This Teacher Was Different

Mark 1:16-22

This morning we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. It’s a fairly new Sunday to the church year, first celebrated in 1925, the year that Stalin took control of the Soviet Union, the year that Mussolini disbanded the Italian parliament and took over as dictator of Italy, and the year that Adolph Hitler published Mein Kamf and while not solidly in control of Germany, was gaining support. Christ the King Sunday, celebrated on the last Sunday in the church year, is a reminder of the authority of Christ and that our allegiance is to Christ alone, not to any person or government or earthly power.

Jesus showed us God’s vision for how we are to live together, and it didn’t match expectations then, and it often doesn’t set well with those in power and with aspirations to power and riches and influence now. God doesn’t mean for us to have a top-down hierarchical society. Jesus didn’t seek to overthrow the Emperor. He didn’t lead as a king or a dictator. Jesus led with compassion that was like a mountain spring – it bubbled up from his deep love and cascaded like a waterfall, unstoppable and forceful, fresh and cleansing, beautiful and powerful, wearing down the hard places and refreshing the dry. And Jesus taught that we are to follow his example.

He began, like most rabbis, by teaching a small group of disciples. Rabbi comes from Hebrew and means, “My Master” and disciple means student. Jesus’ disciples were different from most rabbis’ disciples, though. All Jewish children, boys and girls, began their education at the local synagogue when they were 5 years old. They studied the Torah, the first 5 books of our Old Testament. They learned to read and write and some, by the time they were 12 or 13 had memorized the entire Torah – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Girls were finished with education at this point and were ready to marry. Most boys began to learn the family trade. A few, who were exceptional students would continue and begin studying the prophets and the wisdom literature – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms… until they were 18, when they would then complete their education and begin a family. A few truly gifted students were permitted to delay marriage and to choose a rabbi they wanted to study under and follow. And if the rabbi thought that the student would be successful, he would agree to let the student follow him and be his disciple.

Mark tells us that after Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River (that flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea), he is tempted in the wilderness near Jericho, then he comes back north to the Sea of Galilee where he sees Simon (whom Jesus will later dub Simon Peter, meaning Simon the “Rock”) and his brother Andrew. Jesus calls them…Jesus chose his disciples instead of the disciples choosing him to be their rabbi,…and the ones he chose – two students who weren’t asked to stay past basic education, who have learned their fathers’ trade and taken over his boat and nets and now support their family by fishing, to be his disciples. Then, a little farther up, they come across James and John and their dad, Zebedee, working on their nets, and Jesus calls the two brothers to be disciples too. And they just leave their dad with the nets and follow him.

There must have been something different about man, this rabbi, this Jesus, something magnetic that drew these men away from their livelihood and their families, something that attracted them so strongly that they immediately broke the bonds of family and tradition and culture and expectation and followed him.

They walked with him as he continued north to Capernaum, on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Then on the Sabbath, they went to the synagogue and Jesus went in and started teaching. Mark tells us that “they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as one of the scribes.” I think it is helpful to know what normally happened in the synagogue on the Sabbath. When they gathered for worship, there were prayers, and reading Scripture and then interpretations of the Scripture were offered by different teachers, each confident that he had the right interpretation because in offering his interpretation, each one would link it to the tradition and to famous interpreters…kind of authority by name-dropping. They never just offered their own thoughts. They always linked them, “As Rabbi so-and-so taught…” They always made sure you knew who they knew and how devout they were – like the preacher who acts humble as he says that Billy Graham taught him early in his ministry that “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys,” and then tops it off with “I’ve spent most of my ministry in the valley.”

So when Jesus began to teach, there was a striking difference – he didn’t establish the authority of his teachings by referring to other teachers. And he wasn’t trying to one-up or out-do or show-off. Jesus taught as one who had authority. He didn’t quote famous rabbis or teach what tradition taught. They were awe-struck by his interpretation of these Scriptures that opened their eyes to so much more than they had ever seen there before…

As you know, long ago God instructed Moses to tell His people, “Do not murder; those who murder will be judged and punished.” But here is the even harder truth: anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged for his anger. Anyone who taunts his friend, speaks contemptuously toward him, or calls him “Loser” or “Fool” or “Scum,” will have to answer to God. Therefore, repent and forgive one another and be reconciled. (The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.)

As you know, long ago God forbade His people to commit adultery. You may think you have abided by this Commandment, walked the straight and narrow, but I tell you this: any man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.
You know that Hebrew Scripture sets “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” as the standard of justice and punishment. But I say this, don’t fight against the one who is working evil against you. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, you are to turn and offer him your left cheek. If someone connives to get your shirt, give him your jacket as well. If someone forces you to walk with him for a mile, walk with him for two instead. If someone asks you for something, give it to him. If someone wants to borrow something from you, do not turn away. (The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.)

You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you— in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. (The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.)

It was not only authoritative – it was a radical reinterpretation of what they thought they had settled – what they had tamed into a comfortable religion.

Jesus’ teaching was counter-cultural then and it is counter-cultural now because it is the antidote to our sinful human nature. It is transformative, and change is hard! It corrects our human tendencies and temptations. Here are just a few of the hard saying of Jesus that even today we try to make more comfortable with interpretations and explanations because the clear meaning of them makes us uncomfortable:

About our possessions:

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

About our attitude toward others:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, you will be measured.”

About our commitments:

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

About our sins:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

About preparing for Christ’s to come again:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

This Christ the King Sunday, may we, too, be astounded by Jesus’s teaching – authoritative – offered with no source citation, needing no explanation, yielding transformation. Amen.