2021.09.12 | UNASHAMED
“Unashamed”
Mark 8:27-38
Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring
Have you ever wondered why there are four gospels and not just one? The truth is that there are more than four, but only four made it into the Protestant canon, and each of the four that are familiar to us is different from the other. The differences have mostly to do with when each gospel was written and the characteristics of the faith community out which each version emerged.
Mark, for example, is generally thought to be the oldest of the four gospels. Most of Mark’s stories are found in Mathew and Luke, but his versions are more bare bones than theirs.
Matthew was likely developed next, because it builds on Mark and adds (and subtracts) some other stories, probably to make the apologetic to Jews who were morphing from orthodoxy to a sect that later became known as Christianity. Mathew went to great pains to explain the links between the Hebrew prophets, like Moses and Elijah, and Jesus.
Luke, which was written later, and grounded in a primarily Gentile community not only put the polish on the narratives found in Mark and Mathew, it also includes stories not found in the other four--stories which feature Gentile characters, and describe the expansion of Jesus’ ministry beyond the nation of Israel.
The fourth gospel, the gospel of John, stands apart from the other three (the synoptics), in that it was written later, and it was written for a persecuted community. It was also highly influenced by gnostic philosophy.
The gnostic influence on John is reflected in remarks that emphasize the superiority of the spiritual over the material world. Another feature of John’s gospel is that it is filled with numerous metaphors and analogies that we don’t find in the synoptics, such as light and dark, shepherd and sheep, grain and wheat, vine and branches, and bread and water.
I
The gospel reading for today comes from the book of Mark. In review, Mark is the oldest and the shortest gospel. It was written by and for the followers of Jesus who were ethnically and religiously Jewish. It is also the only gospel in which Jesus repeatedly instructs the disciples to “tell no one” what they’ve seen and heard.
I often joke that the gospel of Mark was written for the United Church of Christ, because most of us are “Closet Christians” and Jesus repeatedly instructs the disciples to tell no one what they’ve seen and heard.
Imagine how welcoming and affirming Jesus phrase, “Tell no one,” is to Closet Christians who cringe at words like “testimony” and “evangelism,” and who are so much more comfortable sharing the news that their senior pastor is lesbian than following through on her request that they invite a friend to church, or forward a link to today’s online worship service to a loved one.
Given that Christianity’s survival is dependent upon believers striving to live Christ-like lives and encouraging others to do the same, I’ve often wondered why Mark’s gospel introduces this paradox, this double bind, of telling no one and yet risking all for his sake. Furthermore, why does Jesus say, in Mark’s gospel, “Tell no one,” when Jesus implores his followers: “Go and tell everybody,” in the other gospels?
The explanation for this paradox is due to the fact that the community out of which Mark’s gospel emerged--and the person who first inscribed these stories on sheepskin scrolls--knew that sharing stories about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was dangerous. Doing so could get you tossed out of the family, barred from Temple services, stoned in the street, thrown in jail, crucified--or all of the above.
To borrow from Latin, Mark’s author is issuing a warning: “Caveat emptor!” Buyer beware! Tell no one anything about Jesus, unless you’re willing to risk it all: your friendships, your family, your ticket to the High Holy Day services, your membership at the country club, your next promotion, and more. Indeed, “telling” had (and has) implications.
Knowing more about Mark’s context and the struggles of the community in which he lived helps us understand why Jesus repeatedly advised his disciples to tell no one about what he said or did.
II
The stakes are different for modern Christians than they were for Christians who lived prior to 312 AD, when Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and declared Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Since the early third century, at least in the West, membership in the Christian church has been more of an asset than a deficit.
Consider for example that until the late 20th century it was tough for people in the west, who weren’t Christian--particularly those who weren’t WASPs, to join organizations or gain access to resources for economic, social, or political advancement.
It wasn’t all that long ago that many of the “drinking and swearing clubs” in this country (where business relationships were forged, information was exchanged, and deals were done) would not admit Jews or Catholics, much less members of other great world religions, e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, and Taoism.
Times have changed though. Western societies have become increasingly secular. Cultural diversification and affirmative action programs are now considered not only the “right” thing to do, but synonymous with “good business” practices that contribute to the bottom line.
One no longer needs to be a card-carrying Christian to get their first job or to obtain financing for their home or to start a business. Indeed, memberships with organizations like American Express have their privileges. Membership in a Christian church--not so much.
This is one of the reasons why there have been so many empty pews in European churches for the last 75 years, and one of the reasons why so many churches in the US have closed or are on the brink of folding tent.
IV
Ironically, even though the tables have turned, so that being identified as a Christian went from being a deterrent to one’s success to contributing to it, there are still reasons why many Christians hover in their religious closets rather than come out proud and share their faith with others.
This reason for staying in the closet, I’ve been told, by many watching at home today, is that you are more clear about what you don’t believe than what you do believe, and you are more clear about how you don’t intend to act, than about when and where you do claim your identity as a Christian and state your faith values.
And why is it so hard for liberal and progressive Christians to come out Christian? I’ll tell you why, it’s because--as you’ve told me--I/we don’t want to be “that kind of Christian.”
We don’t want to be the type of Christian who takes up all the oxygen in the room sharing their “Damascus Road experience,” and we don’t want to be aligned with those who think that they are the only true Christians, because they have a Damascus Road experience.
In addition, we don’t want to be the type of Christians who say that Christ is the only way to heaven, and that there is only one true religion. Most of us are way past the sense of religious superiority.
Furthermore, we don’t want to be falsely identified with American Religion which is a domesticated version of Christianity that promotes the status quo, frames the US as the new Promised Land, and detracts from public health by discouraging Americans from embracing science and reason, wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and following other sound health and safety practices.
So I get--I totally get why the closet has its draw for many Christians. But the truth is, as womanist poet Audre Lorde famously wrote in her book, Sister Outsider, “Our silence will not protect us.” (Sunset Beach, NC: Crossing Press, 1984).
God is not glorified by our silence. People outside this nation will never know that Christianity is not aligned with US imperialism if we do not open our mouths and counter that message.
People outside of our faith tradition will never know that there are Christians who follow Jesus, and who know that he is not the only way. As the Chinese proverb goes, “There are many paths up the same mountain.”
Our own children will not know that Jesus’ life and ministry mattered, and what it was all about unless we show and we TELL them.
To do that, we will have to come out of Christian closets and dare to follow Christ’s example--no matter how queer we look to the larger culture--we will have to work through our anxiety and our religious baggage, because the alternative is not an option. Hear that: the closet is not an option for us if we want this pandemic to end, the gap between rich and poor to narrow, and global climate change to reverse. It’s just that simple, and it’s just that hard.
My prayer for “closet cases” is that we will dig deep within our individual and collective souls, and find the courage to live out and proud as Christians, and that as we do, we will gain the draw of others to Christ, and gain the respect and friendship of other believers who follow other prophets and practice other faith traditions. Amen.