Heroes
Commentary
One Sunday morning after church school, a teacher came into my office. Before I could even say hello, she blurted out, "Spiderman!"
"Pardon me?" I replied.
"Spiderman!" she said again, as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth. "I hate Spiderman!"
Well, I was still puzzled, but I knew that recently a movie of that title had come out in the theaters.
"All my class wanted to talk about this morning was Spiderman! We were supposed to be studying Simon Peter. So here I was trying to keep bringing them back to the topic. It was like a battle between Spiderman and Peter. Spiderman won!"
"I see," I started to reply.
"I don't know what to do," she continued. "Bible heroes don't leap tall buildings with a single bound or use all kinds of fascinating weapons and gadgets. How can they compete with Spiderman?"
Her real concern, of course, was the kind of role models or heroes children and youth have today. As a Christian teacher, she felt that it was her task to help them discover new heroes, Christian role models. But the competition from the heroes of the world just seemed too great. Fortunately, our Bible lessons today help us to understand better just what makes a hero.
Proverbs 31:10-31
You may think it a little strange to hear this particular passage for this Sunday rather than for Mother's Day or a funeral. But it's one that might rightly be read any time, for this is a song in praise of women, especially the wise and capable woman or wife. It is a bit unusual in that it is here at all. There is nothing else quite like it elsewhere in the Bible (although there are many stories about such women). Often men are the ones held up as models of wisdom and righteousness, but not here. In fact, there's not a passage in the Bible like this about men!
Let's just highlight some of the attributes of this virtuous woman according to the writer.
First, she is the ideal wife (vv. 11-12). She has a relationship with her husband based on trust and love. Her love and all she is enriches him, even more so than jewels. It is a good thing to be married, to be a wife and husband. Second, the virtuous woman is a good mother (vv. 14-15, 19, 27). She cares about the needs of her children and makes sure that those needs are met, everything from food to clothing. She is not lazy. To rear children, to take care of them - these are important and good things. They are necessary for life and for the good of the whole society. The writer is saying that we need to honor this in women - and we might add also in men. Third, being a wife and/or mother does not leave out other things. The virtuous woman can also be quite a good business person (vv. 16, 24). She has business ventures in farming and even starts her own business! That sounds very modern to us, but it is likely that even in those days, women were more active in business than we generally suppose. The writer had no problem believing, apparently, that a woman could be wife, mother, and also engaged in business.
Fourth, she is generous (v. 20). She does not just care about herself and her own family, but is sensitive to the needs of others around her and acts to help meet those needs. She has a compassionate heart.
Fifth, the virtuous woman reveres God (v. 30). This is the key to all else, the foundation of her life, love for and service to God.
Such women are called "blessed" and are to be honored and praised as priceless treasures. The biblical writer wants to make us aware of just how much good women contribute and how much we would lose, all of us, without them.
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
James is talking here about two kinds of wisdom that lead, respectively, to two ways of living. He contrasts them:
True Wisdom
False Wisdom
Gentleness
Envy
From above/God
Earthly, devilish
Pure
Unspiritual
Peaceable
Disorder
Willing to Yield
Selfish
Full of Mercy
Selfish Ambition
True wisdom is seen in a life of gentleness, one in which peace is fostered and nourished in all relationships. Often we associate wisdom with knowledge, with how much one knows. For James, true wisdom is nowhere seen more clearly than in those who are at peace with God and who bring peace and wholeness to their other relationships as well.
I recall a woman in a church I pastored. I wish we could clone her. Whenever there was even the hint of some disunity, her mere presence brought such a stability and sense of peace. It was not just what she had to say, always full of wisdom, but because we all knew she lived out what she believed. James would have called her truly wise.
Wisdom does not produce boastful or conceited people. Knowledge without wisdom does that. The rabbis used to call such persons who had knowledge but no wisdom "asses laden with books." Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in the service of God and humanity, not merely to enrich oneself. A truly wise person does not have to have diplomas all over the wall or be constantly talking about where he or she went to school or how many honors were received. The wise person is one who focuses on giving, not getting; on serving, not being served; on honoring, not being honored; who seeks to learn and gain knowledge to use it to make himself/herself a better person and the world a better place.
