(Proper 26B) There is no other besides him
Devotion to the only One
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Moses said to the people, “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Psalm 119:1-8, (9-16) BCP 489
Hebrews 7:23-28
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came up and heard the Sadducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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“There is no other besides him”
Anglicans of all Christian traditions, should know this verse from Mark better than any other.
Every Sunday in English churches all around the world the Summary of the Law is read to remind us of our proper response to the grace of God. Loving God and Loving neighbor.
Jesus said it, we can’t say it better. Most likely the homily should end here. And I can hear you say mentally, yes! Yes! End here. But there is also a tradition to be honored; sermons should be at least 6 minutes, and no more than 20 according to recent Anglican tradition. You may be thankful that you are not in some evangelical traditions where pastor labors on for an hour or two.
Today it has been five years since 9/11, we are in a war that has already surpassed WWII in length and it wears us down. We are tired of the fighting, the blasting of civilians, and the death and wounding of our soldiers. Then we have tragedies in our country. and in the midst of war our country was rocked by events beyond our control as we’ve seen cities stagger and people uprooted as a result of the great flooding and Hurricane that swept across the Gulf coast.
Columnist Kathleen Parker on Sept 6 of 2005 wrote: “What can you say about horror? Not much. Nothing pithy comes to mind, no commentary rings quite true. As when terrorists struck nearly four years ago, America has been rendered aghast, this time not by man but by a terrorizing force of nature…Once again, America finds itself at a loss for words” (“The Pantagraph,” 9/6/05).
In the face of horror, We know not what to say, but perhaps in our silence we can hear from the Holy One who sits enthroned above the earth, who yet is attentive to our cry. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 12:28-34. Let’s set the context. It’s the last week of Jesus’ life. He has cleared out the temple and chased away the money-changers and now his enemies unleash a hurricane of hatred toward Him. At the end of chapter 11, the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders confront Christ with a question. In 12:13 we read, “Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.” These divergent groups, that didn’t even like each other, banded together to try to trap Jesus. In verse 18, the Sadducees ask him a crazy question about the afterlife. The answer Jesus gives them in verse 24: “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?” Before the power of God, that will eventually be seen and understood, even in the midst of the current madness and clamor of men seeking power, perhaps the best answer is to in silence listen to God speak.
One of the rabbis, who had heard this debate, was drawn to Jesus. Likewise, in the midst of the questions and even the conflict surrounding the catastrophe in the Gulf Coast, let’s make sure and go to Jesus as well. This man asked the following question in verse 28: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
Focus again on the 1st and Great Command. Love God with all your heart, strength, soul mind and we could also say body. Love God first.
Tuesday of this week, in the early a.m. as I read Mark 12, the line following the Great Command stood out where he said, “Think about me.” Jesus said, “there is no other besides him.”
For centuries, for millennia the Children of Abraham, the disciples of Moses have said, “Here O Israel, the Lord our God is one.” Jesus repeats it with the tag line, “There is no other.” There is nothing else to think about, worry about, meditate on or serve as guide for our lives. None other to whom we should go in worship or in prayer.
Is the name Thales a household word for you? Do you know Thales? How about Dewey? Anyone know Dewey” No the Dewey to whom I refer was not a Republican politician or a nephew of Donald Duck. Dewey was an American philosopher at the beginning of the 20th century. Thales was a Greek philosopher at the beginning of philosophy over 500 years before the birth of Jesus.
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(Playlet illustration)
The primary text for philosophy 101 in the fall of 1955 when I entered college, was a text entitled
“From Thales to Dewey” a history of philosophy.
Picture a 17 year old country boy coming home for the week end excited by his study of philosophy and the things he had learned.
Dad: “What did you learn at college sonny?”
Sonny: “Well, the Greeks said the whole world, the whole universe is full of stuff!”
Dad:“That right?”
Sonny: “Yup, but they couldn’t agree whether it is made of one stuff or many kinds of stuff.”
Dad:“Any fool can see there is more than one kind of stuff around here, just look at the stuff in the barn!”
Sonny: “The Greeks were talking about the stuff inside of the stuff we see. Like the atoms that make up everything around us. Thales thought that there is some sort of life or soul in all stuff. That is why magnets attract iron. There is a soul in everything.”
Dad: “I always wondered if animals have a soul. Keep working on it Sonny, you’ll figure it out.”
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Later philosophers whose names you have heard, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and others worked on the problems that Thales discussed. Thales had turned his back on the old Gods, on the idea that there are many gods controlling the movements of the world and the destinies of men. He and the philosophers before him, were, in their thinking pre-Christians, looking for the one thing that is everything.
It is particularly interesting and instructive to me, looking back on the last century and my coming to consciousness in the middle of it, that Gordon Clark who wrote the text picked John Dewey as the philosopher to stand at the terminus of his work. John Dewey came to prominence in the last decade of the of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. Dewey taught in universities of Michigan and the brand new university of Chicago (1903). Pragmatism, logical thought became a main theme of his teaching and influence on American life.
Now the teaching of John Dewey has been bastardized and become common place in American life. It is one bit of the stuff of philosophy that everyone of you and all other Americans have enthusiastically embraced. Dewey’s philosophy has been reduced has been reduced to five words that we live by.
