Sermon 17th May 2015

Today, Honorary Assistant Minister, Ben Hughes, preaches. The reading is from Mark 2: verses 13-22.

Controversy

Many preachers begin their sermons with jokes but today I would like to begin with a question?

I want you to think about - what attracted/attracts you to Christianity – to becoming a Christian in the first place? You might like to chat with the person sitting next to you!

Would anyone be brave enough to shout out their answers? 

Mine was simple it was ‘controversy’ – I was drawn to the controversial nature of Christ and Jesus Christ’s teaching

As a teenager being a rebel and so on and looking for something meaningful – I found reading quite a bit of Grahame Greene useful. Why? – I found his ideas of Christianity and people not only controversial but completely upside down to how I was told Christianity and how Christians should behave. I found in Grahame Greene a way of successfully articulating my feelings at what was difficult time. His characters in his plays and books – based on real people – were deeply flawed but  believable. The settings of his stories bleak and desperate – but in every book – despite all the failures – hope and faith always triumphed – the heroes and victor being God triumphant over all.

Graham Greene was controversial himself – nearly sainted by the Catholic Church and then within  a few years excommunicated by them – he was Mcarthyised and banned from the US – he was put up for a knighthood and then dropped like a brick – he proved Hollywood wrong – writing and part-directing one of the world’s all-time greatest films. He was accused of spying and was closely monitored by M15. Despite this he remained a devout Christian and like Jesus – knew that if you had faith and believed you would be unlikely to sit comfortably in this world.

And in a similar way was his characters – the violent Pinkie, promiscuous Kate, interfering Ida, treacherous Scobie, evil Harry Lime and the alcoholic Mexican Whiskey priest are rolled out like the tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners of our Gospels. And all the characters that we meet in the Gospel of Mark are the similar if not the same – just like us – all deeply flawed in some way. 

And it is verse 17 that Jesus makes this position clear:

Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

So when you ‘feed’ this point of Jesus’ into the context of the question of Why did you choose to become a Christian – then it has to be an acknowledgment that we are ‘sick’ in some way -  in need to be made right with God – we are saying God I am unwell – things are not right in my life – come and help me put things right. And so by choosing to be Christians we are firstly admit that we need help!

And who does the Doctor Jesus choose to help?

As we have been learning throughout this series in Mark – God chooses to help everyone and anyone  who asks!  That means you and me – absolutely anyone!

And in our story today  it is Levi the tax collector who is in the spotlight.  Jesus chooses calls him then visits his house for a meal. And why is this controversial? – Well then as now – people do not really like paying tax! We know that from recent news. It was far worse in Jesus time because the tax was being paid to the Romans who were an unwelcomed occupying force. It was like the French having to pay the Germans in WW2. And like then - it was at an extortionate rate. And in this case, the Romans used local Jewish people to do this ‘dirty work’. The Jewish tax collectors such as Levi - were happy to do so as it was very profitable for them. Jewish tax collectors such as Levi would take a hefty percentage cut. So levi as all tax collectors at that time were hated people - despised as traitors to Judaism and considered mean and money grubbing. The Pharisees actively despised such people and encouraged others to do the same  because the Pharisees were also tax collectors collecting temple tax in return for sacrifices – They were in direct financial competition with Roman tax collectors .such as Levi

So When Jesus chose eat at Levi’s house with other tax collectors and sinners he was really mixing with the most despised scum of that society. Imagine the worst people in our society now –Jesus would be partying with them eating with them. Imagine the modern media reaction – the tabloid headlines: Son of God in restaurant scandal with Mafia bosses – Miracle worker in drinking party with arms dealers... and so on

You could get quite political here but that is to miss the point – Jesus was not making any political point in eating with such people but he was making a profound point about God’s love and acceptance extending to all regardless of their crimes and sins! And in that he is saying do not judge - but do the opposite – accept and share – do not exclude but include. And most importantly – the message to Levi was change you way- come and follow me! Out with the old in with the new. 

And by this he is saying People not religion  and so try to look at people from God’s point of view – and allow and help them change.

For we know that if we cannot accept others such as Levi and friends then  how can God accept us for who we are  – or in other words – if you cannot accept and  forgive others how can God forgive you  – and the conclusion is simple and is illustrated time and time again not just in Mark’s gospel but all the gospels ; That it is faith and grace in Christ that will save you nothing else - you cannot earn your way into heaven through doing things!

In the same way Jesus feasted in Levis’ house Jesus invites us to feast  with him. Eternal life is for those that admit their need for God and we do so by saying yes to that invitation – saying sorry, accepting grace and love of self and others. This simple process is known as being born again in Christ.

So with such a simple invitation as this – why do people such as the Pharisees find it so difficult to accept ?

Jesus’ invitation – rooted in  love and acceptance of sinners such as Levi and is an invitation for all so why is that so controversial? – it is quite normal – love inclusion and wanting to be accepted and loved is not what we all need?

– John Lennon called love  common sense –  Nelson Mandela said that God loves everyone equally so there should be no division between people regardless of race colour rich or poor – inclusion not exclusion! Invitation not rejection

But people seem to prefer being unpleasant to one another – they did so in Jesus time and they do so now – just read the newspaper headlines!