Worldly wisdom, the way of many, does all the opposite. It creates strife. It makes self the center of all things. It sees this world as a dog-eat-dog competition, so you've got to get what you can while you can. You'll be the diner or the dinner, so be the diner. The one who ends up with the most toys is the winner. Such wisdom can only lead to disorder, to wars, contention, and disputes (vv. 1ff). It ends up with a world very much like we have now and have always had.
True wisdom is seen in a person who does not care who gets the credit for something good, as long as it gets done. How many conflicts in the church and in our society could be avoided if people had this kind of wisdom? True wisdom is personified in the life of the one we read about in the following Gospel lesson.
Mark 9:30-37
Last week's text looked at the first time Jesus talked about his upcoming death. But once was not enough. It just did not get through to his disciples, so he tells them again in no uncertain terms (vv. 30-32), and they no more understand now than they did the first time they heard it. In fact, there is strong indication here that not only did they not understand, but also that they did not wish to understand. If they did, they would have asked questions, but were afraid to. Who can blame them? All this talk of suffering and death was not at all what they had in mind for Jesus or for themselves. They envisioned a glorious future for him and themselves; a new Davidic dynasty; a glorious government with them on the cabinet (James and John had already asked for the highest positions in it - to sit on his left and right). So, no wonder they did not like what they were hearing. No wonder they tried to ignore it.
But contrast that behavior of the disciples with their action in verses 33-34. (It is an example of the contrast we have seen in the other writings between the wise and godly life/path as opposed to the unwise and ungodly life/path.) The disciples, walking no doubt at some distance behind Jesus, get into an argument about who among them will be the greatest, that is, who will have the highest position of honor in the new government they are certain Jesus is about to set up in Jerusalem (not understanding that Jesus isn't offering them a throne but crosses). Some scholars believe this happened on their way to the Upper Room and is one reason why Jesus then bowed down and washed their feet like a common slave/servant. They went into the Upper Room with envy and anger at one another. Be that as it may, Jesus is talking and thinking here only about giving, and they are arguing about getting. He is going to give his life, but all they can think about is what they are going to get out of this for themselves.
Well, they do not realize that Jesus hears them talking about such things. Perhaps they had been whispering among themselves. But he knew their hearts. So he tells them in effect, "Greatness comes from service, from selflessness. If you wish to be great, then be great in service. Humble yourself and be servant of all." Astounding words! The very opposite of how we usually define greatness. Greatness is determined often by how many people serve you rather than how much service you render, except in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus goes on to set the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant.
Jesus then takes a little child among them and holds up that child as an example of the kind of discipleship he is talking about. The connection is not readily clear. But I believe Jesus is saying that the greatest disciples or followers or persons are ones who may seem the smallest and weakest, who do not aspire to positions of status or power any more than a child can. This may lead many to look down on them, to think poorly of them, not to welcome and embrace them because they do not seem powerful or worthy (better to befriend the wealthy and powerful for what they can do for you - echoes of James 3). To the contrary, the little ones, the lowly ones are the most worthy of all! They are little in the sense of power and prestige, but big in terms of their hearts and their service to God and others. To welcome such lowly servants is to welcome Christ himself, for that is what he is and bids us all to be. I think Jesus is dealing here with the perception that being a servant is a bad thing, a role no one should want to assume. But Jesus is saying the opposite - it is a position of the greatest honor and one we should eagerly embrace. Indeed, the lowliest servants are the ones among us we should most honor and model our own lives after, even though they would not seek or even wish that for themselves.
Another possible meaning here is that the true disciple does not shrug from serving anyone, even the lowliest person, and even if that person can do nothing in return for you. Children and women both were considered almost non-persons in those days. They were the least among them. Yet, in the sight of Jesus, they were precious and valuable. This is what being a servant means - serving without any thought of reward. For a child cannot reward you, not in any monetary or prestigious way. Serve with no thought of gain, especially serve those looked down on most by society.
Application
We all need heroes. We need role models, persons to look up to, to inspire us, to show us who we can be. This is how God has made us. One of the main ways we learn is modeling, that is, from watching others and imitating them. The persons we admire and look up to influence us. Sometimes we are aware of this, but often we are not. So we need to be very careful who we pick as role models.
One of our chief responsibilities as parents and grandparents is to be good role models. The greatest impact we have on our children and grandchildren comes not from what we say when we know they are listening, but from the attitudes our conversations reveal even when we don't know they are listening - and what our actions and habits display even when we don't know they're watching.
