Today’s readings remind us of
the contrasting ways in which humankind responds to the truth of God’s nature;
and also point to the cost of following the Lord.
Hannah’s beautiful song of
gratitude for the gift of a son she thought she would never be able to conceive
proclaims that God holds all things in his hands: from armies to the beggar
foraging for scraps on the rubbish heap; from the gift of life to its ending.
Warning against human arrogance, Hannah instead urges the humble
acknowledgement that
There is no-one holy like the Lord;
There is none beside you;
There is no rock like our God.
What a contrast between the
heartfelt praise of this ordinary woman and the self-serving corruption of
Eli’s sons who, we are told, ‘had no regard for the Lord’ and so treated his
offerings ‘with contempt.’ They were not prepared to pay the cost of genuine,
servant-hearted ministry to God’s people.
Mark’s gospel has already
taken us to the heart of the action, as Jesus comes proclaiming and
demonstrating the nearness of God’s kingdom, and setting up the fierce contest
between him and the religious leaders. Jesus has already called his first
followers, and now they begin to see the reality of the opposition which always
stands against God’s work in our world.
The healing of the paralytic famously
lowered through a roof to the feet of Jesus is one of the most significant in
the gospels. It establishes that forgiveness of sins – the gift of salvation
through faith in Christ – is the greatest miracle, to which all others,
including this man’s physical restoration, are signs and pointers. But the
action of the man’s friends – literally a breaking in out of desperation for
the touch of the healer – is also symbolic of the action of God’s kingdom,
which breaks in to our world whether welcome or not. The roof symbolises the
ways that religion seeks to block it out. Religion, like the roof, will be
broken open: nothing can halt the purposes of God. This theme is further
emphasized as Jesus goes head to head with the hardness of the religious
leaders’ hearts, as they seek to elevate their own rules and rituals above
God’s call to compassion. The calling of Matthew in the midst of all this sets
our own call to discipleship firmly within the context of God’s kingdom –
coming and opposed.
Jeremiah reminds us that,
whatever cost discipleship involves, God is ultimately faithful to those he
calls. Jeremiah’s release points to the glorious promise that all who trust in
Jesus will one day be set free from the captivity of human sin. When God
unveils his new creation, we will hear our Saviour’s voice: ‘Look, the whole
country lies before you.’ Such a promise is worth whatever cost our
discipleship demands.
(member of
the clergy)