Every Monday at noon a few members of the church meet at the parsonage to read and discuss the four lectionary passages assigned for the coming Sunday. The gospel for this Sunday is from Mark 4 and emphasizes the manner in which Jesus taught or preached: "With many such parables he (Jesus) spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but explained everything in private to his disciples."
My thoughts were that Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables because the kingdom of God is something that can only sink into our souls through indirect creativity. Similar to the parable the prophet Nathan used when confronting David about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, Jesus' stories get at the awful truth about each of us. Only when reach a level of spiritual maturity or brokenness are we able to hear the truth about ourselves more directly without reverting to defense mechanisms. Maybe this is why Jesus can explain everything to the disciples in private? When confronted with our own sinfulness or false selves, we resist the conviction and bristle against the speaker or writer who has confronted us. I recently read Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert's interpretation of the Enneagram. Rohr asserts that we will know our number (personality type) on the Enneagram by observing which of the nine descriptions most humiliates us. (Worked for me . . . I'm a "4" with a dominant "5" wing for you fellow Enneagrammers out there).
What strikes me most about this short passage from Mark's gospel is that Jesus isn't primarily concerned with speaking truth, but instead with communicating truth. I know several (mostly older) churchgoers complain about today's preachers being too soft. A seemingly religious masochism desires the shouting, condemning voice. This voice is the one perceived to have authority. Maybe younger pastors such as myself lack the certainty of pastors of previous generations, but I don't believe certainty can be manufactured nor should it be "faked." I know Christian faith is not about preferences, but I do prefer a pastoral voice that can both believe with me and doubt with me. I was relieved to hear the first sermon of Broadway Baptist's (Fort Worth) new pastor. Brett Younger's sermons were incredible from 2001 to 2008. His style and content created a sermonic environment in which the listener could be vulnerable and authentic. Even though it is only one sermon, Brett's successor, Brent Beasley, seems to carry a similar voice and theology.
Again from the text, "Jesus spoke . . . as they were able to hear . . . ." Everyone who stands behind a pulpit to preach should remember this. We are not to simply proclaim God's kingdom. We are too discern our congregations ability to hear and then work hard to communicate. Therein lies our authority.
