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Pentecost 15 (21 September 2003)
Proverbs 31: 10 –31; Psalm 1; James 3: 13 – 4: 3, 7 – 8a; Mark 9: 30 – 37
Reading through these passages I am drawn to the theme of ‘The Two Ways’, a biblical theme developed in both the rabbinic tradition and the writings of the apostolic tradition especially ‘The Didache’ and ‘The Epistle of Barnabas’. To quote the Didache, which is dated around 100CE, ‘There are two ways: the one is that of life and the other is that of death. There is a great difference between the two ways. The way of life is this: first you shall love the God who made you, you shall love your neighbour as yourself. Everything that you do not wish to be done to you, do not do to another!’ and it then proceeds to summarise Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. The way of death is described like this: ‘It is the way of those who persecute the good and hate the truth, who love lying and do not know the reward of righteousness, who do not cleave to the good and to just judgement…’
The theme of the two ways of life has been an ongoing theme in Christian thinking and preaching, down though the centuries and into our own. Coupled with this is the recognition that we have a choice about which path we take and that through appropriate guidance we can influence the choices of others. The conviction that there are two ways to live underpins diverse movements like evangelicalism, the peace movement, values education and campaigns for tougher sentencing. Each encourages people to choose the better way of life over ways that are destructive and harmful.
Psalm 1
This clearly depicts the two ways and in some versions has the title ‘The Two Ways’ for this psalm. The ‘Happy’ or ‘Blessed’ people are those who have the wisdom to see the dangers inherent in the lifestyles of people described as wicked, sinners and scoffers. The psalm doesn’t describe the characteristics of the two ways, but provides a timely warning to choose the way of those the Lord watches over - the way of the righteous - vs 6. In this psalm, we see the clear implication that God is not neutral towards the two ways, but that God will take care of those who choose the way of life.
Proverbs 31: 10 –31
We could have long discussions around the implications in this passage in terms of the roles of women and wives in general. But I think it is more helpful to see this as a specific tribute from one husband to his wife. This man wants to praise his wife and draw attention to her many skills and the characteristics he admires. It could be a helpful exercise for us to paraphrase this passage for the important people in our lives, wives, husbands, partners, children, mothers and fathers, best friends.
If Psalm 1 is a little short on the detail of the characteristics of the way of life, this Proverbs passage provides lots of examples: trust, care, faithfulness, diligence, using skills well, business sense, compassion for the poor and needy, careful planning, strength, dignity, wisdom, and faith. If we want to live the way of life and avoid the way of death, nurturing these characteristics is a good place to start.
James 3: 13 – 4: 3, 7 – 8a
Again a contrast is being drawn between two ways, the title in my Bible is ‘Two Kinds Of Wisdom’. One way is described as earthly, unspiritual and devilish with characteristics like bitter envy, selfish ambition, falsehood and disorder identified. In contrast, the wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. It is clear in which category the woman described in Proverbs 31 fits. She virtually personifies the way of genuine wisdom.
James chapter 4 reminds us how common ‘conflict and disputes’ are among Christian communities. From the beginning until now, being ‘peaceable’ has been an elusive characteristic among the followers of Jesus. Even those who are passionate about the way of life, find that the dangers of conflict are never far away. Once conflict and disputes enter the Christian community, the hand of the way of death falls heavily on us. I think James is right to highlight this area of Christian discipleship as a matter of utmost concern. His advice to divided communities is strong and to the point “Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. This is an area where we need to go back to the basics of faith, recognising that conflict among Christians has the potential to turn us from the way of life to the way of death. We need to turn back to God and resist the evil, which is knocking at the door of our lives.
Our passage concludes in hope “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. God is more eager than we are, to draw us into the way of life and away from the way of death. In the midst of conflict and disharmony, wherever you find it, it’s good to make some ‘God space’ in your life, an opportunity to let God minister to you and show you how to deal with the challenges disharmony poses.
Mark 9: 30 – 37
In this passage disharmony and conflict have entered into the fledgling Jesus community, even as Jesus is teaching about his immanent death and the resurrection to follow. We often are amazed that when Jesus died, the disciples didn’t anticipate the resurrection. One of the reasons for this seems to be that while Jesus was telling them, their minds were preoccupied with the question of ‘who is the greatest’. Their questions of personal status blocked their ears to Jesus’ vital teaching about what would happen in Jerusalem. It is amazing how often in the Church we become preoccupied with status questions and issues related to who has power, and more vital subjects get overlooked. We need to remember James’ words about resisting evil – the temptation to be preoccupied with status – and submitting to God’s ways of living.
This passage from Mark again highlights the two ways. Jesus is talking about how his life would end, but that the end was the end of a chapter, not the end of the story. Jesus is talking about how even in the midst of apparent tragedy, God’s grace pours out. The way of life! But in contrast, the disciples are preoccupied with, to use James’ words, ‘bitter envy’ and ‘selfish ambition’. The way of death! So, the two ways collide once again.
Some preaching suggestions:
- Explore the image of the two ways through these scriptures and contemporary experiences.
- Discuss conflict in Christian communities focusing on material from Mark and James.
- Consider the tribute in Proverbs from a husband to his wife, and discuss ways we can affirm others especially those we are closest to.
Hymn and song suggestions:
- Listen to or sing Natalie Yule Yeoman’s ‘The Criticism Song’ *
- Who Would True Valour See
- Brother, Sister Let Me Serve You
- Jesus Bids Us Shine
- The Power Of Your Love
* Each parish in Otago and Southland received a free copy of Natalie’s CD ‘Cloud and Fire’ funded by the Synod. Northerners might like to purchase a copy from her c/- the Mosgiel Parish.
A Prayer
Loving God, today we again face the choice between two ways, two paths, two journeys – one is the way of life, the other the way of death. Help us to choose the better way. We want to be your people living in ways that celebrate life and create life, but often we turn aside into destructive choices. Place your hands on us again today and guide us towards ways of love, compassion and hope and let your grace pour into our world through us. Amen.