This is a special musical presentation of This Little Light of Mine by the Faith Chorale and a Tamborine solo by Rich Weingartner at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
It often seems as though we are presently living in a post-truth culture. Michiko Kakutani is a writer and former chief book critic for The New York Times. In 2018, she wrote an excellent article titled “The death of truth: how we gave up on facts.” In that article, Kakutani eloquently describes the disease of “truth decay” and the way it is permeating and dismantling our culture and our society. Commenting on our present perilous relationship to truth and facts, she writes:
The term “truth decay” has joined the post-truth lexicon that includes such now familiar phrases as “fake news” and “alternative facts”. And it’s not just fake news either: it’s also fake science (manufactured by climate change deniers and anti-vaxxers, who oppose vaccination), fake history (promoted by Holocaust revisionists and white supremacists), fake Americans on Facebook (created by Russian trolls), and fake followers and “likes” on social media (generated by bots).
Her article is quite helpful as she articulates the way “truth decay” is infecting our perception of truth, our understanding of freedom, and the way this disease characterizes the deep brokenness in our culture. And, while Kakutani wrote this article in 2018, her words are even more poignant today as we think about what has happened over the past three years. Truth decay just continues to grow wider and deeper. Quite honestly, we may even ask the question, “What is truth, what is really true?” So, it is fitting that today, we are reminded of Jesus’ perspective on the meaning of truth. Jesus is speaking to us about truth and freedom, and Jesus’ words could not be more different from the way these concepts are discussed in the news and in present culture.
Today’s passage from John takes place within the context of a dialogue between Jesus and his opponents. Jesus’ opponents are trapped in their sin, trapped in a dead-end life, and they do not believe in him. They do not believe Jesus is the new revelation of God, the one who is truth. The focus of the dialogue is all about Jesus’ identity, it is all about who Jesus is. It is a dialogue of faith that centers around two words – truth and freedom. Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The truth Jesus is talking about is himself. This truth is not just some concept; it is not an abstract idea, and it is not the opposite of falsehood. This truth is a real, living person – the person of Jesus, himself, the person who reveals to us the truth of what God is really like, the truth that God is a God of love. And, to connect to Jesus and live in his truth that God is love and holds each one of us in love, is to be set free from unfaith. Knowing God loves us truly sets us free in so many ways.
Today, we are celebrating the Reformation, a change that took place within the church when Martin Luther discovered something about the truth of Jesus 504 years ago. Luther was a man who knew intense inner struggle. Luther was tormented because of his own sinfulness, and he knew the depths of depression. Then, one day as he was studying the passage we heard today in our reading from Romans, he made a discovery that transformed not only his life, but also the life of the church and, ultimately, our understanding of the gospel. Luther heard the following words as if for the first time and they transformed his entire being. Listen again to these words. “For there is NO distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift!” Did you hear those words? Justified by his grace AS GIFT! And, who receives that gift? The writer of Romans says, “There is NO distinction – ALL have sinned, and ALL ARE JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE AS GIFT!” The Gospel is quite clear. ALL receive the gift! When Martin Luther read those words and truly heard what they were saying, they changed his life, and his new understanding and insight brought transformation and change to the church.
It was when Luther made this great discovery about justification by God’s grace as gift, all gift, that he finally began to understand the truth of Jesus’ identity. He understood that Jesus is the truth, and Jesus reveals to us the truth about God. Luther knew his own captivity to sin, and he was very aware of the church’s captivity to sin. Luther also knew he was not able to free himself from bondage to sin. His freedom could only come through Christ. He was set free when he finally came to understand God’s grace is so encompassing that this God of love accepted him as he was.
Becoming truly free is never easy. Luther found out that grace and truth are not cheap. Knowing the truth of Jesus and living in that truth always means facing the cross. And, the cross always means death, death to self, death to systems, death to systems of oppression, death to ideologies, and even death to religious practices and understandings when they are not faithful to God’s living Word.
When we face the truth, we ultimately must look at ourselves. We cannot become free from the chains that bind us unless we can honestly face all that holds us in bondage, and unless we die to self.