I was leaving for work one morning when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned and discovered that my 5-year-old son had followed me outside. He was trying to walk in a pair of my shoes. "Look, Daddy," he said, "I'm walking in your shoes." I had not realized until that point that he was looking at me and my life, and it was not exactly a comforting thought.
We need heroes, role models, Christian ones.
Paul knew this quite well. "Agree together, my friends, to follow my example. You have us for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it" (Philippians 3:17, NEB). He was writing to churches in a culture that was void of Christianity. They had no Christian models, no heroes to look up to and emulate. So, Paul offers himself. I wonder how many of us could do that?
The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith," (Hebrews 13:7, TEV). The writer also says this: "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end ..." (Hebrews 12:2, TEV).
Jesus is held up as our hero. With all our hearts we should look up to him, want to be like him, and help others to keep their eyes fixed on him too.
We need heroes, role models. But quite often, you see, the real heroes are hidden. They don't get a lot of publicity. They're seldom in the limelight. They don't think of themselves as heroes, nor do they seek honor. But they are the true heroes. They are the ones we must find and hold up as role models for ourselves and our children.
The passage from Mark for today gives us a lot of insights into who these hidden heroes are, why they are heroes (as does the passage about women in Proverbs for today).
This is what Jesus says to his disciples: "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35). And he elaborates on this in Mark 10:42-45: "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
"You are thinking like the world thinks," he's telling them. "The world's heroes are determined by how much power and authority they have. The great ones among them are the ones with the most servants. It shall not be so among you! In God's kingdom the greatest persons, the real heroes, are not the ones with the most servants but those who humble themselves to be servants. Consider my life. I have come to serve, not be served, and to give my life a ransom for many."
In God's Kingdom, the real heroes are servants. Christ was the greatest servant of all.
There are thousands of these hidden heroes all around us - in our families and in our churches and communities. They are parents, single parents, teachers, pastors, homemakers, social workers, ordinary people who faithfully, heroically live a life of discipleship. Look for these hidden heroes. Hold them up as role models for you and your children and grandchildren. Let them inspire and guide you.
Alternative Applications
1) Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37. The Fork in the Road. One theme running through these passages today is that we have a choice in our life: Like coming to a fork in the road, we can go left or right. And one path is the right one and the other is not; one leads to a dead end and the other to life. You might say that these passages are road signs trying to point us in the right direction, to the right path to take.
Psalm 1 talks about these two paths. The wrong one is wide and well trodden - by sinners. The other, more narrow, is chosen by those who love God and wish to obey God's commandments. In other words, there are two ways we can live: as those who rebel against God or those who wish to follow the ways of God.
James talks about these two paths in terms of wisdom. To follow the path of sinners is to follow false wisdom, to listen to the voice of the world, to let its values become our values. It's a life of self-centeredness and seeking primarily self-fulfillment, seldom thinking about anybody else. But true wisdom takes the other path, and results in a life of gentleness and of self-giving. It is a life that produces good fruit like love and peace, one that chooses to draw near always to God, walking with God each day.
The gospel lesson provides an example of one who chooses wise life, of the life that takes the right path - Jesus. He mentions the two paths: the path of self-centeredness, of me, of looking out only for Number 1 as opposed to the path of being a servant, of self-giving, and sacrifice. That, he says and he showed in his life, is the path of true life and true greatness. The sermon question is: Which path have you been taking? If you find you're on the wrong one, it's not too late to find and take the right path.
2) Proverbs 31:10-31. The Ideal Woman. There's been a lot in the news lately about women, who they are, should be, what their role should be, and so on. What's the ideal woman or the ideal for women?
Here, in words over 2,000 years old, we read about the ideal woman, one whose life is characterized by wisdom and generosity in her:
•
Marriage relationship (vv. 11-12)
Relationship with children/family (vv. 15, 21, 27)
Relationship with others, especially the needy (v. 20)
Business relationships (vv. 16, 18, 24)
Most of all in her relationship with God (v. 30).
Psalm 1
Psalm 1 has long been considered as a possible prologue to the rest of the Psalter. In fact, in several ancient Hebrew manuscripts, this psalm is not numbered as are the others in the collection. The content of the psalm also has something of a "foreword" quality about it. Many of the themes that are developed at length in the rest of the psalms are touched upon in this first one.
