"the Bad Habits Of Jesus"

In Jesus Holy Name June 2, 2024

Text: Mark 2:23-24,27-28 Pentecost II Redeemer

“The Bad Habits of Jesus”

Each Sunday in this liturgical calendar year our gospel readings are from the Book of Mark. Mark begins by saying. This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus ….the Son of God.” Each chapter is designed and written by Mark to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. Not only who He is but what He will accomplish by His death and resurrection.

In chapter 1 Jesus expelled demons from people. The demons knew who He was, the Holy One of God. They thought His arrival was the final day of judgment. In Chapter 3 the Pharisees tried to “cancel” Jesus. In chapter 4 the disciples have to decide if Jesus is more than a Jewish prophet who heals people when He displays authority over a storm.

This event in chapter 2 finds Jesus and his disciples walking in the grain fields and grabbing a little grain to eat. The same event appears in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 12. The Pharisees are tagging along with Jesus and looking for ways to accuse Jesus of being a very “bad” Rabbi.

Jesus has healed many, but his biggest mistake was forgiving a paralytic man his “sins”. Therefore the Pharisees rightly accuse Him of blasphemy because only God has the right to forgive sins at the Temple in Jerusalem. If Jesus was a good Rabbi, He would know that.

Then to prove His point that He had the authority to forgive sins and thus replace the “temple” as the only place where God forgave sins, Jesus told the paralytic, “Get up and walk.” To their consternation the man got up and walked.

Even though Jesus esteemed Rabbi in Israel Jesus had habits and behaviors that were considered bad in the eyes of the culture of his day. However His bad habits reveal truths about God’s love and message That God loves the sinner and calls us to repentance. (“the Bad Habits of Jesus” Leonard Sweet p. xv)

On this particular Sabbath, as Jesus and His disciples are walking through the grain fields it is obvious that the Pharisees had a serious “chip” on their shoulder.

Today it seems that there are many who are quick to take offense or to expect others to follow rules that they have created. We live in a world where people are in a constant state of frustration and anger. They might be upset about the economy, gas prices, food prices, college protests, any number of things….even things they can not put their finger on… leads to frustration and anger. Road rage is not just a chip on someone’s shoulder it is an entire forest.

It may seem like a long time ago when morality and conscience provided a compass for correct behavior. Now it’s politics and the PC crowd which makes language a minefield. If the culture rejects the values of God as expressed in the scriptures and thru the person of Jesus, then the culture will collapse or it will seek to find a replacement. The replacement is the PC crowd of cancellation. It is what happened to the children of Israel after Joshua died. The Jewish historian wrote: “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

Take for instance the recent uproar that the KC Football kicker, Harrison Butker,

stirred up by giving a commence address at the small Benedictine Roman Catholic College.

What was so offensive in his commence address that has kept the culture from “The View” to “Facebook” in an uproar? Just like Jesus, Harrison put people in an uncomfortable position, asking questions people did not want to answer. Making them face moral choices that they were unwilling to face for fear of culture rejection. “The fear of rejection, the fear of cancelation” is now suppose to be the “fence” around human behavior instead of the “words of Jesus”., the 10 commandments.

During his commencement speech Harrison said. “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.” “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

He also called Pride Month a “deadly sin”, then adding that a woman’s

accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals. He took aim at President Joe Biden's policies, including his condemnation of the Supreme Court's reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

In response to all the criticism and PC hatred he responded: “Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe.”