Sermon

What? Became What!

John 6:35 (NRSV)

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:41–51 (NRSV)

⁴¹ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Over the course of the past month I personally have been focused almost exclusively on the imagery we find in scripture. This is largely a result of being the Elder for our Area for the past six years. This year we wrestled with the ideas surrounding the use of the sign, symbols, mysteries, or traditions of the Christian faith. The thing about these discussions and the debates is that most fail to dive into the greatest mystery involved. By in large the arguments have only focused on the superficial and surface of the symbols.

This portion of John is the turning point in Jesus’s ministry. Prior to this there was some resistance to the message Jesus was presenting but after this there was an organized effort to silence him. It is from this chapter on that the Gospel writer, John, begins to refer to those that oppose Jesus as “the Jews.” This is not insignificant, and it is not antisemitic as many scholars have attempted to say. John is simply identifying the division of faith. There are those that remain loyal to the traveling teacher known as Jesus, and there are those that hold to the safety of tradition and heritage. The reason for this revolves around one small statement uttered by Jesus, I am the Bread. We might not quite understand why this is such a scandalous statement, but that is because we were not Hebrews from the first century.

Bread is an interesting substance. In human civilizations a form of bread is a staple of life. I say a form because bread, the cooked combination of grain flour and water, is found in nearly every meal around the world. It might come in a loaf sliced in convenient and uniform sizes placed in a bag, it might come in the form of a noodle topped with a sauce. It may have been fermented and allowed to rise or it might be one of several varieties of flat breads like a pita or a tortilla. Bread, even if you adhere to a low carb diet, is a staple of life. Bread is clearly important, so important that even in the prayer Jesus taught to his disciples, he says that we should be unashamed to asked that God our Father in Heaven provide this most basic need of life.

Bread is not only the foundation of life, but it is the symbol of our livelihood. In our American culture there is a clique about bringing home the bacon. This saying is a testimony of wealth and the ability to provide for one’s family. In most cultures bacon would not be used in the statement, but bread. The fact that bacon is used in our society is because we as a collective whole are wealthy enough to have an addition of meat to our diet. Of course, at the time this saying emerged bringing home the bacon was a luxury. Meat was a blessing, a benefit, because the profit of our labors provided enough to buy bread and allowed for the addition of meat even dire economic situations. To have bread means we will survive another day. Our existence is secure because we can obtain the basic substance to sustain life. Give us this day our daily bread, not only means feed us but allow us to provide what is necessary to take care of the needs of our families and our communities.

Bread has an even deeper meaning than just survival and livelihood, it also denotes blessing. And it is this point that Jesus faces opposition. The word used to speak of bread in this sense is not just the bread of survival, which was often made of barley flour, but this was bread of blessing made from wheat. Again, our culture has an inability to understand the significance of this simply because our bread is predominately manufactured with wheat flour and the breads baked using other grains is often seen as a luxury. We pay more for rye bread, when rye in many places is a flour of poverty. But this bread of blessing, was something reserved for special occasions and purposes. This bread was the bread that was placed on the table before the Lord in the temple, it was the bread that was often reserved for the sabbath meal, it was the bread that reminded the people of Israel that God provides. It was placed in this high place because the color of wheat bread more closely resembled the color of manna.

This bread of blessing was important because is there to remind Israel that they were not alone, but they were the children of Abraham. It also reminds them that they are not self-sufficient, that it is from the hand of God that they have their hope and their blessing not solely from their human efforts. This bread of blessing with its fair hue, pointed them back to the wilderness where their ancestors relied on God for absolutely everything. It was the blessing of God that sustained them through the forty years of wandering. It was the blessing of God that gave them the land of promise. It was the blessing of God that provided for their return to this land after exile. It was a blessing from God that they were alive because without God Israel would have ceased to exist and their heritage would be bleached bones under the sands of a desert. Every sabbath day the head of the household would stand before the family and bless the bread and break it. Not just out of thanksgiving but out of deep remembrance of the blessing and promise that God gave to those that had gone before them. They would bless the bread out of the longing and hope for the generations that would go beyond them. They would bless the bread with the focus of Immanuel God with us, where they would be His people and He would be their God not just in name but in a fulfilled reality.

