Epiphany: Jesus as Teacher - Sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany Narrative Lectionary 2

Epiphany: Jesus as Teacher

Epiphany 2B – NL 2

January 14, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Mark 2.1-22

Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. Mark 2.13

As I thought about Jesus as a teacher, I couldn’t help but think about one of my favorite teachers. The one that came to mind was my high school Biology II Anatomy & Physiology teacher, Joe Michel. Of course, he was Mr. Michel to us. I enjoyed the experience so much I came the next semester as a teaching assistant. One of the things I liked about Mr. Michel is that he had a deep appreciation for the marvels and wonder of the human body. That was something I resonated with and didn’t feel my usual embarrassment about. I could be unabashedly geeky. Also, Mr. Michel not only made learning interesting, he also accepted us for who we were. He connected with everyone in the class regardless of ability and was fully present to each and everyone of us. 

Even so, Mr. Michel also challenged us. He made us want to be the best we could be, to do the best we could do. Finally, I also appreciated his vulnerability and openness. He told us once that he was planning to be a medical doctor but there was one small problem: he couldn’t stomach the sight of blood. (Frankly, I’m glad he didn’t become a doctor, though he would have made a good one.) Years later, it was his example that gave me courage to change directions in my life, first when I decided to pursue another career other than medicine and then when I answered the call to seminary.

Today is the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, a season during which we explore who Jesus is, how he has been revealed to us. Last Sunday, Pr. Drew talked about Jesus as a healer and today we discover Jesus as a teacher. He is teaching to a crowd in his house when he is interrupted by four people who dig through a hole in the roof to lower their paralytic friend into Jesus’ midst. Then he scandalizes the religious leaders by forgiving the man’s sins. Furthermore, Jesus amazes those present by healing the paralytic. Then he adds to the scandal (and foreshadows conflict) by calling Levi, a tax collector, to be one of his key followers. (By the way, if this was the Gospel of Matthew, Levi’s name would be Matthew. It’s not uncommon for people to have two names.) Then, not leaving well enough alone, Jesus accepts table hospitality from Levi and eats with societal and religious outcasts. That’s a no-no for an observant Jew.

Whether Mr. Michel knew it or not, he embodied many of Jesus’ characteristics as a teacher, though he wouldn’t have made the comparison himself. First, Jesus is fully present to people wherever and whenever he happens to be. He accepts people for who they are, whether tax collector, sinner, or even religious leader. Jesus was Mr. Rogers before there was a Mr. Rogers. And though people often seek him out, Jesus more often goes where he needs to be the most. Even so, it’s not the observant religious people of the day who need him most, but the marginalized and outcast.

The second thing Jesus does as a teacher is to be a challenging presence. He meets people where they are but they are not the same afterward. Jesus does this by asking a lot of questions. In fact, Jesus asks far more questions than are asked of him and he often “answers” a question with a question. He does so in a sneaky and often annoying way, such as through parables and metaphors. For example, Jesus notes that he has come for the “sick” and is doing a new thing that doesn’t fit their old preconceptions. In this way Jesus challenges both their thinking and our thinking and preconceived notions about the Kingdom of God, who belongs, and what its values are.

How might this challenge us? We’re in a time of transition at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in a changing world. We are discerning what God is doing in our midst and what God is calling us to do. We are doing that in a Faribault community that is changing as well. So, how might Jesus be showing us, in word and deed, who on the sidelines we need to walk with? What new thing is Jesus doing in our midst that won’t fit on old cloth or in new wineskins? It’s always important to ask these questions, but even more so now, and to remember that, when we do, Jesus continues to be present, walking with us, guiding us, inviting us to follow in his way. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.