The Scandal of Christmas, Part 2 (Mk 6:1-13)

Perhaps

I've been bombarded with that feeling as

a pastor. Not every day. Thank God. I

resist it because it's a lie.

But how many of us, if we're being

honest,

that's a reality. If people knew the

real me,

the whole thing would collapse.

This is the fear of exposure scandal.

Not doing something wrong.

but that being revealed is not enough.

That's what we're afraid of. And he

tells this story. He describes being at

a high level uh conference in DC at one

point. And he's surrounded by senators,

CEOs, people who won the Nobel Prize.

Cultural leaders, reputations are

everywhere. And these are the kind of

people where no one admits their

weakness or they only admit their

weaknesses in little bite-sized

increments when they can promote it on a

podcast.

Everything's easier when it's like in

retrospect on a podcast. But no one's

willing to actually be real with people

about their insecurities in a room like

that. And he says, "If you pay

attention," he goes, "you'll notice the

you'll notice that every single one of

them has something going on. There's

nervous checking of the phones, even

among the billionaires. There's the

subtle glances around the room sizing

people up. There's there's these little

moments where everything's been curated

where someone comes and taps him on the

shoulder that works for them to like do

a perfectly little curated moment.

There's obsession with not saying

something dumb.

And then there's this pressure

underlying all of it not to be found

out. And so what he's saying is that

everyone is terrified of being exposed

as the least impressive person in the

room.

And no one realizes everyone else is

feeling the exact same thing.

The fear of being found out.

And he calls this the insecurity crisis

of the accomplished.

Insecurity doesn't follow

only the ordinary.

Follows every single human being. It's

the human condition. People aren't

afraid of moral scandal. They're afraid

of insufficiency.

And here's the fears of Nazareth. If God

works through someone like this, then

our systems,

the systems that we find our own worth

in, the people around Jesus had systems

of worth as well. And if Jesus, if

Jesus's claims are true,

then our system crumbles, and we're

wrong. And so Jesus is exposing them,

their definitions of success, their

spiritual distance from God himself, and

their false sense of honor is all being

exposed in one moment. Another Brooks,

Arthur Brooks, who I love, uh, who's,

uh, what is I think he's a Harvard guy,

but he he he has this idea on on

pursuing meaning and comfort. He says

that he argues that the modern western

culture has replaced any pursuit of

meaning. We all we put meaning and the

pursuit of meaning and and purpose all

over everything. But the the issue is

we're really pursuing comfort.

We've pursued comfort at the expense of

meaning.

And he's saying not pleasure in the when

we talk about pleasure and comfort, it's

not the it's not in the typical sense.

He's saying this is emotional comfort.

It's psychological safety. It's

relational ease. It's ideological

affirmation and frictionless lives. He

says,

and then the most shocking issue of the

whole thing he says is this. The more we

remove discomfort from life, the more

fragile and unhappy

every human being becomes.

The more we remove discomfort from our

lives, the more fragile and unhappy we

become.

You want to pursue meaning and

happiness. The the issue is not to

pursue comfort.

It's actually discomfort.

He then he then tells the story of high

achieving affluent professionals who

come to him and they're all miserable

not because their lives are hard but

because their lives are too easy.

And he says they have they have

everything that we think we want. Stable

income.

One amen from an actor in the house.

stable income, safe neighborhoods,

curated friendships, emotional

insulation, minimal risk, maximum

convenience, everything we think we

want, the American dream.

And they report like every other stat,

anxiety, irrit, outrage, intolerance of

disagreement. I can't disagree with

anyone without losing my mind.

And ultimately, your emotions are all

over the place. Volatility of emotions.

And the diagnosis that that Brooks gives

is this comfort.

It's not a value. It's an anesthetic.

It numbs. It doesn't heal. Why does

Jesus come as a healer? Because he's not

about numbing your pain. He's about

healing your soul. And your physical

pain points will expose the offense of

your heart. And if you want

transformation, if you want purpose and

you want meaning, you're going to have

to confront the offense,

step into discomfort.

He's not rejected because he's cruel.

He's rejected because he's too close and

he's too near and he's too revealing of

their sense of self, their sense of

worth.

And here's what's shocking. He refuses

to retreat when he's rejected.

