The Story- No Ordinary Man

No Ordinary Man       March 10 and 11, 2016

Scripture: Mark 5: 1-20

            There’s a phenomenal story about Jesus in the Gospels that leaves his followers quite speechless. It would probably leave us speechless as well, maybe even a bit scared, but it’s an important story to know. Jesus and his disciples are on a boat when a storm whips up. With the wind howling and the waves crashing, the disciples run around trying to preserve their ship and save their lives, but astonishingly, Jesus is fast asleep. He must be the type of guy who can sleep through anything, even disturbing, life-threatening storms. Except this storm doesn’t seem to phase him. It phases every other person, but it does not phase him. When they finally get him awake, Jesus calmly walks to the upper level of the boat and tells the storm to calm down…and it does. The waves grow smaller, the wind dies down and peace takes over…and the disciples are left with one overarching question: Who is this man?  Because this guy is not ordinary.  Today as we continue The Story, we’ll be looking at Jesus and his wonderfully different ways..  If you have your Bibles…

            This might be one of the oddest stories in the Bible. When I was young, I never quite understood why Jesus would send a herd of pigs hurtling down a hill to their certain death- and admittedly, I still don’t understand. The pigs did nothing wrong. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that the story isn’t about pigs, but about a man who saw the world differently, a man who could look into the eye of a social misfit and still see something beautiful. And for me, that always sticks out because that’s not an ordinary way to see the world. And Jesus is anything but ordinary. I had originally planned to use another passage for today’s sermon, but I think this odd story with demons and pigs and confused community members paints a wonderful picture of something Jesus often talked and preached about: the kingdom of God.

            We don’t know much about kingdoms in our world, but our minds have been shaped by what we’ve seen and read. Thanks to Walt Disney and JRR Tolkein and others, we’ve grown up in a culture of fairy tales and far-away kingdoms and Prince Charmings. On any given day, my youngest daughter strives to be Queen Elsa, with her powers to turn objects into ice, or Rapunzel, with her long, beautiful flowing hair. But that’s not quite what Jesus had in mind. In fact, when Jesus talks about a kingdom, doesn’t seem to be talking about a place at all, but rather a certain way of life, a life consumed and directed by the presence of God. When he comes preaching and teaching about the kingdom, he says that it’s close and near and within. And he does it all by using words instead of swords and love and humility instead of force. And he says it’s something we can be a part of. Whatever God is up to, there’s a place for us. But he also says it’s not automatic.

In one of his parables, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to seed that is scattered in a field. Some of the seed falls on good soil and grows, but most of it falls and is either scattered or not cared for. To read it another way, we might suggest that only 1 out of every 4 people will ever truly receive the Kingdom of God, because it’s something that must be planted and watered and carefully cultivated in our souls. We see that in the story for today. When the Kingdom of God is on full display, disturbing and uprooting life as we know it, there are some who follow and give their lives to it and others who see the exact same miracle and still tell the King to get out of town. That’s always the choice before us: to embrace God’s kingdom or to embrace our own.

That was the choice the first disciples had when Jesus walked up to them and said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Essentially, this was an invitation to a different way of life, a kingdom way. It was an invitation out of the ordinary rhythms of life, which in many ways are fine and good, in favor of a life with God that is filled with meaning, purpose and life-giving joy. And so that’s what Jesus lays before us: the opportunity to embrace a new life, an extraordinary life, a life wrapped up in his good kingdom. So if that’s something you seek, here’s what you need to know about the Kingdom of God.

First, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a great treasure. There’s nothing more valuable or beautiful in all eternity. Jesus likens it to a man who found a hidden treasure in a field, then went and sold all of his possessions to buy that field. He gave up everything to have that one treasure! That’s the precious nature of life with Christ. It’s beautiful and meaningful, but it needs to be treasured and cherished as if it’s the most important thing to which you could give your life. It’s not enough to make God a part of your life. He desires to be treasured in your heart. And when that happens, you will see the world so very differently. When Jesus stepped ashore in the region of the Gerasenes and bumped into the demon-possessed man, he saw the person within. He saw a man, buried deeply in pain and shame, which made others keep their distance. But as man who operates out of the Kingdom of God, Jesus kept drawing near, peeling back layer after layer of evil, betrayal, hurt and anguish, until the man was free and once again who he was always meant to be. And that man, free from whatever it was the consumed his life, was ready to offer his life for this treasure he had found. That’s how much this kingdom is worth. It’s worth everything. The Kingdom of God is like a great treasure. Seek after it with all your heart.

Secondly, the Kingdom of God operates outside of our understanding and control. Here’s the thing about the kingdom: we don’t make it happen. It’s not something we can take by force; it’s not a reality we can legislate into existence; it’s not something we can achieve by conquering enemies. The Kingdom of God is something God ushers in God’s good time, but he does invite us to play a role. (Use midwife metaphor). We can’t speak to the storms and tell them to calm down…but we can pray to the One who can and believe that God is bigger than the storms. We can’t control whether people grow spiritually, but we can patiently and lovingly plant seed after seed and ask God to move in ways that are humanly impossible. And we can’t heal people from diseases and addictions, but we can come alongside them and intercede on behalf of them and place them in the hands of One who makes all things new. We do this because we believe in something we cannot see. And we trust that what we cannot see is far better than the reality we see day after day. Jesus saw a new possibility for this demon-possessed man, a possibility that became reality because of God’s miracle-working power. The Kingdom of God operates outside of our understanding and control…but we are called to pay attention and live into this reality when God gives us the green light.

The third principle I want to share with you today is this: The Kingdom of God is a worry-free, anxiety-free realm. And who doesn’t want that? The image of the man sitting in his right mind is a portrait of the grace-filled Kingdom of God. Free from the voices, free from the proverbial chains, free from all that consumed and controlled him. For the first time in a long time, he could breathe, he could hold a normal conversation without the stress of what he might blurt out, he could smile again. He could live his life that way God had always intended for him to live. He was free. A few years ago I took our confirmation class to a ministry in Homestead, an urban area filled with all sorts of problems. And over a game of Uno, the reality of the God’s Kingdom unfolded before our very eyes. Sitting across the table was a man named Mason. He was a joy to be around, laughing and cracking jokes and enjoying our company. And then he told us his story. Years before he had gotten involved in the wrong crowd. Drugs became a way of life, as did violence. And before he knew it, Mason was in prison, serving a sentence for murder. But here he was, sitting at our table, playing Uno and talking to us about Jesus. He was free, in more ways than one, and there was a beautiful peace in this man that could only have been given by Jesus. When the Kingdom of God takes root in our lives, there is peace.

So what does all this mean? Well, it means that Jesus is no ordinary man who rules over no ordinary Kingdom and who invites us into no ordinary way of life. We can be the 1 in 4 who live in and experience the Kingdom of God if we want. We can live life without fear. Think about the freedom we would have if we didn’t fear what or who we can’t control. We can live without fret. If God could calm the raging sea, then he certainly calm the storms inside of us. And if God cares for the smallest of creatures and their wellbeing, we can be assured that he cares deeply for us. And we can live with hope. If God can redeem a convicted killer, and if God can look into the eyes of a man living among the tombs and see something beautiful, then we have every reason in the world to have hope. All that can be yours today. All you have to do is stop putting up a fight and let this unordinary yet beautiful Jesus plant God’s Kingdom reality deep inside of you. The question we asked at the beginning remains: Will you follow? Or will you tell this Savior to take a hike? Amen.