As for type, Psalm 1 belongs to a group of poems referred to by scholars as "wisdom psalms." These psalms adopt an instructional tone and seek to encourage obedience to God's law - the Torah.
The psalm begins with a blessing on those who "do not follow the advice of the wicked." These blessed ones do not stand in the path of sinners nor linger near the dwelling place of scorners. All of these images, linger, standing, dwelling, are metaphors for learning. The blessed ones have one source for their wisdom - God's law.
A life lived in commitment to God's truth results in a stable and vital existence. The psalmist compares this existence to a tree that is planted near a powerful source of water. The tree lives and flourishes because it is rooted near the source of its nourishment.
Those the psalmist identifies as "the wicked" have exactly the opposite life experiences. They are unstable in all their ways. Instead of being like trees nourished by God's truth, the wicked are like the dry chaff that is left after the grain has been removed from a stalk of wheat. So light and airy are these chaff-like people that even the slightest breeze can blow them away.
There are many possible applications of the principles of this psalm. Our culture's preoccupation with wealth, power, and success offer a stark contrast to the simple virtue suggested by the psalm.
The issue of where these values come from is also critiqued by this psalm. What is the water that feeds our souls? Do we dip from the well of greed, or are we refreshed and made strong by the moving water of God's truth. Like the strong tree in the psalm, a faithful life is rooted in serving others. The quest for glory and honor is a fickle dream that is easily blown away with a passing wind.
The psalmist brings the poem to a close making explicit what was implied in the opening line - the Lord watches over the righteous while the wicked perish. It is not necessary to resort to eschatology to interpret the meaning of this idea. There is a practical truth revealed here that does not require end-time scenarios to understand.
In general terms, those who seek to live meaningful lives of industry and generosity can expect to find great satisfaction in life. This does not mean they will never fall or experience disappointment. It does mean that when those situations do occur, the same resources that fill life with meaning in ordinary times will help them get through the extra-ordinary.
On the other hand, those whose lives are marked by poor choices and bad habits often find themselves miserable. This happens all along the socio-economic scale. These people struggle with daily normalcy, and really struggle when something unexpected happens. God does not have to throw them down, the decisions they make and the values they follow often carry their own sorrow with them.
"Pardon me?" I replied.
"Spiderman!" she said again, as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth. "I hate Spiderman!"
Well, I was still puzzled, but I knew that recently a movie of that title had come out in the theaters.
"All my class wanted to talk about this morning was Spiderman! We were supposed to be studying Simon Peter. So here I was trying to keep bringing them back to the topic. It was like a battle between Spiderman and Peter. Spiderman won!"
"I see," I started to reply.
"I don't know what to do," she continued. "Bible heroes don't leap tall buildings with a single bound or use all kinds of fascinating weapons and gadgets. How can they compete with Spiderman?"
Her real concern, of course, was the kind of role models or heroes children and youth have today. As a Christian teacher, she felt that it was her task to help them discover new heroes, Christian role models. But the competition from the heroes of the world just seemed too great. Fortunately, our Bible lessons today help us to understand better just what makes a hero.
Proverbs 31:10-31
You may think it a little strange to hear this particular passage for this Sunday rather than for Mother's Day or a funeral. But it's one that might rightly be read any time, for this is a song in praise of women, especially the wise and capable woman or wife. It is a bit unusual in that it is here at all. There is nothing else quite like it elsewhere in the Bible (although there are many stories about such women). Often men are the ones held up as models of wisdom and righteousness, but not here. In fact, there's not a passage in the Bible like this about men!
Let's just highlight some of the attributes of this virtuous woman according to the writer.
First, she is the ideal wife (vv. 11-12). She has a relationship with her husband based on trust and love. Her love and all she is enriches him, even more so than jewels. It is a good thing to be married, to be a wife and husband. Second, the virtuous woman is a good mother (vv. 14-15, 19, 27). She cares about the needs of her children and makes sure that those needs are met, everything from food to clothing. She is not lazy. To rear children, to take care of them - these are important and good things. They are necessary for life and for the good of the whole society. The writer is saying that we need to honor this in women - and we might add also in men. Third, being a wife and/or mother does not leave out other things. The virtuous woman can also be quite a good business person (vv. 16, 24). She has business ventures in farming and even starts her own business! That sounds very modern to us, but it is likely that even in those days, women were more active in business than we generally suppose. The writer had no problem believing, apparently, that a woman could be wife, mother, and also engaged in business.
