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The Good News of Jesus

06/21/2009 - Water, Stones, Fire & Salt, Mark 9:38-50

In his recent book called The Hole in our GospelRichard Stearns tells the story of his challenging transition from being the wealthy President and CEO of the prestigious Lenox Corporation known around the world for it's fine china and table ware to the President of World Vision the non-profit Christian organization whose mission is to help children, families, and communities world-wide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. To put it another way World Vision is out to build a better world for children.

And Stearns came face to face with how tragic the world can be for kids when shortly after he took the helm of World Vision he was flown to Uganda in central Africa and then driven to a village that many call ground zero for the AIDS pandemic in that country. And when he got there he met a boy named Richard.

"His name was Richard, the same as mine," he writes. "I sat inside his meager thatched hut, listening to his story, told through the tears of an orphan whose parents had died of AIDS. At thirteen, Richard was trying to raise his two younger brothers by himself in this small shack with no running water, electricity, or even beds to sleep in. There were no adults in their lives - no one to care for them, feed them, love them, or teach them how to become men. There was no one to hug them either, or to tuck them in at night. Other than his siblings, Richard was alone, as no child should be. I try to picture my own children abandoned in this kind of deprivation, fending for themselves without parents to protect them, and I can't.

"I didn't want to be there. I wasn't supposed to be there, so far out of my comfort zone - not in that place where orphaned children live by themselves in their agony. There, poverty, disease, squalor had eyes and faces that starred back, and I had to see and smell and touch the pain of the poor. There, the deadly AIDS virus has stalked its victims in the dark for decades.

"Two crude piles of stones just outside the door mark the graves of Richard's parents. It disturbs me that he must walk past them every day. He and his brothers watched first their father and then their mother die slow and horrible deaths. I wondered if the boys were the ones who fed them and bathed them in their last days. Whatever the case, Richard, a child himself, is now head of the household.

"Child-headed household, words never meant to be strung together. I tried to wrap my mind around this new phrase, one that describes not only Richard's plight but that of millions more. I'm told there are twelve million orphans due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Awkwardly I asked Richard what he hopes to be when he grows up, a ridiculous question to ask a child who has lost his childhood. "A doctor," he said, "so I can help people who have the disease.

"Do you have a Bible?" I asked. He ran to the other room and returned with his treasured book with the gold-gilt pages. "Can you read it?

"Yes," he said. "I love to read the book of John, because it says that Jesus loves the children."

"This overwhelmed me, and my tears started to flow. Forgive me, Lord, forgive me. I didn't know. But I did know. I knew about poverty and suffering in the world. I was aware that children die daily from starvation and lack of clean water. I also knew about AIDS and the orphans it leaves behind, but I kept these things outside of my insulating bubble and looked the other way.

"Sitting in the hut that day I remember thinking, 'Why wasn't Richard's story being told? Where were the headlines and magazine covers about Africa? Twelve million orphans and no one noticed? But what sickened me the most was where was the Church in the midst of the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time?'"

It's been over ten years now since Stearns met Richard in that hut and in that time the Church has finally started to wake up and realize that our gospel has had a big hole in it. For too long we've ignored issues of poverty and injustice and oppression and genocide and the AIDS crisis. But thank God that's starting to change as the Church takes seriously the words of Jesus to proclaim good news to the poor and to take care of widows and orphans and to build a better place for the hurting children of this world.

This morning we return to our series in the gospel of Mark after a two week break when we left Jesus with a little child on his lap. The children of this world are important to Jesus and caring for kids is something near and dear to the heart of God. And he's going to make that clear in today's passage.

If you have Bible turn with me to Mark 9:38-50 and we'll pick it up where we left off. If you remember the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God when Jesus said in Mark 9:35,"Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." ³⁶He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

There are a few words for children in the Greek language. The word used here is the word for a very young child, an infant even. So to make his point about what makes a person great in God's eyes Jesus picks up a little child, perhaps a baby and says, "You want to be great in my kingdom then become a servant of all, even of children, even of infants because how you treat them is a reflection of how you treat me. And welcoming them is like welcoming my Father, the one who sent me."

When I read that passage this week I thought, "Wow! That's why moms are going to rule and reign in the kingdom because in most cases moms are the ones who care for infants and do so many things that go unrewarded. But don't be fooled nothing will go unrewarded.

But I think the child that Jesus is holding is also meant to represent the most vulnerable people in society, people who can't pay us back. In that culture, like many places in our world today, children were devalued. As Scott mentioned two weeks ago children were treated as property until they were old enough to be married and bear children.

