 By Bill Hattendorf, Lay Preacher
Perhaps you’ve noticed that over the last five Sundays, we’ve been working our way through the Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. However you feel about John, today is the end of that run for now. We’re back to the Gospel of Mark next Sunday. To put today’s lesson into context, allow me to bring back up some other pieces of this story. The Gospel of John, of course, is different from the other three in the New Testament. John’s is a gospel about the logos, or “Word.” It relates the history of the Word that it says was with God in the beginning (that phrasing being an allusion to the opening of Genesis). The synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) purport to provide “good news” which some folks see as an historical account of Jesus’s life, whereas John’s gospel could be called the spiritual gospel precisely because it tells the story of Jesus in symbolic ways that differ sharply at times from the other three. John’s existential theology is to simply believe (“credo” in Latin), rather than conform with Matthew’s “kingdom of heaven.” As the logos, John’s Jesus overcomes death, and his miracles are simply a means to show the people a sign that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, a sign of God’s love for us, a sign that we can trust and believe in Him. The teaching of John is of self-sacrifice, of passion, of love, and of friendship. Jesus tells his followers to pursue the light and spread love and self-sacrifice. This is different from, say, Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount where Jesus commands his followers to love their enemies, rather than telling them to lay down their lives, out of love, for their friends. In John's gospel, Jesus dies on a different day than in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s … In the three synoptic gospels Jesus actually eats a passover meal before he dies, but in John's gospel he doesn't. John’s last supper is actually eaten before the beginning of passover, so there’s a different sequence of events leading up to the crucifixion for John's gospel. Matthew and Luke follow Mark closely by having Jesus crucified at the third hour (9 AM) on the day following the Passover feast. But John’s timeline you could say is different for theological reasons. It has Jesus taken to be crucified on the sixth hour (12 noon) on the day before the Passover feast. Let’s say that Passover begins at 6 o’clock with the evening meal, so in John, the day leading up to the Passover is the day when all the lambs are slaughtered and everyone goes to the temple to get their lamb for the passover meal. In Jerusalem this would have meant thousands of lambs being slaughtered all at one time. And in John’s gospel that's the day on which Jesus is crucified. So that quite dramatic scene in John’s gospel has Jesus hanging on the cross while the lambs are being slaughtered for passover. John’s gospel is forcing us, dramatically at least, in his storytelling mode, to think of Jesus as a passover lamb. Jesus doesn't eat a passover meal, Jesus is the passover meal, at least within the way that John tells the story. So this theme of the Lamb of God, the Passover symbolism, runs all through John’s gospel. From the very first scene in John when Jesus enters the story for the first time, John the Baptist sees him coming and says, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” So the whole story is now bracketed by this one motif, the Lamb of God. And that’s the kind of symbolism that eventually becomes one of the most profound and dominant in all of Christian theological tradition. In just that small capsule we have a whole theological tradition of Jesus as the Lamb or God wrapped up. In the New Testament we see many pictures of Jesus. We see him as the Good Shepherd, the bread from heaven, the Word, and the vine. We learn about him in parables, and we puzzle over what those parables might mean. And, we’re in good company with our questions and wonderings. Even the disciples – Jesus’ closest followers – had questions, too. John's symbolism may be the most evocative as well as provocative in the New Testament. John’s language can seem intentionally antagonistic toward Jewish tradition and sensitivities. The idea of the Passover, of course, is very Jewish but John tends to turn some of those ideas against Jewish tradition. In today’s lesson, Jesus essentially says, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Later John notes “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” Jesus grosses them out with talk of consuming flesh and blood. The idea of drinking blood is absolutely abhorrent to Jewish dietary regulations. So the very language and the symbolism that is so rich within John's gospel also has a decidedly political tone to it in terms of the evolving relationship between Jews and Christians. John’s gospel is witness to a Christianity that’s moving further and further away from Jewish tradition. And in fact it’s seeing Jewish tradition often as actually hostile to the Christian movement. In John, we get a startlingly clear look at who Jesus is, which is why John is the favorite Gospel of many people. But, for all its beauty and imagery, today’s John 6 reading is also one of the most disturbing passages in the Bible. So disturbing, in fact, that it causes many of Jesus’ disciples – though not the twelve – to turn back from following him. Although