DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK!

Mark 9: 30-37

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has some wonderful new resources that start with questions and end with answers. Such tools are called catechisms, which anyone who has gone through my confirmation class knows are “statements of faith in a question and answer format.” Based on the classic Westminster Confession of Faith (for which our church was named), are two catechisms: the Larger Catechism, which is a question and answer tool for preachers, and the Shorter Catechism which is intended for new members. A question from the Larger Catechism is “Are there more Gods than one?” Answer: “There is but one only, the living and true God.” What scripture backs that up? Deuteronomy 6:4, Jeremiah 10:10, and 1 Corinthians 8:4 & 8:6. Those who believe in other gods go against the Bible and its teachings, yet there are those in this world who worship other gods. From the Shorter Catechism we read this question: “What is sin?” Answer: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” What Scripture backs that up? The first letter of John, chapter 3, verse 4; James 4; 17, & Romans 3:23. Many Presbyterians in the 50s and before grew up learning questions and answers from catechisms; they were the curriculum of the day. But in the 60s and later, there was less and less memorization, and with it came more and more moral relativism, that is, people began saying “What is right for you is not necessarily right for me! “And who are you to judge me?” We are not the judge, but there is a judge, and there is a record of what our judge deems right and wrong. We just have to get back to it.

My friend Keith Curran is also a Presbyterian minister and he traveled with us to the Holy Land this past March. In his book called MEDITATIONS ON BELONGING TO GOD, he writes: “Social scientists tell us that we are living in a post-Christian age, a time when our values and norms no longer automatically reflect Judeo-Christian ethics and moral patterns. It is a time in history when pluralism and nonreligious values hold at least as much sway in society as the traditional Judeo-Christian value system, long the standard for Western civilization and the basis of our North American way of life. This means that much of what the church teaches in Sunday school, youth group, confirmation class, and in the weekly sermon is at odds with the values expressed on those endless repeats of Friends or the current issue of People magazine.” [Witherspoon Press, 2006, p. 2] You feel the shift, don’t you?  If our young adults watched hours of Friends, or 90210, The Hills, or South Park, do the hours of church, Sunday school, youth group, or worship even begin to sway those who watch any of those shows or other shows? Yes, if children have been brought to those church events, and have parents who model good behavior, and they choose good friends, then yes they can turn out to be fine Christian citizens. But that’s a lot of qualification, isn’t it? Our new catechism keeps up the tradition of answering good questions, but now with more understandable answers. Question: “Why do Christians gather for worship on the first day of the week?” Answer: “Because it is the day when God raised our Lord Jesus from the dead. Our hearts are glad with the memory of our Lord’s resurrection.” That’s the reason Christians gather on Sunday, the first day of the week; of course, we are in a post-Christian age, so we watch people worship on Saturdays, and Mondays and Wednesday, and the list goes on. But there’s a reason why from New Testament times, Christians worshipped on the first day of the week and named it “The Lord’s Day.” It’s exciting to know reasons behind actions, isn’t it? Often I hear people wish they had lived when Jesus lived so they could see him, touch his hands, and ask him all the questions that they had stockpiled. But look at the record, especially in Mark: Jesus could be intimidating with his answers. I know what that feels like. I was never good at math; my father is very good at math. When he would try to help me with my homework, and I’d be struggling with an answer, he’d say “Can’t you do that in your head?” “No” I would say silently, “If I could do it in my head I wouldn’t have asked you to help me.” So asking questions can get a little intimidating. In our text today, the Savior Jesus, who called others to follow him, the friend with whom they had fished and shared meals, taught them a college level lesson when they could only understand an elementary school one. “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” “Wait a minute Jesus; first are you the Son of Man? Who will betray you; we’ll stop ‘em! You who walked on water, cured a deaf man, and shone at the top of a mountain will surely be strong enough to ward off your killers! If you rise again does that mean you really won’t die?” I can imagine a flood of questions filling the minds of his disciples. But they had already been puzzled when he questioned their faith while they were tossed about in a boat by a storm; they had just witnessed him going to the land of the unclean on the east side of the Sea, healing a desperate and demon-possessed man, and sending the demon into pigs that thundered into the sea. We know they didn’t understand about him walking on water according to 6:52, and he had just finished scolding them in 8:17: “Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? … Do you not yet understand?”  Now I understand one thing, don’t you? I understand why they were afraid to ask Jesus for clarification in chapter 9; they had already tried it in chapter 8 and were shut down! I’ve known the feeling when someone has an answer that I don’t have; I know the feeling when a professor wants to impress me with his position and not help me understand what I don’t know. I understand why 12 men, who dropped their livelihoods to follow this man, were confused! There is no record of them attending seminary or Rabbinical school after Jesus called them!  They just followed; and sometimes, they did not understand.

As I told you, I’ve been around people who knew more than I did in particular subjects. You have too. I now am feeling grateful for the Bible recording that they were afraid to ask! I have a kinship with Peter, James, John, and even Thomas. So perhaps being enamored with being back in the days of Jesus is not as important as we thought. In our Disciple class, we read these words of John: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing, you may have life in his name.” In many ways, we have it easier to be disciples of Jesus: First, we have the benefit of hindsight and can see all that happened to Jesus. The story of Jesus’ death they had to take on faith; we have a record that it happened. Second, we also have the record of God’s Word and actions in the Bible if we choose to use it as our guide for living, giving it the place it deserves will trump all of the other world-views and values that bombard our minds from television, talk radio, family, friends, and books. Third, we have the privilege of reclaiming what the 60s, 70s, and 80s wanted to throw away: catechisms: well-researched questions that might be our questions, with clear answers based on Scripture. They are there for the reading. Much of our youth class is based on a catechism, and next year’s confirmation class will be too.  Sometimes adults think Sunday school is for kids, but George’s Cara’s and Mimi’s classes all welcome people with question about the Bible, God, and faith. Our library has most of the catechisms I mentioned, and another good book called PRESBYTERIAN QUESTIONS, PRESBYTERIAN ANSWERS. Finally, we need not fear: “I’ve even had a continuing file that I’ve kept over the years that I call “Ask Pastor Jeff.” Children, youth, and adults need honest answers, and thoughtful well-grounded ones. This week I didn’t know what was meant when I heard someone’s hospital tests indicated a high level of enzymes. I wasn’t afraid to ask. I asked a nurse, who told me there had likely been a heart attack, and high enzymes often indicate heart damage. Now I know! Children ask questions all the time; we are never too old too learn. Ministers are often called “Teaching Elders.” I commit myself to that, as we wrestle with questions of faith and doubt, questions about the Bible and the world, and not leave answers to be doled out by media personalities who want to stay on the air, by actors playing a role, or by stars who often have confusing and godless views of the world. People are asking questions; may the church be a source of dialogue, prayer, and support as, together we seek the truth that sets us free. These are the words of Jesus in John 8:31: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jeffrey A. Sumner                                                    September 20, 2009