Memorial United Methodist Church

JESUS, KIN AND THE "KINDOM" OF GOD

A message from Pastor Joe Agne

When Jesus was 30 years old he decided what his life work would be -- an itinerant teacher, preacher, healer and organizer. He chose to have no home and no income. He began to look for some friends to travel with and found some young men who worked in their father’s fishing business. Jesus told these young men about his dream of teaching people a new way of life, a “life for others.” He added they would be dependent on hospitality for food and lodging. They would have no homes. Jesus said nothing about pensions, social security and medical benefits.

These young men decided they wanted to go with Jesus. Here is what I want you to imagine – their conversation with their father and mother. “Dad and mom, we have decided to leave home, leave the family business and follow this person who has no job but he does have a dream. We will stay in the homes of people who will have us and eat the food we are given. We won’t earn anything but we will have chance to learn to be teachers, preachers, healers and organizers. We know it is a risk for us and a risk for you but we feel we need to do it.” We don’t know the parents’ response but their sons left with Jesus.

I tell this story to help us understand these two passages from the gospels. In Luke, Jesus says he brings “division,” not peace. These are some of the statements of Jesus in this Luke passage: 1) I bring fire to the earth and I wish it was already kindled. 2) I will be baptized by death and I am under stress until this happens. 3) Do you think I come to bring peace? No, I bring division. 4) Because of me, 5 in a household will be divided 3 against 2 and 2 against 3. 5) Father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and vice versa. 6) Mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and vice versa. It is important to note that here Jesus is the cause of division.

We might wonder if Jesus had this same division in his own family, with his own kin? In the other story, from Mark, Jesus comes to his home neighborhood and he is in someone’s house casting out demons. He believes people have all sorts of demonic powers in their lives that don’t bring life. Some people report to Jesus’ family that Jesus is out of his mind. The religious leaders accuse Jesus of being crazed. Jesus says we have to address the strong men who take over our lives and we have to bind them up, if we are to be free.

(Cont. in Sept. 2007 Part 2)