The Iconoclast, part 2

The Word for today:
Mark 7:1-13

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:6-8)

 

When we compile a list of what Jesus did and who he was, we read wonderful titles like Deliverer, King, Redeemer, Prophet, Savior…

But you never see “Iconoclast” on that list. And I wonder why, because it’s one of my favorite things about him. Whenever a tradition of man obscured the word and character of God, Jesus didn’t just break it, he smashed it to smithereens. On one occasion, when he'd healed a man on the Sabbath and was criticized for breaking the Pharisees’ hallowed Sabbath traditions, he immediately withdrew to the streets, where great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all!  (Matthew 12:1-15)

Most of our church tradions were God-honoring at one time. They brought people into a closer relationship with God. But over time, the tradition begins to honor itself.

Many of our traditions and creeds eventually supplant the Word of God:
And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observeyour own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.” (Mar 7:9-13)

In Jesus' day and in ours, traditions eventually depart from the scriptures they were founded upon. Pretty soon we have a lot of people just going through the motions, until going through the motions is what church is all about.

My hope is that we take a long look at the rituals and traditions in our own lives and churches.  What is their purpose? Are they still serving that purpose? If not, let’s honor the tradition of iconoclasm, as practiced by the great iconoclast Himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the iconoclast -- part 1

The Word for today:
Mark 6:30-56


Jesus met tradition at every turn:

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" (Mark 7:1-5)

When he met it, he met it head on:

And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." (Mark 7:6-8)

***

On another occasion, he healed a man on the Sabbath and was criticized for breaking the Pharisees’ hallowed Sabbath traditions. So what did the Lord of the Sabbath do? He immediately withdrew to the streets, where great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all:

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse him. He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all.  (Matthew 12:1-15)

***

When we compile a list of what Jesus did and who he was, we read wonderful titles like Deliverer, King, Redeemer, Prophet, Savior…

But you never see “Iconoclast” on that list.  And I wonder why, because it’s one of my favorite things about him.  Whenever a tradition of man obscured the word and character of God, Jesus didn't just break it, he smashed it to smithereens with a deft irony that always strikes me as funny, whenever it doesn't strike fear in my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John, we hardly knew ye

The Word for today:
Mark 6.6b-29

For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you." And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. (Mark 6:17-28)



When I read the account of the beheading of John the Baptist, I feel as if we’ve located the Hall of Shame.

The Bible has a Hall of Fame, located in Hebrews 11. There you will find Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Samson and Rahab and the rest, all heroes of faith.

What a contrast when we walk into Herod’s Palace and find Herod himself there along with his lovely wife Herodias, who had left his brother Philip in order to marry him.

Which John the Baptist said was wrong. Which cost him his life; because when they sever, then serve, your head, you’re dead.

His head ended up on a platter because that’s where Herodias wanted it. She rather enjoyed being queen instead of the relative nobody she’d been, so when she found out Herod was listening a little too intently to John the Baptist about the adultery issue, she looked for a way to snuff John.

Which opportunity presented itself after Herod, in the presence of his drunken entourage (with their bellies full of wine and their eyes full of candy) promised Herodias’ dancing daughter up to half the kingdom for her pleasing performance.

Which was worth more than the head of a prophet on a platter, so that’s what Herodias told her daughter to ask for.

Had enough? Me, too. I’ve often thought that if you peeled back the layers of that scene, every sin known to mankind was in attendance at their grotesque banquet.

And how awful for the Story’s sake, to see the poignant and powerful presence of John the Baptist vanish from the page. We sense we hardly knew him.

But I’ve got a feeling, just a feeling, that we haven’t heard the last from John the Baptist. Second comings in Scripture are not confined to Jesus.  Moses already made his way back here and so did Elijah.

There’s a real biblical case to be made that John the Baptist will reappear before “The Day of the Lord,” (The Second Coming of Jesus.) So if you miss John, do not dismay.

Just keep a supply of locusts and wild honey on hand. And if you hear a commanding voice condemning the self-righteous as a “brood of vipers,” then you’ll know it’s either Jesus or John the Baptist—or both.

They are the only two who ever used the phrase. They are the only two who could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

he could hardly believe unbelief

The Word for today:
Mark 5.21-6.6a

It’s not often that Jesus is caught by surprise. One of those times occurs in our reading today:

And He marveled because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:6)

There is only one other instance when Jesus marveled at something:

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  (Matthew 8:10)

These two incidents, when juxtaposed, give us a glimpse into Jesus’ head. But what does that glimpse show us?

At first glance, it seems that Jesus marveled the first time at unbelief and the second time at great faith. But I think a closer reading reveals that he marveled at unbelief both times.

In the first instance, we are specifically told he marveled at their unbelief. The next time, we are only told he marveled. But at what? Let’s look again:

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Matthew 8:10)

It seems to me that his astonishment was, again, over the unbelief of the many in Israel.

