Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

Rev. Geoff McKee considers the New Testament story of how blind Bartimaeus receives his sight from Jesus – Mark 10:46-52 – and how that contrasts with the “blindness” of Jesus’ disciples at that time, as they neared Jerusalem and Jesus’ death on the cross. Vision or sight is absolutely critical to truly understanding the good news of the Kingdom of God. As Geoff explains, we can take this lesson from sources as diverse as Bartimaeus and Sylvester Stallone.

You can download a PDF version of this sermon by clicking here.

Mark 10:46-52 (New International Version)
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

In his book, Catching the Light, quantum physicist Arthur Zajonc (Zye-unts) wrote of what he describes as the “entwined history of light and mind”.

From both animal and human studies, we know there are critical developmental “windows” in the first years of life. Sensory and motor skills are formed and, if this early opportunity is lost, trying to play catch-up is hugely frustrating and mostly unsuccessful.

Prof. Zajonc wrote of studies which investigated recovery from congenital blindness.

Thanks to cornea transplants, people who had been blind from birth would suddenly have functional use of their eyes.

Nevertheless, success was rare.

Referring to one young boy, “the world does not appear to the patient as filled with the gifts of intelligible light, colour, and shape upon awakening from surgery,” Zajonc observed.

Light and eyes were not enough to grant the patient sight.

“The light of day beckoned, but no light of mind replied within the boy’s anxious, open eyes.”

Zajonc quoted from a study by a Dr. Moreau who observed that, while surgery gave the patient the ‘power to see’, “the employment of this power, which as a whole constitutes the act of seeing, still has to be acquired from the beginning.”

Dr. Moreau concludes, “To give back sight to a congenitally blind person is more the work of an educator than of a surgeon.”

To which Zajonc added, “The sober truth remains that vision requires far more than a functioning physical organ. Without an inner light, without a formative visual imagination, we are blind,” he explained. That “inner light” – the light of the mind – “must flow into and marry with the light of nature to bring forth a world.”

We might not expect this principal section of Mark’s Gospel, ending before the account of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, to detail the simple story of a blind man being healed by Jesus.

There are many accounts of Jesus healing in the Gospels and we are accustomed, quite rightly, to read these healing stories as an example of the compassionate response of Christ to human need.

And here it is no different.

Jesus responded to the longing of Bartimaeus to see, by commending his faith and healing him.

But there is so much more here than that.

This story has been chosen by the compiler of the Gospel narrative to end a major section of the story and so we would expect to find more going on – and indeed there is! [Read more…]

Rev. Geoff McKee’s scripture for 21 October 2018 is Mark 10:35-45, in which James and John make their child-like request to Jesus to be allowed to sit at his right and left in his glory – not realising that these places would be crosses, not seats.

You can download a PDF version of the sermon by clicking here.

Mark 10:35-45 (New International Version)
The Request of James and John
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?”

39 “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

It’s interesting to take a look at a number of Renaissance paintings of Jesus’ crucifixion scene.

Many will have the solitary cross of Christ with the key figures, his mother and some disciples, gathered by the base of the cross. Other paintings will depict the three crosses with the criminals either side of Jesus. Some painters have given a greater weight of prominence to the three cross scene than others.

In the verses just before the Gospel text this morning, Jesus had told the disciples that he would be condemned, humiliated and killed.

Then, almost immediately, James and John put their request to Jesus that they be allowed to occupy places to his right and left in his glory, not realising that those places would not be seats, but crosses either side!

They then dug even deeper holes for themselves as they committed themselves to be baptised with his baptism and to drink from his cup.

Fools!! Or were they?

And are we? – as we too are baptised with his baptism and drink also from his cup every time we gather around his table?

A teacher was once handed the following note by one of her pupils: “Dear Teacher, Please excuse Harriet for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.”

How’s that for confusion?

Welcome to the world of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Welcome to our world! [Read more…]

The Rich and the Kingdom of God – the theme of Jesus’ answer to a young man’s question, reported in Mark’s Gospel – is a challenging passage of Scripture, which Rev. Geoff McKee discusses here. Camels and eyes of needles.

If you would like to download a PDF version of the sermon, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Mark 10:17-31 (New International Version)
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

This is a fascinating passage of Scripture.

The image of the camel trying to squeeze through the eye of the needle dominates our thoughts.

It’s an absurd image, isn’t it?

The Greek word for camel, kamilos, and one of the Greek words for rope, kamiilos, are so similar – and the same applies in Aramaic – that some have suggested Jesus was misheard: a rope through the eye of a needle fits metaphorically in a way that a camel doesn’t.

However, I wonder if Jesus’ well-developed sense of the absurd was a factor here and so we mustn’t part with the camel prematurely!

Regardless, the point is the impossibility for those reliant on wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

Now, that should cause us at least a little unease and maybe even more than that – a bit of anxiety – because we’re all basically in the “rich young ruler” league, as far as Jesus would be concerned. [Read more…]

Will we be a stumbling block or a stepping stone? Mark 9:38-50 is Rev. Geoff McKee’s scripture for 30 September 2018 (Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost). ‘Whoever is not against us is for us’, says Jesus. Christians must get out of their own way and not prevent anyone from coming to Jesus. In a sermon which includes reference to the film Mask and to The Elephant Man, Geoff explains that it is in the Christian’s response to the stranger that we see how closely we are following Jesus’ teachings.

You can download a PDF version of the sermon by clicking here.

Mark 9:38-50 (New International Version)

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Causing to Stumble
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.  45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.  47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’

49 Everyone will be salted with fire.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

“Isn’t it strange that princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings
And common folk like you and me
Are the builders of eternity.
To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a book of rules;
And each must make, ere time is flown,
A stumbling-block or a stepping-stone.”

The Gospel text today is all about the challenge to the followers of Jesus.

• Will you make stumbling-blocks or stepping stones?
• What should the church be about?
• Should it be concerned about keeping the impure out?

These questions are somewhat obscured by the extreme imagery that we encounter in the text.

Talk of exorcism and hell does not sit easily with a twenty-first century western congregation who have particular – and maybe even acute – doubts about all of it.

We may wonder why the hell imagery is here in a passage dealing primarily with the boundary markers of the believing community. There is no doubt that Christian beliefs about hell have been sources of division and exclusion throughout the history of the church and most particularly in the modern era. [Read more…]

In his sermon for 23 September 2018, Rev. Geoff McKee discusses Mark 9:30-37 by reference to C.S. Lewis’ allegorical children’s story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, highlighting how Jesus was not the Messiah the disciples expected, how this made them feel “not safe” with Jesus and how, as Christians, we must resist our instinctive reactions – why we must not let fear drive us to self-protection.

You can download a PDF version of the sermon by clicking here.

Mark 9:30-37 (New International Version)

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

C.S. Lewis’ celebrated children’s book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, tells of the adventures of four children in the magical kingdom of Narnia.

The story is fun, but it’s also an allegory of Christ and salvation, with Christ represented by the lion Aslan.

When in Narnia, the children meet Mr and Mrs Beaver, who describe the mighty lion to them.

“Is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is King of the wood and the son of the great emperor-beyond-the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great lion.”

“Oh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake” said Mrs Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

The disciples were discovering that Jesus was far from safe.

In fact, they were beginning to become a bit afraid of him. [Read more…]