Jesus’ words “I am the bread of life” are familiar to most Christians, in this passage the disciples declare this to be a “hard saying.” While the crowd was initially enthusiastic about the idea of Jesus as one like Moses who could provide a miraculous bread (the loaves and fishes), many find his teaching sufficiently “hard” that they turn away. What is it about Jesus’ teaching that they find difficult? Well, some interpreters think that Jesus’ disciples have only understood his words on a literal level. Although modern readers are conditioned to hear Jesus’ words about those “who eat my flesh and drink my blood” as a reference to the Lord’s Supper, the disciples at the time would have no experience of the Eucharist. This episode precedes the Last Supper. They reject Jesus’ teaching because they think that he is referring to cannibalism. However, it may make more sense to think about the narrative logic of what John is doing here. In the original manna story, the people’s response to God’s salvation is mixed. Although they initially herald the triumph of God in the Exodus, they immediately begin to “grumble” & “complain.” They don’t trust God to take care of them. Similarly, the group following Jesus initially receives the seemingly miraculous food of loaves and fishes and heralds Jesus as a prophet. But they also begin to “grumble” against Jesus and his teaching about the manna. It’s too hard. To partake of Jesus as manna involves a reliance on God. One way John expresses this throughout the Gospel is through the word “abide.” The same Greek word, meno, appears here, although it is often translated remain: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me and I in them.” Feeding on Jesus as manna means remaining or abiding with Jesus. It is through this proximity that Jesus brings life to those who eat. But “abiding” with Jesus is difficult. Staying with Jesus and learning from him is a long process. For many, a quick fix would be more attractive. The crowd initially attracted to Jesus – as a Moses figure who could work miracles – learn that Jesus is not offering an easy victory but the long road of discipleship. The twelve are the ones who “abide” with Jesus. They stick with him even though his teaching is difficult. (Although they, too, will scatter during the trial and crucifixion.) Here, they recognize Jesus’ words as life giving and do not turn away. In doing so, they represent what it means to trust that God will provide manna. They stick with Jesus, who is the manna, and they listen to his words. This is their only real option – much like the Israelites in the wilderness, whose only other option was to return to slavery: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John tells us Jesus knows the disciples are finding this teaching to be especially difficult, and he calls them out. He asks them the question, “Does this offend you?” The Greek word also translates as “scandalize.” The disciples are offended by Jesus’ teaching. They are scandalized by it. John tells us, “Because of this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.” The truth he spoke was offensive. Scandalous. And they simply couldn’t accept it. Jesus then asks the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Theologian Soren Kierkegaard contends that there comes a point in our lives where we have to make a choice: to believe or be offended. But, before the choice can be made, there is tension. We are confronted by God with the scandal of God’s amazing and self-giving love, and we face a profound tension that will lead either to offense or belief. It is this tension that holds within it the beautiful possibility of faith. All of the disciples – the wider group and the twelve – face the difficult teaching of Jesus. When many of Jesus’ followers walk away. Jesus asks the twelve if they want to leave also. In the midst of the tension, Jesus sits with them and allows them to take it all in. Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” For Peter, profound tension was the beginning point of deep faith. Faced with the scandal of reliance on the very body and blood of Jesus, Peter found himself abiding in Christ. John 6 makes it clear that the Gospel is hard. It’s offensive. Are we offended? Are we scandalized? In this day and age, we are no strangers to scandal. We hear, almost daily, about the fall of celebrities, about people who have climbed to the top, only to have their deepest, darkest secrets exposed as they fall from lofty heights. Scandal after scandal is featured on the tablopids in the grocery check-out line. The good news of Jesus Christ is that the scandal of our sin is no match for the scandal of God’s self-giving love. The most amazing news of all is that the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us. The good news of the Gospel is that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus – nothing. I love the way Heather frequently closes this service by saying “Rest assured that God is infinitely more concerned by the promise for our future than the mistakes of our past.” The love of God in Christ is far more than we could ever believe or imagine. And confronted with that reality, we are shaken to the core. But Jesus not only speaks out and challenges us in the tension, he allows us to sit with it, too. So, will we be offended, or will we believe? Amen By Bill Hattendorf, Lay Preacher If it were me, I think I might have just stayed in the fishing boat.