He doesn't soften his message. He

doesn't clean it up and he doesn't show

them an image that they want to see. He

doubles down. And what he does next is

just as shocking.

Everything we just talked about in point

two, it's it's all about him working

through the ordinary. But here in the

final point, what I want you to see is

that it shows us what happens when he

when he doubles down, when he leans in.

He he's essentially saying people have

to respond and rejection is the cost of

our response.

So finish out these few verses with me.

And then the final point, he's calling

out the 12. Verse 7, he calls the 12 and

he began to send them out two by two. He

gives them authority over the unclean

spirits. He charged them to take nothing

for their journey except a staff, no

bread, no bag, no money in their belts,

but to wear sandals and put on two

tunics. And he said to them, "Whenever

you enter a house, stay there until you

depart from there." hospitality.

And if any place will not receive you,

they will not listen to you. When you

leave,

shake off the dust that is on your feet

as a testimony against them.

So they went out and proclaimed that

people should repent

and they cast out many demons and

anointed with oil many who were sick and

healed them.

So point three is the rejection. The

scandal of the extraordinary

extraordinary Jesus and the cost the

cost of loving like Jesus

is only through the path of rejection.

Why does following him sometimes cost us

comfort and approval but free us in the

process?

Because rejection is the ultimate cost

of Christmas love, incarnation, God

becoming man. If you want that

sacrificial Jesus kind of love,

rejection is the access point. That's

the price. He paid the price. If you and

I are not willing to enter in with him

to that way of life, we haven't

understood the gospel. We haven't

understood meaning. We haven't

understood the issues of our own

offense. And we haven't really learn to

follow him.

So what are the What what does this what

does this look like?

He wants us to see that this

extraordinary type of Jesus, we went

from the ordinary, but now he is just a

man less than what they would even

think, but he's also divine,

extraordinary,

power, wisdom.

And it's undeniable. This is what's

happening in the gospel here. It's

undeniable. He's giving now his

disciples the same authority. He's

sending them, it's like a mirror. He's

sending them to preach repentance, to

heal, to cast out demons. This is a

completely divine prerogative. And

what's happening is is that the problem

is that you Jesus was never too small.

He refused to stay in their little

Nazareth little box where they could

understand him, where their minds could

comprehend. And often times we still we

still even as mature Christians,

we still have God in a place of our own

understanding where we put him in a box

that makes sense to us. And when it

doesn't make sense, it feels like he's

far off.

And often times when our boxes don't

fit, it's when he's he's trying to draw

near and reveal something that we're not

willing to accept.

Here's what Jesus is saying.

when he's telling them what to take and

not to take.

This is imagery of the temple. He's not

saying, "Hey, travel light and just show

that you've got trust in me." It does

that to a degree. We often look at it

going and like I've had some young

people that that go like, "Ah, I want to

go off on a mission trip just like the

young disciples and and just do exactly

what Jesus said, not take anything and

just show up and go there." And I go,

"Definitely do that because I think that

is amazing and awesome and and you

totally should." This is this is not

saying you shouldn't do that. I'm just

saying the goal was not to make every

young disciple of Jesus go and do that

like a Mormon missionary. This is our

Christian missionary kind of effort. We

just try to replicate it. Exactly. He's

not actually giving them all disciples

of all time are supposed to go out just

like this. And it's not just an issue of

like the lack of resources. What he's

talking about is what what they were to

do in the temple. So his emphasis is on

holiness.

Why is that significant?

He's not just talking about the lack of

money and prosperity resources that

they're to take. He's talking about how

you are now set apart like me, like the

priests of the temple. And now I'm

sending the temple to the people through

you.

What he's saying is you are now doing

temple work. You unqualified disciples

that no one chose to follow them. They

all missed out on the rabbitical call.

These were fishermen and losers. And

Jesus goes, "Looers, you're doing temple

work."

It's a lot of Jesus's message.

You think you're a loser, I want you.

You think you're not, I don't want you.

Until you know that you are.

And then I'll actually make you one

that's not.

And this is this is where in Mark 6, the

temple is no longer confined to a

building. If we ever get one over my

dead body, will we worship a building?

We will never be confined to a building.

