Ordinary 24, 2012

Readings and Homily

Isaiah 53:4-12

Surely he has borne our infirmities

and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have all turned to our own way,

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

By a perversion of justice he was taken away.

Who could have imagined his future?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people.

They made his grave with the wicked

and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.

When you make his life an offering for sin,

he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.

Out of his anguish he shall see light;

he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.

The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out himself to death,

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 91:9-16

Because you have made the LORD your refuge, *

and the Most High your habitation,

There shall no evil happen to you, *

neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over you, *

to keep you in all your ways.

They shall bear you in their hands, *

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and adder; *

you shall trample the young lion and the serpent under your feet.

Because he is bound to me in love,

therefore will I deliver him; *

I will protect him, because he knows my Name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; *

I am with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and bring him to honor.

With long life will I satisfy him, *

and show him my salvation.

Hebrews 5:1-10

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

"You are my Son,

today I have begotten you";

as he says also in another place,

"You are a priest forever,

according to the order of Melchizedek."

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

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The Letter to the Hebrews is as mystifying a book as any in the Bible. It is both revealing and obscuring. It needs to be read carefully and intentionally... with your spiritual antennae turned just right. It’s a book that comforts and encourages on the one hand and frightens on the other.

The passage we have heard read this morning is somewhat typical of the Letter.

It describes Jesus as our Great High Priest, yet we know that Jesus was no priest at all. It quotes Psalm 110, which refers to Christ “a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek is mentioned only one other place in the scripture. He was the King of Salem and a priest of “God Most High” who met Abraham just after Abraham defeats a number of “kings” in battle, rescues his nephew Lot... and carries away all sorts of spoil. Melchizedek blesses Abraham and now here we read that God elevates Christ to be priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. We know almost nothing of this man... and the little bit that the writer of Hebrews gives us doesn’t help us solve that mystery.

The writer was clear about one thing... The path that Christ took towards this honor was suffering and death. And because He suffered he is able to deal “gently” with us. His weakness allows him to understand our weakness and he is compassionate. A high priest must be able to relate, in every way, with those for whom he ministers.

This passage from this portion of Hebrews resonates with me... “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and prayers,...” This small section reduces our Lord to a person... a person crying out to God, hoping that his prayers are heard... It’s a very moving piece of scripture. This is where we are... in life we can only sometimes pray... This is something Jesus knows.

James and John, disciples of Christ... who with Peter and the rest, as we know, have left family and homes, farms and fishing gear, to follow Jesus... soon to be saints... icons to the church forever.

Jesus called them the “sons of thunder”... other sources might say “sons of tumult” or “sons of anger”... but the sense is the same. We really know so very little about the disciples but this story maybe gives us a glimpse of personality. The story goes... they approach Jesus with a special request. “Lord, grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

To be fair to the two brothers... Jesus had just shared with them probably the clearest words about what was coming at Jerusalem. Here’s how it reads in Mark.

“They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’”

So... they hear what Jesus has just told them but they ask anyway. I don’t believe these two were merely being arrogant... or self-serving... maybe they were just being devoted... maybe they were just being committed... In any case they ask and Jesus says, “You do not know what you are asking.”

The prophet Isaiah writes of the suffering servant. This is a poem that points to the restoration of the nation of Israel. It is “messianic”... it speaks to a future that is glorious, and victorious. We know this portion and have received it as a poem that prefigures the life of our Lord.

We see Christ in these verses as clear as day...

“But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.”

“They made his grave with the wicked

and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

And our theology is built on these passages...

“But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.”

“... yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Clearly the disciples did not see things as clearly as we do. And Jesus again disavows them of their expectations... “You do not know what you are asking.”...

So Jesus says to John and James, “Don’t you know...? You must drink the cup that I must drink... you must suffer what I must suffer to sit in the same place where I must sit.” And I think John and James must have seen that... at some level they must have been aware that this path they are on will cost Jesus and will in turn cost them. Others had already turned aside. I think there were times over the three years that Jesus was with them when the fear and anxiety was just thick. Where they felt at any moment they would be arrested or simply killed. On a number of occasions the authorities were very clear in where this would end. But they had missed something... as had the others...

I’m not sure what the Jews of the first century thought concerning the Messiah... the church has maintained that there was a general expectation that Messiah would come and deliver them from their enemies, restore the Nation and rule in Righteousness. I don’t know if that’s altogether true or not. But it’s clear from our Gospel narratives that the people were generally despised by Herod, Rome, and to some degree their religious leaders. In any case, the disciples believed Jesus was the One and that he would be ushering in something exciting and new and that they would soon be principal members of this new “something”, maybe even “big shots” alongside Jesus. They may have even understood the role of the suffering servant and believed that once he was “raised” he would rule. They seemed to have a pretty good idea of what “ruling” might look like.

Jesus challenges their expectations of “power”, “authority”, and “rule”... He contrasts what they know and what they see around them with what will be the expectation in the “new community”. “Status” will not be as it is with the kings, lords, bosses we see around us. To be “great” a person must be a servant for others... to be “greatest” a person must make of themselves a slave for others. What does that mean? It means that “status” and “leadership” has been completely turned upside down... completely disassembled... completely redefined. I think these words of Jesus could say a lot about the nature of relationships... I mean these words could radically alter society as we know it... but his words speak to individuals... to each of us... where we live... in our homes, our communities... where we work, and where we worship. Jesus is saying that if you want to do something that is really worthwhile then serve others... put others first... and don’t think about the “greatness” of what you are doing. More than likely you’ll receive a “thank you”... and though there’s no guarantee of that, it may be the only thing we ought to seek.