There are all sorts of ways we live in bondage. Not one of us is totally free. We live in bondage to addictions of all kinds, to competition, to work, to consumerism, to ideologies, to political perspectives, to fear, to anxiety, to our desire to control, and to so much more. And, quite often the things that hold us captive become a way of running from our fears and running from the pain of life.
Friends, the one truth that will set us free from all our fears of living and of dying has eluded most people. The absolute truth that liberated Luther and liberates all who believe it is the truth of Jesus as he tells us God deeply loves us and bathes us in grace and mercy. God loves and accepts us as we are! Now, quite frankly, this ultimate and awesome reality doesn't keep us from the fires and trials of our life journey; rather, it strengthens and carries us safely through them and beyond them. That is what Luther experienced and that is what we experience. The good news for you and for me is that when we finally come to realize that we stand in the presence of God and are embraced by the gracious loving arms of Jesus, we become able to face the cross. And, when we continue in the Word and become faithful disciples, only then are we able to live into the freedom of the Son.
The Reformation that began with Martin Luther is ongoing. As Lutherans, we are a reforming church. We are continually being made new. God continually calls each of us to change and become new beings. God continually calls the church to participate in a dialogue of faith and engage in the process of being re-formed as we live into the in-breaking reign of God. And, I am really looking forward to see where that dialogue takes us as we move beyond Covid-19, because the church is becoming changed and WILL again be re-formed and transformed.
So, hear this truth and live in this truth. It is the truth that really matters. Jesus is saying to each of us, “[Come, let go of your issues and get to know me. Live in my love and live in my Word.] If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you….[because] if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.” (The Message)
This is a special musical presentation of Amazing Grace by the Faith Chorale and a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
The trajectory of Mark’s gospel is so very interesting. The central section of Mark’s gospel focuses on Jesus’ teaching about discipleship, and it is book-ended by two stories of Jesus healing persons who are blind. Today’s story of blind Bartimaeus, is the second of the bookend stories and it marks the end of the discipleship section. It also presents one of the key points in Mark's gospel. This story unlocks the gates to Jerusalem and what is to come as Mark continues the Jesus story. This book end story of Mark’s discipleship section is the gateway into the last week of Jesus’ life and, the question we are being asked is, “Do you really want to see?”
Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” Some commentators say this is a rhetorical question because Bartimaeus is blind and what he wants is obvious. However, it’s not that simple. Jesus is essentially asking Bartimaeus and each one of us, “Do you really want to see?” This passage needs to be read on two levels: yes, it’s about physical blindness, but it’s also about spiritual blindness. And when it comes to spiritual blindness, I’m not so sure that we really want to see because, once we do see, we cannot unsee, and our lives become forever changed.
In his book, The Naked Now, Richard Rohr describes three ways of seeing and viewing reality. He tells of three different men who stood by the ocean, all looking at the same sunset. One man saw the immense physical beauty and enjoyed the event in and of itself. This man was the "sensate" type who, like 80 percent of the world, deals with what he can see, feel, touch, move, and fix. This was enough reality for him, for he had little if any interest in larger ideas, intuitions, or the grand scheme of things. He saw with his first eye, which was ok, and it was good.
A second man saw the sunset and he enjoyed all the beauty that the first man did. However, like all lovers of coherent thought, technology, and science, the second man also enjoyed his power to make sense of the universe and explain what he discovered. He saw with a second eye, he saw more than the sunset. He thought about the cyclical rotations of planets and stars. Through imagination, intuition, and reason, he saw with his second eye, which was even better.
Finally, the third man saw the sunset, knowing and enjoying everything both the first and the second man did. But, in his ability to progress from seeing to explaining, to what some might even call "tasting" or absorbing, this third man saw so much more. He remained in awe before an underlying mystery, coherence, and spaciousness that connected him with everything else. He saw with real depth. Rohr says, “He used his third eye, which is the full goal of all seeing and all knowing. This was the best way of seeing.”