The significance of this bread goes very deep. It is what sustains and gave life to Israel. It is what connected them to God. It is what provided their identity as God’s people. It is what provided their purpose. For forty years the children of Israel wandered through the wilderness and they existed by eating manna. They survived on this substance that came every morning provided them with nourishment and vanished. They would go out and gather just enough for their family each day, and if they tried to gather more it would spoil by the next morning. So, every day they would gather this substance and make bread. Every day again and again they ate manna a heavenly substance provided by the hand of God. And on the 6^th day and only on the 6^th day they could gather a double portion, so they could honor their God by resting on the 7^th. Every day for forty years God provided for Israel, up to the day they crossed over the Jordan and entered the land He had promised to their fathers.

God provided for them. God blessed them, yet Israel was not thankful. They grumbled in the wilderness. They complained that the only thing they had was bread made for manna. In fact, the very name manna has an almost negative name. Manna literally means, what is it. Israel woke up seeing this blessing and the only thing they could say is, “What is it?” They grumbled. This substance that was providing for their every need to survive just appeared every morning and they respond not with thanksgiving but with grumblings.

What is it? That is the mystery of manna, but it is not only the mystery of manna but life. Jesus once said that the kingdom of God is like a seed. By saying that Jesus is saying that the answers to life and the universe are found in the very grains that provide for the sustaining of life. In so many words Jesus was saying that the answers to what is it are found in bread. What is it, that gives life? What is it, that provides success? What is it, that gives us meaning and purpose? What is it, that provides satisfaction? What is life? Life is simple it is wrapped up in a seed. It is wrapped up in a mysterious substance that fell from the heavens. Life is bread.

Jesus stood before his countrymen that day and he said, “I am the Bread of life.” When Jesus made this statement, he was using the form of bread that directed everyone’s attention to this sacred bread, this bread of blessing. Jesus is not simply saying I am the substance that keeps you going, but I am the very meaning and purpose of life. He is saying that he is life. That he is the very one that gives life and without him we are bleached bones covered in the desert sands. He is saying I am the substance you honor when you leave bread on the table in the temple. He is the one that provided for and is the source of their heritage and their future. Jesus is THE BREAD!

Can you see why this was the turning point, the point of division between the disciples of Jesus and the Jews? By Jesus saying that he was the bread, he is saying that all their honor and worship from the time of Moses, was directed to him. He is saying that He is the source of their life, their blessing, their honor, their purpose, and their very existence. Everything they have is because of him. Everything they hope to have is through him. Everything they once had was because of him. And everything they lost was because they rejected him the very What of life.

And the gospel writer says, “the Jews grumbled (or complained).” They said, “WHAT?” They said we know who this guy is, we know his parents, we even know where he came from. We are not followers of him, we follow Moses. They grumbled just as their ancestors did in the wilderness, because they could not understand what was before them. They understood what was behind them, they understood slavery and bondage. They understood torment and suffering. They understood being set apart and persecuted. They understood being strangers in a strange land, being challenged around every corner of history just to survive as a people. They understood that sticking together and keeping their traditions had sustained them through the darkest days and has even to this day. It sustained them through the bondage in Egypt, through the exile in Babylon, it held them together through the furnaces and the chambers of the camps, it has given them hope through the wars and the negotiated peace. They have survived, their survival has come with a cost. They still wander, and they wonder what. They still look for messiah. And some have been looking so long that they have decided that messiah is not a person but a state of mind, and they wander. They bless the bread according to tradition and they ask what.

