Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (2009)

God’s Power over Earthly Wisdom Rev. Toby Byrd

Mark 6:1-13 (ESV)

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. [2] And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? [3] Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. [4] And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." [5] And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. [6] And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching. [7] And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. [8] He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— [9] but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. [10] And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. [11] And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." [12] So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. [13] And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

St. Mark tells us in today’s Gospel that our Lord, Jesus had left Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee, returning with His disciples to His home city of Nazareth. On the Sabbath, Jesus and the disciples went to the synagogue to worship. It was customary, for the rulers of the synagogue, to permit visiting rabbi’s to read from the scroll and address the congregation, thus, this honor was offered to Jesus. According to St. Luke (4:17), Jesus read from the book of Isaiah and then turned to the congregation and began to teach them that the ancient prophesy of Isaiah was being fulfilled in their presence.

At first, the gracious words of Jesus pleased the congregation. They couldn’t help but wonder how the son of Joseph came by such great knowledge and wisdom. Thus, they asked, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?” (v.2). However, St. Luke tells us when Jesus begins to rebuke them for their unbelief, their hardness of heart, and their blindness to God’s Word, their sentiment changed from wonderment to anger and hatefully they turned on Him.

They begin to ask questions, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him” (v.3). They ponder; He is only a visiting rabbi, here today, gone tomorrow. Who does He think He is coming in here telling us how we should worship or that we should repent of our sin and turn to God! Their blindness to the truth of God’s Word was causing them swerve off the righteous path that leads to heaven and putting them straight into the sin-filled ditch where Satan gladly leads all to hell. However, this is nothing new for God’s chosen people.

Many people, who should have followed our Lord’s voice gladly and enthusiastically, have instead looked to earthly wisdom for their salvation. Centuries before Jesus appeared at the synagogue in Nazareth, God called Ezekiel to be His prophet. As such, He instructed him to deliver a call of heartfelt repentance to the people of Israel. Along with His directions, God also gave Ezekiel a warning against the major frustration that would come from delivering that message. God said, "I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn” (Ezek. 2:3-4). Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Far too many congregations, who call themselves Christian rebel against the Word of God and chose to walk an earthly path, believing this is the way to heaven, such rebellious people desire earthly wisdom, over God’s power.

For centuries, God’s people chose to ignore His prophets, even killing them when they disagreed with their message. It mattered not how often or forceful God’s Word was given to His people they continued to turn a deaf ear to His Word. Although God’s chosen people were eye-witnesses of His power and mercy, they still chose to disobey. Impatience and unbelief led them to separate into two nations. Yet even the complete destruction of one of those nations and the enslavement of the other did little to change their hardened hearts. However, God’s plan of salvation never changed. Our heavenly Father is steadfast and He did not allow centuries of disobedience to get in the way of His promise of a Savior. Fulfilling His promise to Adam and Eve, God sent His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, into the world to destroy sin, death and the devil once and for all.

Years now have past since the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus and we get a glimpse of the people’s response to the start of His ministry. Returning to His hometown of Nazareth Jesus was a celebrity, the local boy who made good. Miracles were being performed, messages were being delivered, and multitudes were being touched by the Savior. Word of these exploits had filtered back to the people of Nazareth and for the most part the people were proud of Him and His reputation. However, when our Lord, Jesus begins to preach God’s Word to them, the citizens of Nazareth react in a predictable way.

To say they were displeased with their old friend and boyhood comrade is an understatement. They didn’t offer him the key to the city nor did they have a parade or name a street after Him. Instead, they hung out a sign that read, “Do Not Disturb” on their minds and hearts. They were guided by earthly wisdom, wisdom that ignores God’s Word condemning sin, and wisdom that ignores Christ’s power to save. So strong was their rejection of the Lord and what He desired to do among them and so powerful was their desire to silence Him that they tried to murder their ex-friend and home-town boy right then and there. Some might be surprised, but Jesus wasn’t, after all, murdering prophets was a national tradition (Mt. 23:31).

Now here we are, some 21 centuries later and not much has changed. Of course, physically murdering our resurrected Savior is out of the question, but spiritually murdering Him is not. Far too many people, relying on their earthly wisdom, look for salvation from their own strength rather than the power of Christ. Man’s desire to embrace earthly wisdom has resulted in a society that has few beliefs or ethical boundaries. Earthly wisdom says, “It’s okay to cheat on your taxes or cheat on your spouse, just don’t get caught.” Earthly wisdom says, “Vacate your values, cancel your commitments, and ignore your integrity.” Earthly wisdom says “This is true because it’s my opinion and I’m entitled to my opinion.” Such wisdom though is based on subjective reasoning rather than fact and this always leads to the wrong conclusion and away from God’s clear Word.

This craving for earthly wisdom has, all too often, made people into double-talkers. Sin has been sugarcoated to make it appear acceptable. Lying has become simply “stretching the truth.” Cheating is nothing more than “bending the rules.” Lusting is nothing more than a “healthy admiration.” Hatred is reduced to a mere “dislike.” Gossiping is merely the “harmless talk” of the opinionated. Envy and coveting is nothing more than “appreciating what others have.” Murder is a “big mistake.” Substance abuse is “an unfortunate misdirection.” Gluttony is simply the “lack of will power.” A violent individual is “temperamental.” Homosexuals are only “practicing a God-given alternate lifestyle.” This affinity to walk away from God’s clear Word and rely on earthly wisdom has infected our social and government agencies as well. Today, our legislators in Washington are giving serious consideration to a new Hate Crimes Bill that will have the ability to reach into the pulpit and incarcerate pastors who speak God’s Word against sin. There is no end to the sinister nature of earthly wisdom. Enticed by Satan, God’s people are led astray to desire earthly wisdom rather than the Savior’s power that calls the lost from the darkness of sin into the light of the Gospel.