“Third eye seeing” is seeing at a deeper level. It’s seeing spiritually, it’s seeing with the eyes of Christ. Describing people who see at this level, Rohr writes the following:
They do not reject the first eye; the senses matter to them. Nor do they reject the second eye, but they know not to confuse knowledge with depth. They know not to confuse mere correct information with transformation of the consciousness itself. This deeper seeing builds upon the first two eyes but it goes further. It happens whenever by some wondrous “coincidence” our heart space, our mind space, and our body awareness are all simultaneously open and non-resistant. It’s a moment of deep inner connection. It pulls you, intensely satisfied, into the presence of God. It involves both profound joy and profound sadness. When it happens, you either want to write poetry, pray, or be utterly silent.
The first eye was the eye of the flesh and of the senses, the second eye was the eye of reason, and the third eye was the eye of true, deep understanding, connecting all that exists.
When Jesus asks, “What can I do for you? Do you want to see?” this is what he’s asking: Do you want to see at this deeper level? Do you want to see spiritually? My guess is that you’re all saying, “Of course we do! Why are you asking such a stupid question? Who doesn’t want to see a sunset in all its fullness?” But, it’s not that simple. Seeing in this way involves more than sunsets….
To see at this deeper level requires seeing everything, not only the beauty and wonder, but also the suffering and pain. Remember, looking at today’s gospel, from this point on we move toward Jesus’ death. And, one of the deep truths of life is this – you can only appreciate how precious life is to the extent that you know the reality of death. To see at this level is to see with the eyes of Christ. It’s to see not only the good things about our history as a country, but also the tragedy and sin of slavery and the way the sin of racism is still present in every system and structure. It’s to see not only the gift and blessing of vaccines, but also the deaths of over 730,000 people in this country alone whose lives have been lost to Covid 19, and the families that have been forever changed by that loss. It’s to see not only the beauty of our world, but also the harrowing fires and hurricanes, and the complicit role we have played and are playing in climate change. It’s to see the way racism, Covid-19, and climate change affect the most vulnerable, and then realize we must face these issues and address them.
Jesus pushes seeing to the social edge, to the places where we see those who are most vulnerable. Richard Rohr puts it this way – “Can you see the image of Christ in the least of your brothers and sisters?” In fact, Jesus uses that as his ONLY description of the final judgment: nothing about commandments or accomplishments. It’s simply a matter of our ability to see: “Can we see Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters?” They smell. They’re a nuisance. They’re on welfare. They’re a drain on our tax money, my tax money. We say these kinds of things far too often. Rohr concludes, “When we can see the image of God where we don’t want to see the image of God, then we’re seeing spiritually.”
So many of the problems in the world are due to our short sightedness as people. From individuals to governments, without deeper seeing it is difficult to move beyond ego, beyond the desire for control, and beyond public posturing. Everything gets divided into liberal versus conservative, Democrat versus Republican, us-versus-them. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the “us-versus-them” way of seeing, and the divisiveness that results, is the cause of most of the discontent and violence in this world. Without an ability to see more deeply, we have no big picture to guide us for the long term.
Bartimaeus teaches us the only way to see at a deeper level involves risk, it involves becoming vulnerable. When Bartimaeus throws off his cloak, he risks everything. He bets everything on God. One commentator puts it like this: “Leaving his cloak on the ground is like leaving your car running in a crowd in some inner city while you duck into a shop.” To throw his cloak on the ground is to give up the only security he’s ever known. His cloak was his bed at night, his protection from the rain and cold. To throw off his cloak is to throw off all that kept him safe. It means throwing off his old life so he can receive the new life that awaits him. To throw off his cloak is to become vulnerable so that God can restore his vision.
New vision sounds wonderful but is it worth the risk? Is it worth the risk of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable by giving up the ways we protect ourselves? To throw off our cloaks is to make the ultimate statement of faith. It’s to give up an old way of seeing things, trusting that God will give us the ability to see in a new way. Not a way that’s easier, but a way that’s clearer and truer and more faithful, a way that leads us to wholeness.