When John speaks of the Jews, yes, he is speaking of those that oppose Jesus, those that oppress the disciples, but he is also speaking of those that miss the answer to the ultimate question. They are not to be hated, they are not to be pitied either. They are that perpetual statement in human existence that God’s promises are true. God has protected the children of Israel, he has sustained them and provided for their livelihoods, he has even blessed them abundantly. He has done this so that they as a group within humanity will be a light to the rest of the world, and a beacon of hope. But it is not because of them, but Him. They wandered through the wilderness eating the blessing of God, knowing that man does not live by bread alone, but on the Word of God. God said he would feed them and he did. And as he fed them they asked what? They wandered and eventually they settled in the land given to them by the very hand of God, promised by the Word that was spoken to their father Abraham, and they continued to ask what? They turned from their provider and God, they chased after other gods, the gods of other nations that knew nothing of the one true God and Israel continued to ask what? They were conquered because of their rejection of God and they ask what. God brought them back to the land and even came and lived among them after the exile and they grumble and ask yet again what? God has kept Israel because they are very human, and through them He could reveal himself. They have always been just enough. The entire world knows Israel, but it has only ever been a nation of just enough. It is a tiny nation yet has just enough. Just enough power to remain, just enough influence to survive. Even when they have been hated and persecuted they maintained just enough. They maintain just enough what, bread. They have maintained just enough bread to survive and remain, and they will always have just enough to remain a testimony that God will not forget even though we might.

But just enough was not the plan that God had for Israel. His plan was that they were to be a light to the nations. That they were to be a blessing to all people. God told Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky, and grains of sand. Is that a promise of just enough? The promise of Israel comes not from the people of the promise but the person who was promised. It was through the one from Israel that the light would come. It was this promised one who would answer the question of what. I am the bead of life, who ever eats of me will never hunger. Jesus stood before his countrymen that day, after feeding a multitude, and said these words. He stood there after they had seen God provide bread through him, and he said I am the Bread. It is through Jesus that we find our hope and our answers. It is not through the following of traditions and rules of the past or the present, but Jesus. It is Jesus that answers the questions. It is Jesus who gives us meaning and purpose. It is Jesus that sustains us and gives us a hope for a future. And when Jesus becomes our life, we no longer ask what in confusion, but exclaim what as a child opening a gift on Christmas.

There is so much packed in such a simple thing. All it is, is bread. That simple substance that sustains life. Yet that little slice of bread also provides so much more. What is life? It is bread. A bologna sandwich when we have too much to do. It contains pumpkin to celebrate. It is flattened and covered with sauce and cheese to celebrate the win. It is the gift to someone in sorrow. It is covered with peanut butter and honey to bring pleasure and grilled with cheese to bring comfort. Life is what? Life is the sharing of bread with others.  Bread is more than a ceremony, or a meal, bread is life and hope. Bread is Jesus, who came down from heaven becoming man so that he could take us back to God. Jesus is bread, because he is our source and meaning of true life.

This all brings me back to those many conversations I have had over the years. The conversations I have had with brothers and sister of Christ of different faith traditions that ask why we believe the way we believe. The conversations we have among ourselves as to why we believe what we believe. The debates that I have had with people that say we must practice our faith in a certain manner for it to be true and authentic faith, and those that want to say if we practice it in a certain manner we cease to be who we are. When I study and observe my faith, when I read about the explanations of faith passed down from those that first started and those that have carried on the society we call Friends. I believe that they had and still have it right. All of life is a sacrament. And that is because All that gives life is Jesus. Everything that sustains us is a direct blessing from God and should be used to express our gratitude of him, as well as to extend that hope we find to others. Life is a mystery, an ever-present question of what, but we find those answers when we look to Jesus. He is the bread of life, that cannot be contained in a slice or a wafer but can only be experience in every moment of every day. Our ever-present question became our ever-present answer. And what? Became WHAT!

If Our Principles are Right, Why Should We Be Cowards? (Sermon July 15, 2018)

By Jared A. Warner

Willow Creek Friends Church

Mark 6:14–29 (NRSV) [1]

The Death of John the Baptist

(Mt 14:1–12; Lk 9:7–9)

¹⁴ King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. ¹⁸ For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, ²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹ But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. ²² When his daughter Herodias 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.” ²³ And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” ²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” ²⁵ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

This week has been interesting for me. It was not because I have been abnormally busy, or less busy. It has just been different. I watched a friend get recognized for his accomplishments, I helped a few people, and basically tried to not get overly worked up about much. Of course, the news tends to get my mind going, which is not always a good thing. I notice when I spend too much time with the news my stress level increases, I get irritated and annoyed. Mainly because there is always an opinion and my opinion is often not popular among my friends.

