FAITHFUL DISCIPLES

Ezekiel 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13

7th Sunday after Pentecost, July 7, 2024

Rev. Dr. Ritva  H. Williams

This morning our gospel reading is about Jesus sending the disciples into the wider community to carry on the mission that Jesus has set in motion.We are invited to ponder what it means to be faithful disciples, followers, and witnesses of the good news Christ brings to the world.  As a reminder: disciples are learners. Followers are committed to a particular way of life and a specific mission that they are learning about. To witness, in the biblical sense, is to think, speak, and act in ways that consistently and publicly manifest what one has learned and is committed to.    So what kind of discipleship, following and witness is Jesus inviting us into?

But first, the context of Jesus words. Jesus returns to his hometown where his teaching astounds and offends his former neighbors. Not because of anything Jesus actually says, but simply because Jesus — the carpenter, Mary’s fatherless son — dares to speak up. Notice Jesus response. He shrugs it off, saying that prophets have no honor or status among their own kin, shakes his head over their lack of faith, heals a few sick people, and leaves. 

Rejected at home, Jesus expands his mission by sending the disciples two by two into all the villages of Galilee. He gives them authority over unclean spirits, instructs them to travel light — wears sandals, carry a staff, but no bread, no bag, no money, not even a change of clothes. They are to be dependent on the hospitality and generosity of those who receive them. When they are not received and people refuse to listen to their message, they are to simply leave, shaking the dust off their feet as a testimony that they are not taking anything away with them at has not been freely offered. 

The disciples go. Notice that they don’t preach about Jesus, but rather proclaim a gospel of repentance. This is what following Jesus looks like — proclaiming the same message that Jesus preached: message of repentance that invites people to change their minds and their lives.  They follow Jesus by doing what Jesus did: casting out demons, anointing and healing the sick. Their words and actions witness to their learning and commitment. We too are called to do the same. 

As Professor Rolf Jacobson notes, “Most Christians would rather be a witness against Tony Soprano than for Christ and would refuse to talk about their faith, even under subpoena … we think we are unable or unworthy to do it … We just wouldn’t know what to say.” (Crazy Talk, p.180). 

And then the whole casting out demons is just way over the top. But what if, authority over unclean spirits is not about acquiring magical or supernatural powers? What if demons are not “fantastical creatures with shadowy malice and twisted powers.” What if, to borrow the words of Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes (“Authority over demons,” July 2, 2024, unfoldinglight@gmail.com). He writes that,

“An ‘unclean spirit’ is simply the fear of being unacceptable: fear of powerlessness, fear of being oneself, fear of not being enough, of not belonging, not deserving God. These are the demons, and nothing more ominous or frightening, that haunt even the greatest tyrant.”

If that is the case, then he urges us to,  “Beware the temptation to imagine we must be given magical powers of exorcism. We are given love.” 

As disciples and followers of Jesus we have mission to love all those who live with these fears; to respond to the fears of being unacceptable, not good enough, not deserving with welcome, affirmation and celebration of their authentic selves. 

When we examine our other scripture readings through this lens, we encounter two more excellent examples of how love is the essence of faithful discipleship, following and witness. 

In our first reading, we meet Ezekiel, a priest taken against his will to a foreign country together with thousands of other citizens forcibly deported as prisoners of war. In the midst of that trauma and suffering, God appears. Ezekiel falls flat on his face only to hear God say, “O mortal, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” But the priest is so exhausted, so overwhelmed, exhausted by his circumstances, he simply cannot get up. It is God’s Spirit that enters and empowers Ezekiel to stand on his own two feet, and receive God’s commission to prophesy among the captives. Remember biblical prophecy is not about predicting future events. As Ezekiel discovers when he is handed a scroll covered with words of lamentation, mourning, and woe. He is instructed to eat — digest — its contents. Ezekiel does and discovers that the message of the scroll is as sweet as honey. 

Ezekiel’s mission is to comfort his fellow captives, by helping them come to terms with their trauma. The process of grief with its tears of sorrow and lament, cries of anger and despair will ultimately enable them to hear and accept the good news that God has not abandoned them. Contrary to common beliefs, God is not confined to a building far away, but is present everywhere, and journeys with God’s people even into exile. Just as God’s Spirit is present to set the prophet on his feet, God’s Spirit is present and actively breathes new life into the community, giving them hope and energy to build a new future. We all experience grief and trauma in life; we all know someone who is even now grieving and hurt. We are all called to be Ezekiel for one another. 

God warns Ezekiel that many people will refuse to hear him’s message. Yet, they they will know a prophet is among them. For Ezekiel, as for us, faithful discipleship means persisting in our ministries of loving care even in the face of rejection. 

In our second reading, the apostle Paul responds to heavy criticism from members of the church in Corinth. Folk are comparing him to some newly arrived preachers who boast of their religious and ethnic heritage, their access to wealthy and powerful patrons, their ability to overcome every adversity, their revelations and charismatic preaching. Alongside these “super-apostles,” as Paul calls them, he looks like a broke-down pastor — a small, bow-legged, guy who projects a weak public persona, without charisma or eloquence. I bet many of us, if not most of us, have experienced or even engaged in these kind of hurtful comparisons and competitions.

In response, Paul insists that the character of his ministry is publicly transparent in what the people see and hear from him. He boasts only of his weakness and vulnerability because it is in those moments that God is most powerfully present in his life. Through prayer and revelation, Paul has learned that “God’s power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Greek word translated as “is made perfect” literally means “reaches full maturity.” God’s power comes to full maturity in humans as they grapple with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. How does that work?

Remember that the power of God present in every human being without exception, is love. Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus teach us that love does not triumph through dominating, controlling, or exerting its superiority over others. Divine love grows and matures in us as we lift up others. Divine love grows in us even more when we admit our own vulnerability, humbly ask for and graciously receive help from others. Divine love is manifested in mutuality, in building each other up. When that love is rejected, we have no need to argue or fight,  we can just shake the dust off your feet, and go on your way, knowing as Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes  (“Authority over demons,” July 2, 2024, unfoldinglight@gmail.com) writes that,

The love we are given is stronger than all demons, though often slower to work.
Love overcomes fear and loneliness, exorcises the anxiety of not belonging,
sets people free from torment, free to join the giving-and-receiving of life.
It's a slow, gentle medicine. But powerful.

We are given patience in the face of challenge, courage in the face of injustice, gentleness in the face of violence.
Authority over unclean spirits

Go out into this hurting world, and know you are given a power greater than the demons of pain and fear.
Go with gentle courage. Go with love.

Amen.