I would never do that?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Have you ever said ‘I would never do that’ only to find yourself doing exactly that.
One person I read about swore they would never become a nurse. She said, my mother was a nurse. Both of my grandmothers as well. I always swore as I grew up, listening to mum’s gross stories, it was something I would never do. And besides that, how cliche, to just follow my Mum, and her Mum, and my Dad’s Mum. And so when I when I went to uni, I chose a completely different career…only to wind up becoming a nurse by 30.
It’s a dangerous thing to say ‘I would never do that’.
Another person I read about said when they were younger they swore they would never smoke. They even led an anti smoking campaign at their school. Fast forward 20 years and they have finally managed to quit.
It’s a dangerous thing to say ‘I would never do that’. Are you sure?
It’s the kind of thing we say to something that threatens our sense of who we are - I’m not the kind of person who could be a nurse! I’m more orginal than that. I’m not the kind of person who smokes - yuk.
But it’s a dangerous thing to say. And as these examples, and our reading today suggests, the fact that we say it with such outrage suggests that maybe we are protesting too much.
For a long time people have accused Christians of being in denial. Everyone from David Hume, to Sigmund Freud, to Richard Dawkins have accused Christians of being unable to accept the reality of what a human being is - a finite, frail creature in a cold, uncaring universe. Christians can’t deal with the reality and so we make up an afterlife and a God who will make everything ok.
The thing is, when you look at what Jesus actually says, he doesn’t exactly sugar coat things. If Christianity is about running from the hard facts of life, Jesus doesn’t exaclty make it easy. We’ve seen throughout Mark’s gospel that he calls people to pick up their cross and follow him. He calls them to sell everything they have and give the money away. He tells people who have made it their business to be religious that they have completely misunderstood God and are in danger of missing out on his kingdom. You can say many things about Jesus, but he never dilutes the truth in order to gain a following.
In fact, as we see in our passage today, Jesus also claims that we often in denial about who we are- not about being all alone in the universe, but about how easily we end up doing the very thing we claim we would never do.
And in fact, Jesus in his kindness is calling us to let go of our false consciousness to use Freuds term, our fairtales to use Dawkins language, the convenient noble lies we tell ourselves about who we are. He calls us to let go of them, and come and find true life and true acceptance in the arms of our heavenly Father.
Be realistic about your resistance
Be realistic about your resistance
Show
And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Jesus has been clearly following the agenda of the Messiah set out in the OT. He quotes Zechariah 13 as if to say, this is the next part of the track. Earlier in Zechariah, the prophet speaks of a king returning to Jerusalem, humble and riding on a donkey. Jesus has ticked that off - we know it as Palm Sunday. He’s done that, he knows what’s next.
And he tells the disciples - you’ll desert me.
At home we have this wonderful children’s story of the life of Peter and it has this refrain of Peter yelling ‘I would never do that’!
To be fair, the disciples have come along way. These are the same people that intitially rebuked Jesus for even suggesting that he would suffer. The same people who were arguing about who gets special priviledges in Jesus’ kingdom - on his left and right. Now they’re saying, ok yes Jesus if you have to die, we’re prepared to die with you. We won’t cut and run.
It’s progress right? They’ve understood.
They hear Jesus calling them to stand with him and they say, of course we will if it comes to that, we will.
But Jesus senses the dangerous naivety in their eagerness.
Illustration - determining God’s will a matter of being ‘at peace’?
I remember a few years ago when I was working with students at Charles Darwin University. The students there were at that stage of life where they had so many questions about the direction of their lives. Because they haven’t really made any decisions, everything was up in the air. What they would study. Where they would live. What career they would pursue. Who they would date, and perhaps marry. How many kids would they have? And all these options made them anxious. And my boss said, ‘yeah every year I have to teach the students about guidance and God’s will.’
Because so many of them had heard that God’s will was this really tricky thing to figure out, it was very difficult to know what God wanted to you to but if you could learn to listen to that inner sense of peace, you could do it. It was all about having a sense of calm particular option that you put to God. It never really entered their minds that God may call them to do something that fills them with dread.
Explanation - Jesus knows God’s will and is about as far from peace as you can get
But look at verse 33-35.
He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
These verses contain more words for negative emotions than the rest of Mark. Jesus feels distressed to the point of death. He is agitated. Extremely sad. He throws himself to the ground.