Today we meet with Jesus after his trip home, after the trip across the sea to the Hellenistic portion of Palestine, and his return to Capernaum. During this trip he had cast out troublesome demons, healed the sick (some of which had chronic illnesses), and even raised one little girl from the dead. This sort of thing would cause many people to talk. These sorts of things do not happen often, so when the news of a person doing these feats begin to circulate there tends to be opinions circulating with it. It did not take long for the news of Jesus to get to the highest levels of society.

It is not hard to believe the types of stories that would circulate around the activities of Jesus. Some had already begun to speak out against him, the crowds were so large at one point that prominent members of society were not able to get to the table. This hangry lawyer cried out that Jesus was not a righteous person but the prince of demons. This of course was not the overall theory of the masses. There were other ideas floating around. Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, had zeroed in on one of the ideas. Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist back from the dead.

Before we get too far into this I find it odd that this was one of the top opinions among the first century Jewish community. We often have this idea that the Jewish community was this unified religion, but it was not. They like many institutions had various factions. We know of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and have heard of the Essenes. We had even heard about the religious/political faction called the Herodians. This group was a Hellenistic Jewish group that sought for an independent Jewish nation under the leadership of the Herodian dynasty. There is not a great deal of information about this group, and some historians believe that they were the Essences. These historians say this because Herod was said to have enjoyed listening to the teachings of this group. If this were true, and if John the Baptist was an Essene as other scholars believe, Mark does say that Herod did enjoy listening to John. I do not agree with this idea, because much of the Essene thoughts seem to be opposed to the popular philosophies.

The family of Herod were not birthright Jews. They were from Edom. Herod and his family were converts to the faith, they were God fearing outsiders that were intrigued by the ancient faith. The Greeks were also intrigued, they formed a hybrid of faith and philosophy. And that faith became championed by one of their own, the converted king of the Jews. The things about converts is that at times old superstitions creep back. Herod thought that Jesus could be the reincarnation of John the Baptist. Herod was fearful of this because if John the Baptist left the afterlife to return to earth, he would have left for a reason, maybe to seek out revenge. The idea of reincarnation was not widely accepted in Jewish tradition, but it was there.

They hybridization of philosophy, religion and politics. It is something that goes to the dawn of civilization. It was something that Jesus and those in the first century endured, and it continues to this day. All the major sects under the Hebrew umbrella had some twist on the recipe, and as a result were chastened for it. The danger of the union of these factors is that often we forget where the line between the three is drawn. We have a philosophy and we think that that idea or system of thought is equal to our spiritual practice. Or we have a political stance and we feel that it is a God ordained stance, even when that stance is contrary to the words of scripture. We are faithful to our religion but is that of God or man?

This is who Herod is. He has a group of religious zealots that do all they can to maintain his political power and he encourages them and uses them for his benefit. He allows them to twist sacred documents to suit his needs, and if there is opposition he takes a play out of his father’s playbook, he removes the opposition by force. The marriage of philosophy, religion and politics often results in that end. It often is based on power and control over others, and the only way to maintain control is to wield fear. This is why Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world. Jesus was building a kingdom of love and says that perfect love cast out all fear. The lives lived under the influence of Jesus do not fear the world, but they change the world out of love.

John the Baptist opposed Herod, he called Herod an adulterer. He said that it was not lawful for him to be married to his brother’s wife. John the Baptist threatened the power and influenced of the sitting political entity and those involved in this scandalous relationship were not pleased. Yet, Herod did not oppose John. Mark tells us that John perplexed Herod, and the king enjoyed listening to John, though he did not always agree. But his wife, held a grudge against him. She wanted the prophet dead, but Herod knew that John was a popular figure, so he instead imprisoned the teacher because to execute a popular figure could bring negative consequences.

