The Third Way

Friends,

Thanks again for the time and thoughtfulness you gave to the class on Sunday. This is always such an inspiring time for us to explore the deep inner-workings of the scriptures as they interact, intersect and, hopefully, transform our lives. The gospel of Mark has proven to be a powerful Word to us and is a great resource as we deepen our commitment to Christ and strengthen our commitments to God and the world he loves deeply.

This last Sunday we continued to unpack the themes of orientation, disorientation and reorientation. We noticed that these three rhythms, or perhaps cycles of life, are evident in the gospel of Mark. Those near to Jesus in Mark’s gospel are oriented to who Jesus is in chapters 1-8 and then enter a time of disorientation in chapter 8:27-9:1 when Jesus begins to share what it really means for him to be the messiah, or the Christ. This looks different than what people were expecting.

There are three basic reactions to disorientation. The first is to go back to orientation and hold fast. The second is to throw it all away and reject the whole thing. And the third is to look forward to reorientation and stand willing to receive a new message.

The first reaction (hold fast). Peter’s immediate response to Christ’s message is to return to the comforts of orientation. Peter, remember, rebukes Jesus when Jesus reveals what being the Christ looks like for him. Peter rejects Jesus’ revelation and, seemingly, holds fast the Jesus he has always known. He’s unwilling to receive a new message from Jesus on Jesus’ terms. He wants to go back to what he’s known. Do we know people like this? This is, actually a normal human instinct, yes? Perhaps it’s an instinct for survival, or an innate distrust of change?

The second reaction (throw it all away). We will soon notice the crowds dissipate in Marks gospel. Remember, the crowds are major fixtures of Mark’s writing; they are always around Jesus. They are in every chapter of the gospel (at least at this point) and are kind of a staple. Soon, however, we will see them trickle and eventually leave. They want to have nothing to do with this Jesus who suffers. They are unwilling to receive Jesus on Jesus’ terms and will throw the whole thing away. Sadly, we know people like this, yes? We have friends and family who were unwilling to remain in conversation with Christian dialogue and have rejected it altogether.

The third reaction (grow in our understanding of Christ). The tricky bit is that this reaction is eerily absent from Mark’s gospel, leaving the task of imagining what this looks like up to the reading community. The third reaction is to grow and accept where God is and what God is up to even when this is vastly different than what and were we might think. The great task we have been given is to remain open to God and his future in all things. How do we do this? Asking the question, “what is God up to?” is a great way to start. Expecting that God is going to call us out of our bondage (even the bondage that we place on ourselves!) is critical. God will always call his people to transform as they follow him and become people who look and act like him.

May we be people of the third way – a community poised and ready to hear fresh news from God…

May we be people who expect God to act in our midst and call us to fresh and new ways of life…

May we be willing to let go of the past and embrace God’s future no matter what that looks like or where that takes us…


Here’s a question…how can we apply this to our current situation at Westside regarding the building? What might God be up to in this?