Without our Savior, Jesus Christ, we are like the Titanic¾steaming through the treacherous waters of life, oblivious to the dangers around us. The Titanic had received numerous warnings that they were sailing into an ice field and each of these warnings were ignored. In fact, when a nearby ship sent an urgent caution message, the radioman on the Titanic was talking ship to shore about what time chauffeurs were to meet passengers at the dock. Rather than react to the seriousness of the warnings, he was sharing menus to be prepared for “welcome home dinners” that would never be served. Preoccupied with trivia, the Titanic response to the radio warnings was to, “Shut up. You are jamming my signal.” Two thousand years ago that was the response of the people of Nazareth to our Savior. “Shut up, Jesus. You are upsetting our plans.” It is also the response of many in this modern age; “Don’t bother us, Jesus. We will rely on earthly wisdom not the power of Your blood to rescue us from damnation.” Sadly, far too many do not realize that without the power, love, and mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ, there is nothing but damnation.

When Old Testament people shut their ears to the prophets who spoke God’s message of repentance, the Lord did not force them to hear. Instead, He allowed them to follow their own path; worshipping their man-made gods and committing their own transgressions. When the people of Nazareth shut their ears to our Lord’s message of salvation, He did not demand that they hear Him. He did not call down legions of angels to strike down the doubters. He did not perform one miracle after another until they were forced to admit He was God’s Son. Instead, Jesus allowed them to reject Him. Moreover, He marveled at their disbelief and He was unable to perform His miracles among them. Therefore, He said; “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household” (v. 4).

Sadly, today it is all too common to say that a pastor is not without honor except in his own church and therein, the Word of our Lord is stifled by disbelief and hatred. Yet, faithful and true pastors take great comfort in knowing the promise of Christ who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12 ESV).

On that day when Jesus walked through the Nazareth crowd, the crowd that had threatened to kill Him, He did so with finality. Never again would He come to that community or preach to that city. Never again would He call them to a new covenant of God’s grace and forgiveness. They had rejected Him and therefore He shook off the dust that was on His feet as a testimony against them (v. 11). Thus, the question must be asked, what will the Lord do with those who mistreat and kill His pastors as they have His prophets and as they have Him?

God called Ezekiel to be His prophet to a rebellious people and even if they didn’t listen to Ezekiel preach, they would know that a prophet has been among them (Ezek. 2:5). Moreover, God bolstered Ezekiel by telling him not to fear the people or their words. Although they should attack him as thorns or scorpions, fear them not. Continue to faithfully preach the Word I give you, rely solely on My strength and remind the people all that you say comes from the Lord, saying, “Thus, says the Lord God” (Ezek. 3:11). Ezekiel was instructed to do these things whether the people listened to him or not. Such is the call of a true pastor today; “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2 ESV).

God gave Ezekiel an ominous warning for the people, “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30 (ESV). Here is God’s wrath on full display and “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31 ESV). However, this need not be. Our Lord, Jesus says to us, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15 ESV).

The kingdom of God is at hand and has been ever since our Lord, Jesus came into the world to save us from our sinful selves; to save us from earthly wisdom. Our heavenly Father has showered His mercy and love on us through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is offered, for all, for the forgiveness of sin and for the restoration to life with Him. Moreover, this offer of salvation and rescue from ourselves, comes only through God’s power not earthly wisdom. It is not based on our effort, our works, or our wisdom; it is based solely on what God has already done for us. It is based on God’s loving grace that calls us to repentance and forgives our sins for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ.

That’s what Jesus did for us. Saving us from sin, death, and Satan, our Lord Jesus removes the moral barrier between God and ourselves. Thus, He replaces earthly wisdom for God’s power; the power of the Gospel to forgive sin. This was His first priority. Saving us was more important than having His hometown love Him. Saving us was more important than having the crowds follow Him. Saving us was more important than saving Himself from an agonizing death on the cross because sin could only be forgiven through His atoning, life saving blood.

Having heard the Savior’s words of salvation in the Gospel, having seen Him fulfill every prophecy, and having watched His powerful sacrifice on Calvary’s cross; we cannot help but lay aside our earthly wisdom and cling solely to God’s power of the Gospel. Doing so, we gladly make His mission our own: His desire to save lost souls becomes our desire.

We may never be called on to make a great witness, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can give a steady one. Although we may never powerfully preach eloquent sermons before great crowds, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can quietly whisper the name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Although we may not die for Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can live for Him. No, we are not miracle workers, but we can with the help of the Holy Spirit, be faithful followers of our Lord, Jesus Christ, doing all that shows true Christian commitment. It is the steady sun, not the lightning that illuminates the world. It is regular rain, not the damaging downpour that waters the field. Thus, it is your daily faithfulness to Christ that shapes and influences the world and helps to grow the church. You have been given Christ’s power through your call to faith, rely on that power and reject worldly ways and earthly wisdom. Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, most merciful Lord, turn our hearts and minds from earthly wisdom and lead us to You, where we can live out our days relying solely on Your power to sustain us and protect us from the power of the evil One. Guide all congregations as they engage in faithfully calling people to repentance. Keep them faithful in their proclamation of Your Word, even when confronted with the stubborn and hard-hearted, which refuse to hear Your message. Bless their proclamation so many will receive Your forgiveness. Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.