Herod was intrigued by the religious teaching, but the words he heard did not reach the depths of his soul. Herod was interested in power and influence. He would use religion as a tool in his quest for power, but lust held sway over his heart. He married his sister-in-law who was also his niece, and he enjoyed the provocative dancing of his step-daughter. He exploited his step-daughter to expand his influence. Herod was a twisted man. He manipulated everything with the hopes of increasing his power.

Exploitation and fear, these are not the tools of the righteous but tools of the adversary. John spoke against this man for this very reason. It is not lawful for him to be married to his wife, it is incestuous and adulterous. Though John spoke out against this man, Herod continued to use his skills to manipulate and garner influence. He had a party to celebrate his birthday, and the most influential leaders where present, both secular and religious. For the entertainment he brought out his daughter to dance. The term used to explain the daughter is one that implies that she is too young to marry, she is a child. In ancient times this would mean that she was around twelve, and this twelve-year-old girl is performing erotic dances for the men of power in Galilee. And they were very pleased with her dancing, so much so that Herod pledged to her anything she wanted up to half of his kingdom. I want us to stop and consider this statement for a moment. This type of pledge was given to others in Jewish history, Esther was promised anything up to half the kingdom. This statement implies that Herod was willing to make his step-daughter his queen if she so desired. The thought of that sickens me.

Luckily, she was too young to realize what her step-father was saying, so she sought the advice of her mother. And her mother, who held a grudge asked from the girl to demand the head of the Baptist. The mother sought to silence the dissenting voice that threatened to topple their religious political machine. And Herod obliged.

There is much we can learn from the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The first is that our faith cannot be wedded with political systems. Faith must be free from political influences. Because faith is to be the aspect of our lives that causes us to stop and think, to examine our intent when it comes to politics. Often on the radio and internet I will hear commentators saying that social justice is a code word for socialism. I say no. Social Justice is ministry. If we are being true to our faith, if we are truly following the life and lifestyle of Christ, we should be active in providing justice to the least of these among us. We should be feeding those who are without food and ask for help, we should clothe those that are lacking proper attire, we are to give water to the thirsty. If we do these things we are bringing light to the injustices of our society and raising awareness of the areas our society often fall short. I have seen political philosophy enter religious institutions and silence stop these ministries making the institution nothing more than a political pawn to power instead of a center of hope and mercy.

The second thing we can learn from the death of John, is that there is a time where we must speak out against the powers of our society. Herod was a corrupt and evil man parading around as righteous. He had an entire sect within the Jewish culture that believed he should be and was their God ordained king. God does use the kingdoms of this world, he does ordain governments for reasons. But at times those ordained powers of this world are not always in place to dictate faith. Sometimes God ordains human governmental structures to highlight the corruption and sinfulness within a culture. Our job as disciples and Friends of Christ is to discern the difference. If the words and actions oppose the ways of God, we must protest and speak out against the injustice. John spoke out against the lust of the king. He cried out to Herod and the rest of the Jewish faithful to repent for the kingdom of God is near. And in those sermons on the banks of the Jordan he spoke of the injustice of those occupying the seats of power.

The third thing we can learn from John is that we should not be afraid. Lucretia Mott was a Quaker activist and preacher prior to the civil war. She was an advocate of the abolition of slavery and a supporter of women’s rights. She was even part of a delegation that went to England to promote the abolition of slavery. She once said, “If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?” There are things important to God, and there are things important to those controlling seats of power. If we are focused on what is important to God, why should we be afraid of man? Fear and force are the tools of the adversary they are contrary to God. God stands for justice and mercy. God stands for equality. Ms. Mott stood up for those that were oppressed in our nation. She spoke boldly at a time when women did not even have the right to vote and she made a difference. Her boldness inspired others, including her cousin Levi Coffin to do more. And Levi put his money and life on the line, he was a conductor on the underground railroad, and refused to sell any good that benefited from the labor of slaves. Meaning he found cotton that was produced only by free men, he would only use dyes that were produced only by wage earners and produce that was not harvested by people in bondage. John the Baptist saw that Herod was exploiting and manipulating and he spoke against it. He saw that Herod was claiming righteousness yet living a lifestyle fulfilling the lusts of his heart, so John boldly spoke against it. God desires justice and mercy, not exploitation and manipulation. God rules with love, not fear.

