September 30, 2012
Who goes to Hell?
- Mark 9:38-50
- Dr. Teri Thomas
Last week I invited you
to write down questions you are afraid to ask.
We are going to be discussing many of your questions
in the weeks and months ahead.
This morning’s lesson just so happen to relate to
the second most frequently asked question-
who goes to hell
and what happens to people of other faith traditions.
Did you hear that Jesus went to visit Peter at the Pearly Gates one day and asks how things are going. “Well,” says St. Peter, “I have a complaint. You know, Lord, I’m scrupulous about my job here. I interview each soul arriving at the Gate of Heaven, and I check to see if his or her name is written in the Book of Life. I turn away the people not worthy to enter heaven. It is not easy but I do it. But a little while later I turn around and I see those very people I turned away wandering around on the inside! I don’t get it! What’s going on?”
“Oh. That’s my mother for you,” replied Jesus. “Those people you turn away - she keeps letting them in through the back door.”
Clearly, Jesus was not asking her to stop.
But the more biblical version of the story is in this morning’s gospel lesson.
The disciples encountered a man who was exorcising demons.
When the disciples saw him, they got a bit edgy
because this fellow was different from them.
He was doing what Jesus asked them to do
But he wasn’t one of them.
The disciples weren’t upset because this man was left-handed
or because he had green-colored hair
or because he had tattoos covering his body.
No, the disciples were upset
simply because of the fact that he wasn’t a part of their group.
So the disciples reported back to Jesus,
"Jesus, we saw some joker casting out demons,
but he didn’t belong to our group.
So we told him to knock it off."
But to their surprise, Jesus said,
"You shouldn’t have done that.
Because even though that fellow isn’t a part of your group,
he’s still doing the kind of work
that I want to see happen in the world.
He is doing the things I have asked you to do."
Once again we can see ourselves
In the disciples’ behavior.
We too are tempted to look at Jesus and say,
"Uh, Jesus, we’re so different from each other.
But I am right, right?"
“I am doing this the way you really want, right?”
It’s like when a child points to his brothers and sisters,
and asks his mother which one she loves the most.
And she says- you are all different but
I love you all the same.
And Jesus says that even though we are all different,
God loves all of us just the same.
If you remember when you were a kid,
that this wasn’t the kind of answer you hoped to hear.
You wanted to hear that mom loved you most of all.
For some reason, we seem to feel better about ourselves
if we know that not only are we accepted and loved,
but that we’ve been accepted and loved
while others have been rejected.
The disciples rather like thinking of themselves as the “in-crowd”,
as those closest to Jesus,
greater than those they consider outsiders
and as better than others.
Jesus again corrects such attitudes and misconceptions,
instructing them to leave perceived outsiders alone.
Religious superiority,
believing God loves our kind and only our kind
is the most destructive force in the world today.
We have seen its effects
as waves of protest and violence have washed across the Middle East in recent weeks.
We have grieved over the brutal deaths of
our Ambassador to Libya
and three other Americans serving their country.
We have watched the burning of the American flag
in countries around the globe.
Where has all of this come from?
The causes are many and complex.
(not to be solved in a 15 minute sermon)
But there is no doubt
that the appearance of an anti-Islamic film
has enraged great numbers of Muslims.
The creators of the film were motivated by extreme disrespect for Islam and its followers;
those followers have reacted in extreme outrage.
Shouldn’t surprise us-
it’s been that way since the beginning of time
religious hatred provokes religious hatred.
When we claim to be the right way, the only way
Stereotyping and demonizing flourish
and ultimately we all suffer.
Not long after 9/11, someone scribbled on the wall of a building
in downtown Washington D. C.,
"Dear God, save us from people who believe in you."
Today I would pray,
"Dear God, save us from people
who believe that believing in you
requires disrespect and condemnation
of others who worship you
in ways that are different from our ways."
(from the Higher Ground Blog, Joanna Adams: Going to Extremes, September 25, 2012)
If they are doing good, let them do it.
So what if they are not one of us.
And Jesus doesn’t stop there.
he goes on-
saying to the disciples
that this adversarial behavior must come to an end
if they hope for a reward from God.
They must do whatever it takes
to become more spiritually disciplined,
more accepting and more loving.
He is speaking to his closest followers- the insiders- us
We need to ponder the risks for us
if our failures to love
our distortions of the way of Christ
our narrow understanding of truth
our quickness to judge and condemn
causes others to stumble
If we cannot overcome attitudes and behaviors that divide us,
they will lead us to hell.
Jesus doesn’t actually say hell-
he says Aramaic word Gehenna
which is a place just outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Centuries earlier
this place was a center of pagan idolatry and got a bad name.
So by Jesus’ time it had become the town dump.
Jesus says- your life has value.
Do not let it land in a pile of garbage.
Better to let go of some behavior or some attitude
than to land in the trash.
Discard whatever it is that doesn’t or can’t love others
even the ones who are very different.
The church of Jesus doesn’t condemn folks to hell
or send folks to the dump.
Rather the church goes with Jesus to the dump-
he descended into hell
to show everyone the love, the power and the grace of God.
Or as Jesus said- Have salt in yourselves
flavor, worth, essence
and be at peace with one another.
Amen.