Today’s Lesson is about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. We’re right at the first chapter of Mark, the first of the Gospels to be created. Mark tells us that after John was “handed over” to the authorities (pa-ra-do-thē-nai), Jesus returned to Galilee and began to preach the gospel. The NRSV that we heard a minute ago translates this verb paradothēnai as “arrested,” however, the Greek verb has a much fuller sense, as it includes an allusion to John’s death; later the same verb is used to speak of Jesus’ being handed over to death. The author of Mark clearly links these two men’s deaths. Both were prophets who offended the powers that be. Both died violent deaths. Gospel scholars have noted how for Mark, Jesus’ kingdom ministry takes place, from the very beginning, under the shadow of the cross. Considering how important a role Jesus has played in the history of the world, we really don’t know very much about him, particularly before he started his ministry. And we know almost nothing of the background of any of the disciples Jesus calls. The four in today’s story were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector, but before Jesus came into their lives, we don’t know what the other seven had done, where they were from, what kind of families did they have, etc. As far as we can tell, the twelve guys Jesus called to be his companions were ordinary men. As far as we know, Jesus didn’t do background checks, figure out IQ levels, measure professional skills, financial acumen, or temple education. It seems like he picked people probably much like you and me. His disciples were anything but perfect. Many times they misunderstood him. So often they appear pretty clueless. They fell asleep on him, they often hesitated to follow him. Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him. These guys didn’t ask questions, which seems pretty astonishing. Jesus shows up by the Sea of Galilee, calls out to Simon and Andrew, tells them he’s going to upend their lives, give them a new vocation, then commands them to follow him without a backward glance or a thought for the family fishing business or anything else. Mark records no questions asked by either of the fishermen. In the space of one more sentence, Jesus issues the same call to James and John with the same results. In a flash they’re out of the boat and following Jesus. There seems to be no business plan, no evangelical outreach strategy, no job description, no interview and no time to consider the pros and cons of the offer – just an itinerant preacher who appears on shore, shouts an invitation and walks on. That first century of today’s story was an era of apocalyptic expectation among the Jewish community of Palestine. The end of the world was upon them. Countless prophets, preachers, and messiahs tramped through the Holy land delivering messages of God’s imminent judgment. Many of these “fake messiahs” we know by name and a few are even mentioned in the New Testament. The prophet Theudas, according to the book of Acts, had 400 disciples before Rome captured him and lopped off his head. A mysterious figure called the Egyptian, raised an army of followers in the desert, most of whom were massacred by Roman troops. In 4 B.C.E., likely the year Jesus was born, a poor shepard Athronges put a crown on his head as “King of the Jews” and he and his followers were brutally cut down by soldiers. There was Hezekiah the bandit thief, Simon of Peraea, Judas the Galilean, Simon son of Kochba, and many more – all of whom had Messianic ambitions and all of whom were killed for doing so. Many of them by crucifixion. My point in mentioning these is that following somebody doing what Jesus was about to do had the potential of being hazardous to your health. Thus my remark at the beginning that I think I might have stayed in the boat or dithered about what to do for so long that Jesus would have been a speck on the horizon before I made my move. We have to be careful about reading texts as if we could just plop them into the 21st century with no attention to context, and I know that this story, like other call stories in the Bible, is particular to a time and a people. These men did not seek to become Jesus’ disciples. They had not presented Jesus with their resumes and begged him to accept them as students. It was Jesus’ initiative, not theirs, that resulted in their becoming Jesus’ followers. That’s typical of other call stories as we see in the story of Abraham and Moses, Samuel and Isaiah. God chooses whom God chooses. These call stories confront us with the reality that God has a habit of showing up unexpectedly in the oddest places and inviting us to see, listen and turn around from where we are and follow him – no questions asked. I should say here that there’s another way to hear this story. Let me tell it to you a bit differently. Imagine again that you’re Simon or Andrew, James or John, fishing on the Sea of Galilee, going about your daily work. And then appears – Jesus of Nazareth, his hometown just a few miles away. And