Girls in that culture especially were abused. They were often thrown away as newborns, left outside to starve to death or to be eaten by animals, or sold into prostitution. They were a drain on the family budget. In some languages including Greek the word for "child" is neither masculine nor feminine it's simply neuter. The child wasn't referred to as a "he" or a "she," but simply as an "it" until puberty.

But like so many other paradigms Jesus flips this one upside down and says the greatest ones in my kingdom are not those who are served by others, but those who serve others especially the most vulnerable, the weakest, the least among us.

Power doesn't make us great. Service does. I love what Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You'd don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, and a soul generated by love."

Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. So once again the disciples have something to repent of. They need to rethink what it means to be great and so do we. But there's more.

Look at verse 38,"Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

Now remember the last time the disciples had tried to cast out a demon. What happened? They couldn't do it. They failed. And they were embarrassed and humiliated and almost ended up in brawl with their critics who thought they had lost their stuff. And now they see someone who wasn't one of their number, who didn't follow Jesus like they did, who didn't go to their church, and wasn't part of their denomination, and yet was doing what they couldn't do. And they didn't like it because it made them feel worse.

So John says to Jesus, "We told him to knock it off. We said you're not one of us. You can't do that. You can't be casting out demons. That's our job. Wasn't that right, Jesus?"

And Jesus shakes his head and says in verse 39,"Don't stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰for whoever is not against us is for us."

Wow! That's quite a statement. Here's something else the disciples had to repent of and rethink. And we do too. There are people all over the world who are doing great kingdom work in the name of Jesus that have some very different views on things than I have or you have and can make us feel very uncomfortable because they're not like us, they don't think like us, they don't behave like us, they don't vote like us, they don't worship the way we worship and on and on. And yet Jesus says, "Hey, if they're not against us, they're for us!"

In fact, in Matthew 25 Jesus says there are people who are doing great kingdom work, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, taking in strangers, caring for the sick and the oppressed, visiting prisoners and they don't know even they're doing it for Jesus! They're actually surprised when they're invited into his kingdom. Go figure that one out!

So Jesus says, "Whoever isn't against us is for us." That's a lot broader statement then if he said, "Whoever isn't for us is against us." That's paranoia! "No," Jesus says, "If they're not blocking and opposing the work of the kingdom then they're on our side. Let them go. It's okay. There's plenty of kingdom work to go around."

I think this is one of the most important lessons we all have to learn and it can be especially hard for those of us who have grown up in the church. We can think that there's only one way to serve Jesus and it's our way. It's got to look like what we grew up with. But the truth is the body of Christ is broad and diverse. That's why we need to read widely and interact with people who are different than we are and travel if we can. You can't visit other countries and step into other cultures and not appreciate all the various colors and textures of the body of Christ. And it's a beautiful thing.

But Jesus is still holding the little child in his strong arms and wants to get back to the lessons that this little one can teach us. Look at verse 41, Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Messiah will certainly be rewarded. ⁴²"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me-- to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea."

The kingdom of God is broader than we think it is and every act of service we perform is more significant than we might think it is. And our actions for or against the Messiah have serious consequences. Even a cup of water, Jesus says, will not go unrewarded. I love that. Jesus notices everything that we do for him.

I believe that we'll be shocked at the amount of rewards that God will lavishly dispense on Judgment Day. I think he notices every act of love and kindness and compassion and generosity and servant hood that we might think go unnoticed. But they don't. Nothing does.

On the other hand, Jesus says, if anyone harms one of these little ones which seems have to a multiple meaning here -- certainly the little child that's he's holding in his arms and the most vulnerable in people in our culture and those who believe in him -- it would be better off if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

There were two kinds of millstones that people used to grind grain in that culture. One was a small millstone that could be turned by hand. And the other was a big one that needed to be turned by a donkey or an ox. It would take you to bottom of the Sea of Galilee pretty quick if you wore it around your neck. So Jesus is serving notice that we better be careful how we treat each other, especially children and the weak and other believers because the consequences of our actions are serious if we cause them to stumble. The word literally means to scandalize, to offend, to cause to sin or to fall.

He continues to talk about stumbling in verse 43, If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life (actually the life) maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter the life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where "'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

Stumbling here seems to be about falling short of getting into the kingdom. Jesus is saying, "Don't let anything keep you from entering into the life of my kingdom. Nothing is worth holding on to if it causes you to miss out on the life I am offering!"

Three times he mentions the word "hell." The Greek word for hell here is the word Gehenna. It's used twelve times in the New Testament, once by James and eleven times by Jesus. Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else in the Bible.

And when he spoke about it he had a place in mind called Gehenna. Gehenna was the name of the city dump outside of Jerusalem. It was a literal place that everybody knew about. I've been to Gehenna. It was in the Valley of Hinnom south of the city and in Jesus' day it was a landfill that burned constantly, 24/7, with the garbage that was thrown into it every day through the Dung Gate.

