Sermon for 18th Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 9:38-50

Are you a jealous person? Our readings from last week and this week have a lot to say about jealousy. Last week, Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who’s the greatest. Now, I don’t know about greatest, but I think we know who’s the favorite – Peter. At least until he rebukes Jesus and Jesus says “Get behind me, Satan!” Do you think that stirs the pot a little bit? They start jockeying for position? So Jesus tells them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last.” Because clearly they need to learn a little humility. Except apparently they didn’t listen. Today, we hear the disciple John complain, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t following us!” Whenever I hear that verse I always imagine this super whiny voice. “TEEEECHER, we TRYYYYYYYED to STOOOOP them!” Now, it’s easy to call out John. Who in the world would stop someone from casting out demons? Except the demons? No wonder Jesus says, “Don’t stop him. Whoever is not against us is for us.” How bad is it when Jesus’ disciples go around undermining what God’s doing!

But it’s nothing new. The people of God have always been weird like this. Our Old Testament reading from the Book of Numbers is virtually identical. Now, I don’t want to retell the whole Exodus story, but remember, the Israelites are wandering in the wilderness. It’s harsh. Hunger, thirst, attacks by other tribes. All this drama makes them feel abandoned by God. God acts, but even then it’s a little sketchy. Water from rocks? Manna to eat? Remember, “manna” means “what the heck is this stuff and is it really edible?” It doesn’t make sense. Sure, they may not be starving, but these weird miracles don’t make it any easier to trust God.

We need to remember that, because it’s too easy to just call them whiny. They’re complaining to Moses about manna. They miss the meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, all this stuff they think they had in Egypt. Because these are conventional things. Trustworthy things. As bad as Egypt was – let’s be clear, it was deadly – but at least you knew what to expect. Don’t we know how that feels? So Moses cries out to God. “I can’t do this by myself anymore. If this is all there is, then just kill me.” He’s beyond done. So God tells Moses to gather 70 elders. God fills them with the Holy Spirit. They start prophesying. Which should be a game changer, because God’s Spirit is the power of creation. The Word that creates life. The Word that makes a way where there is no way. And it’s so powerful that it overflows the elders and lands on Eldad and Medad, two Joe Schmoes back in the camp. They immediately start prophesying too, like a vision of Pentecost. It’s not just Moses trying to convince everyone that God’s on their side. It’s this crowd all speaking the word. Shouldn’t this turn everyone’s heart to God. But right away Moses hears the complaints. “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Even Joshua, the one who’s going to lead Israel after Moses dies. Even he says, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

So, what sense does any of this make? Of all people, Joshua complaining about prophets and the disciple complaining about someone casting out demons? Are they dumb? No. It’s because they just got a taste of the grace of God and it was bitter. Here’s the thing about grace, we love the concept, but we don’t like the practice. We don’t like it when God shows grace to folks who we don’t think deserve it. Folks who haven’t earned it. Joshua is Moses’ assistant. When the Israelites shoot arrows at Moses, Joshua stands in the middle. Shouldn’t that count for something? What did Eldad and Medad do to earn God’s favor? That’s why Moses tells Joshua, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that ALL the Lord’s people were prophets!” Or the disciples. They come down the mountain after Jesus’ Transfiguration. They meet a boy with an evil spirit that none of them can cast out. Jesus saves the day, but the disciples don’t care. They just want to know why they couldn’t. It’s embarrassing. So now they see some no-name guy casting out demons. Do you think they feel a little jealous?

Jesus knows what his disciples are thinking. They think they deserve power and grace. So he warns them. “Don’t you dare put this stumbling block in front of those who believe in me.” Because here’s what happens if grace is earned. When you hand causes you to stumble, you cut it off. When your foot causes you to stumble, you cut it off. When your eye causes you to stumble, you tear it out. But then your other eye will show you exactly why this never works. You’ll still see all your sin before you. None of this changes the heart. And it’s hell. The worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. Now, you’d think that would be enough to wake up Jesus’ disciples. To open their two eyes to see a stranger casting out demons. And to give thanks for God’s undeserved grace. But, no. They’re still jealous. After all this, James and John still beg Jesus to let them sit at his right and left in his glory, and when the other disciples find out, all hell breaks out.

What about us? What brings out our jealousy? Maybe it’s Covid-denial. We all know folks who insist that Covid is a hoax, or just the flu. The longer they avoid it, the more superior they feel, and the more we resent all the sacrifices we’re making. Are we thankful that they’re healthy? Maybe it’s politics. Folks whose over-the-top opinions repulse us, and then we resent when they show kindness to others, like they might actually have real faith. We may try to keep the anger buried, but it’s a stumbling block that comes out when we least expect it. It’s like a great millstone around our necks, and in the end it kills us.

It killed Jesus too. The more he preached grace, the more jealous his enemies became. They nailed him to a cross to shut him up forever. Yet still he rose, in the glory of his resurrection. Because God’s grace will have the last word for all of us. And it always shows up in the least expected places. Like water from a stone in the desert. Like manna from heaven that doesn’t look like anything we’ve ever seen before. Like the bread and wine that Jesus feeds us with us at his table. He gives us his body and blood so that we can’t help but taste and see the truth of his grace that sets us free from all that jealousy and self-righteousness that kept us bound.

Of course, Jesus knows that we’re not perfect. We still inevitably set out stumbling blocks before others. We even stumble over them ourselves too. But Jesus doesn’t leave us collapsed on the floor. He forgives us and he lifts us to our feet, to stumble forward in faith. And faith is like that. It’s a life of stumbling and groping. Faith isn’t about smooth sailing. It’s a rocky path. But faith gives us trust that others will see our mistakes and know that their mistakes won’t be the end for them either. Jesus won’t leave them on the floor, because who can predict the blessings they bring to those around them? Or to us? Thank God they might succeed where we fail. And here’s the real scandal. They might not even be Christian. Grace is always more surpassing than we can imagine. This is why Jesus promises, “Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Because in that same cup of water they meet Christ with us. After all, whoever is not against us is for us. Thanks be to God.