As disciples of Jesus, we've been called to follow him by claiming his example and learning from his teachings. From June to October, we're going to focus on the Gospel of Mark so that we might better understand how we might follow our Savior and live as his community.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 [Contemporary English Version]
After the apostles returned to Jesus, they told him everything they had done and taught. But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.” They left in a boat for a place where they could be alone. But many people saw them leave and figured out where they were going. So people from every town ran on ahead and got there first.
When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd. He felt sorry for the people and started teaching them many things.
Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and brought the boat to shore near the town of Gennesaret. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. So they ran all over that part of the country to bring their sick people to him on mats. They brought them each time they heard where he was. In every village or farm or marketplace where Jesus went, the people brought their sick to him. They begged him to let them just touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.
Outside
Well, here we are, communing with nature, close to an unnatural body of water, but maybe most obvious of all, we’re outside our church buildings. Now I didn’t say outside our churches, because when you get right down to it, since we are the church, wherever we are, the church is there too. But still, we’re outside the structures in which we usually meet, because today we’re having our annual church picnic, the one Sunday a year when we kill the fatted calf (or pig) and feel at least moderately comfortable with the kids running amuck. And although the pandemic and shut-down may have dampened our enthusiasm about being away from our sanctuaries, I still like being out here. And since it’s my first northwestern Pennsylvania picnic, I’m really excited to see if all the rumors I heard when I lived in Virginia are actually true. But be-that-as-it-may, at least for me, it’s nice to be outside.
Of course, in a broader sense, being on the outside, well, it’s generally not the place most Christians really want to be. You see, I think it’s really easy for us, as believers, to focus our attention inside on the church rather than outside on the world. But maybe that’s to be expected. I remember, years ago, I went to a this ministerial workshop on outreach, and I’ll never forget, what the leader said. He told us that we really weren’t in a very good position to know how to do it. You see, even though we may have read books and attended workshops, all our colleagues were Christians. And most if not all of our friends were Christians. And the people we work for, man, they were Christians too. And so, how could we know what folks outside our faith, how could we know what they actually needed, much less what they valued and how they communicated? You see, when it came Christian outreach, we were the ultimate insiders. Now that’s what he told us. And I’ll tell you, even though I don’t like to admit it, I think he was right.
As a matter of fact, I think this is something with which most churches sort of struggle, and I’m talking about how we can actually do what Jesus commanded us to do, namely to disciple all nations. I mean, let’s face it, often we’re a whole better chillin’ together than venturing outside. And when you think about, why wouldn’t we be? We sort of like one another, don’t we? We share some fundamental beliefs. We certainly speak the same language. And let’s get real, we pretty much know a good hymn and a good sermon and a good worship service when we hear it, right? You see, staying on the inside, man, that’s really comfortable. But going out there, now, that’s scary. Man, they’re on their phones all the time and they listen to rap and they won’t even make an effort to learn The Apostles Creed. And just try to get them to put down the electronics and listen to church music and not doze through the sermon, man, that can wear you out. But not only that, it can be really discouraging, because no matter how hard we try, often those on the outside just don’t want to come to inside and become one of us. You see, I think that’s what we generally face. And for that reason, well staying behind the stained glass, I’m telling you that’s a whole more comfortable and pleasant than going outside. And so that’s what we often do.
Of course, there’s just one problem with that; Jesus said, “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples.” [Matthew 28:19a, CEV] He didn’t say, “Build it and they will come,” although I kind of wish he had. No, just like “[Jesus] called together his twelve apostles and sent them out two by two with power over evil spirits” [Mark 6:7, CEV], he’s also sent us out. And you know, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. We’re going use the passage we just read and consider how we can better reach out. And as we do that, we’re going to focus on three things that I believe Jesus did and we can do as we share the good news to all those folks who there on the outside.