Jesus knows what God’s will is. It’s not hard to figure out. The problem is that he is being asked to do what no human being has ever succeeded in doing before - and that is obeying God to the end.
The question, the ultimate question is not, ‘how do I figure out God’s will’ but ‘will I do what he wants’. Or will I cut and run.
And Peter and the disciples response of ‘I would never do that’ shows that they are overestimating their ability to resist evil. They, like all of us think that the real problem is figuring out what is the good thing we need to do.
But Jesus in his kindness is saying, there might be some situations where we are genuinely perplexed, but most of the time the real problem is that we don’t want to do the good.
He’s trying to open our eyes and help us see who we truly are. What human beings are actually like. How little resistance we actually offer when we are tempted to do wrong.
Illustration
CS Lewis said that people often argue for democracy because human beings are so noble and wise that everyone should have a share in government. Lewis said ‘the real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. Aristotle said that some people were only fit to be slaves. I do not contradict him. But I reject slavery because I see no men fit to be masters’
The people who become tyrants in government, or tyrants over their families are not monsters. They’re ordinary human beings, like you and me.
Apply
When Jesus warns us of the need for constant prayer, when Jesus urges us to keep pondering his words every day, when he warns us how corruptable we are, we may think ‘that might be an issue for other people, it won’t be for me. I’m a good Christian. I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve never done drugs. I’ve never looted a supermarket. I would never do that.
Maybe.
But if Peter, even Peter who spent 3 years with Jesus, can deny even knowing him, then you and I are just as capable of caving in the face of evil too.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Be realistic about your ability to resist.
Instead of saying ‘I would never do that’, it would be far wiser, safer to say ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’
Transition
Jesus is trying to wake us up to the reality of who we are, so that we would not be caught napping.
And this leads us to the second wake up call here: the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, so be vigilan with yourself.
Be vigilant with yourself
Be vigilant with yourself
Illustrate
My kids love watching a show called PJ Masks. It’s about 3 kids who are ordinary children by day but at night they don these special pajamas suits that give them superhero powers. And in PJ Masks, there’s a character called Romeo. Romeo dresses like a mad scientists, he has this crazy hair, these big sinister looking goggles, and he has this totally over the top maniacal laugh.
I think, I suspect he might just be the bad guy. I’m not sure, it’s a bit subtle, but something tells me he’s up to no good.
It’s a kids show. But we all know life isn’t like that right? We know bad people don’t wear black eye masks and do the Dr. Evil laugh don’t we.
Don’t we?
Look at what Jesus says to the disciples after he has warned them that they’re coming to the crunch in verses 37-38
Show
He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But Peter and the disciples fall asleep again
He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Explain
The disciples have had a big day and right before this a big meal. In one sense you can understand that they’re feeling a bit dozy. But there’s more to it than that. Mark is trying to show us that the disciples just don’t get how close the danger really is.
But notice where they are. In a garden. There’s a human being wrestling with weather or not to obey God’s will or choose his own way. There’s someone running off naked in verse 51.
Ring any bells? Jesus is replaying Genesis 3. There’s just one thing missing. One thing conspicuously absent, or at least, hiding.
It’s the serpent. Satan is right there, screaming in Jesus ear to reject God and good and love and instead choose to save himself.
Jesus is being pressed, like the olives in the olive press that gives Gethsemane it’s name. He’s being squeezed between Satan and obedience to God.
Evil is so close. But Peter and the disciples think that when evil comes, they’ll spot it. They know what to look out for - the guy in red spandex, with a goatee, horns and a pitchfork. We don’t see him, so we can get a bit of rest.
But Jesus says, are you that naive?
You think life is a battle between choosing to have cornflakes for breakfast on the one hand or becoming an axe murderer on the other.
Evil is harder to spot than that. It’s closer to us, much closer than we want to admit.
Illustration - no one remembers being the bully
An article I read this week asked have you ever noticed how common it is for people to say that they were bullied at school? Almost everyone has a story of being bullied. Celebrities, movie stars, supermodels, beautiful and charismatic people. Even the most impressive people seem to have had a hard time of it when they were kids. But nobody seems to remember being the bully. It seems as if everyone was bullied by non-existent bullies.
