The 18th Sunday after Pentecost 2024
Texts: Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37
(Listen to the sermon at 19:56 into the video HERE)
We heard a lot of ‘old sayings’ when I was growing up, the kind of things that we heard so many times we would roll our eyes. ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ ’The early bird gets the worm.’ ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’—which I never understood. Who would want an old horse with failing teeth and arthritis? ‘A watched pot never boils.’ ‘Set your standards low and you’ll accomplish it.’
These old sayings contained wisdom in them. Wisdom develops from the experience of those who came before us, and it is good advice for any time and place.
There is one theme that ties together all 3 lessons and the psalm this morning. The theme is wisdom, in particular, the wisdom that comes from seeking heavenly things rather than mere earthly things.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of old sayings, probably from Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean about how to live a good life.
The very last part of the book describes the good wife who fears the Lord. From the way she manages her household we can see that she is filled with heavenly virtues. She is humble, faithful, grateful, diligent, thoughtful, prudent, generous, compassionate, and kind. We are not going to be reading about her in the headlines of the paper or hearing about her on the 6:00 news.
These virtues were instilled in her from her belief in God, her trusting relationship with him, living in obedience to God’s expectations for all of us as his children. Above everything else in life she is seeking the heavenly things and this pursuit impacts how she deals with earthly things. What she believes about God is revealed in how she lives her life. She does not have to cheat, or misuse people, or be dishonest or greedy, or expect things for which she has not worked. She trusts that God will provide, she is grateful for what she has, and she is thoughtful with it.
Psalm 1 sets the tone for the way the people of God should seek to live.
“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night.”
This is not just the 1st psalm, but it is perhaps the most important of all the psalms, because it sets before us the most significant choice in life—whether we will live according to the values of God or the values of the world. The good life is to be found in seeking heavenly things.
James is very clear in his letter this morning about the importance of wisdom.
“Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality, or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”
James concludes, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
Wise people draw near to God, and it brings them peace and the proper perspective on material things. Just imagine how different our lives would be, how different this world would be, if more people would accept James’ advice. Seek the heavenly things, the things that are above.
So, now we come to the Gospel lesson from Mark. Jesus is teaching the disciples about what is to come, and because they are distracted by their own thoughts, which are focused on earthly things, they are confused. They had been arguing among themselves who was a better disciple. They had set their sights too low, on what we might call ‘the pecking order’. I guess the higher up you are in the pecking order, the more privileges you have.
One problem with comparing yourselves to others is that it might easily lead to doing something stupid. We most often see this in sports, where competitors try to break the rules to win.
One time when I was a teenager I was watching two young hounds chasing each other around the barn. They were trying to best one another in nipping and running away. They were running almost full speed looking at one another when one of them ran right into the corner of the barn and almost knocked himself out. So, it happens even among animals, that competing with one another can lead to doing stupid things.
Back to the disciples. They were doing just what those two hounds were doing, comparing themselves to see who was better. They were arguing about their position in the earthly kingdom, thinking Jesus would be an earthly king. They were confused. Fortunately, for them, and for us, Jesus was patient and merciful.
Jesus taught them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such as a child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
What Jesus is saying to them is how we treat the child is how we treat God. We are to welcome God into our lives and embrace him as we would embrace one of our children or grandchildren. This is the wise way to live, seeking the heavenly things and embracing them.
What are these heavenly things?
Just imagine what life would be like, what the world would be like, without evil in it, without sin. This was the way God intended everything to be before Adam and Eve broke it.
Those of us who believe in God and his Son Jesus Christ have a role to play in healing the world. While it may seem to be such an enormous task, it begins with the small things we do every day, praying and listening to God, seeking the heavenly things. In seeking the heavenly things we can, like the good wife, begin to embody God’s goodness in this world. Amen.
