James 3:13 – 4:3
September 20, 2009
Mark 9:30 – 37
Allan Klassen
Gentle Wisdom
The quest for wisdom has been a universal pursuit through the ages.
Throughout time the great philosophers and others have sought wisdom. And in
that quest they have realized that wisdom is not simply a matter of knowledge,
have grasped that it is more than merely knowing and understanding theories and
concepts. They have understood that being wise has less to do with what we know
and more to do with how we apply knowledge, has more to do with how we act and
behave. And in keeping with this greater meaning of wisdom they have tried to
figure out and articulate the best and most honorable ways of living.
James follows in this line of thinking in our text as he asks who among his
readers “is wise and understanding”, and then goes on to contrast the wisdom
which he labels as earthly, unspiritual and devilish with the wisdom that comes
from above. “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness
born of wisdom” he admonishes the twelve tribes of the Dispersion.
It’s an interesting connection that James makes between wisdom and gentleness.
If our desire is to gain wisdom, and if being wise is about understanding the
best and most honorable ways of living, then the exhortation to deal gently with
each other and with our world is worthy of our attention. But to be gentle is
frequently not our first reaction. And it is not what society generally
advocates for those who wish to be successful in life, for gentleness is often
equated with weakness, and is then considered a character flaw rather than an
asset.
But we know from Jesus’ numerous teachings that in God’s kingdom there are
reversals relative to the way society sometimes sees things. These reversals are
also highlighted in Mark’s gospel. Today’s reading is the second part of a
longer section (Mark 8:27 – 10:45) in which Mark highlights three predictions by
Jesus of his impending death, three predictions which according to the text were
specifically meant as a teaching tool for the disciples. In each of the three
predictions Mark includes a similar sequence. First, Jesus predicts his
suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. Second, the disciples respond
with misunderstanding, confusion, and an inability to accept this message. And
third, Jesus uses the opportunity to give instructions on discipleship.
The response of the disciples to Jesus’ teaching about his impending death is
indicated to be one of misunderstanding and fear. We’re told they didn’t get it
and were afraid to ask. Three times the disciples don’t “get it”. The previous
time they had this similar conversation we have Jesus admonishing Peter when
Peter’s lack of understanding leads him to insist that that’s not what is going
to happen to Jesus. Indeed, Peter knows what messiahs should do. Messiahs should
rule! Messiahs don’t die! Mark 8:33 says that “…he (Jesus) rebuked Peter and
said, ‘Get behind me Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but
on human things”.
And in the third scenario when Jesus predicts his suffering and death to the
disciples (Mk 10:32-45) James and John ask whether they can have positions of
privilege on Jesus’ right and left when he establishes his kingdom.
So Mark records three occasions of Jesus attempting to teach the disciples about
his suffering and death and in each case the disciples don’t understand or are
preoccupied with thinking incompatible with what Jesus is trying to get through
to them. In the first they expect Jesus to rule by power and Jesus’ answer is
that they must deny themselves and take up their cross if they wish to be
followers. In the second scenario, which is today’s text, the disciples wish to
gain prestige in the messianic kingdom, and Jesus responds that if they want to
be first they must take on the role of a servant and he uses a child to
emphasize the point. On the third occasion the disciples wish to gain positions
of privilege, and again Jesus reminds them that the way of discipleship is the
way of service.
It is clear that despite what Jesus has been trying to teach them, the disciples
are still trying to fit Jesus and his mission into existing social and religious
structures. As Jesus points out, they are thinking in human terms and not in
terms of how God sees things. They are not wise in the ways which Jesus has been
trying to lead them. In human terms there has to be rank: the powerful vs. the
powerless, slave vs. free, rich vs. poor, etc. The disciples wrongly assume that
there must be or will be rank in God’s dominion as well.
The second part of today’s gospel reading indicates that there is a deeper
underlying problem than simply misunderstanding, for when Jesus was trying to
teach them about his approaching death, they were consumed with a discussion
about who was the greatest. When asked what they were arguing about on the way
they decline to volunteer this information. Their preoccupation and obsession
with position and power rendered them incapable of comprehending, much less of
accepting, Jesus’ words about himself. As has been suggested, understanding or
wisdom is a matter not only of intelligence but also of character.
The verses from the letter of James provide even stronger comment about the
human frailties alluded to by Mark – frailties which were part of the disciples’
makeup and which tend to be our realities as well. They are among the most
direct of biblical texts in describing the causes of injustice and war. James
does not do as we are prone to do – does not immediately blame the devil, or
blame unjust authority or blame other outside forces. Rather, his admonition is
much more personalized and hits much closer to home. He asks the question and
then provides his own observation and accusation. “Those conflicts and disputes
among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are
at war within you?” (4:1)
Earlier (3:16) James has already elaborated about these “cravings” and what they
can lead to by pointing out that, “where there is envy and selfish ambition,
there will be disorder and wickedness of every kind.”
What he describes are motivations and actions that do not stem from gentleness.
Rather they are cravings and selfish desires, which when out of control, destroy
any inner sense of peace and well-being. And this war within us threatens
relationships with others and disturbs the stability of the community and, when
magnified to a global scale of warfare among nations, becomes truly
catastrophic.
