to be afraid to take. Children really believe that a
kiss will make their owie feel better, and they really believe that hugging
you ought to make you feel better. Children are positive thinkers, and they
are by nature progressive.
Children had less status in Jesus’ culture than women did. They had no
power. No rights. Even the disciples want them to be invisible. But Jesus
makes time for the children. Not just because he was a good guy who was sweet
to children.
If you needed services, you’d want them… so he tells the rich young man who
can share his resources to do so.
And if you were a woman you wouldn’t want to be left destitute just because
your husband was tired of you. So men, don’t do that to women.
And if you were a child, you wouldn’t want people to act as if you weren’t
there, as if you didn’t matter.
He’s saying the same thing over and over in as many ways as he can… He’s
saying that all people have sacred value. All people deserve to be happy. All
people have something to give to the world. All people matter.
In this chapter, he names three marginalized groups… women, the poor, and
children… and one of those groups, the little children, can even teach us how
to regain our personal power… the power of hope, the power of love, the power
of joy, the power of expecting and allowing our Good to be made manifest in
our experience.
And then Jesus makes a point of saying that those who society has forgotten
or even that religion has said are secondary are not forgotten by God, are
never secondary to God. There are no second class citizens in the kin-dom of
God.
Jesus’ message for us today is two-fold: (1) We are ALL God’s Children, so
let’s treat all people as if we believed that were true, and (2) We are ALL
God’s Children, so let’s reclaim the joy and the wonder that children have and
that our divine Parent delights to see us express. This is the good news.
Amen.