Someone once asked Helen Keller, “Isn’t it terrible to be blind?” She replied, “It’s more terrible to have eyes and sight, and not see.” To see means to look beyond appearances into the depths of the way things really are. It means to recognize God: God before us, God beside us, God inside of us, and the God who calls us into a journey toward wholeness. It means to be free, free like Bartimaeus. Free to follow God wherever God leads.
Jesus asks us “What can I do for you. Do you want to see?” May we have the faith to say, “Yes, help us to see deeply, open the eyes of our hearts!” Then, may we go out to share what we see, to share God’s healing love for the sake of our children, for the sake of our broken, hurting world.
This is a special musical presentation of When Morning Gilds the Skies by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
I have had the opportunity of traveling to Washington DC numerous times in my life. And, each time, as I get closer to the city, I feel a certain excitement rise within me as I approach the seat of power in this country. I feel a sense of reverence as I remember our country’s history. And, as I see all the monuments, the Capital building, and the White House, I feel and sense the presence of power and authority embodied in that great city.
As I studied today’s reading from Mark’s gospel, I thought of these experiences. You see, today we find Jesus and the disciples on their way to Jerusalem. They are nearing the end of their journey to that city which for them represents the ultimate place of power and authority. Jesus has been attempting to prepare the disciples for what lies ahead. However, they still seem clueless. They know Jesus keeps talking about a kingdom. They know Jesus is bringing change to their world through his proclamation that the kingdom of God is at hand. So, one can almost sense the excitement and energy escalating as they get closer to Jerusalem. After all, they are headed to the most important city in the world, at least the most important metropolis for any good Jewish man or woman. Jerusalem is the city where the Temple stands – it is where the seat of religious authority exists, and the disciples think this is finally going to be the time! You see, they think the time is about to unfold when Jesus will claim his power and authority and take his place as the long-awaited Messiah. They are thinking Jesus will finally lead the Jewish people in a revolt that will free them from Roman rule.
I sort of understand James and John’s desires. As they begin to approach Jerusalem, they know something monumental is about to take place and they want to share in that experience. They want to sit beside Jesus and hold places of power as change happens. So, they boldly say to Jesus, “Arrange it so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your government – one of us on your right, the other on your left.” They want the most important cabinet positions. You can almost hear the sigh and sadness in the depths of Jesus’ heart as he listens to their request. You can feel Jesus’ sadness as he says to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I will drink, or be immersed in the same bath that I will be immersed in?” Jesus was trying to bring them back to reality, the reality he was living. Yet, his response to them must have been confusing. Then Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements.”
Jesus has just spoken about the change that is coming, but it is nothing like the change the disciples are expecting and anticipating. Jesus knows those who wield power in the world will do all they can to protect themselves and their prerogatives. And, James and John have no clue that, because of their leader’s boundary-breaking ministry, rejection and death will be the inevitable baptism or bath Jesus will be “plunged into!” They have no idea they, too, will share in the same baptism as they live into this coming reign of God.
The events James and John were about to see were going to be both life shattering and transforming. Yes, there will be a shift of power and authority. Yes, there will be an enthronement as Jesus assumes “kingship.” However, the enthronement of Jesus will be claimed when he is lifted high on a cross and dies as an utterly despised and powerless “king.” And, the two people who will share in this enthronement as Jesus fully enters into solidarity with the world, the two who will be positioned one on his right and one on his left, will be two common criminals!
Anyway, James and John desired positions of power and authority. And, when the other disciples saw this, they lost their tempers. When the ten other disciples get angry, Jesus again tries to teach them about power, the power of God’s kingdom. Jesus says, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads.” Jesus knows that power corrupts as it is wielded to maintain and protect those who hold positions of authority. He describes sociopolitical authorities who rely on coercion, on lies, and on deception to control and maintain dominance. Then, in absolute contrast to such power, he says, “It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all.” Jesus tells them the greatness and power they will know will be measured by their ability to live as servants and slaves. This kind of greatness means suffering oppression at the hands of those who wield power!