And like I said, I think we’ve got a great example of what we can do in the scripture we just read. You see, at the beginning of this passage, I think Jesus and his disciples had every reason to take a step back and focus on themselves for a while. I mean, according to Mark, a little bit earlier in this chapter, “the apostles left and started telling everyone to turn to God. They forced out many demons and healed a lot of sick people by putting olive oil on them.” [Mark 6:12-13, CEV] Now that was what they’d been doing. But now they were back, and naturally they wanted to tell Jesus about their work and I think Jesus wanted to hear it. But of course, that wasn’t possible because “so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat.” [Mark 6:31a, CEV] And that’s probably why “Jesus said, ‘Let's go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest,’ and they left in a boat for a place where they could be alone.” [Mark 6:31b, CEV] But even that didn’t work. Mark wrote, “But many people saw them leave and figured out where they were going. So people from every town ran on ahead and got there first.” [Mark 6:33, CEV] Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I think Jesus would have been well within his rights to send the crowd away or cast off into the lake. And then he and his disciples could have had what I think they all wanted, some quality time with one another. You see, just like we sometimes do when facing the world, he sure could have focused on those inside his group and let all those outsiders fend for themselves, at least for a little while.
But of course, that wasn’t what he did, was it? According to Mark, “When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd. He felt sorry for the people and started teaching them many things.” [Mark 6:34, CEV] You see, instead of ignoring them or sending them away, Jesus did three things. First, he looked and saw the large crowd. And second, he felt sorry for them. And third, he started teaching. You see, instead of focusing on the inside, Jesus moved to the outside. And I’ll tell you, I think it’s really cool that he didn’t do it just once, he did it again in the second part of what we read. You see, when he was face to face with a whole bunch of outsiders, Jesus did the exact same thing twice. He looked and he felt and he acted.
And I’m telling you, if we’re serious about reaching out beyond ourselves, we can do the same thing. You see, first, I think we can choose to look and we can choose to listen. In other words, we can intentionally open ourselves up so that we hear and see needs and concerns that we may not have noticed before, needs that may be physical but also emotional and spiritual. But more than just that, we can keep our eyes open so that we can see new ways that and different places where we can show our love for God and our compassion for our neighbor. And we can listen carefully so that we can understand how we might be better at sharing the faith that we treasure, and I’m talking about sharing it with people who may be more comfortable with Tick-Tock than listening to a sermon. You see, we have the ability to accept that different isn’t bad and that helping folks realize that they are loved by God and saved through Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit really should be our top priority. But to do that, we may need to set aside some of those assumptions and prejudices that can get in the way of them experiencing the good news. You see, following the example of Jesus, first, we can look and listen to those who are on the outside.
And then, after we do some looking and listening, second, we can then relax and allow ourselves to feel, and I’m talking about to feel compassion for those whom we’ve seen and heard. Of course, to do this kind of thing, man, it’s not easy. I mean, if I’ve already labeled certainly people “lazy” or “undeserving,” if I’ve already identified them as “crazy” or “self-destructive”, and if I already assume that they’re totally uninterested therefore a waste of time and energy, if that’s what I think before they’ve said a single word, well, I doubt that I’ll end up feeling anything close to compassion and love. And for that reason, it may be important, as best we can, to put aside some of the assumptions we carry into every situation and to view all those on the outside as men and women who are loved and saved and inspired; they just don’t know it yet. Again, following the example of Jesus who felt compassion for the crowd, we can allow ourselves to feel, and that’s the second thing we can do.
And after the looking and the listening and of course after the feeling, third, we can act. In other words, as we’re moved by what we feel, we can do something to address what we’ve seen and heard. And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, this is really where the rubber hits the road. I mean, we can look and listen until the cows come home and we can allow ourselves to feel all kinds of compassion and love. But, as Catus Jack Garner said about the Vice Presidency, that stuff ain’t worth a bucket of spit, if we don’t do something about it. Of course, taking action may mean we’ll have to change some of our plans. It may mean entertaining possibilities we’ve never considered before. As a matter of fact, it may mean stepping away from what’s comfortable and secure. And doing that kind of thing, man, it’s not easy. And for that reason, I think it’s really important for us to remember that we’re not doing it alone. Right now, we’re being prepared and equipped by the creator of the universe to do the stuff we’ve been called to do. And as we step out, we can find support and leadership and companionship with all those other insiders whose vision and mission is intentionally pointed out. You see, just like Jesus, we can take action, and that’s the third thing we can do.
And now, I hope you realize that we’re closer to eating then we were when I started talking. Of course, before we do that, we’ll be gathering around the Lord’s Table and sharing another kind of meal, one that brings us together in a special way. And as we do that, let’s think about how we might use this communion with Christ and with one another to move us to look and to feel and to act so that those on the outside might begin to understand the love shown by the host of this meal.
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