Discipleship Issues
Kempsey Uniting Church
Sunday 27 September 2015
Bible Readings in the Good News Bible
Gospel Reading –
Mark 9:38-50
Second Reading –
James 5: 13-20
1.
Introduction
Folks I will be taking you through
the Gospel of Mark and the Epistle of James, to explore the first issue of
group identity issue that the disciples had with Jesus reply to their query.
The second issue is a warning about causing someone to lose faith and what does
the Kingdom of God and Hell mean that Jesus teaches us about. The third issue
is what it is meant by the salt of friendship, to live in peace, prayer and the
forgiveness of sins. The aspect of wonder away, slips or lapses from faith.
2.
Group Identity
a.
Disciples query
In verses 38 to 41 of Mark 9, we pick
up the concerns of the disciples when they observed, noticed that there was a
group not part or belonging to the Twelve but where operating in Jesus’ name.
Today we have a number of protestant persuasions, orthodox churches, Anglican,
Baptist, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal movements
and ourselves in our community. There was a time not too long ago, we question
is it possible to be united for the common good but let us listen to our
Saviour teaching about the makeup of the group identity. Do we have anything in
common with our indigenous people or Islam or one of the Asian believers?
b.
Jesus reply
Jesus reply to the disciple was, “do
not try to stop him”. One commentator suggests that this person may have been a
wandering exorcist, we do not know but here he is performing healing in Jesus’
name. The thrust of Jesus’ answer is that anyone who claims to be a follower of
Jesus must be made welcome and as verse 40 reminds us, “For whoever is not
against us is for us.” Again I pose the question of Islam believers, they
accept Jesus as a great prophet and who has not died but sits in heaven, they
believe in the God of Genesis who they called Allah. The Torah and the Gospels
are part of their sacred scriptures.
Jesus’ teaching is more about
advancing the Kingdom of God and restoring people into communion with God.
3.
Losing Faith
To lose faith in the Greek is cause
someone to fall from faith.
a.
Those little ones
This is an interesting ploy that Mark
use, “those little ones” is also mention in verse 37 where Jesus places his
arms around a child but here in verse 42 indicating a child of faith as if they
are a new believer. Jesus warns us about causing someone to fall from faith and
that person, “it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied
around his neck and be thrown into the sea.” A millstone is a cylindrical stone
used in the mill for grinding grain, a very, very heavy object unable to carry
by yourself and by the weight it would take you to the bottom of the sea. This
is a very drastic measure that Jesus is warning here, the result of causing
someone to fall from faith.
b.
To ourselves
The next part of the story that Jesus
taught is directed to ourselves as disciples of Jesus and to quote the
commentator Larry Hurtado suggest about verses 43 – 47, “the parts of the body
mentioned here are really symbols for various types of activity, for example
the hand that grasp for things it should not, the foot that goes where it ought
not, or the eye that desires what it ought not.” If we compare these verses in
Matthew gospel, the teaching of Jesus from the sermon on the mount about
adultery in 5:27-30 where it talks about severing the things that cause you to
sin, in order of not being thrown into hell is the same here.
c.
Kingdom of God and Hell
As disciples of Jesus, we have
decisions to make and those things warned not to cause as believers. In the
final verses of Mark’s reading, we are confronted with the Kingdom of God where
Jesus would prefer that we are heading to and hell if we cause or allow
happening by choice of our own to others and ourselves. Jesus gives us a
definition of what hell is in verse 48, there ‘the worms that eat them never
die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.’ Is a quotation from the
book Isaiah 66:24?
Hell is a fix identifiable place
where the concept of never die or never put out but Jesus’ teaching moves
straight onto being purified by fire. This fire is a different kind, it is of
trials and testing in the life of the believer like a sacrifice is purified by
salt.
4.
Salt of Friendship
a.
Live in Peace
The last part of Mark’s gospel
reading talks about salt and as disciples of Jesus how can we be salt to others
which Jesus informs us to be “salt of friendship” by living in peace with one
another. This can be a tough order to be and may drain us and out James reading
teaches us two important aspect of discipleship is prayer and forgiveness of
sins.
b.
Prayer
Prayer is our communion with God and
God likes us to be in conversation with him. Our reading jumps in and
commentator R.V.G.Tasker summarise vv13-18 as “prayer under all circumstances.”
The habit of prayer allow us to draw
near, a way of direct access to God and people not in communion with God, is
without this privilege. This is what differentiates a Christian from other
people.
Those in trouble – pray, is anyone
happy – sing praises, is there anyone who is ill? Send for church elders. Words
of cautions as Christian not to be “indulge in any introspective self-pity, but
let him pray” the commentator suggest. Pray can be a healing in themselves.
There is a psychological advantage in
having the present of elders attending and praying with the sick. The sick driven
person hearing the prays are more emotive to be more heart-felt and passionate.
It is God who does the healing to
bring about the restoration of the sufferer to health.
“Christian should always pray for one
another, not only in time of illness but in all change in circumstances of
their lives, so that healing, in the fullest and widest sense of that word, may
be bestowed upon them” writes Tasker.
It is important in verse 16 to
mention the word “sin” is not a wilful sin but “faults” and commentators Moulton
and Milligan indicate a sense of “slips” or “lapses” See Gal 6:1
The phrase “so that you will be
healed” is related to confession of faults to one another. The sharing of our
spiritual struggle eases the burden and we can be uplifted. It is not a time to
criticise or trodden on but to feel relieved, restored through the prayers of
the receiver.
James gives us an identity of a good
person in Elijah. In Jewish thought the character of the Old Testament prophet
who is the prototype in preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah. In Mark
9:4 we see the encounter that Jesus had with Moses and Elijah. Remember Elijah
never saw death but was translated direct to heaven. This image of Elijah has
greatly impressed upon the Jewish community.
Elijah is the same kind of person as
we are, suffering in the same things, inheriting the same nature, subject to
the same emotions and liable to the same weaknesses.
The story of Elijah that James
present is part of the sacred record of 1 Kings, where there demonstrate the
achievement s and ups-and-downs of his experiences. Elijah present an image of
faith in action which demonstrate God almighty is capable to achieve a
prevention of natural events. See 1 King 17:1
c.
Forgiveness of sins
Not only we seek the forgiveness of
sin from God through Jesus but it is equally important with one another as
disciple of Jesus. The emphasis laid down by James on the privilege and duty of
prayer in all circumstances.
Those who wander away, slip or lapses
from the truth. By truth here is referring to the great doctrines of the
Christian faith, the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles. It is by prayer and
effort on our part is the duty of reclaiming the backslider. As a disciple of
Jesus, as an expression of Christian love with the mind of Christ, we are
entrusted in restoring those who have fallen away. Remember the backslider is
in a dangerous position as that person is alone, in isolation from the
community of believers and can easily be side-track from the path.
The forgiveness of sins that James
mention is what our Lord and Saviour has done on the cross and cause a cover
like a blanket so that God only see his son Jesus who is the sacrificial lamb.
5.
Conclusion
In closing as we have taken a look at
the reading of Mark and James around discipleship issues on group identity, a
warning about causing someone to lose faith and to understand salt of
friendship that Jesus and James taught first century Christians, can help us in
our journey.
Reference List
Tasker, R. V. G. 1980. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The General Epistle of James. 10th printing. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
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