The truth is that at some point in our lives, we were the bullies. The author goes on, at some point we encountered someone lower down the pole that us. And at some point we reasoned, well, other people had been cruel to me, which made me a victim: anything I did was, by definition, fighting back, being brave. After all I’d been through, didn’t I deserve to experience the joys of power? Just a little? As a treat?
Explain
The disciples think that evil only exists out there. With Rome, and the Pharisees, and Judas. And so they think that the real battle is carried out with swords. It’s about fighting back against those evil people.
It’s about spotting the bad guys and giving them what for and the challenge is whether or not you’ll be brave enough to stand and fight.
But look at what Jesus says in verse 48 when the rabble does arrive
Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?
The real battle with evil happened as the disciples were sleeping.
The real battle with evil happened inside. In Jesus own heart. Where he cries out to God, ‘take this cup from me’, ‘yet not what I will but you will’.
The battle with evil is not so much out there but in here.
Apply
The other day, a minister I know posted on facebook that he is working in the most secular suburb in Australia. I looked up the stats, and sure enough, more than 64% of people in his suburb say they have no religion. It would be very easy for him to walk through his suburb and see signs of evil everywhere. I know the suburb, there are literal signs everywhere calling for full communism, for anarchy, and even Satanism.
It would be just as easy for us to look at our city and conclude that the enemy is out there. 48% of people in postcode 2614 say they have no religion. It’s tempting to think that our battle is with the ACT Government’s secular agenda. I must admit that when I saw the images of the cross being taken down from Calvary hospital last year it did make me shake my head. Recently we had the Scripture Union annual dinner, and I was talking to plenty of people there about how frustrating it is that the principals of some of our local schools are hostile not just to us running a voluntary lunchtime scripture club, but even to the mandated once a term Christian Education programme.
It would be easy to think that the enemy is out there.
Jesus says, don’t be naive. Don’t think that the battle is just out there. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh, you flesh, my flesh is weak. So be vigilant. Be alert. Ask yourself, what am I avoiding. Why do I care about this issue so much? Could it be that I’m protecting my self-interest. All of those skeptical questions that our society tells us to throw at other people, Jesus calls us to ask them of ourselves so that by his willing Spirit we would resist evil.
Transition
Which leads to his final point.
Be dependent
Be dependent
State
Look at how Jesus prays
Show
He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”
Abba. This famously familiar, intimate term. The word children call out when they spot Daddy.
It’s one of love and dependence.
Explain
Jesus faces down evil not with bravado or wishful thinking but in prayer.
He is showing us what a human being should be. He is showing us that if we would only go and lean on God, he will help us.
Notice how direct his prayer is: ‘remove this cup from me’.
There’s no standing on ceremony. There’s no hiding behind pious language. It’s honest and direct.
If there’s a way for me to rescue humanity without drinking this cup - the consequences of all of the evil that humans do - then let it happen.
But not what I want, what you want.
And in acknowledging his temptation to God (Hebrews says Jesus was tempted), Jesus finds himself empowered by the Spirit to do what he knows is right.
He shows us that the only thing that will prevent us from receiving the help we need to overcome evil is pretending that we don’t really need it.
And while letting go of our defences, being honest about who we are to a God who is only ever good and right and just and true and beautiful might be terrifying, he’s given us a reason that can overcome all fear:
Come back to the start of our passage with me and look at verse 28 again.
Show
And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
"I know you're going to do this, but I'll have you back."
“I know what you’re capable of. I know that you’d prefer to deny it. I know that you’d prefer to think the problem is out there with those other people. I know all of that, and I know where it leads. But I still love you. I’ll have you back.”
Conclusion: Jesus loves the real you, not the one you’d like to be
Conclusion: Jesus loves the real you, not the one you’d like to be
Jesus loves the real you. The real me.
Not the idealised version that you and I keep in our heads. He loves the one who could definitely 'do that' - whatever the ‘that’ is that fills you with most revulsion. He loves the you that would've run off with the disciples, that would've shouted out crucify him, that would've mocked him, and even hammered the nails into his hands.
That version of us is the one we don’t want to acknolwedge. But Jesus says, that’s the you I love. That’s the you whose sins I bore. That’s the you I came to set free from delusions, from self-deception. So let me.