Fourth, she is generous (v. 20). She does not just care about herself and her own family, but is sensitive to the needs of others around her and acts to help meet those needs. She has a compassionate heart.
Fifth, the virtuous woman reveres God (v. 30). This is the key to all else, the foundation of her life, love for and service to God.
Such women are called "blessed" and are to be honored and praised as priceless treasures. The biblical writer wants to make us aware of just how much good women contribute and how much we would lose, all of us, without them.
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
James is talking here about two kinds of wisdom that lead, respectively, to two ways of living. He contrasts them:
True Wisdom
False Wisdom
Gentleness
Envy
From above/God
Earthly, devilish
Pure
Unspiritual
Peaceable
Disorder
Willing to Yield
Selfish
Full of Mercy
Selfish Ambition
True wisdom is seen in a life of gentleness, one in which peace is fostered and nourished in all relationships. Often we associate wisdom with knowledge, with how much one knows. For James, true wisdom is nowhere seen more clearly than in those who are at peace with God and who bring peace and wholeness to their other relationships as well.
I recall a woman in a church I pastored. I wish we could clone her. Whenever there was even the hint of some disunity, her mere presence brought such a stability and sense of peace. It was not just what she had to say, always full of wisdom, but because we all knew she lived out what she believed. James would have called her truly wise.
Wisdom does not produce boastful or conceited people. Knowledge without wisdom does that. The rabbis used to call such persons who had knowledge but no wisdom "asses laden with books." Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in the service of God and humanity, not merely to enrich oneself. A truly wise person does not have to have diplomas all over the wall or be constantly talking about where he or she went to school or how many honors were received. The wise person is one who focuses on giving, not getting; on serving, not being served; on honoring, not being honored; who seeks to learn and gain knowledge to use it to make himself/herself a better person and the world a better place.
Worldly wisdom, the way of many, does all the opposite. It creates strife. It makes self the center of all things. It sees this world as a dog-eat-dog competition, so you've got to get what you can while you can. You'll be the diner or the dinner, so be the diner. The one who ends up with the most toys is the winner. Such wisdom can only lead to disorder, to wars, contention, and disputes (vv. 1ff). It ends up with a world very much like we have now and have always had.
True wisdom is seen in a person who does not care who gets the credit for something good, as long as it gets done. How many conflicts in the church and in our society could be avoided if people had this kind of wisdom? True wisdom is personified in the life of the one we read about in the following Gospel lesson.
Mark 9:30-37
Last week's text looked at the first time Jesus talked about his upcoming death. But once was not enough. It just did not get through to his disciples, so he tells them again in no uncertain terms (vv. 30-32), and they no more understand now than they did the first time they heard it. In fact, there is strong indication here that not only did they not understand, but also that they did not wish to understand. If they did, they would have asked questions, but were afraid to. Who can blame them? All this talk of suffering and death was not at all what they had in mind for Jesus or for themselves. They envisioned a glorious future for him and themselves; a new Davidic dynasty; a glorious government with them on the cabinet (James and John had already asked for the highest positions in it - to sit on his left and right). So, no wonder they did not like what they were hearing. No wonder they tried to ignore it.
But contrast that behavior of the disciples with their action in verses 33-34. (It is an example of the contrast we have seen in the other writings between the wise and godly life/path as opposed to the unwise and ungodly life/path.) The disciples, walking no doubt at some distance behind Jesus, get into an argument about who among them will be the greatest, that is, who will have the highest position of honor in the new government they are certain Jesus is about to set up in Jerusalem (not understanding that Jesus isn't offering them a throne but crosses). Some scholars believe this happened on their way to the Upper Room and is one reason why Jesus then bowed down and washed their feet like a common slave/servant. They went into the Upper Room with envy and anger at one another. Be that as it may, Jesus is talking and thinking here only about giving, and they are arguing about getting. He is going to give his life, but all they can think about is what they are going to get out of this for themselves.
Well, they do not realize that Jesus hears them talking about such things. Perhaps they had been whispering among themselves. But he knew their hearts. So he tells them in effect, "Greatness comes from service, from selflessness. If you wish to be great, then be great in service. Humble yourself and be servant of all." Astounding words! The very opposite of how we usually define greatness. Greatness is determined often by how many people serve you rather than how much service you render, except in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus goes on to set the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant.