IT’S TRUE IF IT WORKS!
It’s true if it works. The automobile is a wonderful invention. It truly gives me a comfortable ride for 100s of miles. It is reliable and swift. It works.
Salemen and Advertisers appear on tv 24 hours a day telling us how wonderful their stuff is because it works. Our stuff is true, buy it. Fill your house, your closets with the right stuff! Stuff works, it is true. Stuff your mind with stuff that works. For just $19.95 you can buy 10 thoughts to think, 10 exercises to do and by golly you will be able to do stuff and everyone will admire your stuff.
Politicians invite us to vote for them because they have all the right stuff, and are made of the right stuff. Schools stuff the minds of students with right thinking in effect saying if it works it is true.
But there comes a day when that first marvelous mini-van that I bought in the 1980s wore out. Some of the stuff in it broke. It didn’t work any more. It was no longer true. . .a great disappointment. Part of my stuff wasn’t right anymore.
Our garages and closets become filled with worn out stuff, and what is all that stuff that is accumulating around my waist line? And why aren’t the ideas I bought in the self-help book helping?
Why do I feel that much of the stuff I hear, and much of the stuff I have is not true; just stuff and nonsense?
The answer is that we have picked up on the wrong side of the argument going on since the days of Thales about the One and the Many. Is the universe at its base, at bottom, at the very heart many or one?
Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles lived in lands and in a time where the people around them, in power and in the popular culture believed the answer was Many.
The pagan philosophies, practices and religions said the answer was “many.” When the answer is “many” it is easy to prize right stuff above persons. When the answer is “many”, it is easy to marginalize and ignore people who don’t agree with your view of what stuff is right and treat them as if they are not worthy of our attention. It is easy for nations to use their right stuff to blow up the stuff of others. It is easy for unscrupulous persons to steal your stuff. And then, if stuff has been your focus, you will feel lost without your stuff.
Think how many times Jesus spoke clearly to the problem of the One and the Many.
In regard to our enemies He said love them. He didn’t say be afraid of those who try to terrify you. He said, “Fear God.” In regard to the stuff that is being sold to us as the right stuff to have, He said, “Don’t treasure the things here; moths will eat it, rust will corrupt it and thieves will take it from you. Treasure the heavenly, if your heart is there, your treasure will be there.”
Brutes, thugs and evil leaders have not the power to terrify you, make you afraid unless you allow it. Karl Barth who saw the reign of terror that was descending on Germany in the name of nationalism feared not Hitler who stayed in power by appealing to the fear of the people that they would be over run by the Jews, the French and the English. Barth sent one of his pamphlets to Hitler. He was unafraid of Hitler and confident in the power of God to deliver. Pope John II when he was bishop of Poland did not fear the atheistic communists who had captured control of his country. He counseled Christians to peaceably appeal to the government to allow them freedom to assemble for worship and prayer. Though he was a target of attempted assassination by a Muslim possibly egged on by Communist conspirators, he remained confident in God.
Our prayer book contains a prayer that says, “We will not fear the power of any adversary.” This is the confidence with which we should approach a culture, so hardened that it has forgotten our Lord. Oh we still parade the trappings of Easter and Christmas, but we are being taught to fear adversaries, to love stuff and devote our lives to lesser things than the One.
Jesus, when tempted by Satan with all the stuff in the whole world, including power over the world rebuked Satan saying, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus knew that Satan had no power to grant the kingdoms of the world, that only God in his providence determines who rules.
Ananias the high priest when Paul was on trial before him ordered that Paul be slapped across the mouth because he was defending himself as a servant of God. Paul’s response was , “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed tomb! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck? “ Paul knew he was dealing with outlaws, but didn’t fear the petty authorities, He knew who it was he believed in and was persuaded He would keep that which he had committed until the day of final judgment. He knew his redeemer lived and cared.
Jesus, on trial before Rome’s Procurator, the supreme authority in Judea refused to answer the question, “Who are you, where do you come from?” Pilate was afraid because he had heard rumors about Jesus and that he possessed unusual powers.
Pilate’s response to Jesus silence was, “Won’t you speak to me? Don’t you know I have power to have you crucified or released?”
Jesus’ answer was “You could have no power at all against me unless it were given to uyou from above.”
Pilate realized the truth of this statement and wanted to release Jesus. But Pilate was a man who had lots of stuff given to him by Rome as long as he kept down a rebellion. Ultimately he caved in to the crowd and sent Jesus off to be crucified in order to protect his stuff and Rome’s stuff.
The collect prayer immediately following the Collect for the Day in our morning prayer service has the lines: “Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we surely trusting in thy defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The One and the Many. Jesus has solved this problem for us long ago.
Jesus words to his disciples, and to the Church in all times, and to Good Shepherd at a time when we are contemplating what lies ahead, are these:
Luke 12
Take no thought, be not anxious for your life, what you will eat; neither for the body; what you shall put on for life is more than meat and the body more than raiment.
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet. . .Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
But rather, seek ye first the Kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not little flock ; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.. . .
Charles Scott, Vicar
Church of the Good Shepherd
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://www.goodshepherdindy.org
crscottblu@yahoo.com
