FOLLOW

FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY 2015

Today we continue in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 2 verses 1-17. Bishop Wright’s commentary focuses on verses 13-17 where Jesus calls the disciple Matthew, and where we learn that Jesus is also fond of hanging out with all the wrong people.

The verses that Bishop Wright does not focus on is the wonderful story of the friends lowering their paralyzed friend down through the roof. There are many lessons of faith in that event and I commend it to you.

The bit that Bishop Wright does focus on brings to light that Jesus is hanging out with dodgy characters. It is telling that the Pharisees are bothered by this. If you or I were hanging out with the wrong sorts of people, a few folks might notice, but I imagine not too many. If our president or governor were doing it, then everyone would know. The point? Noteworthy people have their movement closely scrutinized. Jesus, this early in his ministry, is apparently so important a figure, that even those who are not quite sure who he is, are watching his every move. They ask why he is with such people of ill repute.

Jesus gives answer to their charge, that he has come for those who need him. Don’t miss the move. In the second half of the first chapter and in the first half of the second chapter, Jesus is performing physical healings…now he is moving onto dealing with people whose whole lives need the Good News.

My reaction to all of this flows from me re-reading the first and second chapter of Mark to make sure I have the flow, and then to think about how the flow of that story intersects the reported 85,000 in the city of Albany who don’t much know the story.

The Gospel has an audience that has in its mind that there is a God, and maybe this God is the God that the Jews have worshipped. It is that point of view that the Gospel of Mark takes as its starting point. Consider that Mark opens his story with a quote from Isaiah. Consider my titles of today and the first two days: REPENT…AUTHORITY…FOLLOW. These themes are themes that work with Mark’s audience. I am asking myself if these themes really resonant with us?

Yesterday I wrote a rather long post about Authority, and my aim was to invite us to consider how, whether we think so or not, we have given someone or something authority in our lives. For many it is a “narrative.” The word “narrative” has been used now for a few decades to denote that there is a big picture story, and if you accept it, then you will try and live your life according to it. Consider the story of the American Dream; much is being talked about today in our political sphere because people are questioning whether today this “story” that so many lived into, is still real. If that story is not real, if through your hard work, you are not living in a land of opportunity, then, well, people will lose hope…and the hope, the belief, that you through your hard work could improve your life and the life of your family, has fueled this country. Eliminate that story and you eliminate the hope and the drive.

I offer that explanation, praying that my using the American Dream as an example of how “narrative” actually shapes people and societies, you may then be able to think about the narrative of: God has come, so “turn-around” [repent] and start following God…Jesus. That is what Mark is offering. He has provided:

1.  That this point in our cosmic world history is fully consistent with the Bible
2. That Jesus is this God: simply look at the events of his baptism, temptation, teaching and healings.
3. That Jesus, that God welcomes everyone to follow. This is not a message of “you’re ok, just keep doing what makes your happy.” No, it is a message that God loves you and wants you to live a life that will give you the capacity of knowing his love and offering his love to others.

So how are you with this narrative? How are your friends? How are my friends? Let’s start first with us. If we believe “the story—the narrative—the Bible” then we will be people who are first and foremost looking in the mirror and asking God to help us keep “turned the right-way-round.” By that I mean that we will be continually repentant, asking God to keep us from thoughts, words, and deeds that are harmful to us and to others—REPENT. We will also be people who are trying to understand more and more of the story, the narrative, so that we might fully live into it. Why? Because we believe it is the story of life. So we give it, the story, we give God—AUTHORITY. The Good News, especially as we see Jesus hanging out with all these so-called dodgy characters, is that this is not some school examination that we are graded on. No, this is simply and complexly, life. Jesus says to you and me, at times dodgy characters in our own right, to come, to learn the way of life, to FOLLOW.

Which brings me all the way round to those 85,000 people who might not “buy into the narrative.” They will be looking at you. Just like people who had another narrative in Jesus’ day were looking at him. Don’t misunderstand, you will need to talk to them someday about “your narrative.” But for today, my question to me, and to you who are reading, is what narrative are we following.