Reflection on the Word for the Sunday of February 27, 2022
Nothing is impossible - Gospel of Luke 9:38-43
"Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Jesus answered, "You faithless and twisted generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God." …………………………………………………………………...…………
One of the major impediment in our way to have a clear vision is the mountain called the impossible. According to corresponding legends, once upon a time in the Mediterranean East a human mountain, Alexander the Great, otherwise an empire conquering mass murderer tyrant, had come to see in person the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, in the 4th century before Jesus conveyed the Sermon of the Mount.
It happened in Corinth, Greece, where many statesmen and philosophers had come to Alexander with their congratulations, and he expected that Diogenes would do likewise. But the philosopher was not bothered at all by the crowd hysteria of celebrating the mighty and the celebrity, and just kept enjoying his sunbathing in front of his barrel.
According to the saying of Francis Bacon which whispers through centuries, that if the mountain does not go to Muhammad then Muhammad must go to the mountain'. Likewise to this slogan, Alexander went to Diogenes in person and asked if he wanted anything. "Yes," said Diogenes, "stand a little out of the way of the light." It is held that Alexander was so amazed by this, that he said, that "But truly, if I were not Alexander, I wish I were Diogenes."
The ways of the universe made sure that the wishes of the bloodstained Alexander could not have been granted. Especially, when he did not really want to become a Diogenes like philosopher, but still wanted to keep his own sinful, tyrant ego. At least he realized that instead of him, Diogenes had the real greatness in his character. Alexander died young by poison, his son was assassinated, his empire broke into pieces.
The Greek story is able to convey a message that the external mountains are movable, if the internal will is unmovable. As Jesus told the disciples that “For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. ”
Two things are important in this statement. First of all that Jesus definitely states that impossible looking deeds are doable by enough faith. The second that moving a mountain is not necessarily a peaceful, pacifist act. Especially, when the statement was given exactly after Jesus had cursed the fig tree. As seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. It was not a sudden surprise, because it was not the season of the fig harvest. However, he was hungry, says the Gospel, so he said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever!" Immediately the fig tree withered away.
Some modern people assert, that it is impossible that Jesus cursed an innocent fig tree, but that was actually and exactly what happened, as Peter, said to him in the Gospel, that "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away."
Actually, there is a third point here, that Jesus said, that to anyone, who prays and believes, nothing is impossible. It can be also talkative, that before Jesus calmed the storm on the Lake Gennezaret, he had to rebuke the disciples, that why were you bothering me with a little storm. Did You not have faith? Which meant, that it was the disciples' job to safe-guard the sleeping Master even by the means of stopping the deadly storm.
Similar pattern happened at the time of the multiplying the bread and the fish in the desert. He demanded that the disciples had to feed the multitude.
We are always just waiting for being aided by Jesus, or Heaven, or fate, or other people.
However, Heaven and Jesus do not want to keep us to be beggars in the spiritual reality, but they want to empower us to do our share in changing the world. An ancient sage said it once, that the guiding motives in life should be for all, that if not me, then who? If not now, when?
Jesus did not really encouraged the disciples to worship him, but rather to follow him. Merely worshiping Jesus is a little bit of giving up on following him.
This giving up on following him is the expression of the belief that it is not possible to follow him, as if the only thing we can do is to worship him, and just waiting for him to do something on behalf of us. However, this is not exactly discipleship, but something else. It is hard to define the couch potato disciple, because de iure that entity does not exist or should not exist.
Jesus himself urged the disciples in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, that “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Experiencing the walls and mountains of the imagined empire of the impossible happened to the father of the sick child occupied by a wicked spirit, possible having a sort of epilepsy, when he had to complain to Jesus that “I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."
Jesus got tremendously annoyed with the disciples, and it was not the first time. He rebuked them that "Faithless and twisted generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you?
Which meant that the disciples should have healed the boy.
They thought it was impossible.
Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit too, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. ” He added, that it can not be helped “except by prayer and fasting.”
Prayer and fasting is the cure of unbelief. He is not asking too much. Just pray and fast in order to fight the impossible odds. As disciples, we are invited into the kingdom of God, where nothing is impossible to those who believe.
Nonetheless, it looks like, that faith does not grow on the fig-trees, it must be prayed for and embedded in fasting. Regarding heeling the sick, the Apostle James taught that “Is any among you sick?
Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, (…) and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (…) The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.”
May the Lord grant us the faith to understand that nothing is impossible to those who believe. May the Lord grant us the faith that moves mountains, the faith that gives birth to the righteous deeds for the always greater glory of God by the power of the Holy Spirit,
AMEN.
