Sermon - Pentecost 17 

September 27, 2009 

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 19:7-14; James 4:7-12; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

What is wrong with this picture in the first lesson? The opening lines of this reading have always astounded me; however, they ring true not just for the Israelites, but also for all mankind.

The lesson reads - The Israelites also wept again, and said, "If only we had meat to eat! {5} We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; {6} but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."

Think about those words; whiney is the only way to describe the Israelites in this passage. The Israelites have been freed from brutal slavery, and, yet, they are willing to run back into slavery for cucumbers, melons, and onions. To my mind, that is the definition of sin. We are willing to betray our God given gifts for something cheap and fleeting. Every lie, resentment, theft, and betrayal fits that definition. We toss away the gifts of God for something fleeting. People toss aside the gifts of friends, family, work, and life by betraying those things that are the most important to us. Keeping this in mind, let us move over to the Gospel and consider some of the hard sayings of Jesus.

Ask a hundred people to identify their favorite Bible passage and it is likely not one of them will mention the verses we have just heard from the ninth chapter of Mark's Gospel.

“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”

“If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.”

“If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.”

What are we to do with these words from Jesus? We assume that he is not talking about literal amputation: plucking out eyes, cutting off hands and feet. We recognize that the language of the Bible sometimes perplexes us. We think we know what Jesus is not recommending, but what is he recommending? In the course of these strange verses, what is it that Jesus calls on us to do?

To answer that I am going to use an idea given by a speaker I once heard. He spoke of these verses in terms of what things we need to remove from our lives. The example he used was resentments; however, anything else can be used. To begin, we will use his example of resentments. Take a minute, and think of a resentment that is old, but very much alive.

You feel hostility toward someone. This person did something to hurt you. A word was spoken, an action was done, or maybe something should have happened that never did. Perhaps you feel hostility toward someone just because of who that person is - the way he or she looks, acts, or a characteristic that annoys you.

These are ways in which resentments begins to grow. Resentment can thrive in darkness or in light. It grows, and its roots run deep. When resentment is alive inside us, it drains energy, takes away life, and makes us exist on a different, lower level. Resentment crowds out what really belongs to us.

Perhaps this is what Jesus is talking about when he speaks in these strange terms about amputation. When he tells us to pluck out eyes, to cut off hands and feet that cause us to stumble, maybe what he means is that our resentments, ingratitude or sense of superiority has to be removed, and that removing these things can seem terribly hard, even impossible.

Resentment or any other flaw that cause us to stumble can seem part of who we are so that their disappearance amounts to a real loss, an amputation. A resentment, addiction, or destructive behavior can contribute to our identity, and its removal can call that identity into question. We cling to our destructive behavior be it anger, jealously, resentment, or drama; and when it comes down to it, the prospect of losing part of ourselves can seem as unnatural and unattractive as the maiming of our body.

However, Jesus tells us that this maiming is necessary if we are to enter life. There is no way we can bring our resentments or destructive behaviors along with us into God's kingdom. The divine realm consists entirely of amputees whose resentments and destructiveness have been removed.

Giving these things up whatever they are will seem impossible. Like the Israelites, we will want to run back into slavery forgetting the freedom that is before us. However, we must give them up. To do so is a much a miracle as much as walking on water or restoring sight to the blind. However, all this is done through the miracle of forgiveness only Christ can provide.

When we recognize we are a forgiven people, forgiven by God at the price of Christ's cross, and we look at our resentments in that light, we see ourselves in a new way. We see ourselves in the freedom only Christ can give.

The tug of slavery is enduring. It is always pulling at us, and we will want to run back into the arms of those things that bind us. However, the miracle of Christ is with us. He there wooing us from our desire to cheat ourselves of the life he offers.

Our resentments and destructive behaviors sully not only our lives, but they bring their darkness to the lives around us. Forgiven amputees fill God’s Kingdom. His Kingdom is filled with people who have gone from slavery to freedom. We can only do so by Christ's forgiveness. If God forgives me, then how can I live in the slavery of my sins, resentments and destructive behaviors? If God has forgiven me, how can I not forgive my neighbor? If God has forgiven me, this is now my new identity beyond the slavery in which I kept myself. As the Lord's Prayer states, "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Amen.