"Positive Confrontation" - Mark 1:21-28 - January 30, 2000

Recently a friend was telling me about the time he was walking in a park and along his path he found a feather. It was a white turkey feather. He picked it up and stuck it in his hat. As he was leaving the park he was stopped by a ranger. The ranger noticed the feather in his hat and asked where he got it. My friend told him he had picked it up along the path. The ranger then said, "I’m afraid I’m going to have to arrest you." My friend was astounded. "What, because I found a feather you are going to take me to jail?" he said, angrily. The ranger then told him that the turkey was an endangered species and it was illegal to have one of its feathers in your possession.

My friend could have turned over the feather and continued on his way. It just so happens that he too, is an employee of the state. He emphatically told the ranger, "No way, I’m keeping this feather, you’ll just have to arrest me then. That is the stupidest law I have ever heard." He confronted the ranger with the complete illogic of that particular law and was determined to ignore it. Fortunately, for him, the ranger backed down and my friend proceeded on his way.

Sometimes our laws and rules are extreme. Arresting a man for picking up a wild turkey feather borders on the ridiculous. Unfortunately there are times when our "rules" become so rigid they do more harm than good. Remember when Jesus confronted the Pharisees with the fact that a man couldn’t be healed on the Sabbath? Jesus saw a hurt and attended to it. Others, however saw him breaking their law

Its not only rules and laws that keep us from doing the loving thing. Tradition too can keep us from acting in the best interest of others. In our story the religious leaders were persons of authority. For anyone to upstage them would be blasphemous. When the man with the unclean spirit appeared they would have escorted him to the nearest asylum. "How dare would this maniac interrupt their service," they said. "We can’t have people who have problems or illnesses in our midst."

Besides using tradition or rules as their authority some people use their position. Like a man who abuses his wife because he is the "king" of the castle. Or, a boss that makes sexual advances to women employees. People who are in positions of power can easily use their position as a tool to take advantage of others, even oppress them.

Jesus understands his authority differently. He is a teacher, a lover of people, and faithful. He has authority because of the way he lives his life. He included the underdogs of society in his circle of friendship. Time and time again he reached out and attended to the marginal people in society or those who were alienated because they were different. Jesus was inclusive and valued people over rules and traditions.

The emphasis here is not so much the miracle of healing as it is his authority. First, the situation required confrontation. The man with the unclean spirit was mocking Jesus. "I know who you are," he said. In other words, the man was labeling Jesus the same way the religious leaders were. But, the man was out of control and Jesus confronted him by telling him to be silent, much to the chagrin of the scribes. The man with the unclean spirit did as Jesus said. And Jesus used no force, nor did he raise his voice. He confronted him face to face.

You can sense the tension in the situation. It is not easy to confront someone when you observe that things could be better then they are. We would much rather ignore confrontation and avoid getting our feelings hurt. And sometimes we don’t confront because we are afraid that we will hurt the feelings of others. But, without confrontation things don’t change. People go on doing mean and evil things.

Secondly, Jesus didn’t attack the man or condemn him. He told the mean spirit to leave. You don’t have to attack someone when you confront them. Tact and diplomacy is still the best way. Hostility and anger will drive the person away or alienate them completely. Negative confrontation only alienates people or makes them angry. Positive confrontation embraces the individual and still receives them as a person of worth. I suppose you could say it is like "tough love." You confront a person because you love them not because you want to destroy them or overpower them.

Third; although he is told he has no business there, Jesus is not intimidated. Jesus is there not because he is a person of privilege or belongs to the club. Jesus is there because his life in a manifestation of God’s unconditional love. He not only lived by the Golden Rule, he was the Golden Rule.

Jesus, by his positive confrontation, challenges us to be liberated of the life conditions that obsess us. Selfishness, greed, dominance, cruelty, psychological abuse, oppression, manipulation, etc., all make us unclean. Until we are confronted and subsequently change, we are out of control, just like the man in our story.

Does the authority of God’s love confront us or do we yield to the authorities of rules, tradition and position? God doesn’t want us to overpower one another, God wants us to love one another. To rid the world of injustice, to correct oppressive systems, to keep people who are out of control in check we must use God’s love as our authority.

The little six-year old boy in Miami is a prime example of a person who is caught in a web of rules, laws, traditions and powerful people. Finally, they at least permitted love to intervene, arranging a get together with he and his two grandmothers. Who knows how this will turn out. Hopefully the love of God will take precedence over personal agendas, politics and governments.

I recently witnessed a young woman who plays basketball being yelled at by her coach. After that moment she ceased to play her best. Later she confronted her coach and told him as long as he yelled at her and demeaned her he was doing her more damage than good. Since that positive confrontation the coach and the young woman have improved their relationship and the young woman has been playing the best basketball of the season.

I believe that the love and authority of God is the only way to improve the quality of life. We just aren’t accustomed to its power. We are so managed by laws, tradition and people of power, we overlook the true transforming nature of God’s love. When positive confrontation is applied, people’s lives change for the good.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio