Hit the Road Jack!

The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark, the 6th Chapter

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

This is a Gospel story in two parts.  The first part is about ministry on the inside.  The second part is about ministry on the road.  The first part is about unbelief.  The second part is about trust.  In the first part, only a few are healed.  In the second part, the power of God flows out along the way, casting out demons and healing many.

A number of years ago, Kelly’s mom, Emily was very really sick.  When Kelly and I arrived, she had been transferred to the University hospital and one of her medications was messing with her head.  She was convinced she’d had a C-Section the day before and REALLY wanted to show ME the scar!  Every time I got close to her bed she’d hike up her hospital gown over her head and try to show me!  I loved my mother in law a ton, but I REALLY didn’t want to see her bid-nez!  

Later, her mind began to clear, but as the test results came in, it was clear that Emily was nearing the end of her life.  I knew I could be helpful to the family... OK, I THOUGHT I could be helpful to the family.  What I failed to understand is that as a pastor married to the youngest sibling, I had no honor in HER hometown!  THERE in THAT place I was just the baby by marriage and therefore I knew SQUAT!

Jesus, in his own home town, also knew SQUAT!  It didn’t matter that the week before he had miraculously calmed the whole Sea of Galilee, cured a woman from twelve years of bleeding and, oh yeah, I nearly forgot... RAISED A GIRL FROM THE DEAD!  None of that mattered because they KNEW Jesus!  They were certain that this was the snot nosed kid who used to run around town with that kid Biff.  This was Jesus, you know... that kid from “AWAY” in a manger... And no, being out of town for the census didn’t matter... he was still from AWAY!

So there, on the inside... there in his hometown, Jesus couldn’t do much.  They were so darn sure God would never act through that snot nosed kid Jesus... that CARPENTER pretending now to be a rabbi... or more snooty yet... a PROPHET, that they missed what God was DOING among them... They missed that God WAS among them!  So, if they could miss THAT, what might WE be missing?  WHO might we be missing?  How might we be restricting Jesus to just a few minor miracles, because we don’t want to even consider that God might be working right under our noses in a different way than we’ve been expecting?  

That’s how things were for Jesus in his own, home town of Nazareth.  If God fit into the box they had grown used to, it was alright.  But if it didn’t fit... well, it might as well keep movin’!  In Luke’s version of this story you know, the people even tried to throw Jesus off a cliff for suggesting that God might be working in a new way!  I’d like to say that no one is thrown off a cliff anymore for suggesting that God is doing something new and different these days... I’d LIKE to say that... but... well…

Now, Jesus couldn’t get much done in Nazareth.  There in his hometown he was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  He could miraculously heal ONLY a few people.  I wish on my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days I could miraculously heal ONLY a few people, but then I’m not the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, so I suppose that should be expected!  

BUT on the road, well... THAT was a very different story.  On the road, the disciples were sent out in pairs, they traveled light, without the resources they needed to make it all the way to where they might be going.  They weren’t told where they were going either or how long it would take, but in spite of all of those things, they were able to do amazing things!  Many people were healed, it says.  Not just a few, but LOTS of demons were cast out.  All of the amazing stuff, happened ON THE ROAD.  

“On the Road” is one of God’s M.O.’s.  God does some of God’s most Divine work “On the Road” it seems.  God told Abram to hit the road.  Not where to go or how long it would take, but just to GO and he was blessed to be a blessing to the world!   Moses was told to hit the road and go to “the Promised Land” without a map, without food or water... just a quick meal of lamb and flat bread and hit the road!  The prophets Elijah and Elisha were another two called to hit the road and now, in this lesson, we see the disciples called to "Hit the road, Jack."  

We too have been called by God to "Hit the road, Jack."  The road is where God’s most Divine work seems to happen, but what does this road look like for us?  Does it look like Kennebeck valley Lutheran/Episcopal partnerships?  Is it a road to a spiritual depth many of us yearn for but have yet to travel?  Is the road something else completely or is it a combination of things?  Well, no matter what the road looks like, traveling any road means leaving home... leaving what is comfortable, easy and familiar.  And with God calling us to the road it will likely involve setting out without a final destination clearly in sight.  We should certainly not try to travel alone, because, according to this lesson, it also appears that there will be some... how do we say this... less than welcoming homes and people along the way.  But apparently, stopping to try to convince them or fight with them isn’t the way.  Just because we get invited to a fight, doesn't mean we have to accept the invitation.  Not getting stuck, not holding onto old hurts or resentments, shaking off the dust and moving on down the road with a trust in God’s care for us seems to be the Way, the Truth and the Life.

God has ALWAYS been doing a new thing.  Creation was a new thing.  Abraham’s covenant was a new thing.  The Law and the Promised Land were new things and Jesus, the snot nosed kid turned carpenter turned rabbi turned Messiah was a new thing too.  God is calling us to be a part of God’s next new thing.  God is calling us to hit the road.  God is calling us to bring a Divine wholeness to people who have been broken by the world.  God is calling us to bring a Divine light to each other when the darkness seems too deep and the demons seem too strong.  We’ve been called to be on the road.  On the road… without enough bread in our bag and without enough money in our belts.  We’ve been called to "Hit the road, Jack" by putting one foot in front of the other to God knows where, trusting only that God KNOWS where.  Amen.