James, in asking who among us is wise and understanding, implies that not only
is it desirable for us to become these wise and understanding ones but also
declares that it is possible. And it becomes possible as we embrace the wisdom
from above as he describes in verses 17-18. “But the wisdom from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is
sown in peace for those who make peace.”
In Mark’s gospel, the disciples argue about who is the greatest among them. This
dispute set between a prophecy about the crucifixion and a teaching about the
presence of Christ in little children, in the most unimportant of people,
underscores the disciples’ ignorance of Jesus’ mission. Envy demands a better
position, greed desires wealth, and ambition seeks power. Jesus’ life, death and
teaching contradict all three.
It is with deliberate intent that Jesus follows the disciples’ response with
instruction on discipleship. “He sat down, called the twelve and said to them,
‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all’. No teaching
of Jesus more frequently or more directly addresses the love of position and
prestige that was a reality in biblical times and is still with us. And as
though his point were not clear enough, Jesus elaborates, adding vividness to
his words by holding a child in his arms.
The child is the classic image of the powerless, those without claim and without
capacity to reward or repay. And yet the disciple of Jesus is called to attend
to even these, welcoming them, and serving them. Jesus says that in welcoming
the poor, ordinary people, those who have no influence, wealth or power, those
who need help, we are welcoming him and more than that, we are welcoming God. To
serve the least is to find one’s reason not in the return of such service, but
in the understanding that this is the life of the kingdom, the life which God
affirmed by the resurrection of Jesus, the servant of us all. This is the gentle
wisdom which finds its source not in society’s norms, but in the values of God’s
kingdom.
I attended the ad hoc “Bridge Builders” group as it held an initial meeting
recently at NPMC (it will meet again on September 29) to look at practical ways
to extend this gentle wisdom to disadvantaged groups and individuals in our
city. Personally, I confess that I find myself needing to make major adjustments
in both the way I view marginalized persons and in my reluctance to become
involved in relationships with them before I can feel comfortable in these types
of endeavors.
On the other hand, maybe what is required is simply a willingness to move
outside of my comfort zone and these will change as I become involved and learn
to know them. I’m not sure yet how daring I will be in living a little closer to
the edge.
In the course of my preparation I came across an acronym that I was not
previously familiar with, although regrettably I am often guilty of the
characteristics which it encapsulates. The acronym is WIIFM, which stands for
“What’s in it for me”. It’s somewhat akin to its relative, the acronym NIMBY for
“not in my back yard”, which I unfortunately have also ascribed to. Among other
things, both imply tendencies toward selfishness rather than generosity,
attitudes of exclusiveness rather than inclusiveness, perceptions of superiority
rather than equality, expectations of receiving rather than of serving. Both
tend to describe attitudes and actions that run counter to the gentle wisdom
advocated by today’s texts.
What our texts advocate are virtues, and virtues can be described as the
qualities which, when practiced habitually, make us good. It was Aristotle,
third century B.C. Greek philosopher, who described virtue as being of two
kinds, intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtue, he said, in the main owes
its birth and its growth to teaching… while moral virtue comes about as a result
of habit, whence also its name ethic is one that is formed by a slight variation
from the word ethos (one definition of which is habit). (Quoted by Harry
Huebner, p.174 in Church as Parable) Habits shape who we are, and while habits
which make us good are virtues, habits which make us bad are vices. And
unfortunately too often when we think of habits we think of the latter.
Harry Huebner insists that, “Habits like virtues, are meaningless apart from
specific actions. You cannot possess the virtue of love without habitually
acting lovingly. And you cannot possess the virtue of honesty without habitually
telling the truth. A virtue is not a mere intention”. (p.179 in Church as
Parable) The church, or disciples of Christ if you will, is that body which out
of habit tells the truth, which out of habit loves enemies, feeds the hungry,
takes care of the disadvantaged, seeks to serve rather than be served, forgives
sinners, which out of habit praises God for what we have received, which prays
and worships. The church as the body of Christ seeks to make a habit out of
discerning and practicing the gentle wisdom implied by our texts.
Among the teachings and practices of our Anabaptist forbears was the concept of
being “nachfolger”, of being followers or disciples of Jesus’ example. What they
advocated to each other was not so much related to intellectual understanding
but rather the habit of practicing the gentle wisdom which finds its origin
outside of society’s norms.
Last Sunday Patrick invited us to think of persons in our lives whose good words
and actions had helped to shape who we are. Among others, I was drawn to
remember Art Pauls. He and his wife were our house parents many decades ago when
I was a student at Rosthern Junior College. Mr. Pauls was a minister, had been a
farmer, and now served in the dorm and also maintenance work of all kinds.
Granted, he could become angry, but it was generally in situations which called
for this type of response, a righteous indignation if you will. What stays with
me are his gentle words and actions of concern for our welfare, of guidance and
service. Day after day, Mr. Pauls worked faithfully at making our environment
safe and comfortable, frequently cleaning up or fixing things that we had
carelessly, and sometimes deliberately, messed up or broken. He exemplified for
me what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples, exemplified that attitude and
habit of seeking to be a servant rather than striving for a place of prestige or
power.
I pray that each of us may learn and practice this gentle wisdom with each
other, with all our neighbors, and with the world which is our home. May it
become a habit that sustains us and brings life in abundance to all.