Proper 20 B
Quid Pro Quo? NO!
St. Mark 9:30-37
20 September 2015 – Redeemer
Quid pro quo. That’s an old Latin phrase which means, “Something for something.” I will do something for you so that you will do something for me. It’s a common phrase in the legal world. Lawyers are often seeking “quid pro quo.” My client will name the other culprits in the crime if his sentence is reduced to two years.”
Quid pro quo is how most people believe God works. If you did a cursory hearing of today’s readings you may have gotten that same impression. The Introit says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” That sounds like “If I do something for the Lord (delight in him) He will do something for me (give me the desires of my heart.) Saint James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Sounds like, “If I serve people here and put myself under others, later on the Lord will exalt me and everyone will be serving me.”
On the surface that makes Christians sound really pathetic – like children trying to pull one over on their parents. I want to borrow the car this weekend, so I’ll clean my room, empty the dishwasher, and even spend time in the same room with my parents. I’ll lower myself so they will exalt me and give me what I want.” If that is Christianity we ought to pitied. What sort of a god could be fooled by such selfishness? What sort of a god bribes his followers into obedience? Not much of a god – that’s for sure.
That’s the problem with a surface reading of Scripture – the Devil can twist it and sinful man can turn it to fit exactly what he wants. So let’s hear more deeply and look more intently on the Words given by the Holy Spirit to Saint Mark in today’s Gospel reading.
The Gospel reading begins with Jesus. That’s not you doing something for God. That’s God doing something for you without you ever doing anything for Him. Jesus is teaching the 12 privately, in hiding, away from the crowds. When someone in authority takes you away privately and then says, “You’d better sit down” you know you’re in for some big, life changing news. And so it is with Jesus and the twelve – the biggest news they’ve ever heard. “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
There’s no greater news in all the world than what Jesus told the 12. The Son of Man – that’s a designation for God Himself. God Jesus, will be given up to men and they will kill him. God will be killed. Three days later, He will rise back to life. What was their reaction to the greatest news in the history of the world? They sat there silent, jaws open, eyes glazed over, unable to comprehend what was great about the news Jesus had delivered. These 12 men left everything to follow Jesus, and were basking in the glory of His miracles and His transfiguration. They saw that He was God. They were ecstatic to be His followers. They imaged how great this Jesus thing was going to be for them. And then Jesus said, “I’m going to be killed.” and that didn’t calculate. Since their universal experience was that people who were buried never left the cemetery again, the whole “third day resurrection” was lost on them as well. They did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask.
Jesus let it go while they journeyed to Capernaum, but this Word He had given them was too important for them not to understand. So once again He teaches the 12, this time with a question, “What were you discussing on the way?” They had been talking “quid pro quo” on the way. They had been talking about all they had done for Jesus and how they would be honored because of it. Matthew boasted, “I’m the greatest. I repented of working for the government and stealing through taxes.” Judas argued, “I’m the greatest. Jesus trusts me with the money.” James and John bragged together, “We’re the greatest. We left our father’s business and our parents gave up two of their sons for Jesus.” And of course, there was no way Peter was going to let these guys win the contest for the pope. I am the greatest. Jesus asks me to be the chief bishop of our pastoral conference.”
We could easily join in on that conversation, for who of us hasn’t argued “quid pro quo” with God? We’ve complained that He ought to have treated us better. We make promises in our prayers that we’ll change our ways if He delivers us from our present trouble. But Jesus casts all their claims and our claims aside when He sets that child in their midst and gives them a Kingdom sermon with that child.
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. … whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.”
Serving children, especially little children is a thankless task. Ask a young couple that has spent a sleepless night caring for their little girl with an ear infection. No one gives out awards or government grants for sleepless nights or changing 400 diapers a month. Parents care for their little ones, not for reward, but simply because that is what they have been given to do as parents, they are given to love without thought of reward.
And that word “given” is the key to understanding the Kingdom of God and your place and work in it. The Kingdom begins with Jesus who was delivered (given over) into the hands of men. He was given, not because of anything you had done or will do, but He was given for you. He was given into this world to be your Savior. He was given to be your sin-bearer. He was given over to death and hell for your sins. And He rose from the dead because the gift of His flesh and blood completely took care of your salvation, your forgiveness, your redemption. He taught these 12 men for three years of seminary and then He ordained them (minus Judas) and sent them to the ends of the world so you could be given everything Jesus did – and all of you received Jesus’ gifts without doing anything for Him. This was not “quid pro quo” this was “everything from Jesus by Jesus for you.”
That’s humbling – my sins are so great God had to die to save me. My conscience is so stained that only the blood of God could cleanse it. The humility of Christians is not something we do. It is something we are given by faith in Jesus – it is the humility of knowing that our forgiveness, our place in God’s family, our hope for the resurrection and eternal life – is nothing we deserved or earned, but it is a total gift. And that gift – forgiveness for our sins, life when we deserve death, the certain hope of resurrected body free of every pain and sin, that’s exalting.
Whatever happens to you this week God is your Father. Jesus who rules all the events in all creation is your brother and Savior. Your sins are forgiven. You are living forever. Your body will rise on the last day. You will one day experience the end of your enemies – Satan put away, your sinful self dead, your new man raised to perfection. That’s you now by faith, and not yet by sight.
You, by the gift of Christ, live in that humility and exaltation. And that is why baptized Christians are pro-life – even for the lives of those who may never give us something in return. We don’t need anything in return – we welcome the little child, the unborn child, the disabled child, even the child that is the result of a rape, because we have Christ’s gifts. Welcoming the little child we confess our faith, that we grasp how God works – not quid pro quo, but gifts for us beggars, riches for us poor, forgiveness for us sinners, Christ for the prostitute and tax collector, Christ for me and Christ for you. We who have all things in Christ, live then, serving all, not “quid pro quo” but in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
19 September 2015 anno Domini