Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, Monticello IA
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Jeremiah 23:1–6
Psalm 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:11–22
Mark 6:30–34, 53–56
There is so much in all of our texts today. Often, I do not see a relation in the readings, but throughout these, there is a relation in all the readings. The overarching theme is that God is with us. On the surface, just how the heck does that help any of us? Okay, it is great that God is there but I know I don’t always see God there. How about you? Do you see God today? Do you see the Spirit or Jesus present?
There are some dark times in our lives, in our world and it can be difficult, if not impossible to find where God is. Has God left the building?
The God of the Jews, the God of the Christians and the God of the Muslims, says in Jeremiah, that God “…will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.” [1] God’s people are all people of the world. They shall all be gathered.
God sends God Son, Jesus, as the Shepherd among all of God’s people. In that we hear the psalmist tell us, “1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;3 he restores my [life].”[2]
Great, we have some promises of God, the Psalmist sees this, but where is God, where was Jesus then and where today? Paul writes in Ephesians, “12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”[3]
God sent the Son into the world to conquer sin and death. Jesus “15 … has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace…”[4] Peace, where is the peace today? Do you have days, weeks and maybe years, where you cannot see our Triune God anywhere you look? I have those times too. So far, I have show you some words of promise from God but nothing of substance, really.
Now it is time to get to the gospel of Mark, our good news to all who believe, all who do not believe, all that will come to faith. This good news applies to everyone, at all times, everywhere. There is substance in what the author of Mark tells us about Jesus. To understand this substance, I need to share some information to with you, that will help shed the light upon the hope in the gospel.
In New Testament times and before, the understanding of the world was much different than our own today. Their understanding of the world around them, shapes their reality, much as our own understanding shapes our reality today. In other words, knowledge or lack of knowledge, beliefs or lack of beliefs, shape the reality in which one lives.
The gospel of Mark was written at a time where the reality was shaped by mythological beliefs. Environmental aspects of the world were seen by many, caused by multiple gods. Even for the Jews, who believe in a single god, YHWH, their reality is still shaped around what others say, do and believe. The desert is a place where God is not present. Satan, death resides in the desert. It is deserted, lacking water and vegetation. To venture into the desert most definitely is a lonely place, away from others, away from God. It is an uninhabited, desolate place where one might only find despair.
Jesus and the apostles head towards the desert. The people head to the desert and are there in the desert, the place where God does not dwell but death resides. Jesus and the apostles are looking to be alone, away from others, but they choose to still go into the desert to the people. God arrives in the place were only death dwells. Jesus takes compassion on the people who are like sheep without a shepherd. Now we know where Jesus is, He is where the people are, in the places that are dark, deserted from life, where Satan resides.
Jesus in His compassion, feeds those present. He provides them food, provides them green grass to sit upon. God is the god of creation, who in the Son is present in Jesus as one person of the Trinity. The Shepherd cares for you in your deserts, provides you the food of life, in His own body, given for you upon the cross. All are feed and are filled.
The gospel reading for today, skips a section of the text, just in case you had not noticed. Actually, this section is very important to the understanding who Jesus is for you. After the 5,000 were full and the leftovers were gathered, Jesus sends the disciples into a boat.
Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. [5]
Jesus has control over the natural elements. He can walk on water. Jesus walks on water as the apostles struggle to control the boat, against the strong wind. The apostles are afraid, they are struggling and see a “ghost” walking upon the water. They do not see Jesus, at least in their reality of the moment, it is not Jesus, it cannot be. At the time of fear and doubt, Jesus comes, takes compassion, calms the apostles, gets inside the boat and the winds come to a halt. Jesus has power over the wind and water.
Remember at the beginning of the sermon, I spoke about the perception that other gods controlled the wind and water. The mythological world that the apostles live in, is their reality. They see 5,000 feed in the desert, with just five loaves and two fish, while they sat upon green grass in the place that death resides. Now they see that Jesus controls the wind and water. Their reality is changing.
Jesus comes to the people in Gennesaret. Then begins to heal the people, wherever he goes. Jesus brings life, to those He encounters, no matter where they are. We may find ourselves in a living hell at times. We may find ourselves walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus comes to us in our reality, wherever that may be. When Jesus died upon the cross, He descended into hell and all of hell was filled with his presence. There is no place where Jesus cannot reach out to us.
His death, his descent into hell and his resurrection, provides us life even in death, forgiveness of all sins, past, present and future, so that Jesus can be with you and you with Jesus always. Even when you cannot see Jesus, because life and death seem so dark, Jesus meets you there to provide you light, in His life. Jesus changes the reality for all people, so that death no longer has the last word. Jesus changes our reality so that Satan cannot snatch us away from the Father, Son or Spirit. This is the good news; this is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Je 23:3–4.
[2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 23:1–3.
[3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Eph 2:12–13.
[4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Eph 2:15.
[5] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mk 6:45–52.