When Herod heard of Jesus, he was filled with dread. He thought that Jesus was John reanimated. He thought that through Jesus John would have his revenge. As a result, Herod began to watch the news to keep tabs on this traveling preacher. What would Jesus do, what would he say? Would Herod’s dynasty come to an end because of a revolt lead by religious zealots he could not control?

As we enter this time of open worship and communion in the manner of Friends, I encourage us all to consider who leads us. Are we being led by worldly concepts and desires or are we being directed by the Spirit of God? Are we using our politics to manipulate the faithful or are we listening to the Spirit of God to boldly stand and minister to those in need? If our principles are right why should we be cowards? Will we like John, stand for what is right even in the face of death?

[1]Image from:  http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2012/07/pentecost-7b-mark-614-29.html  Viewed July 15, 2018

Expectations (Sermon July 8, 2018)

Mark 6:1–13 (NRSV)

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

(Mt 13:54–58; Lk 4:16–30)

6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴ Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” ⁵ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief.

The Mission of the Twelve

(Mt 10:5–15; Lk 9:1–6)

Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷ He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹ but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰ He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹ If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³ They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

In most relationships there is some expectation involved. It might not be really expressed but we all have an expectation of the people we interact with. When those expectations are not realized or if the person does not meet our expectation, we tend to get upset. Maybe upset is a strong word, maybe it is disappointed. In marriages people often say that money is the number one problem, but if you look a bit deeper than the money issues you would find that the real issue is that there was an unrealized expectation that once a couple was married financial issues would be something of the past. There was an expectation, yet when reality sets in marriage costs more than being single. You cannot buy what you want because if each person does you end up spending twice as much money.

We have all experienced unrealized expectations. Your pastor does not play the guitar, and you might have wanted him to. But what if the expectation was different, what if someone exceeded your expectation. What if they started doing things that were beyond what you thought? This happens to us as well. Imagine that you love to cook, everyone enjoys what you prepare for them. Then out of nowhere your spouse makes something amazing, the best thing you have eaten in a while, and suddenly you feel inadequate. They just took your thing. Now you either must one up them or you must find a new thing, a new identity.

Expectations, we all have them and we all have trouble dealing with them. In today’s passage we meet Jesus, his hometown, and the disciples facing the challenges of expectations. Jesus left Capernaum and returned to Nazareth. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue to worship with the rest of the community. While he was at this place of learning and worship, he began to teach. The first century synagogue was like churches today, but also more. There was usually a primary school where the boys were taught the scriptures, and most learned the basics of reading. They would attend this school until they were twelve or thirteen, when they were either asked to continue their learning or they would go to learn the family trade. If they were asked to continue in their education, the Rabbi would personally teach the boys, who after their thirteenth birthday were considered men, and begin to train them to become rabbis or scribes. But even if they were not asked to continue in this educational route the synagogue was still a place of learning for the men. It was not uncommon for community or traveling Rabbis to visit synagogues and have community classes. It would be like a public library, where they have story time for the toddlers, have various activities that you can enroll in as children, and then there would be community enrichment opportunities where you could learn about other things. For example, at the Red Bridge Library just down the street, you could take a class to learn how to use the excel software, learn to knit or quilt, or just enjoy reading a book within a group and discussing it. The public library is in many ways the most foundational educational institute available in a community. So, in the first century even if you were not asked to extend your formal education there were always things that you could learn along the way. The men would work throughout the day and when classes or lectures were offered they would go to the synagogue to listen and learn.

