Discover the Liberating Christ: Rooting Our Hope in the Land

On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin our journey toward Christmas. Advent is our period of waiting and expectation for Jesus to come into the world. Jesus comes into the world as a liberator, showing a new kingdom. The kingdom of God is not like the world as we know it. But it is not in some distant future, and it is not in some far-off land.

We kick the season off with hope -- hope for all that God has done and all that God continues to do. Our readings on this Sunday help us see that our hope is not only for the future; our hope is rooted in the present, in the very places we find ourselves (see Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; Luke 21:25-36).

Questioning Jesus: Are You the King?

Each year, on the last Sunday before Advent begins, we celebrate the feast of the Reign of Christ, also known as Christ the King Sunday. On this day we celebrate Jesus as our king. In some ways, this Sunday is an in-between Sunday. It is the finish line of our Christian year, marking the Sunday when the cycle of celebrations and readings comes to an end, preparing to start over again. It is the last Sunday in Ordinary time, but it reminds us of all that is coming as the Christian year starts over. And, this year, it helps us round out the readings of the last few weeks.

Over the last two months, we have spent our time together exploring many of the questions that Jesus was asked as he traveled. His disciples had questions for him. The religious leaders had questions for him. Random persons he encountered on the way had questions for him. Some of these questions were meant to test Jesus while others were asked out of a genuine desire to understand.

Today, Pilate presents us something of a contrast (see John 18:33-37). In some ways, he seems genuinely interested in the answers to his questions, but we also have to remember who he is. He is not a stupid man, so he is also cautious, uncertain what answers he will get and what they will mean. And as we celebrate Christ as our king, I suspect we may have some questions of our own.

Questioning Jesus: What Signs Will We See?

As we draw closer to the end of the liturgical calendar this year, we also draw close to the end of the Gospel of Mark. Over the last few weeks, we have seen Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. As he has moved ever closer to his final days, folks have had plenty of questions for him. In answering their questions, Jesus has done his best to help us all catch a glimpse of the kingdom of God. What does it look like? How do we get there? What will our lives be like once we are there?

In his final days in Jerusalem, Jesus has spent much of his time in and around the Temple. We know from other stories that he drives out the vendors and money changers. He teaches in parables. He answers the challenges of the religious leaders. He teaches them the most important commands. He speaks against religion that does not show love.

Questioning Jesus: How Then Shall We Give?

For most of the month of October, we read through Mark 10. Throughout chapter 10, Jesus is regularly questioned by those he encounters -- the legal experts, his disciples, and even strangers he meets along the way. All of this was taking place as Jesus began his journey toward Jerusalem and all that would happen there.

Last week, we jumped ahead to Mark 12. We skipped over chapter 11 because it sees the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding on the back of a colt (a story we normally reserve for Palm Sunday), the cleansing of the Temple, and other encounters with the priests and scribes (normally read during Holy Week). But this time of year, we are focused instead on the kingdom of God and what it looks like, so we continue to look at the ways in which Jesus is questioned. Last week saw Mark’s version of the Great Commandment story, with Jesus being questioned by one of legal experts about which commandment is the most important or the greatest. 

We are of course familiar with this story. It is the grounding of our lives as Christians and as members of this local congregation. Love God with all that we are, and love your neighbor as yourself. According to Jesus, and even the lawyer who is questioning him, nothing in the Hebrew scriptures is more important. Even more tellingly, the legal expert notes that no religious practice or ritual is as important as these two points. Following this, Jesus makes a somewhat cryptic pronouncement about the identity of the Messiah before we come to today’s reading (Mark 12:38-44).

The Way of Exclusion

The following is adapted and updated from a sermon preached at Bright Star UMC on October 28, 2018, and based on Mark 10:46–52.

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I wonder if you can picture it. Jesus has been traveling with his disciples around the countryside teaching, performing miracles, and challenging the religious authorities of his day. In the last 2 chapters of Mark, there has been not one but two feeding miracles, multiple accounts of healing, and more than one conversation with Pharisees and other authorities questioning Jesus about his beliefs and understanding of Scripture. As the stories about Jesus spread, more and more people were following him and coming to him for help and healing. These people heard the stories about Jesus and came to him with hope.

And yet, those closest to him were having trouble recognizing all that he was trying to teach them. The disciples have been blind to all that Jesus is trying to show them. They have failed to hear what Jesus is telling them about what is to come. They don't understand why he would need to go to Jerusalem. They don’t get what he means when he speaks of the coming resurrection that will follow. They don’t really understand the consequences of following Jesus. They argue over who is the greatest amongst them. They want to sit on the right and the left hand in the kingdom to come.

Over and over, they fail to see the kingdom that Jesus is showing them right now. They are only able to see in terms of the world they have known. And in the world they have lived in, there are winners and there are losers, those on top and those on the bottom, the Romans and the conquered. They have been on the bottom for so long; with the Messiah here, they figure they finally get to be on top. The disciples, the bulk of the crowds following Jesus, and even the religious and civil authorities are mainly paying attention because they cannot see the truth of the kingdom that Jesus is promising them all.