Jesus then takes a little child among them and holds up that child as an example of the kind of discipleship he is talking about. The connection is not readily clear. But I believe Jesus is saying that the greatest disciples or followers or persons are ones who may seem the smallest and weakest, who do not aspire to positions of status or power any more than a child can. This may lead many to look down on them, to think poorly of them, not to welcome and embrace them because they do not seem powerful or worthy (better to befriend the wealthy and powerful for what they can do for you - echoes of James 3). To the contrary, the little ones, the lowly ones are the most worthy of all! They are little in the sense of power and prestige, but big in terms of their hearts and their service to God and others. To welcome such lowly servants is to welcome Christ himself, for that is what he is and bids us all to be. I think Jesus is dealing here with the perception that being a servant is a bad thing, a role no one should want to assume. But Jesus is saying the opposite - it is a position of the greatest honor and one we should eagerly embrace. Indeed, the lowliest servants are the ones among us we should most honor and model our own lives after, even though they would not seek or even wish that for themselves.
Another possible meaning here is that the true disciple does not shrug from serving anyone, even the lowliest person, and even if that person can do nothing in return for you. Children and women both were considered almost non-persons in those days. They were the least among them. Yet, in the sight of Jesus, they were precious and valuable. This is what being a servant means - serving without any thought of reward. For a child cannot reward you, not in any monetary or prestigious way. Serve with no thought of gain, especially serve those looked down on most by society.
Application
We all need heroes. We need role models, persons to look up to, to inspire us, to show us who we can be. This is how God has made us. One of the main ways we learn is modeling, that is, from watching others and imitating them. The persons we admire and look up to influence us. Sometimes we are aware of this, but often we are not. So we need to be very careful who we pick as role models.
One of our chief responsibilities as parents and grandparents is to be good role models. The greatest impact we have on our children and grandchildren comes not from what we say when we know they are listening, but from the attitudes our conversations reveal even when we don't know they are listening - and what our actions and habits display even when we don't know they're watching.
I was leaving for work one morning when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned and discovered that my 5-year-old son had followed me outside. He was trying to walk in a pair of my shoes. "Look, Daddy," he said, "I'm walking in your shoes." I had not realized until that point that he was looking at me and my life, and it was not exactly a comforting thought.
We need heroes, role models, Christian ones.
Paul knew this quite well. "Agree together, my friends, to follow my example. You have us for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it" (Philippians 3:17, NEB). He was writing to churches in a culture that was void of Christianity. They had no Christian models, no heroes to look up to and emulate. So, Paul offers himself. I wonder how many of us could do that?
The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith," (Hebrews 13:7, TEV). The writer also says this: "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end ..." (Hebrews 12:2, TEV).
Jesus is held up as our hero. With all our hearts we should look up to him, want to be like him, and help others to keep their eyes fixed on him too.
We need heroes, role models. But quite often, you see, the real heroes are hidden. They don't get a lot of publicity. They're seldom in the limelight. They don't think of themselves as heroes, nor do they seek honor. But they are the true heroes. They are the ones we must find and hold up as role models for ourselves and our children.
The passage from Mark for today gives us a lot of insights into who these hidden heroes are, why they are heroes (as does the passage about women in Proverbs for today).
This is what Jesus says to his disciples: "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35). And he elaborates on this in Mark 10:42-45: "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
"You are thinking like the world thinks," he's telling them. "The world's heroes are determined by how much power and authority they have. The great ones among them are the ones with the most servants. It shall not be so among you! In God's kingdom the greatest persons, the real heroes, are not the ones with the most servants but those who humble themselves to be servants. Consider my life. I have come to serve, not be served, and to give my life a ransom for many."
In God's Kingdom, the real heroes are servants. Christ was the greatest servant of all.
There are thousands of these hidden heroes all around us - in our families and in our churches and communities. They are parents, single parents, teachers, pastors, homemakers, social workers, ordinary people who faithfully, heroically live a life of discipleship. Look for these hidden heroes. Hold them up as role models for you and your children and grandchildren. Let them inspire and guide you.
