Relationships in the Church Matthew 20:20-28 17th Feb 2008 Duncan Leake
1. Refer to THE SUN and the Bash the Bishop campaign.
The Bishop expressed an opinion, in a very long, very academic lecture, that made many references to legal opinions and research, entitled. Civil and Religious Law in England: a Religious Perspective, His audience at the Royal Court of Justice were predominantly members of the Law Society.
This newspaper with all the power and resources at it’s disposal, picked up on a couple of phrases in the speech and instead of discussing the issues that had been raised, misrepresented what the Bishop had said, and tried to bully him into resigning. And encouraged readers to join in. And they did.
Here is an one example of a reader writing in…
I wonder if the Archbishop of Treachery ever thought of telling those who want to practice their own laws here to b**ger off back where they came from? … Ban the Bishop I say. And while your at it, ban some of his best pals as well!
That is not the language of discussion or respect for another person, that is the language of bullying and abuse of another person. And this letter writer was simply adopting the same way of speaking that the newspaper had done. He is doing what the newspaper headline invited him to do to “Play our Game.” And this way of behaving towards other people is part of our culture today. A regrettable part.
In response to the reporting of the paper, thousands and thousands of people expressed their belief that Rowan should quit his job. It would be interesting to know how many of them sat down for an hour and read the speech that he made before expressing an opinion about whether or not he should resign.
You have probably heard me say before that we have got to be aware of the influences around us and that can so easily shape our thinking and behaviour.
For a long time we heard the Prime Minster called a LIAR. We heard it so often we got used to it. And if an accusation about someone is made often enough, then people will accept it as the truth. That’s what happened at the trial of Jesus where false accusations were made… and people believed them.
And if we think there is nothing odd about millions of people believing that the previous Prime Minister was a LIAR who deliberately set out to mislead the people who had elected him to office, then perhaps we should not be surprised that millions of people are ready to believe that the Archbishop of Canterbury is a foolish weak-minded man who wants to abandon all the principles of British Law and welcome back the stoning of women. None of those things are true.
2. Now let’s turn to today’s Bible reading.
Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem... he is leading...
It says in the gospel of Mark that at this time..
“The disciples were filled with dread, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear.” (mk.10:32)
When the record says that the disciples were filled with dread… maybe that is a pointer to something else that is going on. The word that is translated dread here... is translated as amazed in Luke 4:36 to describe the reaction of people when Jesus cast out an evil spirit, and used again a little later (chapter 6) to describe the reaction of Peter on the day when he met Jesus, and Jesus produced a miraculous catch of fish. Miss out
Maybe the disciples as well as being afraid, were stunned by what Jesus was doing… going back to Jerusalem where he knew he had so many enemies.
And it seems quite likely that some of them must have been thinking that at long last Jesus seemed to be going to do what they had hoped he would do... challenge the Roman Authorities... and establish the new Jewish kingdom led by the Messianic leader, who would finally overthrow the Romans and set the people free once again.
3. What is clear is that although he has lots of people with him, Jesus is alone, in understanding just why he was heading towards Jerusalem.
Because when you read just a couple of verses before the passage we have heard, Jesus tells the disciples as plainly as he can… that he must die...
“When we get to Jerusalem,” he said, “the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, whipped, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
The disciples must have thought he was talking in parables again. Whatever they thought… it can’t; have been the same as what Jesus was thinking… because of what happens next: Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favour.
James and John... get their mother to ask if they can have a special place of honour in the new Kingdom.
Can they sit at his right hand and his left hand in glory.... can they be his partners when he kicks the Romans out and begin his rule?
And all they do is show just how much they have misunderstood Jesus.
And it wasn't just them, because when the other disciples found out what had happened they react. And just like the response of the press when they hear something they don’t like… the disciples reaction was not a calm reasoned discussion.
When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant.
What would a few tough and strong Galilean fisherman, a tax collector, a couple of ex-guerrilla fighters, sound like when they are indignant do you think?
Maybe some of the disciples were irritated by James and John.