The disciples’ shock must have made them speechless! Who in their right mind chooses to become a slave? Jesus then goes on to say, “This exemplary servitude is what the Son of Man has done. He came to serve, not to be served – he came to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.” Well, the disciples must have thought Jesus was a bit crazy. After all, why would someone become a slave as a way of freeing those who are held hostage?
Jesus has been trying to tell the twelve his death will be an example of the violence and resistance to his teaching and ministry, a violence produced by those who hold and wield power over society. His death, this cup and baptism he is talking about, will be a radical renunciation of corrupt authority and privilege. And his death will do something. His death will be a ransom for many!
The Greek word used for “ransom” means liberation or freedom. What Jesus is really saying is that, through his death, God will free people from oppression and captivity to ungodly powers. God will restore people to membership in the community that is the kingdom of God. He makes all of this quite clear. And yet, the disciples simply do not grasp such servitude and, quite frankly, neither do we!
Power is such a subtle thing. The accumulation of power slowly turns what was once abundance and “more than enough” into necessity as we focus on trying to protect all that we have accumulated. Power turns us from living lives of service into people who want to be served. However, today, we again hear that Jesus offered the world a new pattern of power and leadership. Jesus calls us to live differently as he empowers us with his presence and a power that is not to be maintained and kept. It is a power that is to be poured out. Our power is the presence of this one whose life is broken and poured into ours. And, Jesus draws us into his love so our lives can then be spun out, poured out again into the dark places where tyrants rule and are consuming all things for their own benefit.
When we follow Jesus, we give ourselves in service to Christ and in service to others, so that the vulnerable will be cared for and lifted up. As we do this, Jesus sends us to resist the ungodly powers, patterns, policies, and rhythms of this world, rhythms that intentionally let others go hungry, poor, and oppressed for the sake of our perceived safety, rhythms that are not a mark of faithfulness but a mark of our blindness and desire to control. Instead, we are new creatures in Christ no longer ruled by the rhythms of an unredeemed world. We have been freed from our captivity to ungodly powers. Hear Jesus’ words to us today as he calls us to live the patterns and holy rhythms of God’s kingdom, to live a new song where our very lives are extensions of God’s grace and love for this broken world.
As Rich just reminded us this morning, we have come to that time of year when we intentionally place a focus on Stewardship. So, it is fitting that we are given a gospel reading that speaks about wealth, money and all the “stuff” we think we must possess. I realize money, and the multiple issues, challenges, and questions concerning money, are not going away anytime soon. And, many of these issues center around what we do, and what we need to do, to access our money and our privilege. Many of these issues center around our captivity to our possessions, and the good life most of us enjoy. However, Jesus offers us the possibility to see past some these issues and challenges, especially when it comes to the things that matter most in life. As we meet up with Jesus today, we find him telling a young landowner there is freedom in leaving possessions and “stuff” behind.
Today, a rich young man kneels before Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The focus of this man’s mindset significantly contradicts Jesus’ teaching. This rich young man is a person of privilege, his mindset is one of entitlement, and his question is quite insightful as it tells us a great deal about him. Rather than receiving the kingdom in complete dependence as a little child, something Jesus just shared with us last week, this rich man wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. The words “do” and “inherit” are of prime importance in this reading. Just think about it – as we think about inheritance, one can rarely do anything to receive an inheritance because, by definition, an inheritance is something a person can only be given. Anyway, a certain tension starts to arise in this conversation.
That tension rises higher as the man states he has done as scripture commands and has kept all the commandments since he was a youth. When he says this, it is interesting to look at what Jesus does. To get his point across, Jesus gives this man more to do. We are told Jesus loves this rich man, and he does not view the man as intentionally evil. Rather than condemning the “sin” of the rich man, Jesus confronts the man with his weakness, his captivity to possessions that prevents him from living into the full life of the kingdom of God. Jesus says to him, “Sell what you own, and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come follow me.” As Jesus says this, he names the “power” that holds the man captive and invites the man to step into freedom. Well, the man is shocked and goes away grieving.
