"Godly to Talk About It" | The Rev. Heidi Thorsen | February 28, 2021

“Godly to Talk About It,” sermon by the Rev. Heidi Thorsen

Lent 2b - February 28, 2021

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 | Romans 4:13-25 | Mark 8:31-38 | Psalm 22:22-30

May I speak in the name of God, who creates, redeems, and sustains us. Amen.

If I were to ask you to make a list of things that one should not talk about in church, I wonder what things might come up. Since I cannot ask that question in real time - or rather, I am mercifully deciding not to ask you - I figured I would ask the internet instead. Here are a number of things that some people think are taboo to talk about in church, according to a quick internet search. In church, we are afraid to talk about: addiction, sexuality, doubt, politics, other religions, racism, climate change, domestic and interpersonal abuse, money, illness, mental health, loneliness, grief. And that is just a short list of things that could be mentioned. Perhaps, as I was reading the list, you found that there were some topics that made you more anxious than others. Perhaps you are thinking this is not a great way to begin a sermon.

Well. Our gospel passage for today is all about talking about things that make us uncomfortable, but are important to talk about nevertheless. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus begins to foretell his death and resurrection, in conversation with his disciples - and the disciples do not want to hear about it. 

This is the first time that Jesus says these things in the gospel of Mark. It is a rather surprising turning point in this short Gospel, which has been focused up to this point on Jesus’ ministry in action: Jesus casting out demons, Jesus teaching through parables, Jesus walking on water and healing and feeding five thousand people in a deserted place. At many points following these signs and miracles, Jesus warns his disciples and other onlookers not to tell anyone. In chapter 1 verse 44, after healing a man from leprosy, Jesus says, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (Mark 1:44). Again in chapter five Jesus does something incredible - raising a child from the dead - and instead of telling his disciples to spread the word he strictly orders them that no one should know this has taken place. In chapter seven Jesus causes a man who is deaf and mute to hear and speak. And then Jesus orders the onlookers, somewhat predictably at this point, to tell no one. This theme of secrecy is so prevalent in the Gospel of Mark that Biblical scholars have even given a name to it - it is called the Messianic Secret. This term refers to Jesus’ repeated insistence that the disciples keep silent about Jesus’ messianic identity throughout the gospel of Mark.

Jesus’ secrecy can be somewhat confusing to Christians today, who know and experience the gospel as something to be learned and shared. I think secrecy serves an important function in the gospel of Mark (and we will get there), but first, I want to note how this atmosphere of secrecy makes Jesus’ foretelling of his death and resurrection such a notable change, in the context of today’s gospel reading. The text goes like this, “Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all of this quite openly.” Quite openly, the Gospel says. This is the same Jesus who has told his disciples over and over again not to tell others that Jesus is the messiah. Ironically, as soon as Jesus begins to speak more openly, about his own death and resurrection, the disciples suddenly find that they are not interested in that level of honesty anymore.

This is the first of three occasions where Jesus foretells his death and resurrection in the Gospel of Mark. The first time, as we see in today’s reading, Peter outwardly rebukes Jesus for his honesty. The second time the disciples remain awkwardly silent. It says in Chapter 9, “they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him” (Mark 9:32). The third and final time Jesus speaks to them about this, in Chapter 10, there is no commentary at all about how the disciples react, as if they are still uncertain how to respond to this degree of honesty. 

What do we do with this confusing balance of secrecy and openness in the gospel of Mark? First, I think it’s important to note that all of Jesus’ instructions for people to stay silent happen in the context of Jesus doing something amazing, and the disciples wanting to share this with others as proof that Jesus is the Messiah. It’s as if the disciples want to provide the Spark Notes version of Jesus’ ministry, the shortcut, the annotated version to arrive at this important conclusion: Jesus is the messiah. The disciples want to give away the big reveal to people who have not read the whole book - to people who have not walked with Jesus, and experienced his transformative ministry first hand. And so, Jesus tells the disciples and other witnesses to stay silent. It’s as if other people can’t simply be told that Jesus is the Messiah. Instead they have to experience it for themselves.

The second important thing to note is that Jesus is radically open, radically honest, in the company of his friends and disciples. It’s as if, once that relationship has been established, there is nothing they cannot talk about. They can even talk about Jesus’ future suffering, rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection. At least, that is the level of honesty that Jesus desires of his disciples. The disciples are not quite ready to meet him there. When Peter rebukes Jesus for speaking so openly, Jesus turns right back to Peter and rebukes him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

There is something particularly human about wanting to avoid the things that we need most to talk about. Jesus is trying to be honest with Peter about the future; to prepare him and the disciples for a journey that includes suffering and rejection. But Peter doesn’t want to hear it. Peter is in denial. In other words, Peter’s reaction shows a very human state of mind. He wants to push away everything that is messy and complicated, and simply not talk about it. 

Jesus rightly points out, “you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” What a fitting thing to say. This statement speaks to Peter’s unwillingness to confront the divine significance of the events that Jesus will go through; and it also reveals that there is something holy about honesty, in and of itself. If it is human to deny certain realities, then is godly to name them. It is godly to speak about those things which we are afraid to talk about, those things that are so much a part of our lived experiences. It is godly to talk about all those taboo things that I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon - because there is nothing, nothing, that the love of God does not reach and shed light on.

Further on in today’s gospel passage, Jesus says: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” I think that what Jesus is inviting us to do, here in this passage, is to deny those parts of ourselves that are walled up, closed up, self-protecting to the point of never growing, never changing. Jesus is inviting us to embark on a journey of honesty. A journey where we bravely set aside our assumptions, our opinions, our biases - setting aside our life, in effect, so that we can get ourselves out of the way and follow Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus does not mean that we suddenly inherit a list of things that we cannot talk about. On the contrary, being a follower of Jesus means that we talk about and consider all things in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At any given moment, there are a number of things that I don’t want to talk about. I don’t want to talk about them, because they make me feel vulnerable. I don’t want to talk about them because I am afraid of messing up, and saying the wrong thing. I don’t want to talk about them because they are exhausting. I think again of the list of things that we don’t like to talk about, that I read at the beginning of this sermon: addiction, sexuality, doubt, politics, other religions, racism, climate change, domestic abuse, money, illness, mental health, loneliness, grief. There are other things as well. We don’t want to talk about these things. And yet Jesus is there, ready to talk about all of it. Ready walk with us through the most messy, complicated parts of our lives. Ready to help us take up our cross, take up those burdens with courage and honesty, and follow him. 

And as followers of Christ, we model our own relationships after discipleship with Jesus. This means that we are called to be brave in our conversations with one another. We are called to be honest about what weighs on our hearts. We are called to create safe spaces where we can talk about uncomfortable things. And we are called to be ready to listen, without automatically casting judgment or offering advice, so that we can move beyond our own limited view of the world to a broader view of the world - a view as broad and wide as the love of God.

There is resurrection, at the end of the story. After the suffering, the rejection, the passion of Jesus Christ - there is resurrection. Like Peter, we want to skip over the hard stuff, and focus on the good things. And yet God has shown us a more excellent way. For in travelling with one another - through our anxieties, through our struggles - we find hope and new life. When we open up ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus - we experience resurrection. Amen.