It moves through people. The temple

does. It was never a building. Ordinary

people, people like them and people like

you and I. And what Jesus gives them is

a mirror. Preach, heal, and confront

darkness. The same work that Jesus was

doing up to this point, he now gives

them the same exact task. Preach.

heal, restore what's broken, confront

the darkness. And he does that without

this obsession of theatrics.

Often Jesus is delivering people so

subtly, like with a whisper, with an

look, with an eye.

And when it got distracting, he'd tell

them to shut up the demons.

He'd call them higher. He'd look them in

the face with divine sacrificial love.

He set them free. It wasn't hyped. He

wasn't calling a bunch of specialists,

just ordinary, faithful people that were

willing to carry his holy presence of

the temple to the people. Can you say

yes again to that today?

Can we repent towards that directive

again today?

Repentance is not just the right

response.

Repentance is a turn. It's not

condemnation. It's completely

reorienting your entire life. Repentance

is saying that I have completely

encircled my life around the wrong king,

the wrong idol, the wrong center. And

it's saying that Jesus, I need to come

back to you again to make you the

center, the anchor, the everything. And

that is my reorientation. That is

repentance. And from that place, it's

the access point to everything else.

It's not feeling guilty and sorry for

your last night, Saturday night.

If you think repentance is just feeling

guilty for your sin, you've missed the

whole point.

Some of us need to feel guilty at times.

If you don't feel guilty for sin, you've

got other issues.

Jesus isn't interested in He's not

interested in your guilt, and your

shame.

He enters into the guilt and shame to

take it.

The issue is are we all so arrogant in

trying to take our own guilt and shame

and do something with it rather than

giving it to him. Can we reorient our

life? Repent

is the message. Turn. Make him the

anchor.

What's the center?

If it's not the center,

you've got a different king. you've got

a different God.

This shaking dust off their feet stuff.

He He's trying to take the issue of

rejection

and he's forming their inner world. And

this is the last thing I want I want to

I want to get on rejection. Jesus was

obsessed with showing them what to do

with rejection. And and here's our last

thing. I I want I want us to get this

because I want us to be a people that

can handle rejection.

I whenever I don't know why but like um

you know I grew up as a kid in late 90s

early 2000s uh and um well not a kid

whatever doesn't matter. Owen Wilson

I like his view on life.

I I I would often when I was in a bad

mood, I would turn on an Owen Wilson

flick just to get myself in the right

attitude on like life because he just

like couldn't have a bad day. He would

just take like the most it doesn't

matter what character he played. I mean,

the poor guy was kind of pigeonholed in

every kind of scenario and and and and

it didn't matter whether um what Ben

Stiller movie he was invited into, he

was always like the same general

character and he just always had like a

a great view on everything. And I I'd

like to think he could ne he couldn't

take re there was ne never a rejection

that would keep him down. For me, that's

the mindset where I where I think of

like who are the people in my life that

demonstrate like just I I wish I could

take rejection like that person. I start

with Owen Wilson and then I build it

back to Jesus. Um so whatever you need

at the moment, think of someone in your

life that just can handle rejection

really well. That's a positive trait.

All right, I I start with a stupid actor

example, but the reality is is every

follower of Christ is supposed to be the

type of person that can walk into any

situation with absolute conviction that

regardless of how this goes, regardless

of how bad the rejection may or may not

be.

I'm going to walk out of here with the

same confidence that I walked in here.

That's your DNA.

I don't care about your personality.

We're doing a lot of stuff with

personalities over Advent. I don't care

about your personality or mine. That's

your DNA. The kind of person that can

walk into a room, walk out the exact

same. It's not saying screw you.

That shake the dust off isn't like

insult them with something sarcastic or

under your breath

or in my in my case maybe like you know

use them in a sermon illustration later

to feel better.

what he wants what he wants

he wants to show us how to release

responsibility so what Jesus is doing

with rejection is he's forming their

inner world his disciples there's a

disciplehip moment that I want to invite

us into as we close he's telling them

when you go when you go out stay where

you're welcomed how do we apply that

where you go in the workplace in this

city

spend time with the people where you can

feel a draw where they welcome you in

that can be a friendship that can be a

business that It doesn't have to be a

career oriented thing where you feel

like the draw like an open door. You

ever met someone and you go, "Well, that

was just kind of an interesting con. I

almost kind of I feel like I just need

to get together with that person.

