Proper 21, Year B (RCL) sermon

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29. James 5:13-20. Mark 9:38-50.


So: How many people can you carry?

[PAUSE]

I don’t have too many clear memories of my very early childhood. One of my most vivid memories from this time is that my father used to play “airplane” with me-- picking me up and swinging me around the air. I loved this game: I would beg him to do it. I also remember how, when we’d been driving at night and I’d fallen asleep in the back seat, he would pick me up and carry me into the house and put me in bed. If I woke up during this process, I would pretend I was still asleep so he wouldn’t put me down.

Then, there came the day when my father said to me: “You’re getting too big for this.” I was growing up, and too heavy for him to pick up and swing around, or carry into the house late at night. I was going to have to make do with my own two feet.

I didn’t have to like it, but he was right. If he didn’t put me down as I grew heavier, I wouldn’t learn to rely on my own strength—and my poor father would, eventually, break his back!

[PAUSE]

In today’s reading from Numbers, the people of Israel—who have just escaped from Slavery in Egypt under Moses’ leadership—are whining and wishing for all the wonderful foods they used to have in Egypt. Now, remember, this is after God has given them Manna—bread from heaven to eat; they’re not hungry, they’re just being picky. They complain: “We had onions and fish and garlic and all sorts of fresh produce in Egypt... and now all we have is this crummy ‘manna’ stuff! Remember how well we ate back in the good old days?”

Now, if the Israelites were honest with themselves, they’d have to admit that the “good old days” back in Egypt weren’t all sunshine and roses. They’re editing their memories considerably: this is the same land they were enslaved in, in which they were forced to work under impossible circumstances, bake bricks without the proper building materials, and where their sons were killed to keep their numbers in check.

Anyone who thinks that humor doesn’t have a place in the Old Testament hasn’t read Moses’ response to all this. Moses asks the LORD, in a pretty sarcastic tone: “God, what did I do to deserve this? If this is how you treat your friends, I’d hate to see how you treat your enemies! Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them, that you want me to carry them around like children, and comfort them every time they come crying to me with a new problem? I can’t carry them all alone; they’re too heavy for me.” And, in one last exasperated, smart-aleck remark, Moses demands: “If this is how you’re going to treat me, you might as well just kill me right now—that is, if I’ve done enough to deserve at least a little mercy.”

Moses has had enough. He’s on his last nerve. Moses, the prophet extraordinaire, the most important spiritual leader in the entire Torah, is at the end of his rope. These are the words of a man who is exhausted, overworked, and can’t take it anymore. He can’t carry all the people of Israel all by himself: they are too heavy for him. Now, if even Moses has to admit he can’t carry everyone all by himself, this should give us some pause.

So: how many people can you carry?

[PAUSE]

Luckily, God knows that, while each of us has genuine strength and support to offer one another, no one of can carry everyone all by him-or-herself. Even Moses knew his limitations; Luckily for the people of Israel, God ignored his flippant demand “Put me to death at once!” and answered the underlying complaint, “I am not able to carry all this people alone.” God gives Moses 70 fellow-workers chosen from the elders of Israel, and pours out the Holy Spirit upon them—even the two who couldn’t make it to the meeting!

Similarly, Jesus chooses twelve special members from among his followers to receive special training and help in his work of preaching, healing, and casting out demons. And this circle of 12 isn’t all: in another story, Jesus also sends out 70 disciples on a similar mission of preaching and healing.

God pours out his spirit over many to participate in the leadership and spiritual guidance of his people. This is a great gift, because no one person can do it all.

Joshua, Moses’ assistant, wants to silence the two of the elders who prophesy in the camp, outside of the tent where Moses had gathered the seventy. Similarly, John and the apostles want Jesus to silence the man who is casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Perhaps they feel threatened by the Holy Spirit moving outside of the clearly-delineated chain-of-command, by others who are not in their immediate circle showing authority.

Or perhaps Joshua and John think that they do not need any help, that they can handle things just fine all by themselves, thank you very much. If that’s how they feel, it’s easy for them to say: the real weight of the burden of all the people are laid the heaviest on Moses and Jesus, not on their seconds-in-command! Moses and Jesus both recognize what blessing more help is.

Both Moses and Jesus offer similar responses. Moses replies: “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” And Jesus tells John: “Do not stop him: for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.” Their leadership welcomes the contributions that others have to make; and recognizes their contributions. The more ministers, the better!

[PAUSE]

In the Epistle reading, James describes a church in which the wishes of Moses have come true. After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the church, The Lord really had put his Spirit upon God’s people! And James describes a community in which all members are able to mutually support each other, to hold each other up in good times and in bad:

The suffering should pray together. The cheerful should sing together. The sick should call for the elders to pray over them and anoint them in the name of the Lord. We should confess our sins to each other and our sins will be forgiven. Although there may be members of the community of God who have particular prominence or special roles, the whole body prays for each other and supports each other. We should be able to lean on each other.

In our church today, we pray together for each other in the Prayers of the People, but we can share our concerns and dreams with each other in more personal ways, as well. Our Book of Common Prayer allows us to confess our sins to laypersons, unlike the Roman Catholics who limit confession to the clergy. We may visit each other when we are sick, and share conversation and prayer about our fears and hardships. The personal friendships that we make at Church may, with the sharing of our struggles and prayer for each other, become something more than “secular” friendship—it may be spiritual friendship. In the last few vestry meetings, the vestry members have taken a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting to share something for which they are thankful, and something for which they would like a prayer offered, and then taken turns praying for each other. Such sharing may push us a little, beyond the comfortable “casual” conversations, but the spiritual rewards are rich. I think we have all experienced the power of God at work at times when we “get real” with each other, when we share honestly what we are struggling with in our lives and pray over it with other Christians. James is confident that the Holy Spirit will be at work among us when we uphold and support each other. As James said, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”

Working together like this, helping each other, we aren’t so much trying to carry each other—it’s more like we’re there to lean on when necessary. If you lean on me, and I lean on you, we can make it.

So: maybe the question, “How many people can you carry?” isn’t the right question, after all.

Maybe the question is, “How many people can we carry?”

Working together,
sharing each others’ burdens,
the answer is:
all of us.