you know Jesus, you’ve known him practically your whole life. You know the stories about him, how his mother was visited by an angel, that a heavenly chorus even announced his birth, that he was chosen by God. You know Jesus. You’ve talked to him, listened to him teach. You’ve heard him whisper about the coming reign of God. He’s promised that something amazing is coming, that God is going to redeem God’s people, that the poor will be lifted up, the hungry will be filled. God’s faithful just have to hold on a little longer, just wait until the right moment. Wait for the right time. Just recently you heard John the Baptist was arrested by the imperial powers, his preaching silenced, his ministry cut off. Now Jesus comes to you and says, “The time has come.” Luke similarly begins his Gospel account of Jesus’ Galilean ministry with Jesus preaching in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth about the “year of the Lord’s favor” that Isaiah had prophesied. Jesus then said, as recorded in Luke, that time had been fulfilled in the people’s hearing that very day. The time has come. It’s time for Jesus to begin his public ministry. Jesus is saying to these first disciples, “Hey, remember everything we talked about, everything we’ve prepared for? It’s time. Now is the time.” So, I don’t think the calling of the first disciples is about them dropping everything to follow a stranger. I think it’s about following a teacher, a leader they already know. Jesus is telling them, “My work is entering a new phase, the time has come for me to travel and preach and heal. You know everything we’ve talked about . . . everything you’ve been preparing for? It’s time to put that into action. Come on, follow me, I’ll show you what to do.” I think that’s a message we can still hear today. Most of us won’t experience Jesus as a complete stranger telling us to drop everything. Being around the church for a while, Jesus is no stranger to us. We kind of know who this guy is. Jesus is an old friend who’s taught us well and now calls us into action. Jesus says to us, just like the first disciples, “The time has come. Everything you’ve learned, everything you’ve heard, everything you’ve prepared for? It’s time.” Coming to Galilee proclaiming God’s Good News is no longer an abstract rumor circulating at local gatherings; a person is now looking at particular people and inviting them to participate in his mission. Jesus tells them he wants to make them part of his life and mission, and they must decide what, if anything, to do in response. A list of rather obvious barriers comes to mind. We have responsibilities to families and members of our churches and communities. Fishing isn’t just a hobby but a livelihood. They expect us to be in the boat every day doing what we do to fulfill our responsibilities to them. Wouldn’t it be irresponsible, even crazy, to walk away with some street preacher? But the stickiest glue holding us in the boat might just be the desire to be in control. We go to elaborate lengths to gain and assert control over our lives, families, work and finances. Although even with all of our diligence, financial markets may crash, disease may enter our lives, people may behave badly and relationships may be damaged. It’s hard to live with uncertainties, so we hide or pretend we’ve got it all under control. All this can make it difficult to respond to Jesus’ call, because in order to say yes we have to follow a leader who stands the world on its head. He brings us face-to-face with our humanness and challenges us to stake our lives on his promises instead of our plans. Following Jesus is life-giving and transformational – but we don’t get to draw the map or have our questions answered before we start walking. We have to listen to Jesus’ call and take the first step. Jesus called his disciples to become fishers of people. He called them to follow him, to share the good news. Those first disciples called more disciples, they shared the story, they extended the ministry of Jesus across the globe and through the centuries. Jesus calls us, too. It’s not the voice of a stranger asking us to drop everything. It’s the voice of our teacher, our Lord, calling us to be the church. Not to go to church, but to be the church. Remember that we are the church – not the building or the institution, but the living church, the Body of Christ. It can be downright uncomfortable. Jesus stands on shore giving an invitation that makes real promises with real demands. The one thing that makes it possible for us to follow is that we know he will walk the entire way with us, leading the way right into the kingdom. Amen. Sources: “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan © 2013 Bible Gateway translations for Mark 1:14-20, Matthew 4:1-17; Luke 4 Commentary on Mark, Working Preacher, by Michael Rogness, 2015, Bible Study Tools on Mark 1, from John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible Boyle Gospel Chapel, Fishers of Men, by Brenden Peters, 2019 |
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