Jesus went to the synagogue when he returned home and while he was there they were in a discussion forum where he began to teach people about the scriptures, and his interpretation of them. There were Rabbis within this group along with men of the community. They knew who Jesus was. Some of them might have attended the primary school with him, and there might possibly have been one of the rabbis present that taught the class. They knew him, and they knew that he did not take the formal extension in education. We do not know why Jesus did not do this. When he was of age to take these formal classes, he had the aptitude because when he was twelve and failed to follow his parents away from the temple, they found him in deep discussion with the rabbis and priest when they realized he was not with them or the traveling companions. Which would lead me to believe that Mary and Joseph might not have been able to afford to allow Jesus to take those classes, either because they did not have the finances or Joseph needed help in the family trade.

The community knew that Jesus did not have the credentials. They knew that he was a carpenter, not just Joseph but Jesus was a carpenter. From the age of twelve or thirteen Jesus along side his family, working with wood, stone, and other materials they helped build the homes and other building in Nazareth and the surrounding area. The word for carpenter was not solely dealing with wood, like we understand today. The term was used for anyone that worked with wood and other hard materials. And unlike today houses were not built completely out of wood, the wood was usually reserved for framing and hanging doors. Jesus was basically a local handyman, he was a blue-collar laborer, he a common man just like most of us, and that was exactly what the community expected out of him.

When Jesus began to teach at his home synagogue people began to wonder. Who is this man? Where did he get this learning? Isn’t this the carpenter, Mary’s son? The expectation they had for him was not met, in fact he exceeded what was expected of him which was just as bad if not worse. What they are asking is, who does he think he is? Does he think he is better than us? And if you notice they say, “Mary’s son.” They do not say Joseph, which can mean two things, maybe Joseph has already died and has been dead a considerable time. Which is highly likely since we do not hear about him after Jesus was found in the temple at the age of twelve. Or they are remembering that the birth of this man was scandalous. Mary’s illegitimate son, the son of Mary’s that was conceived prior to marriage.

Jesus is teaching with authority, and he is not remaining in the social status his community accepts him in. He was not one of their elites, he was a commoner, and that could not handle him doing things beyond his place.

I want us to think about that for a moment. They were not upset at what Jesus was teaching, they were upset that Jesus was teaching. In their minds, Jesus was just a carpenter. That was his place, that was his role. In their mind he was not worthy of having a greater role because they had not given it to him, or he had not paid the proper social cost to achieve it. He had gone beyond their expectation and for them to accept that they would have to humble themselves. To humble themselves they would have to step down from their roles within the community, their perceived power or control over the others within the community, and they would have submitted to someone they perceive as being socially beneath them. We see this throughout culture. In history the feudal system had a social hierarchy. There were peasants and noblemen. The nobles were treated in special ways because their position demanded it. And peasants no matter how skilled they were would always be beneath them. The only way for a peasant to rise was to join the monastery and potentially work their way up within the church, but even then, there were sons of nobles that had privilege and would start a few steps ahead. There was also second way that a peasant might move up socially, to be strong enough to take the honor by force. Even today, even in our culture there are hierarchies. One of the first statements against our current president that was mentioned in the campaign was that he did not have the knowledge and experience to lead the country. He was not highly educated in universities, he was not a career political figure, so how could he lead? For some that made him attractive, and for others that gave them great fear. People that move beyond the expectation of society make us uncomfortable. And Jesus made his townsmen very uncomfortable.

It was not that the teaching it was who was teaching them. And because of this they closed their ears, they hardened their hearts against him. Mark tells us that because of this, Jesus could do no deeds of power there. This is an interesting statement. Jesus, God incarnate, could do nothing in his home town. Have you ever stopped to think about why that was? Is it our faith or the faithfulness of God that brings healing? Why was Jesus, the one that could cast out a legion of demons from a man, the one who could heal a woman with a chronic illness that had plagued her for over a decade, and could raise a dead child back to life, why was Jesus unable to do works of power in his hometown?  Because he was a carpenter.

Jesus taught that we do not have because we do not ask, and when we ask we ask incorrectly. It was not that Jesus could not heal, or that the faith of the people would not allow the power of Jesus to work, they simply would not ask. They did not believe. They would not put their trust in a carpenter, they would rather trust their local rabbi, at least they knew he had the proper education, unlike Mary’s son the carpenter.

