Mark 6:1-13 / Pentecost 6B

A sermon on Mark 6:1-13 | by The Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS | Pentecost 6B July 4, 2021 |

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

² 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!

³ 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.

⁴ Then Jesus said to them, „Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.“

⁵ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.

⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.

⁷ He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

⁸ He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;

⁹ but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

¹⁰ He said to them, „Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.

¹¹ 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.“

¹² So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.

¹³ They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mar 6:1-13 NRSV)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Back in May our neighborhood had their annual spring yard sale.  It’s a pretty big event for our neighborhood.  We advertise, we get as many people as possible to participate and it goes on for about 6-7 hours.  Lots of traffic in an out of our neighborhood, and it starts really early.  Carrie and I spent the weeks before hand going through some of the kids’ old toys that they don’t play with anymore.  One of those toys was a Mr. PotatoHead that Addison had gotten at some point as a little kid.  We put it out and I think asked $5 for it.  It was one of the first things sold, and the person that bought it said “I want my kids to have the real Mr. PotatoHead like they see in the Toy Story Movies.”  Her comment was based on what we as a society calls “Cancel Culture.”  Mr. PotatoHead as we all knew him or Mrs. PotatoHead as we knew his wife are not more…they are now gender neutral.  They have become victims of cancel culture…which is nothing more than feeling based ostracism.  In our modern times, it primary gains traction via social media.  Social media itself is a form of cancel culture, because individuals have the ability to cancel out anything they don’t agree with.  Facts don’t matter.  Truth doesn’t matter.  Freedom doesn’t matter.  The only thing that matters in cancel culture is the feelings of the individual.  And that is dangerous.  Social media that has given rise and power to this modern form of ostracism is dangerous.  But what is scary about cancel culture is that it has been dangerous for a long, long time.  The only thing new about cancel culture is the name and the way in which it is spread.  But the notion that facts and truth don’t matter is a long time problem within the world.  In the church we have two words that describe the same situation:  Orthodox and Heterodox.  To be orthodox is to conform to what is known as traditionally right, true, and established.  To be heterodox is to do the opposite…to be non-conforming and open to anything.  I would add that the heterodox often also engage in a form of cancel culture against the orthodox.  The church has been struggling with that for a long time, and it has led to break ups within the church, new denominations, and extreme arguments.  It’s a form of cancel culture, although it isn’t labeled as such.

As we heard in our lesson today from Mark 6, we see that even Jesus was a victim of what we today would label cancel culture.  Jesus has come to his hometown with his disciples.  On the Sabbath, he goes to synagogue and begins to teach.  Mark describes those that hear as “astounded.”  But they then start to question it.  Who is this?  Isn’t this the son of Mary?  Isn’t he just a carpenter?  How can he have this wisdom?  Notice in the midst of all the questions they ask is a statement of exclamation:  “What deeds of power are being done by his hands!”  That is an affirmation of Jesus.  But it is offensive to the hometown crowd.  They don’t like it.  No person from their hometown can be like this, and although they are astounded, although they see the deeds of power, they do not believe.  Mark tells us that Jesus was “amazed at their unbelief.”    It’s surprising that in his hometown Jesus is rejected, but it’s also not surprising because we know just how many times the Son of God was rejected and still is today.

Even today Jesus is rejected throughout the world.  We can look at the alarming downward trend of church worship attendance as just one example.  Church attendance though is not only a rejection of Jesus though.  It is also a rejection of Christians….modern day disciples.  Like Jesus, disciples also are the subject of cancel culture.  Jesus sent the twelve out 2 by 2, and even as he did so he knew they would not be accepted everywhere.  He knew the welcome mat would not be out, and gave his disciples instructions on what to do when that was the case.  I’m not sure “shaking the dust off our feet” is an option for us today.  But standing up for what is right and true is still very much an option for us.  Teaching our kids about the dangers of things like social media, bullying, and the culture of self-importance over everything else are all ways that we as the church can “shake off the dust”.  But as we do those things, we also continue to teach about the love of God for all creation, the power of forgiveness, and the power of prayer.  The world can try to cancel all that is right and true, but the world cannot cancel God.  They cannot cancel our faith in the resurrection of our Lord.  They cannot cancel the work of the Spirit among us today.  They can try, but they can’t.  Years from now cancel culture will still be a thing…although it may be known by a different name.  Feelings may still be the guide for many people.  But feelings do not always equate truthfulness.   And as Christians, we know the truth:  That God  so loved this world that he sent his only Son to suffer and die for us, so that we may be forgiven.  And nothing…repeat nothing….will ever cancel that.  In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.