Sermon -- 12th Sunday after Pentecost

NOTE: The Gospel reading for this sermon was intended for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost.  Due to a hospital stay, it was delayed until the 12th Sunday after Pentecost.  Thanks to Rev. em. Gregory Gibbons for covering for me the previous week.

MARK 6:45-56

GOD THE SON JOINS US IN OUR FEARS AND STRUGGLES.

In the name + of Jesus.

     St. Mark’s Gospel shows us what is typical for Jesus’ miracles.  “Wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment.  And as many as touched it were made well” (Mark 6:56).  The miracles were acts of mercy—restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.  Jesus made the lame walk and cleansed those who were possessed by demons.  These miraculous healings give us a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom in which there will be no blind, deaf, lame, sick, or demon-possessed.  Jesus often commanded those who were healed not to talk about it.  That’s because he acted in mercy, not for show or acclaim.

     That’s what makes the miracle of Jesus walking on water so strange.  What was the point?  If it was to be for show, it would have been done in broad daylight in front of a crowd.  If it was for acclaim, the response would have been cheers and applause, not screams of terror.  As far as an act of mercy?  Mercy for whom?  Whose life was relieved of its burden because of this event?  Well, maybe there is something to consider there.

     Our Gospel begins, “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:45-46).  The crowd which was dismissed was the crowd of 5,000 (not including women and children) who were fed with the loaves and fish.  You could make the case that this miracle was unnecessary.  If the crowd had to skip one meal, they would have survived.  In mercy, Jesus fed them anyway.  It was not for show, but it was received as a pretty good show all the same.  I imagine that even Jesus’ disciples, each holding a basket of surplus loaves and fish, said to each other, “That was pretty cool!”

     After the leftovers had been collected, Jesus ordered his disciples back into the boat.  He did not go with them.  He bid farewell to the crowd and dismissed them in an orderly fashion.  Then he went up to the mountain top to pray to his heavenly Father.

     Jesus’ prayer is usually overlooked.  We take for granted that Jesus prayed often.  True enough, but note the time Jesus dedicated to pouring out his concerns and offering up intercessions to his heavenly Father.  The crowds were dismissed in the evening, probably before the sun went down about 6:00 PM.  And when did Jesus meet his disciples?  St. Mark wrote, “about the fourth watch of the night” (Mark 6:48).  The Romans divided the night into four watches of three hours each.  The last watch of the night, the fourth one, would have been from 3:00 – 6:00 AM.  That means Jesus was engaged in prayer for perhaps eight hours!  He had a lot to pray about—his mission to be our sacrifice for sins, for his disciples, for the crowd, for his enemies, for all the people of Israel, for all the people of the world, and more.

     I don’t know if any of us has the stamina to devote eight hours to Bible study, meditation, and prayer.  Most Christians do not devote even eight minutes to prayer!  There is a lot that you can pray for in just a few minutes, and we all have a lot to pray for.  What are your concerns and fears?  What temptations do you fight against?  Who seems to fight against you?  What about your loved ones?  What burdens are they carrying?  What blessings can you give thanks for?  What about our leaders?  Rather than treat them with scorn, how about praying that God would grant them wisdom and direct them to act according to his will?  If you really cannot think of anything to pray about, which is impossible, get a membership list and pray for each member of our congregation.  That will be time well spent.

     After hours in prayer, Jesus returned from the mountain and headed out to the lake.  Jesus walked on the water to meet them.  In fact, he was giving the impression that he was about to pass them by.  But again, we ask, “Why?  What was the point of this miracle?”  It seems the disciples’ reaction gives us the answer.  When they saw Jesus, none of them was pointing to him and saying, “Wow!  That is so cool!”  Rather, “when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified” (Mark 6:49-50). 

     The sea has always produced hair-raising stories among sailors.  Many have stories of strange sights and unexplained occurrences.  The seasoned fishermen among the apostles probably had their own stories to tell.  And here, out in the waters of Galilee, they saw a figure walking out to them.  They saw the figure, but the grey of dawn did not allow them to recognize who it was.  But since this figure was coming right at them, they cried out in terror.

