We’ve been reflecting on surrendering control and all the challenges that come along with that. We all like having control, it brings feelings of safety, security and strength. Feeling ‘in control’ is a relief, but when life feels, ‘out of control’, it’s easy for fret and worry to fill the mind. So, surrendering control is a real challenge; the idea often goes against natural instincts.



But that’s what Jesus does: he challenges us to surrender control. When a rich and faithful young man asked Jesus about how to inherit eternal life, Jesus challenged him to let go of the idea that eternal life is something that could be earned and instead surrender control by giving up everything to follow the Saviour.



Jesus challenged James and John, and continues challenging each of us, to surrender control of ideas of what greatness is. God made us for greatness, but success and greatness as any of us or the world might measure is very different than the greatness God calls us to. True greatness is rooted in service because service makes us like the Saviour who came to serve.



Last weekend, we heard about blind Bartimaeus, who didn’t let the opinion or expectations of the crowd hold him back from calling out to the Saviour. There’s nothing wrong with wishing to be well thought of, but the example of Bartimaeus challenges us to surrender control of caring about what others think of us and instead recognize how following Jesus and receiving his healing matters most of all.



One temptation all people face is the temptation to control others. No one want’s to be known as a controlling person, but anyone can be tempted to control the choices or behaviours of others. After a night of trick-or-treating last week, maybe there’s some parents here who felt the need to control the volume of candy their child accumulated. If you have older children, maybe you’ve been tempted to control what programs or courses they take in school. There could be some employers here occasionally tempted to not simply assign tasks, but also control how the tasks are to be completed. I’ve heard of some who are strongly tempted to complete the sentences or thoughts or wardrobe of their spouse. Sadly, religion and faith has been used too many times to control.



Truth be told, sometimes when I’m driving, if I feel the person behind me is pushing a bit, following a little too close, letting me know they wish I was going a little faster, I’m tempted to slow down slightly; it’s for their own good of course, a quick lesson on the virtue of patience and that may be the most difficult part of this temptation: it’s often motivated out of caring for others. It’s difficult to witness friends make bad decisions or to watch family members do things we know will make life more difficult. When loved ones appear out of control, there’s always the temptation to exercise a little control over them. But ultimately, it’s a temptation rooted in a desire to control others and, regardless of the best of intentions, leads to frustration and divides.



In the Gospel today, we heard about a moment when Jesus was asked by a scribe to summarize the commandments of God. Now, the scribes were the ones in charge of copying the scriptures. Before photocopiers or even the printing press, the scribes would make copies of the Jewish law, basically the first five books of the Bible, all by hand. To eliminate the possibility of mistakes while making copies, the scribes had to be experts in what they were copying.



With over six hundred commandments in the Jewish law, the scribes knew there was a need to summarize the law so it would be easier to remember, understand and live out. That’s what Jesus was challenged to do and he responded with a perfectly predictable answer; from the book of Deuteronomy he quoted, “…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”[i], and from the book of Leviticus he quoted, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[ii] The words weren’t new or revolutionary, but the connection Jesus made between loving God and loving others is. Jesus basically exposed how disciples cannot truly love him or follow him without loving others and to see what that looks like, we go back to the beginning.



God completed his work of creating the universe with the creation of beings made in his image and likeness, us. He could have created us to be like machines, forced to carry out his will and his will only. But our creator knew that creating beings in his image, with the capacity to reflect his love, required surrendering control, allowing us to have and use free will. Disciples who wish to reflect God’s love must be willing to do the same by surrendering all attempts to control others.



The message today though, isn’t a call to simply live and let live; that would be neglect. Parents ought to be involved in the lives of their children. Employers ought to care about the performance of employees and we should all express concern for those we love. Control is incompatible with love; influence, though, is different. God didn’t control his people, but he did call prophets to influence them. Jesus doesn’t control people, but his life, his words and his sacrifice has certainly influenced the world and he prompts his disciples to follow him by positively influencing our community, families, loved ones and world.



Hearts that grasp for control push people away. But hearts focused on love surrender attempts to control others and that love is extremely influential. Disciples influence the world by listening. It’s not to agree with every idea out there, but listening acknowledges thoughts and experiences. Disciples influence the world by recognizing our own need for growth, admitting how we carry the same questions, wounds and struggles as anyone. Finally, disciples influence the world, not by imposing but, by inviting. We share about gifts we’ve received, how God has influenced us or what prayer and worshipping here has given us and then extend an invitation for all to receive the same.



Heavenly Father, we look to you in this moment humbly acknowledging our need for your aid in truly loving. Through the Holy Spirit, open our hearts so we would freely surrender attempts to control others and instead become disciples who influence the world after the example of your son, whose love has influenced us. We offer all our prayers in his name. Amen.







[i] Mark 12:30 NRSVCE



[ii] Mark 12:31 NRSVCE

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