It was the place where thousands of dead carcasses were thrown each week from the temple sacrifices. And worms fed off the fat and the blood of those carcasses. And the constant flow of refuse kept the worms alive and the fires fed. It was the place where the bodies of crucified criminals were thrown away. Jesus would have been thrown into Gehenna had not Joseph of Arimathea stepped up and rescued his body from the cross. Gehenna was a foul place and Jesus uses it as an image to picture a life that is trashed and destroyed by sin.

Now does Jesus intend for us to cut off our hands and our feet and pluck out our eyes? I don't think so. I don't believe Jesus is advocating self-mutilation here because we can do all those things and not address the real problem at all. The real problem, as Jesus points out in the Sermon on the Mount where he says these very same things, is in our heart. The lust, the anger, the pride, the greed, it all has to go or else it will consume us like the fires of Gehenna and we will destroy our lives both now and on into eternity.

We all need a heart change and that comes when we humble ourselves before God and repent of the things that are causing us to stumble and ask for his forgiveness and his help to choose life and not death. Following Jesus is getting very serious as we move through Mark's gospel towards the cross. This is a hard saying.

There are consequences for ignoring Christ and for opposing his kingdom and they are severe in Scripture. Not the least of which is eternal separation from God himself if we choose that path. But the choice is ours and we can choose life over death.

The image of fire is used throughout Scripture as a symbol of judgment. In Hebrews 10 the writer says that fire will consume the enemies of God and then in Hebrews 12:28-29 we read, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."

God is not literally on fire. But God is the ultimate judge. For God to be a good God there must be judgment. That which is good must be upheld and that which is evil must be condemned. As we discussed at length in our series last year called The End of Evil the alternative to judgment is moral chaos and in the end a good, loving, just God will not allow chaos to rule the day or else he wouldn't be a good and loving and just God. He will make all things right.

Jesus goes on to say in verse 49, Everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Everyone will be salted with fire. What in the world does that mean? It sounds frightening to me. Well again, I think fire refers to judgment and the fact that everyone of us will be judged. There are consequences for our behavior and what we do with Jesus and how we respond to his kingdom invitation and how we treat children and the weak and people who aren't like us. That's what Jesus has been talking about in this passage, consequences for our actions.

We will all have to give an account for our lives because our lives count. They are of enormous value to the God who made us and loves us and sent his Son to die for us. And the one to whom we are most accountable is Jesus, the lover of our souls, the judge of all the universe who will do right. Judgment is necessary for God to put this broken world back together again.

And as we've said before, we enter God's kingdom by faith, but we'll be rewarded in his kingdom based on how well we served Jesus. Jesus has just mentioned the value of a cup of cold water given in his name. It will not go unrewarded.

In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 the apostle Paul talks about rewards and regrets using the image of fire when he writes, For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. ¹⁴If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Everyone will be salted with fire. All of us will be judged and that's intended to be a sobering thought, but it's also a thought that's meant to give meaning and purpose to everything we do.

"Salt is good," Jesus says, "but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again. Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

In that culture salt was a very precious commodity and it was used to preserve food. In the days before refrigeration salt was massaged into meat to keep it from rotting. Salt was used to add taste and flavor to food that was bland, just like it's used today. But salt also creates thirst and makes us want to drink.

And so Jesus wraps up this discussion by saying to his followers, "I want you to be salty. We live in world that's in decay because everything's has been corrupted by sin. But I want you to penetrate this world like salt and help prevent decay and add to spice to life and create a thirst for others to know me. Be salt in this world and live at peace with each other." Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.

Jesus teaches on judgment in this passage while holding a little child in his arms. That's how precious kids are to Jesus. And this morning we're going to close our gathering by recognizing someone in our midst who is also very committed to children, but before we do I want us to take a moment for reflection. This is a sobering passage and a good chance for us to come clean with God about anything in our life that's causing us to stumble, any sin that needs to be cut out that's keeping us from either entering the kingdom of God or from being the salt that Jesus wants us to be. Maybe it's an attitude of pride that we need to confess or indifference or a judgmental spirit like Jesus saw in John or maybe we're not living in peace with someone and need to make it right. Maybe it's a behavior or a habit that keeps us falling. I don't know what it is for you, but the Spirit will put his finger on it if there is something to put his finger on. Maybe there isn't right now. So just take a moment as we close to have your own one on one time with Jesus. And then I'll close in prayer.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Valley View Community Church, feel free to contact us at info@valleyviewseek.org or call 610.631.2707.