Rev.
Debbie Cato
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
and Mark 1:21-29
Fairfield
Community Church
January
28, 2024
Guide us, O God, by your Word
and Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and
in your will discover your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Listen
Up!
Our Scripture
passages today are concerned about who God’s people are listening to. That’s a good question. Who are we listening to? There are a lot of voices competing for our
attention. What voice are you listening
to?
In Deuteronomy, Moses is beginning to transition out of his role as leader of the Israelites. As a prophet, Moses was unequaled. Not only did Moses lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt, but he performed great signs and wonders in Egypt while securing the liberation of the Israelites from Pharaoh. He also served as the mediator between YHWH and the people. Dt. 5:5 tells us that Moses “stood between the LORD and the people and spoke the words of the LORD to them”.
YHWH promises the people that he will not leave them without a prophet after Moses is gone. In fact, YHWH will raise up a prophet like Moses from among them. The prophet who God calls to replace Moses will be one of them – He will be familiar with their journey; their history. He will know their needs; their fears; their dreams. He will speak to God on behalf of Israel, and he will speak to Israel on behalf of God. Just as Moses has done, “He will stand between the LORD and the people and speak the words of the LORD to them.”
The meaning of the Hebrew root for prophet is uncertain but is most likely “one who is called” or the “one who calls.” The prophet is the moral and ethical agent who summons the people to repentance. “You’ve sinned against God,” the prophet tells the people. “You must change. You must turn back. You must repent.” YHWH’s prophet holds us accountable.
YHWH’s prophet represents the single, legitimate mediator of God; whose ultimate word is one of hope & promise for the people. The prophet, who is called by YHWH, calls the community back to the covenant and anticipates what YHWH will do in the covenant. YHWH’s prophet brings the presence of God when God seems absent – where and who is the God who let this happen to us? We hunger for a word from God, and we want YHWH’s prophet to go and have a deeply personal and fervent experience with YHWH and then come back and share His word with us. A word that creates justice, brings hope, and brings God’s promise to fruition.[1] A word that has authority, is often revolutionary and radical.
Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom is certainly radical and overwhelms the very being of those he encounters. Accompanied by the four fishermen Jesus’ called to follow him, Jesus begins his “kingdom campaign,” inviting the neediest to come along. He doesn’t notice the great ones, nor does he call those who pose as the great ones or the important ones. He comes to the desolate places, and there he summons for the kingdom those who are far away from the powerful kingdoms of the world.
Mark tells us that “they entered Capernaum.” Jesus and Simon and Andrew, James and John, have left the bank of the sea that is a fishing and calling place of the messengers of the kingdom and have come to the space of security and tradition, where the old religious teachings have been shared for ages. There in the synagogue, Jesus takes advantage of the Sabbath, the day the faithful ones meet, to teach them. Jesus’ communication style creates vitality. “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes!”
The people listening to Jesus teach are delighted to hear a new teaching. Why? What was so new about Jesus’ teachings? He teaches from the same Scriptures that the scribes taught – the Hebrew Scriptures. Why were his teachings considered revolutionary and radical?
This word – this new teaching with authority – defines Jesus. It’s the reason crowds gather around him everywhere he goes. It’s the reason the scribes and the Pharisees feel threatened by him. It’s the reason in our Mark text, Jesus’ fame grows. He’s getting a reputation as an up-and-coming prophet, someone who speaks as “having authority.” Quite unlike the scribes of the day who were good at quoting Scripture, but perhaps not so good at living it. Besides, the scribes were scholars, and just listening to them made your eyes glaze over.
But not so with Jesus. He has a “new teaching – with authority!” Jesus’ teaching; his gospel message is a healing word with action. You might say, he practices what he preaches. He preaches God’s truth; God’s timeless promises to the people and He teaches through his actions. The ways he loves the people; the ways he respects and treats those who are considered worthless and lowly and oppressed. Jesus teaches through healing and miracles and exorcisms. Even the evil spirits in possession of a man in their midst obey him. Jesus’ actions; his very being, gives his teachings authority.
There’s a story about a pastor who preached an eloquent sermon one Sunday. It was brilliant and fascinating. The people in her congregation were deeply moved by it and said it was the best sermon they had ever heard. The next week that pastor preached the same sermon, and again the people were excited to hear it. But when that pastor preached the very same sermon, word for word, the third week in a row, the congregation began to wonder. Finally, one of the members, shaking the pastor’s hand after the service, with a small crowd gathered around him said, “Preacher, that was a great sermon; thoughtful, insightful, even inspiring. But some of us wanted to know why you keep preaching the same sermon again and again.” The pastor smiled and replied, “Because I haven’t seen anyone do anything about what I said.”[2]
The role of faithful people is to listen – not simply to hear, but to listen thoughtfully and courageously. By learning to recognize and trust God’s true word, the people learn to trust God’s own self. But unless people hear, listen, and then heed, nothing is gained. God is not obeyed without heeding His word. Without doing.
Where have all the prophets gone? Where is this century’s Martin Luther King Jr.? Where are the great prophets and preachers of old who challenged the establishment and called people to faithfulness? Why must we reach back so many years to find the voice crying in the wilderness that changed the world?[3]
Who are our prophets today? To whom do we listen? Whose counsel do we value?[4] When and why did the Church stopping being the prophetic voice in the world?
Perhaps if we actually lived and acted and treated people as Jesus taught us; if we actually practiced the teachings of Jesus, the church would still be the prophetic voice of the world today? Perhaps the teachings of Jesus; our Holy Scriptures, would be revered today if we lived as we believe. Perhaps people would see vitality in our churches. Perhaps people would say of our churches, “they teach as one having such authority!”
We can still be that voice. The voice of Christ in a world that is sorely hurt and broken and in need of healing. A world that needs a prophetic voice. It’s not too late. We can be that voice. Amen.