It is interesting that, in Mark’s gospel, we are never really told definitively what the kingdom of God is. But, at this point, Mark does make clear to us what the kingdom of God is not as Jesus offers a lyrical but rather frightening triplet of wisdom. And, his point is sharpened by the razor’s edge of ridiculous, absurdist humor. Jesus says to his disciples:
How difficult it will be for those with riches to enter the kingdom of God!
…Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God! (10:23-25)
Well, from this we can gather that whatever else the kingdom of God may be, it is plainly where the rich are not. And, yes, Jesus’ words are harsh as a razor’s edge for each one of us. Today we North American Christians, who can only be defined as rich, relative to the global distribution of wealth and power, would do well to reflect at length on Jesus’ rather frightening triplet. For it remains as dissonant to our ears today as it was to his disciples in the story, and it provokes the same kind of astonishment. In fact, throughout the ages, the church has tried to explain away what Jesus is talking about. And, Christians have been so anxious that Jesus might be leveling a critique of the rich here that we have missed the fact that this triplet is not in fact a statement about the rich, but about the nature of God’s Kingdom. These reiterations – all in the indicative mood – insist that the kingdom of God is simply that time and place in which there are no rich and no poor. So, by definition, the rich cannot enter – not, that is, with their affluenza intact.
To understand this story better, let‘s dive more deeply into this whole episode. The rich man asks about inheriting eternal life. When he says this, he is referencing the fact that landowners often became wealthy by exploiting the nearby poor landowners. When the poor couldn’t pay back loans to the wealthy, the rich could simply take the poor person’s property. It was the way to “inherit” without being a next of kin. This process was the reason for the vast socio-economic inequality that characterized the time of Jesus. This is almost certainly the way this man ended up with “many properties.” Mark has given us a succinct portrait of the ideology of entitlement. So, as this rich man comes to Jesus, he comes from this entitlement perspective and, he doesn’t just want to earn his way into eternal life, he wants to buy his way in. How is Jesus supposed to respond to a question that is so off key?
Knowing this man isn’t ready to hear the truth right away, Jesus eases him in by talking through the commandments. Notice, Jesus never directly states that following the commandments is a prerequisite into eternal life. But the commandments are a way to become closer to God. By following God’s law, this rich man is closer to accepting the good news Jesus proclaims. Yet, there is one more step! Clearly, this rich man is relying on his wealth and the power that wealth has given him instead of relying on God to get him through life. So, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give the money to those in need. That would enable this man to take his focus off himself and put it on another. Well, this is not good news for the rich man, so he goes away grieving.
The reality is that, for this man, a power greater than himself holds him captive – the law of money. Likewise, we are held captive to our wealth and the law of money. Jacques Ellul, in his book Violence: Reflections from a Christian Perspective, has noted that the only way to live free from money is to give it away. He writes:
How do we overcome the spiritual “power” of money? Not by accumulating more money, not by using money for good purposes, not by being just and fair in our dealings. The law of money is the law of accumulation, of buying and selling. That is why the only way to overcome the spiritual “power” of money is to give our money away, thus desacralizing it and freeing ourselves from its control….To give away money is to win a victory over the spiritual power that oppresses us. (p. 166)
Out of love, Jesus speaks harsh words to the rich man and, out
of love, he speaks harsh words to us because he wants us to be free. Yet, the depth of our captivity makes freedom difficult, if not impossible. So where is the good news?
Jesus says, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”(v. 27) One of the deepest truths that we find so difficult to understand is that there is nothing that we can do to earn our way into the kingdom of God, or inherit eternal life. Absolutely nothing. Eternal life is beyond our reach on our own. The good news is that God gifts us with eternal life. God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, brings us into eternal life. No amount of money, brownie points, or prerequisites can get us there. Only God can get us there and it is something we have already been given. There is nothing we can do to earn it. It is all gift! So, what shall we do? We simply receive it, live into it, cheerfully give thanks, and with gratitude for all God has given us, give back for this amazing gift.
This is a special musical presentation of Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus and sung by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.