So the controversy is ours, you see. The controversy is our  reaction to this invitation of love. The fault and controversy lies within us. Like the Pharisee  we cannot accept the message of love because we have invested too much in other things!  So we look from the outside in frustration and anger and we  lash out!  We find reasons not to believe – The controversy is that we and others do not want to accept love or be loved – neither do we want to love others and like the Pharisee we want to stop others from being invited.

People say the great controversies of Christian faith are the virgin birth, the resurrection, the miracles and so on -

Yes they can be difficult to accept on face value and are often convenient tools for the cynical to deny belief – but they are not the real reason for unbelief and controversy – the real controversial reason why people do not believe in Jesus is that the message of grace and love can  much too and too inconvenient to bear!

but for us – who believe – accepted Christ in fauth - miracles become normal things and the stories in Gospel make more and more sense through our faith  – and so the more we believe – the controversies fade to be replaced by love and grace.

So for example Jesus ‘resurrection’ becomes as normal as breathing.  When you are around Jesus – special things just seem to happen don’t they? – we know that – it is how we grow in faith. The impossible becomes possible as things fall into place. So in our story you have a busy tax collector in the middle of work – collecting and counting the money he loves – in two words of Jesus:  ‘follow me’  - that hold and spell of money has over Levi is broken –  instantly  just like that – Levi leaves his booth and follows Jesus into the unkown and into History!

In verse 14 ⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

It’s a fantastic story and it is ours too – like Levi let’s be part of the story– live it for real – But God can and does do fantastic things.  If God wants to send his son into the womb of a virgin teenage girl then He does because He can! Likewise, to put flesh on the withered hand, or make the blind see with mud or heal the lame or just comfort us in loss. This is what God does it’s His way; it is how He rolls! “Follow me” –  that is  not controversial – its how God works. Neither are miracles – prayer or anything else - for those who believe such as us - they normal ways of faith!

What about me today!

So this story of Levi  – and I am going to say that you not allowed to place yourself as narrator or Jesus in the story – so you are therefore - either the Pharisee or you’re the tax collector or both!

That is alright – if you admit that you are the tax collector and sinner – that is fine it is the ‘Grahame Greene Controversy’ – which is – that God prefers the company of sinners to the company of the self-righteous.  All good - when you realize that you are on your way!

If you are the Pharisee – and I admit that it’s an easy role to slip into – especially when you have been a Christian for a while perhaps?

So  you have to check yourself a bit more!

Jesus says to Pharisee do not tangle yourself  up in rules and regulations – remember love trumps all – because under law you have  no chance but under grace we are set free

This is Jesus’ point he says the old has gone, the new has come. Pour the new wine of the gospel into the old wineskins of the Law.

Why are we reluctant to give up the old?

The problem is we as people tend to like laws such  as fasting – why?   because they provide a way of measuring where we stand with God. And in that a way that we can measure and judge others!  Fasting is not wrong – Jesus does not say that – he says it’s about time and place – and doing so with the right intention and preferably in secret (Matthew 5)

But  when you have only law first grace tends to go out of the window!

Jesus understands fully the ‘fluidity of Grace’ – because he knows the the importance of putting the needs of people over the rules and laws of  religion – he says the same about fasting to the Pharisee as he later says about the Sabbath, about healing people, about Samaritan women, forbidden food and so on  -  Religion is made of people not people for Religion!

That is why grace and love are difficult to accept – you cannot measure grace  or hold it to yourself – it’s like mercury – it runs free – it is fluid and moves here and there - you think you have it and it is gone! Grace means being accepted for who you are – love means accepting  others for who they are and understanding that both proceeds from God and from nowhere else – For love is grace and grace is love and both are freely given!

I could be cheesy now and say – turn to the person next to you and say ‘God loves you’ which would be frightfully un-British – but that is the truth – and you are the vehicle of that love, the means by which God loves the world. And that is what we should be thinking when we all shake hands and smile and say hi and stuff during the peace for example

The Pharisees were successful in behaving well on the outside, but it was the inside that they hid and so the deeper problem of their illness remained un-fixed

So the question for us is - does love proceed from within me! Does Grace reside within me

Being a good person in itself solves nothing – we need to be merciful, kind and loving at all times – love is an activity – more than words and quid pro quo!

Here is a picture that I think combines the message of all three illustrations that Jesus uses at the nd of the passage - summarised as – feasting instead of fasting, new cloth and new wine –

These NEW wineskins – you and me and the person next to you – when we as wineskins are filled with God’s grace and love – they will swell up and be filled to bursting point ready to be served as the ‘best wine till last’ (John 2. 1-12) at the feast of the bridegroom in heaven where all those deeds in love, faith and are fulfilled in Christ. (Revelation 19)  And those who expect to be at the feast  (Luke 14. 15-24) – might not be there and those that are least expected - will be told to come up here and take your place at the top table next to me. (Luke 14 – 10)

New wine, new cloth, feasting for eternity

Amen