Alternative Applications
1) Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37. The Fork in the Road. One theme running through these passages today is that we have a choice in our life: Like coming to a fork in the road, we can go left or right. And one path is the right one and the other is not; one leads to a dead end and the other to life. You might say that these passages are road signs trying to point us in the right direction, to the right path to take.
Psalm 1 talks about these two paths. The wrong one is wide and well trodden - by sinners. The other, more narrow, is chosen by those who love God and wish to obey God's commandments. In other words, there are two ways we can live: as those who rebel against God or those who wish to follow the ways of God.
James talks about these two paths in terms of wisdom. To follow the path of sinners is to follow false wisdom, to listen to the voice of the world, to let its values become our values. It's a life of self-centeredness and seeking primarily self-fulfillment, seldom thinking about anybody else. But true wisdom takes the other path, and results in a life of gentleness and of self-giving. It is a life that produces good fruit like love and peace, one that chooses to draw near always to God, walking with God each day.
The gospel lesson provides an example of one who chooses wise life, of the life that takes the right path - Jesus. He mentions the two paths: the path of self-centeredness, of me, of looking out only for Number 1 as opposed to the path of being a servant, of self-giving, and sacrifice. That, he says and he showed in his life, is the path of true life and true greatness. The sermon question is: Which path have you been taking? If you find you're on the wrong one, it's not too late to find and take the right path.
2) Proverbs 31:10-31. The Ideal Woman. There's been a lot in the news lately about women, who they are, should be, what their role should be, and so on. What's the ideal woman or the ideal for women?
Here, in words over 2,000 years old, we read about the ideal woman, one whose life is characterized by wisdom and generosity in her:
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Marriage relationship (vv. 11-12)
Relationship with children/family (vv. 15, 21, 27)
Relationship with others, especially the needy (v. 20)
Business relationships (vv. 16, 18, 24)
Most of all in her relationship with God (v. 30).
Psalm 1
Psalm 1 has long been considered as a possible prologue to the rest of the Psalter. In fact, in several ancient Hebrew manuscripts, this psalm is not numbered as are the others in the collection. The content of the psalm also has something of a "foreword" quality about it. Many of the themes that are developed at length in the rest of the psalms are touched upon in this first one.
As for type, Psalm 1 belongs to a group of poems referred to by scholars as "wisdom psalms." These psalms adopt an instructional tone and seek to encourage obedience to God's law - the Torah.
The psalm begins with a blessing on those who "do not follow the advice of the wicked." These blessed ones do not stand in the path of sinners nor linger near the dwelling place of scorners. All of these images, linger, standing, dwelling, are metaphors for learning. The blessed ones have one source for their wisdom - God's law.
A life lived in commitment to God's truth results in a stable and vital existence. The psalmist compares this existence to a tree that is planted near a powerful source of water. The tree lives and flourishes because it is rooted near the source of its nourishment.
Those the psalmist identifies as "the wicked" have exactly the opposite life experiences. They are unstable in all their ways. Instead of being like trees nourished by God's truth, the wicked are like the dry chaff that is left after the grain has been removed from a stalk of wheat. So light and airy are these chaff-like people that even the slightest breeze can blow them away.
There are many possible applications of the principles of this psalm. Our culture's preoccupation with wealth, power, and success offer a stark contrast to the simple virtue suggested by the psalm.
The issue of where these values come from is also critiqued by this psalm. What is the water that feeds our souls? Do we dip from the well of greed, or are we refreshed and made strong by the moving water of God's truth. Like the strong tree in the psalm, a faithful life is rooted in serving others. The quest for glory and honor is a fickle dream that is easily blown away with a passing wind.
The psalmist brings the poem to a close making explicit what was implied in the opening line - the Lord watches over the righteous while the wicked perish. It is not necessary to resort to eschatology to interpret the meaning of this idea. There is a practical truth revealed here that does not require end-time scenarios to understand.
In general terms, those who seek to live meaningful lives of industry and generosity can expect to find great satisfaction in life. This does not mean they will never fall or experience disappointment. It does mean that when those situations do occur, the same resources that fill life with meaning in ordinary times will help them get through the extra-ordinary.
On the other hand, those whose lives are marked by poor choices and bad habits often find themselves miserable. This happens all along the socio-economic scale. These people struggle with daily normalcy, and really struggle when something unexpected happens. God does not have to throw them down, the decisions they make and the values they follow often carry their own sorrow with them.
