+ 18th Sunday after Pentecost – September 26, 2021 +
Series B: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
Beautiful Savior Lutheran
Milton, WA
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 9 features a triple play of difficult sayings from Jesus.
First, Jesus says, “Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” Words that could easily be misunderstood to turn Gospel into Law.
Next, Jesus goes on to say “if your hand causes you to stumble, cut if off.” These words too, are easily misunderstood, or all too easily dismissed.
Finally, Jesus closes the 9th inning off with a serious curveball. “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you salt it? Have salt in yourselves, and peace at peace among one another.”
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What does Jesus mean when he says these words? Let’s find out as we walk our way through these verses together.
Our reading begins with John and the disciples. They’re troubled and confused. Again. As John reports, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[f] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
This episode is a replay of today’s OT reading from Numbers 11 where Joshua is troubled by Eldad and Medad prophesying back in the Israelite camp. Last week the disciples argued about who’s the greatest within their own circle. This time they’re troubled by those outside their circle. Whoever this exorcist was, the disciples saw him as “the outsider.” Not part of the club. The inner circle. The cool kids table. They fell into the age-old habit of our sinful flesh, seeing some people as insiders (where we want to be counted!) and others as outsiders.
Jesus, however, tells his disciples, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us.”
The key to Jesus’ words here is that phrase, “in my name.” In the kingdom of God, there’s no room for the insider/outsider way of seeing people. The kingdom of God isn’t a clique or a secret society. Christ’s kingdom doesn’t come for only the cool kids. In fact, the Gospels tell us it’s just the opposite. Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus comes for the sick.
And while Jesus’ words may leave us and his disciples feeling a little defensive, that’s not Jesus’ intent. Quite the opposite, it is meant to show exactly how important Jesus’ disciples – then and now – are to him.
Jesus says, the one who is kind to you, as in giving a cup of water, because you are in Christ, will not lose his reward. Now, this Gospel could easily be turned into Law. But notice that Jesus isn’t focused on the giving the drink – as if he were saying, “do this and be rewarded.”. Rather, his focus is on the one receiving the drink and how precious that one who is in Christ is to God. That’s his disciples. That’s the unnamed exorcist. That’s you. You are precious in God’s sight because you are in Christ.
Remember what our Lord says, that when a kindness is done to a fellow brother or sister in Christ it is done to Christ himself. That’s what’s going on here. You are worth so much to God that someone who cares for you is rewarded as caring for Jesus.
You see, our worth in God’s eyes, in Jesus’ eyes, is not whether or not we are the greatest. Nor is it whether or not we are with the in-crowd, but that you are in Christ. Your worth, your value, your identity is in Jesus. His death. His resurrection. His name.
That is why Jesus says the next difficult thing. That he wants no one – especially you to cause you to stumble and be lost. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
And what about that bit about cutting off our hands and feet and plucking out our eyes? Does Jesus want us to do that? Of course not. Jesus uses a bit of hyperbole to teach the seriousness of stumbling – that is, to trust in ourselves instead of Christ.
But even here, in this difficult section, Jesus reveals how much you are worth to God. Jesus warns of stumbling because he doesn’t want that happening to anyone – including you. You are worth so much to God that Jesus will speak in the greatest extremes to warn you from falling away. In fact, you are worth so much to God that Jesus takes the millstone of our sin and throws it around his neck as he hangs on the cross for you. All so that you will not be lost.
That brings us to Jesus’ last hard saying. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Salt is used in a variety of ways in Scripture. As seasoning. A preservative or purifier. A means of destroying land. Part of the sacrificial offering. How are we to understand Jesus’ salty metaphor?
Everyone will be salted with fire. Fire is often associated with God’s presence. Think burning bush or Pentecost or Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross where he undergoes a baptism of fire. Jesus is promising to preserve and purify us in his sacrifice of the cross. His sacrificial death is what salts us. The salt here, is also you. You, Jesus says, are good because you are in him. Salted in him. Joined to his dying and rising. It’s a warning and a promise. Nothing of our own can make us good. And yet in Christ you are good. Good salt.
“Have salt among yourselves and be at peace among one another.” Because you are in Christ, you are in fellowship with those who believe in his name. Jesus isn’t telling us to get salt in order to have fellowship; he’s saying we have it. It’s his gift to us. All because we are in Christ who came to us, died for us, rose for us, and brought us into his name by water and the word.
That is how much you are worth to God, that he sees those who care for you as caring for Christ himself. You are worth so much to God that he doesn’t want anything or anyone to cause you to stumble away from him. You are worth so much to God that he sent Jesus to be your atoning, purifying sacrifice for sin that salts and seasons and preserves your life in his name.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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