Rev. Eugene N. Nelson, Jr.
The Community Church of Sebastopol
June 7, 2009 Christian Education & Volunteer Sunday
Mark 10:35-45
Brian Blount, seminary president and professor of New Testament, tells about a visit he made to his brother's workplace. His brother is an engineer and works at a nuclear power plant. Blount says he was quite impressed with the technology and all that goes into the production of nuclear power. But one thing troubled him. In spite of the plant's elaborate safety precautions, he noticed that there was only one road leading in and out. He asked his brother what would happen if there was a three-mile-island-type meltdown. His brother advised him that he had best be in the front of the line, because a lot of people would be scrambling to get out. Not exactly the comforting word Blount was looking for. Then his brother added that he actually never gave much thought to getting out in case of an emergency. "You see," he explained, "I am listed as essential personnel. So, if there is a major emergency at this plant, while everyone else is running out, I will be running in."
Essential personnel... the ones who run in when everyone else is running out. I wonder, do you ever think of yourselves as essential personnel? Do you suppose that Jesus sees us as his essential personnel? I want to come back to that, but first let's take a look at our text.
Here we are, as I said, fairly late in the Gospel of Mark, in fact Jesus and the disciples are almost at the gates of Jerusalem. They have been traveling together now for quite some time. The disciples have seen a lot, have heard a lot. And yet, you get the feeling that they are still completely clueless. Just before the text I read today, going back to verses 32- 34, Jesus tells them he is going to Jerusalem to die. He says it quite plainly. How do they respond to this? Well, they get into an argument over which one of them will be the greatest when Christ's kingdom comes. Have they not heard a word he said? For three years he has been inviting them into a new world, into a new way of living and being. But clearly they can't let go of the old. "Okay, Jesus, which one of us will be the greatest; which of us will be on top when your Kingdom comes, which of us will have the most power and influence?" After all this time, still jockeying for position, still attached to the values of the old world. Actually, I guess, it is a bit comforting to know that those closest to Jesus were just as dense, stubborn and stupid as I am.
And, I suspect, what he really wanted to do was to take a stick and hit them up side the head, knock a little sense into them, but instead he says, "You want to talk about greatness, I'll tell you about greatness. The greatest among you will be the one who serves, who gives his life to find his life, who pours out his life for others. That's greatness in my Kingdom. Any more questions?"
I once heard it said that we are not moving toward Christ's kingdom as much as it is the kingdom that is moving toward us. In fact, it is on a collision course with us - our values, our assumptions, our worldviews. I think these poor, clueless disciples, right here, get a strong taste of this coming collision. "Gosh, Jesus, we just wanted a little discussion of greatness. We didn't ask you to turn everything upside down." Christ's kingdom - on a collision course with our world, redefining the world as we know it, redefining our lives. Who would have thought that God's amazing grace could be so dangerous?
I may have shared this story with you before. A pastor writes, "When he was 11 or 12, our son had some difficulty in school. We took him to a psychologist who put him through a battery of tests to find out why he was having such a tough time. Then we were called in to hear the results. 'Your son is a wonderful kid,' we were told, 'Unfortunately, he has an exaggerated sense of empathy for other people. He gets distracted from his school work by anyone else in the room who is having difficulty. He is kind, sympathetic, and concerned about others.'
" 'Well, what's wrong with that?' we asked. 'All those are wonderful Christian virtues.'
" 'Congratulations,' he said. 'You have done a great job raising a Christian kid. Unfortunately none of those traits lead to success in school."
A bit of an overstatement? Perhaps. I'm quite sure that the teachers in this congregation do all they can to nurture such virtues. At least when they have time and they're not preparing kids for all the tests. But that psychologist did have a point. Much like the disciples, we keep having to learn and relearn how odd the Christian way is when compared with the ways of the world. The world values competition, assertiveness, power, and prestige. Jesus calls us to walk the path of humble service. Christ just never seems to tire of attempting to transform us into the people God wants, indeed to transform an entire world. And how is he doing this? Not by power, coercion, violence and glory - the way of the world. No, he has a far more radical plan involving service, caring, self-giving, even suffering love. And we are the ones who are called to lead the way. Remember that engineer in the nuclear power plant? Guess what? We are, in fact, Christ's essential personnel, the ones whom he calls to keep going in, to keep engaging and caring for our hurting world, to keep caring and serving even when everyone else is giving up and getting out.
Says Barbara Brown Taylor, "The new world is not remotely like the old one. The number ones are not the powerful ones having their pictures taken at the head of the table. They are the quiet ones slipping in and out among the guests, refilling wine glasses and laying down clean silverware for the next course. The great ones are not the dignitaries to the left and right of the ruler. They are the slaves who are stirring pots in the kitchen, testing the temperature of the soup. James and John want Jesus to hurry up and become king of the world, but he has other things on his mind. 'For the son of man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.' We have heard this teaching so many times that it is all but lost on us...But Jesus is not pretending to be a servant until the time comes for him to whip off his disguise and climb on the throne; he is a servant through and through."
I have to tell you, I'm beginning to have some sympathy for James and John and the others. As Mark Twain once said, "It's not what I don't understand in the Bible that bothers me; it's what I do understand!" And I think we understand this text all too well. In the midst of a "what's in it for me - look out for number one" culture, Jesus is asking for some serious - some radical - rethinking of values and priorities. He wants to completely change the way we do business. To lead is to be a servant. The greatest reward at the end of a rewarding life is not a gold watch but a dish towel. We understand his words, but are we ready for such an upside down world, are we ready to be essential personnel in such a kingdom?
A story told by Tom Long: A son and his father are out jogging. They are getting close to home when the son says, "Let's stop and call Domino's pizza. We'll order pizza and just about the time we get home, the pizza will arrive and lunch will be ready for us." Sounds good to Dad. But since they don’t have cell phones with them, they realize they will have to stop and use a pay phone. (for you younger folks, that’s a phone you actually put money in to make a call!) Just then, a homeless man approaches them, wanting to know if they have any spare change. The father reached into the pocket of his jogging shorts, took out a hand full of change, saying, “Here, take what you need.” Well, the man takes it all and heads off down the street. As soon as he left, the son said, "Dad I don't have any money. You just gave him the money we need to call the pizza place. So they take off, running to catch the homeless man. When they do, the father says, “I know this sounds crazy, but we need to make a phone call, could you please give back some of the change we just gave you?" The man reaches into his pocket, takes out all the money, held it in his hand and said, "Here, take what you need."
That's what Jesus is talking about. That's the kingdom - where charity becomes mutuality, where lives are changed through self-giving, kindness and compassion - no strings attached; where greatness is found in unexpected places, where privilege is abandoned and service valued, where discipleship entails a reordering of the way we understand our lives and our world, so that we finally see the way Jesus sees and care how Jesus cares.