There's a welcoming there." That's what

he's talking about. Where find the

person of peace, find the find the

people where you see something and you

go, I need to spend time with them. If

they don't receive you

and shake off the dust, he's not giving

them travel logistics. He's he's showing

how this emotional framework for

ministry works. He's showing them how to

release misplaced responsibility. We

often pour into someone and then we're

so deeply hurt at how it went. They

didn't refuse this. Was there something

wrong with me or this and that and the

other? We He's showing them how to

refuse being bitter. There's no place

how Jesus talks about this. There's no

place for misplaced responsibility.

There's no place for bitterness. He's

saying forgive quickly. There's no place

to have unforgiveness in this response.

He's he's allowing them to keep moving

on. go to the next next place, which

means what? Stay open relationally. Be

relationally open. Some of you need that

in your dating lives. It's just like

move on. Shake the dust off.

Sorry, that was not meant to that was

not in the notes. Maintain dignity

without defensiveness. If we could learn

that trait

in our communication with those that

disagree,

move on without carrying invisible

emotional burdens. All of this is

happening in a few moments of what he is

giving them the image of what it looks

like to go with the gospel and shake off

the dust when you're not received.

He's showing them soul level

disciplehip.

He's teaching them that rejection is

absolutely normal. But what's optional

is resentment.

Rejection is normal. The feelings of

resentment to stay with you, that's

optional.

And the heart of it is this. How do we

release responsibility? In that culture,

when you shake off the dust, it wasn't

an angry insult. It was an it was an act

of symbolism that essentially meant that

I'm no longer carrying the weight of

your response.

I don't did Did you There's like 17

MFTts in the room. Did Did they teach

you that in in your at Fuller? I don't

know. That's profound. They didn't teach

me that in seminary.

I'm no longer carrying the weight of

your response.

It's not passive aggressive. It's not

dramatic. It's not a power move. It's

not minimizing the hurt.

Jesus is so healthy.

He wants you to be healthy. He wants you

as you do the work of of of missional

calling wherever you are. He wants you

to do it in a healthy way and

demonstrate health not because you're

perfect because he's showing you how to

take the weight of his ministry without

it being a burden on you and releasing

people in freedom

without offense.

And you don't have to minimize hurt to

do that. It doesn't have to be a power

move and it has it doesn't have to be

dramatic.

It's an act of setting boundaries

and he's teaching them that you're

responsible to be faithful as you go

out. You're not responsible for other

people's responses. And many of us,

especially those of you that carry a

pastor's heart, many of you do.

It is so hard not to carry the burdens

of people's responses because you care

for them so deeply.

And Jesus is saying

there's a difference. You can't control

them. There's a difference between

faithfulness and control. I'm calling

you to be faithful.

So, be faithful.

Finally, he's teaching them rejection

today. Most people don't know how to

handle rejection. Why? Because

rejection just stirs up all of our

resentments. We internalize it.

We're wrestling with how we define

ourselves when we get rejected because

it's like an identity collapse.

And then we find ourselves like, you

know, talking under our breath,

rehearsing what just happened. Like it's

just a horrible situation, right?

Few of you that resonated with more than

others. Okay. The the thing I want you

to get out is Jesus is teaching a

different way of letting go. Rejection

does not define you.

It shouldn't make you withdraw.

Jesus says to them, "Stay in the home

where you're welcomed." Meaning, don't

let rejection rob you of intimacy when

it's available. Draw into intimacy where

it's available. Move on without holding

things that you don't need to hold. And

rejection should never make you cling.

If you're not welcomed, leave

peacefully. Don't try to convince, win,

or force.

Simple. I know living this out isn't

simple. But Jesus is always calling us

back to the difficult, simple gospel.

These things are simple, not easy.

Finally, rejection shouldn't poison your

spirit. There's no poisoning going on.

Shaking the dust off is is is like an

act of hygiene spiritually.

Those of you that only brush your teeth

once a day, that's gross. It should be

beginning and end of the day. Your

spiritual hygiene should look like this.

You go to bed every day. I'm shaking the

dust off from this day. Where was I

received? Where was I rejected? Where is

my heart needing to let go? It's part of

your hygiene every day. Are you

beginning your day and ending your day

with that act of release? If you're not,

you're going to have some decay. It's

going to be gross.

Simple, not easy.

