What are the Boundaries? - A Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 18 B (Mark 9)
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| Hands Around the World |
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 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 to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And 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. 47 And 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, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
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You could call Jesus’ disciples a band of misfits. In the Gospel of Mark, they seem oblivious to Jesus' identity and his mission. They have in mind a particular vision of what a messiah should be like, while Jesus has another. So, when Jesus tells them that his path leads to the cross they miss the message. Instead, they focus their attention on who is the greatest among them. This is not an uncommon question, even within the church. Nevertheless, their debate leads Jesus to offer a different paradigm of greatness. For one thing, he tells them that the first must become last. To make his point clearer he uses an illustration. He tells them that if they welcome the child they welcome him and the one who sent him (Mark 9:30-37). All of this must have been confusing to the disciples because it doesn't sound all that logical. Jesus' message seems counter-intuitive because, as we are so often told, "might makes right." The key to success in life is to get power and if you get it, then make sure you keep it. That makes a lot of sense, but it's not how Jesus understood his mission.
The reading for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost follows up Jesus' discussion about greatness and the example of welcoming the children from the previous Sunday with a discussion about group identity. In verses 38-41 of Mark 9, John comes to Jesus with a question. It's possible that John wanted to change the subject after the previous discussion of who was greatest among them to a question of group identity. Surely Jesus wanted to protect their religious franchise from competitors. John seems a bit protective of Jesus's mission after he observes that some folks outside their circle doing deeds of power in the name of Jesus. John told Jesus that he and his cohort tried to stop these interlopers from casting out demons in his name. Jesus responds to John's observation in an interesting way. He tells them not to interfere since whoever is not against them is for them. I want to say more about this, but first I want to look into Jesus' statement about the "little ones" in verse 42. Since Jesus has already called on the disciples to welcome the children, could Jesus have children in mind here as well? I want to come back to John’s question in a moment, because I think it has some importance for how we understand boundaries—both ecumenically and inter-religiously, but first the question of stumbling blocks.
In verse 42 Jesus speaks of placing stumbling blocks in the way of the little ones. The usage here is built on the Greek skandalizein (scandalize). Sharon Ringe writes that “the English cognate 'scandalize' sounds quaint in a world where no action or behavior seems to shock anymore.” She goes on to write that “the sense of the verb, however, is of being so horrified that one simply cannot remain in the place or go forward along the path where one had that experience” [Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4, p. 119]. The question is—what is causing the scandal. What sin is to be avoided that it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck or cut your eye out or cut off your hand? Why is it better to go to gain access to the kingdom maimed than go to hell with all your body parts intact? All of this is quite harsh and even scandalous in its own right. Of course, Mark’s Jesus isn’t safe and cuddly. He does like children, but he can give a rather stern and scary message when necessary. One might feel obliged to skip over this lectionary reading and try something a little more positive. After all, the reading from James 5 speaks of prayers for healing. Though, I will admit that the reading from Esther 7 might be more problematic since it records the execution of Haman, the enemy of Esther and Mordechai,
It would seem that Jesus is concerned about boundaries and character. He’s not concerned about those outside the community who happen to do what is right, but with those within the community who fail to do what is right. After all, shouldn't they know better? Jesus reminds the disciples that they are to be an example to others. That includes the children. Of course, this can lead to legalism. Remember how Origen went out and castrated himself so he wouldn’t face temptation? Paul dealt with the question of meat offered to idols, which appeared to be causing problems for members of that community. While idols might not represent real gods, Paul recommends that the consciences of one's neighbors be respected. I’m really not sure who Paul has in mind when he speaks of the weak and the strong, but he is clear that it is better not to eat something if it causes another to stumble (1 Corinthians 8). Again, character counts, which is what I hear in Jesus' admonition about salt. If it has lost its saltiness, what good is it? We’re to be salt—a spiritual seasoning in the world. So have the salt of the Spirit in you so that you can be at peace with each other.
This takes me back to the top, and John’s question about boundaries. Could those operating in Jesus' name but outside his circle be the little ones he has in mind? Could the attempt to prevent them from engaging in ministry in Jesus' name be the stumbling block that he speaks of? What we do know is that John is upset that there are people, exorcists, who are casting out demons in Jesus’ name and they're not part of the in-group. Although denominationalism isn’t what it once was, Christians can get territorial when it comes to their particular group. We can think of ourselves and the way we do things as the true Christian way. Why else would we do it this way unless it's the correct way of doing things? My own denominational founders faced this temptation in their pursuit of Christian unity. They believed that the church is one and that it should be united. They believed they had the correct formula. That formula involved all other groups giving up their human traditions and adopt the true New Testament Christianity they proffered. The problem was—these other Christians believed that they also had the true faith and that their traditions reflected the true biblical faith. There could be no compromise!
Again, Jesus’ answer to John is pretty straightforward. Concerning these exorcists acting in his name but outside his group, Jesus simply says "Whoever is not against us is for us." After all, it does appear that they were being successful, otherwise, why would John be fretting? So don't stop them, "for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me" (Mk. 9:39) It appears that Jesus had a broader vision than did his disciples. In fact, he tells the disciples that if someone gives you a cup of water because you bear the name of Jesus, they won't lose their reward.
When it comes to boundaries, Jesus' view is that they are somewhat permeable. At the same time, Jesus is concerned about character and behavior. To use anthropological terms, Jesus envisioned the community as a centered set rather than a bounded one. The focus should be on the center (Jesus and his mission) and not the boundaries (who has the proper credentials). Thus, how we live reflects on what we say. The world around us has concluded that we Christians may not be such a blessing to the world after all. They call us hypocrites, and perhaps that is who we are, and if it is true then we have scandalized the world.
When it comes to boundaries, there are the ecclesial/denominational boundaries we erect because my church is better than your church. But, these are not the only boundaries we erect. We also tend to erect boundaries between ourselves and those who live outside the Christian circle. It is the assumption on the part of many that God only operates within our circle, but what if that's not true? What if God is not bound by the lines we draw around ourselves? As we consider this question, we must be willing to do some work of discernment. We must ask the question of what it means to be Christian, and whether those qualities are present not only in other religions but in our communities as well. For to critique other religions when our own communities are scandal-prone, should cause us to stop and take stock of where the Spirit is truly present! Jesus says that “whoever is not against is for us,” and besides that, “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Hands Around the World, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57004 [retrieved September 19, 2021]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/7402060432.
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