Do we ever do this? Yes, we do it all the time. How many of us struggle with sin? How many of us suffer and struggle with health or some other hardship? How many of us share those struggles with our community? We often do not share because what can they do? They are just a computer guy, or a vet, or they work in an office, or Target. We know who they are and why would we entrust our lives into their hands, or our reputation? We do not share and because we do not share are we hindering the power of God to work within our community? Or maybe we have potential leaders within our Meeting, people who have a gift that would enhance our ministry, but we do not nominate them. Or if someone does nominate them we do not consider it because we know who they are, and they do not have the perceived credentials to do it. They either do not meet our expectations or they are trying to exceed them, and it makes us uncomfortable.

Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of his townsmen. This lack of belief, this lack of trust in the awesome power of God restricted them. They could not see God work in and through them because they were too worried about their expectations. The people in neighboring villages were seeing God do amazing things, yet in their town nothing. They believed, but the did not BELIEVE. They did not trust, they did not entrust, and because of that they did not actually experience the grace of God. They did not experience God, because they were focused on themselves. They were so self-centered that if they could not do it no one could, especially the illegitimate carpenter son of Mary.

Jesus and the twelve leave and visit the neighboring villages, where he continued to teach. It is likely just like in Nazareth, Jesus went to the villages’ synagogue to do this. It is likely he taught the exact same things that he did in his hometown, but in these villages, they did not have the same expectations. In fact, they heard about what Jesus could do and they believed. There was a different issue in these villages, did they hope only in Jesus or did they hope in God no matter who the messenger was? At this point, Jesus begins to send the disciples out to minister. They had heard him teach, they had seen him minister, they had went out into the isolated places with Jesus to pray. They had observed Jesus’s holy lifestyle and were actively participating in that disciplined life. Jesus sends them out. They expected to follow Jesus, did they expect to go out representing him in this manner? Jesus sends them out saying, “you have the authority to do everything I do.” But do they believe? Who are we, they might ask. I am just a fisherman, I am an unworthy tax collector no one will trust me. I do not have the training or education… the same doubts that prevented Nazareth from experience the power of God, could also prevent the disciples to experience the power of God. But they trust Jesus. They know that if he says something, it will happen. And they go holding to that promise.

They go just as he says, they stay in the homes where they are invited. They leave without money or food and take only the clothes on their backs and a staff. They go. Jesus says that they might encounter people with the same spirit as those in Nazareth, and he says if they do not receive you just shake the dust off your sandals and move on. So, they go. They enter the villages, they stay at home, they knock dust off their feet, and they trust that Jesus said they have authority, so they have it. And when they meet with the people they teach the message of repentance or returning to God in the name of Jesus. And when there is a demon tormenting an individual they boldly command the demon to leave in the name of Jesus. When there is an illness they anoint the person with oil and pray in the authority of Jesus and the people are healed. They do all and can do all this because they believe, they trust, and they entrust their lives to Jesus.

Which brings us back to today. What are our expectations with God, our community, and ourselves? What or who are we placing our trust in? Do we believe that God can do the things that He claims or do we only trust in ourselves? Are we willing to hope? I will be very honest with you all, at times I do not trust. At times I am down right afraid and unwilling to move because what if God does not meet my expectations? At times I am comfortable in the status quo, not making waves because who am I and who are they that we should question? At times is am just like the people in Nazareth, at times I will not speak about my weaknesses because I am afraid that if I expose them I will lose. At times I even question the message I feel God is directing me to speak. I and often we, do not believe, and our lack of belief is hindering what God can do through us. And because we do not believe we fail to experience what God would like to do through us.

Jesus told his disciples to take nothing for the journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belt; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. Go with what you have right now. Go share the hope that you have. Go: Loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others. Go.

As we enter a time of open worship and communion in the manner of Friends I ask what is keeping us from going? And what might happen if we were did?