Finally,

and the team can start to come up. I

just want us to kind of step in to some

of the modern signs of like whether you

and I our hearts have have shaken the

dust off or not.

And as as we do that, I just want to

invite you for a moment just to close

your eyes and just and just to be just

to have a moment with the Holy Spirit

asking these questions. As I often say,

the Holy Spirit isn't bringing you to

church this morning so he can give you a

laundry list of to beat you up on this

week. He's giving you one thing this

week. that he wants to put his finger on

that you can trust him with aresh. These

questions are just meant

to lean into one thing.

So maybe you're the kind of person you

keep replaying

a conversation with someone on your

mind.

That's a sign you need to shake some

dust off.

live in the way of Jesus,

his way of rejection that leads

to confrontation and then comforting. Or

maybe you fantasize about proving

someone wrong that you've had an

exchange with. Shake some dust off.

Maybe you're the kind of person that

avoids people

who even remind you of the person that

rejected you.

There's some spiritual hygiene that

needs to happen.

And maybe that's your act of practicing

this week.

Some of us just construct narratives,

making yourself a victim or making

yourself a hero constantly.

There's some dust in your heart that's

being addressed with those narratives.

Some of us are looking for validation.

Some of us feel the need to be just

almost overly competent in the world

instead of being secure with who we are

in the process. Shake the dust off.

Some of us withdraw from others too

quickly or from situations too quickly.

Others cling too tightly.

And Jesus is just asking you to shake

the dust off today.

Some of us, you're carrying tension.

It's like this invisible tension

affecting relationships

that you're carrying.

And the beauty of the gospel is

you're afraid of rejection.

You're fearful of the scandal.

And the Christmas story is saying,

"Enter in to my way of life,

my story,

my kingship.

Shake the dust off.

Jesus's vision of your life is very

different and healthier. He wants a

healthier you, a more beautiful you. And

he's always gentle.

He's always swift. He's always in a

place of relational hope. And he's

always a non- anxious presence. Would

you stand with me and let's respond.

Holy Spirit, come.

Holy Spirit, come one thing on each of

our hearts today

for the team. I've got a slide just with

three practices of our week that I want

you to look at

one simple image. Just imagine I'm

carrying a backpack.

I'm 44 years old and it's imagine in

this backpack

every year or two there's another 30 lb

stone

that I haven't given to the lordship of

Jesus and I'm carrying in my own

strength.

Just imagine 44 30 lb stones

backbreaking.

My entire my entire being is going to

take every step

painfully aware of those 44 stones.

And here's what Jesus is saying.

I want to set you free from the things

that you think you have to carry.

because of your life's mistakes, your

things that you need to own. Some of us

are taking false responsibility.

And responsibility is is not putting

more stones in the backpack in the

backbreaking work of your life.

It's taking responsibility

of putting them at the foot of the only

one who can deal with them. The gospel

is saying, "I can't, but you can.

It's saying that I believe that you

are the one true God, the only one that

has come, pursued me, laid his life down

sacrificially, and can take the weight

of my burden in my life and make me

clean and make me whole and give me a

new story, a new life and a new purpose.

Some of us have prayed that prayer a

thousand times. You need to pray it

again today. Not because not because

your salvation isn't secure, but because

you need to be reminded of what you've

said yes to.

And there may be one or two of you in

the room that have never said that

release of a prayer before. And I want

to invite you just with wherever the

simplicity of your heart is today. If

that's the cry of your life, God, if

you're real, take this burden from me. I

want to invite you to lay the burdens of

your life down right now in Jesus name.

God, if you're real, be made real to

every soul in this room.

We ask the spirit of God now to move

as we allow you to confront us. We thank

you that you promise to comfort us,

blow fresh wind on our sails today.

Hear these three things as we respond

today. Okay, I know I went a little

long. I want us to just name the place

he's confronting you.

Just an honest reflection. No

resistance, just an honest reflection

between you and God.

Will you choose freedom? Will you

release that dust? Will you choose

freedom instead of resentment today?

That's the only choice you have.

And just offer the ordinary of your life

to him. Aresh. Are you available?

And will you put him back in control?

Holy Spirit, work today as we respond.

As we remember your son coming and made

flesh, fully God and fully man.

convict us, comfort us, and send us back

out in Jesus.