The Environment of Perception
February 12, 2000
Mark 1:40-45

One of the most revolutionary ideas that Jesus ever put forth is found in the Gospel of John eighth chapter, verse thirty-two: "and you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)  It is so revolutionary that almost no one knows what to do with it.
As I suggested last week the church has not really been very good about encouraging freedom. The church and freedom seem to be antithetical. And the truth that the church often sets forth is not the kind of truth that shall set any one free.
The truth in the church world has usually been more of a binding set of answers that have had a long history of reducing freedom rather than increasing freedom.
This is odd because God seems very interested in granting freedom at all times and in all situations. God protects our freedom almost more than God protects any other gift from God. To a fault God stays away from any activity that might impinge on our freedom.
There is a wonderful story in The Brother’s Karamazov called The Grand Inquisitor. It almost always comes to mind when I start thinking about our God given freedom. In the story the Inquisitor comes across Jesus who has come back to earth during the Spanish Inquisition. The whole story is a monologue of the Inquisitor railing at Jesus for granting and encouraging freedom. "Instead of taking men’s  freedom from them, Thou didst make it greater than ever.  Didst thou forget that man prefers peace, and even death, to freedom of choice in the knowledge of good and evil?"
The Inquisitor goes on to tell Jesus that the church did not make the same mistake. The church has rescued humanity from the awful burden of free choice and so given them salvation. And the Inquisitor says they are forever grateful.
It is rare that a church actually encourages freedom of choice instead of some dogmatic answer to the hardest questions. The church, historically, in almost all cases has wanted to rescue people from the burden of having to make faith decisions which has addressed anxiety but has not helped people grow in faith. And now in this time people flock to those churches where everything is answered, it seems, because the burden of freedom is too great and the demands of true faith is beyond most people.
But Jesus unlike most churches sets people free, sets all who would hear his words, free with this mysterious little formula. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Of course the first question that jumps out from a statement like
this is "what is truth?" A question for the ages and a question that will never be answered. When Jesus was asked the question directly he did a most curious thing.
It was when Jesus was before Pontius Pilate not long before he was to be sentenced to death that Pilate wanted Jesus to answer the question. What a moment.  John 18:37-38. Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." 38 Pilate asked him, "What is truth?"
Many of you know the answer because I return to this moment again and again.
Jesus does not say a word, not one word. Silence is a kind of truth that certainly lets everyone remain free.
But what are we to do with this freedom? Anything we want, anything.
We are absolutely free to create the best reality possible for ourselves, our children, our world.
And that is where the church comes in.
In the reading for today there is an outpouring of freedom. Everyone is doing just as they please. It starts with a leper walking right up to Jesus and asking to be healed. The leper has broken a well understood and obeyed convention. A leper because of the contagious nature of leprosy was bound to keep his or her distance from the general public. In fact they had to repeat "unclean, unclean, unclean" whenever people were within earshot so that they would not mistakenly have contact with a leper.
The leper in the story today ignores all that and walks right up to Jesus and almost challenges Jesus to heal him. Then Jesus, who always felt free to do the will of God regardless of the law, reaches out and touches the leper. This was also
prohibited in the ancient world. You made yourself unclean if you touched a leper.
This was a religious prohibition.
Finally, Jesus tells the man to tell no that he was healed but of course the man goes and tells everyone what has happened to him.
Now if the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not about freedom then there would be serious consequences for the leper and Jesus would have never broken the law. But it is about freedom.
The leper decides on a truth, Jesus can help him and that truth gives him the freedom to approach Jesus, that freedom allows for the miracle. The miracle hasn’t a chance without choosing this truth.
He believes this truth for many reasons, probably. He might have heard it said that Jesus could heal people. He may have even seen someone healed. He may have heard Jesus speak and that inspired him. But the most compelling reason he decides on this truth is that it is the best truth for him to believe in this way.
Now every one of us has the freedom and the authority if not the obligation to decide on the truths we will live by. And those truths better create an astounding life for you and your family and your world or you are selling you, Jesus, and your God short.
But how do you choose the best truth? If we can create this reality how do we make it the best possible? As I said that is where the church comes in.
Please notice that in this story Jesus also tells the leper to go to the priest. He tells him that because the priest had the authority to validate the miracle. And with leprosy this was very important because without a stamp of approval from the priest a leper would still be subject to all societal prohibitions because society has to make sure he is OK before he or she is readmitted. The priest is the one to say the miracle has happened.
That is the job of the church. We are the ones to say the miracles have happened. Lord knows there are enough voices out there right now saying there are no miracles at all. So we are called to talk about where we believe God is present.
The church, with its stories, with its fellowship, with its prayers, with its good works points out the places God is at work so that we can build our lives around those places.
To coin a phrase, the church creates, with its Good news an environment of perception that can help all of us see where God is at work. Of course you don’t have to believe it. Nobody does. All of what the church proclaims can not be proven.
But that is not the issue. The issue is quality of life. And the understanding that the church proclaims, this understanding that includes the wisdom of the ages, a long and powerful history of faith, promises made by our God, stories that uplift and inspire all this taken to heart makes your life and my life infinitely better.
The church does this not only so that God can be served but so that all who enter this environment of perception shall find great help in creating a life that is meaningful and abundant and joyous and wonder-filled. In other words so that you
will have the building blocks to use your freedom to the very best of your abilities the church gathers and proclaims that the miracles abound, you only need to choose yours.
That is the truth, I pray it will make you free.
In Christ Jesus. Amen.