     “But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.’  And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased” (Mark 6:50-51).  Jesus showed his disciples that he is more than a prophet who can do cool things.  He proved that he is none other than God in the flesh.  For, who else can circumvent the laws of nature because he has control over them?  Rather than confess, “This is cool!”, the disciples were given reason to confess, “This is God!”  Even Jesus’ greeting said as much.  The phrase, “It is I”, is literally in the Greek, “I am.”  While “It is I” is an acceptable translation, Jesus identified himself correctly with “I AM.”  He spoke the name of the Lord because he IS the Lord who came to them.  God the Son joined them in their fears and struggles.

     “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50).  Even though they were face to face with God, they did not need to be terrified before him.  He spoke words of comfort, and then—THEN!—he joined them in the boat.  He settled in among them and made himself one with them.  He did not pass them by because they did not understand about the loaves.  He did not avoid them because they were slow to confess that he is God.  Instead, God the Son joined them in their fears and struggles.

     Jesus has done as much and more for you.  That is not to say if you place a “Mayday!” call at sea that Jesus will suddenly walk out to you.  That is not to say that Jesus will relieve you of every fear or struggle you have.  In fact, Jesus might deem it good for you to bear up under your struggles or to pray and battle over your fears.  It might be good for you to have reasons to call upon the Lord for strength and hope.  You won’t think it is good because you still have fears and struggles.  But God the Son joins you in your fears and struggles.  He does not ignore you or pass you by.  He does not despise you because you are weak or even because you fail.  He assures you, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50). 

     God the Son has especially joined himself to you in becoming a human being, just as you are.  This is how he gets into the boat with us.  He takes on our flesh, submitting himself to a world of mockery, jealousy, fickleness, and betrayal—and that was from his own family and friends!  Then there were his enemies—slandering him when he healed the sick, trying to entrap him with no-win questions, and pouring on scorn as his blood-soaked body endured the agony of crucifixion.  Jesus saw family and friends die.  He saw his countrymen oppressed by Roman soldiers.  God the Son knows what a sinful world we live in because he joined us in our fears and struggles.  He got in the boat with us.

     More importantly, God the Son became the Son of Man to redeem us from our own sins.  He does not despise us because we are slow to understand, are afraid, or have struggles.  Rather than pass us by because of our sins, he comes to deliver us from them.  Jesus took up the cross for all the times we found fault with God that he does not take away our struggles and make life easier.  Jesus endured crucifixion for our fear of losing earthly blessings more than we fear, love, and trust in God.  Jesus stood under the curse of his heavenly Father, taking into himself all the punishment for our sins.  And upon rising from the dead, Jesus declared peace and forgiveness to his disciples.  He declares peace and forgiveness to you.  He says, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50).  He does not come to strike fear, but to join us in our fears and struggles.

     God the Son joins us in our fears and struggles, and he assures us that there is really nothing to be afraid of.  If he is with us, he brings salvation to us.  If he is with us, he shows us a loving Father who desires us to be with him as his own beloved children.  We ought to fear God above everything because justice means that he should damn us, but Jesus has taken away our sins.  He has removed God’s wrath.  He has proved that God is on your side.  God the Son joins us in our fears and struggles.  He joins us as our flesh-and-blood brother.  And since he has joined himself to us, he assures us that we will join him in death, in resurrection, and in heavenly glory.  No struggles you face can erase that promise.  No fears you have can overrule God’s gracious decree.

     God the Son joins us in our fears and struggles.  He joins himself to you in a visible, smellable, tangible, and tastable way in the Eucharist.  He who delivers you from sin and death, who alleviates fears, and who gives you strength to endure your struggles gives himself to you.  His body and blood are given to you to enable you to endure this wicked world, to give you the promise of divine peace, and to sustain you with the hope of heaven.  He says, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50).  “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

     Once you and I enter the heavenly kingdom, we will enjoy all the bountiful blessings of Jesus.  He will put an end to all fears.  For, there will be nothing to threaten you.  He will put an end to all struggles.  Jesus will provide eternal healing.  As Jesus’ miracles prefigured, in the heavenly kingdom, there are no blind or deaf or lame.  There will be no mental anguish or emotional stress.  And in the heavenly kingdom, there will be no end to God’s goodness.

     God the Son has joined us in the boat.  He came to be with us, and he will bring us to be with him.  God the Son has joined us in our fears and struggles, and he will bring us through them into endless peace. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.