Faith never startled Jesus. Faith was his mindset, his outlook, the way he saw the world. What amazed him was when somebody else could see things so differently.

What if we were to flip our own outlooks upside down, making faith our norm? That would make unbelief unusual, even startling!

These marvel-ous passages reveal something about the mind of Christ which we should begin to ponder:

It was difficult for Jesus to fathom unbelief. It was strange, even foreign to him.  It was unnatural.  It was a lie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

show him where it hurts

The Word for today:
Mark 4.35-5:20

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. (Mark 5:1-13)



I am not going to divulge the details, but I have, of late, been the target of an onslaught.

That’s about all you need to know, because my point is not my problems, or your problems, but the solution.

At one time or another, you've been targeted too.  I know you have, because it’s our shared circumstance. The onslaught is our lot in life.

In our reading today, we meet a man whose onslaught makes my onslaught seem slight. He was besieged by so many that his name had been changed to Legion.

How many demons were in a legion? I’m sure I could look it up, but to what purpose? The answer is too many.

Too many. Have you faced them? Too many emotions, too many worries, too many nameless fears, too many regrets.

What Jesus Christ offers is an overthrow, a complete turnaround, a reversal. He has authority over the supernatural realm and he has authority over the natural realm:

Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." And at once Jesus [20] gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. (Mark 5:9-13)

There is only one other circumstance in scripture when we see the words legion or legions. It occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus faced his captors:

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

Every one of your demons or troubles or fears or “unsolvable” situatiuons can be countered with saving power that will make your legions wish they were drowned in the sea.

Just tell him where it hurts. Tell him how many there are.  Because he would not, when on the cross, summon those legions for his own sake, he is able to summon them for you.

Just show him where the bullies are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the Word at work, illustrated

The Word for today:
Mark 4:21-34

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4:26-28)


When I was in first grade, my teacher was Miss Banks.

You probably had Miss Banks for a teacher, too. You might have called her by a different name (Miss Banks got married and moved away while I was in the second grade) but if you got to color every day, and go out in the sunshine when the spring days turned warm, and act in skits, and laugh all the time right in school, and collect leaves, and sing songs, and look forward to school every single day—then it was your town that Miss Banks moved to!

Of all the wonderful things we did, I remember my little plant the best. That doesn’t mean I know what kind of plant it was, ‘cause I don’t.

The plant itself wasn’t the point anyway. The point was helping it grow and watching it every day, and watering, and waiting, and watering and watching.

We each brought in a soup can, which we decorated with construction paper so it looked like our own. Then we got some dirt and we carefully placed the seed in a hole halfway down inside. We covered the seed over and then we placed our plants on the window sill. Every Monday and Friday we gave it just a little water, measured with great precision!

The first thing we did very morning, after we hung our jackets up, was to sprint over to the window sill to see our plant.

Nothing happened for what seemed like the longest while. Then one day it was there—green and healthy and growing and growing!

Jesus says that’s exactly what’s going on inside you. The Word of God is at work in the believer, and we know not how:

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4:26-28)

Our “Stand in the Rain” Bible literacy program derives its name from the Old Testament version of Jesus’ parable:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (from Isaiah 55:10-11)

So if you never did get Miss Banks for your teacher, then do not dismay. Jesus is the best Teacher of all, and the Seed is at work right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

for those with ears to hear

The Word for today:
Mark 4:1-20

***

Happy Easter! Since Easter is a movable feast and Stand in the Rain is on a fixed schedule, we are not presenting an Easter article for this date.
However, in celebration of Easter we point you to this Easter-themed article, which we posted a few days ago. So we hope you'll put on your thinking bonnet and dwell upon it! --

"I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet"

***

Now, for today's Stand in the Rain article:

And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(Mark 4:9)

A parable is a story from everyday life used to teach spiritual truth.

The Old Testament contains only a few parables, both in 2 Samuel: the parable of the ewe-lamb told by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:1-9, and the parable of the woman of Tekoah in 2 Samuel 14:1-13.

But Jesus used them regularly to explain things to his disciples and hide his teachings from the unbelieving.

These brief stories reflected God’s truth, but they are intelligible only through the working of God’s grace to those who were willing to listen. They are designed so that those who won’t hear don’t hear. (See Mark 4: 11-13.) Jesus explained this phenomenon, saying that the same word was delivered, but it fell on different soils.

Parables, then, often reveal us as much about the hearer as about the characters in the stories. Many people were chasing Jesus around to see miracles, and not to receive spiritual truth. The parables ferreted out which ones were there for the miracle, and which ones were sinners there for the message of salvation.

As told by Jesus, the parables gave those with natural abilities (“smarter people”) no advantage:
But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 13-14; cf. Matthew 16:16-17)

The parables contain much more than just a moral message. They give those with ears to hear (a desire to understand) an insight into the character of God and the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus carefully explained the elements of today’s reading--the Parable of the Sower--to his disciples. But many of the parables, which were often unexplained, run so deep that their full meanings have yet to be mined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~