July 18, 2021 Sermon
Sermon title: "Sheep Without a Shepherd"
Scripture: Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56
(Other lectionary choices include II Samuel 7:1-14, Psalm 89:20-37, and Ephesians 2:11-22)
Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56
Feeding the Five Thousand
30The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
Healing the Sick in Gennesaret
53When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
In today's reading we get a glimpse into the sacred heart of Jesus. I don't really like using that term, "the SACRED HEART of JESUS", because it sounds so "Catholic"! But we really do get a look into his COMPASSION. He tells his disciples that they and he need to get away to a deserted place and rest a while. But what happens? People recognized him and the disciples, and instead of saying, "Wait! I need my rest!", he has compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, which is this sermon's title. Don't get me wrong: Jesus and his ministers need their rest, and we in the clergy are told to be sure we practice "self care", which means to be conscious of taking time off, because you can't save the world if you are always in an exhausted state! We are told, "You can't save the world if you don't save yourself first!" And that's true. But look at Jesus in today's reading from Mark's Gospel. He has compassion on all these people, and he ministers to them. He even FEEDS them, and we'll hear about that in NEXT week 's sermon. But today I wanted to emphasize the COMPASSION of Jesus.
This business of "sheep without a shepherd" is not an accidental saying reported by Mark's Gospel. That phrase can be found in a number of Old Testament books, including Numbers, I Kings, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. It is used when the people feel or are actually leaderless, without a king. The author of Mark has a storyline here, and he wants his readers to understand what he is getting at: just who is the TRUE king of Israel? As we saw last week, King Herod WANTS to be thought of as the beloved king of Israel - but he spends his time throwing parties, winking at pretty girls (remember last week's story of Salome's dance and Herod promising her ANYTHING, including the head of John the Baptist on a plate?). What Mark is trying to say here is that JESUS is the true king of Israel, the king who helps people. Herod is simply a "good time Charlie" who has no idea what a TRUE king should do.
I mentioned Mark's storyline. Here is what N.T. Wright has to say about what Mark's Gospel is trying to do: "Somehow the remarkable things Jesus is doing {{including the Feeding of the 5,000, which we'll hear about next week!}} point, in Mark's mind, at least, to the truth that Jesus is the truly human one, Israel's Lord who is to be the world's Lord, anticipating in his rule over wind and wave, over bread and fish, the sovereignty that Israel believed the Messiah would have over the whole world. When the New Testament writers want to tell us that Jesus is in some sense divine, this is not something set apart from hunger, thirst, fear, sorrow, and death itself, but found mysteriously in the middle of them all. What we see now is his (Jesus's) genuine humanness...."
That's Mark's approach: Jesus is completely human and yet divine. But for Mark, being divine doesn't mean Jesus has all the answers or never suffers. He does suffer and he does get tired, and he does get hungry, and he does realize that WE do, too! Remember, it is thought that Mark is the first Gospel, and John is the LAST one written. What that means is that Mark may tend to emphasize the HUMAN side of Jesus, while the Gospel of John may tend to emphasize the DIVINE side of Jesus. This week we heard from Mark. Next week, for the Feeding of the 5,000, we'll hear from John. And now, I want to hear from YOU!
Pastor Skip