Maybe some of the disciples were annoyed because this noisy pair of brothers (who had the nickname “Sons of Thunder”) always wanted to be the centre of attention, always craving some sort of special affirmation or recognition from Jesus.
Maybe some were annoyed because they hadn’t thought of asking Jesus for promotion first!
Maybe some were jealous…
maybe it was all of that and more.
But when these disciples became indignant with one another… Jesus heard it. He heard there was a ROW going on - and he called them over to him.
And he began to teach them…
“You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them.
But among you it should be quite different.
Don't Lord it over other people, ever...
Don’t try to dominate others… ever
Do become a servant…
in fact, he said, among my followers the most important one is the one who is most willing to be a servant.
Is this just a set of rules to follow?
A couple of good do’s and don’ts.
I think it’s more than that.
4. On his way to Jerusalem, as in the rest of his ministry, Jesus is revealing the character of God.
He is going to demonstrate the love of God though his actions as he goes to face death on the cross.
His actions will say This is what God is like…
God is the one who loves you without limits.
But here, now on the road to Jerusalem he is revealing the character of God though his words as he speaks to this fearful, confused and quarrelling group of followers.
Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave.
He is saying...
God loves so much that he is prepared to become the servant of everyone,
God has every right to Lord it over others, he has every right to accuse, to criticise, to judge and to condemn… but he doesn’t
he chooses the way of the cross,
he chooses the way of service and suffering for the sake of others,
It is because God is like this that Jesus is walking down the road to Jerusalem.
And he says to his followers
You must walk with me,
You must live life my way.
The character of my father, the character that you see in me.. must also be seen in you.
5. If this is all you remember from today’s sermon, then that is fine.
It’s a message from Jesus… recorded here in the gospel. …among you it should be quite different.
Think about it.
Followers of Jesus are supposed to be different.
Not weird not wacky, not silly, But different.
The church is supposed to be different.
6. Last week at the All Age Worship service, Andrew was talking about how Jesus created a new kind of family when he said that whoever obeys the will of my Father in heaven is my mother, brother and sister.
Relationships in this new community are supposed to be different.
Jesus says that if you look around you will see that time and again people try to exercise power over one another, to compel, to dominate … to “lord it over” other people.
That doesn’t just happen on a big scale, like when a newspaper like the Sun sets itself up as the judge and jury over some well known individual …
It happens much nearer to home… in all kinds of relationships…
In marriage one partner may try to dominate the other : and that behaviour leads to the death of love, because the love that comes from God has nothing to do with the exercise of power and control.
In work situations employers dominate and exploit employees and by tolerating awful working conditions, unfair wage rates or dangerous work practices, they steal from others the dignity that is a God-given part of work.
In families, parents can dominate children.
Children can abuse and try to dominate parents.
This desire to exercise power is seen in so many different ways.
Even in Churches, individuals and groups can struggle and seek to impose their will, to get their own way. To dominate or lord it over others.
Jesus, the Lord, walking in obedience to face death in Jerusalem, giving his own life for the sake of others, says “among you it should be quite different.”
As the people of God we are called to reflect the character of God in our dealing’s with one another.
What does that mean for you?
What does that mean for me?
Spend time before God and invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, help us to see if there is any area of our life where we are trying to dominate or control others.
Just a last quick thought…
It’s worth mentioning that we are also called to demonstrate the character of God in our dealings with others outside our community of faith.
At times over the last ten days it seemed as if the Archbishop of Canterbury was being criticised simply because he had an interest in the well-being of followers of Islam.
People said he should be bothering about what’s happening in the church of England, not bothering about Muslims.
It’s the sort of remark that anyone can make and find a few heads nodding in agreement…
but we can’t nod in agreement if we are going to take notice of what Jesus said.
God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only son. Why should we be surprised that an Archbishop who serves Jesus in a task that is far from easy, should want to be concerned about others who are outside the community of faith, who don’t know Jesus. Of course he should be concerned.
Jesus died for those who know and honour him.. and for those who don’t.
God’s concern is for all his children.
If we are to reflect the character of God, in our attitudes and behaviour… then he is the same, he has the same compassion for those who know and honour his son Jesus, and for those who don’t.
And so should we.