Competition in Church Breeds Division

Year B: Proper 20

I have come to see the scene of Jesus setting the child in our midst as Mark’s version of what we see in Matthew 25:31-46. Welcoming the child as welcoming Jesus is akin to feeding the hungry as feeding Jesus. It is about the turning inside-out of the human power structure, focusing on the needs of the most vulnerable rather than on the most powerful. Do we currently live in a Corporate form of capitalism that focuses on the needs of the most powerful?

Andrew Marr

Year B, Proper 20, September 22, 2024

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

Psalm: Psalm 54

Second Reading: James 3:13-4:8

Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Sermon - Competition in Church Breeds Division

Have you ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time? Maybe you weren’t paying attention to what the person was actually saying, or you were so focused on your needs that you missed out on a chance to help a friend? Maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of this yourself?

It doesn’t feel good, does it?

This must have been how Jesus felt in Mark 9.

Here’s the interaction:

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. Mark 9:30–34

How does this passage make you feel? What are your thoughts about the disciples? Are you embarrassed for them? Are you shocked that someone could miss the point so badly? Are you wondering why Jesus would tolerate such people?

Hold on to those feelings.

Mediate on why you feel the way you do now in response to this.

Now, challenge yourself! Has there ever been a time in your life where you were focused on the wrong things? Despite your knowledge of what Jesus has done on the Cross, have you ever been caught up in church politics? Who’s the better song leader? Who delivers the best prayers? Who’s the most faithful Christian around? Why can’t everyone just be like me? People should do things my way.

Or consider this on a congregational or denominational level.

Our church has it right! We worship the right way. We’re better than all these other people who love Jesus and love their neighbor.

The disciples’ follies aren’t included so that we can stand at a distance and laugh at them; they are included so that we can realize how you and I do the exact same things—the main difference is that we are on this side of the Cross, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Spirit.

Let’s circle back around, though, and try to figure out why the disciple are even having this debate. A clue is given in verse 32: “But they did not understand what he was saying…”

They couldn’t grasp or even consider the concept of a suffering Messiah because they thought the Messiah would conquer his enemies and restore Jerusalem to its former glory. They didn't realize that Jesus’s victory would come through death.

You can’t have the Lion of the tribe of Judah without the sacrificial lamb. The Lion without the lamb is a picture of the adversary who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Instead, Jesus’s power comes in the appearance of weakness, but his “weakness” is a willing sacrifice to reconcile humanity to God through a perfect demonstration of God’s love.

Since they didn’t get it, they were caught up in their fantasy of who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Who would sit at Jesus’s right hand?

In response to their questions, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” To demonstrate this, he took a child, placed it in their midst, embraced it, and said, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me…”

In other words, greatness in the kingdom of heaven doesn’t come from one’s ability to oppress others and rise to the top; instead, greatness is demonstrated in servitude and loving kindness. How we treat the most vulnerable among us, modeled by the child, is the true mark of who is a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

The next story technically is included in next week’s reading, but it’s too good to pass up because of its connection to this week.

Jesus’s disciples saw a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus, but they told him to stop because he wasn’t part of their crowd.

Jesus’s response is simple but profound: “Do not stop him, for no one does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us…”

He might have said, “Stop worrying about who is the greatest, and look for the helpers! These people are models of the kingdom of heaven.”

We can dispute doctrine all day. We can debate the nature of God. We can argue about what is and what isn’t authorized in worship.

But the only sure way to know who is a servant of Christ is whether or not they are a servant of Christ. That is, are they taking care of the “least of these” or are they not? Do they bear the fruit of the Spirit? These are the ones who are led by God, and they will not lose their reward.

My challenge to you this week is to find someone who has faith in Christ but worships in a different denomination. Go to them and say, “I see how your faith shows up in your life, and I am proud to call you my [Sister/ Brother].”

Second Reading: An Alternative Wisdom

In the Hebrew Scriptures, we have five books that we call Wisdom Literature: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, there are two other works numbered in this section called The Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach. Being wise in the ancient world was a big deal.

When Solomon made one request to God, he asked for wisdom, not riches. Proverbs 3:13-18 says that wisdom is better than silver, gold, jewels, or any other precious thing. In fact, wisdom is a tree of life to all who lay hold of her.

But there are two kinds of wisdom. There is wisdom which comes from God, and there is the self-professed wisdom of this world. Paul wrote, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:22). How can we distinguish between wisdom that comes from God and the wisdom of the world?

James offers some suggestions.

The wisdom of the world is characterized as bitter envy, selfish ambition, arrogance, untruthfulness, earthly, unspiritual, devilish, disorderly, and wicked. The wisdom from God is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (James 3:17–18).

If we think back to the previous passage which addresses the tongue, we can see the connection between these to texts. Those who follow the wisdom of the world will curse their brother and sisters, but those who follow the wisdom of God will bless and not curse.

We are called to be peacemakers. Peace is achieved through embodying this wisdom from God. When we sow peace, we can expect the fruit of righteousness or justice in our lives (James 3:17). Pay attention to the fruit different forms of wisdom produces. Stay away from that which leads to bitterness, and embrace that which leads to peace.

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