Inferiority Complex & Identity Crisis

Mark 1:4-11 1-10-21 Baptism of Our Lord
Pastor Bill Mosley
I remember when it was fashionable and
affordable and legal to go out of state for
vacations. We used to take some delight in
seeing cars with Texas license plates go by;
we’d honk and wave as if seeing old friends.
When I was away at school I was well
known as a Texan and a Southerner, and
those of us from Texas exiled to Minnesota
where Lutherans are dense always stuck
together. But so did the Norwegians.
We like to belong, to make connections, to
know we are not alone. A group, a nation, a
football team, a school, a church, a
community, a town; we like to identify with
others. It gives us a sense of worth; we
need to know we belong or we get an
identity crisis.
After all, there’s enough loneliness in the
world, and enough things that happen to
make us feel cut-off, alone, helpless,
worthless, lifeless, inferior.
The Bible, and the Christian Church, have
been criticized for feeding people’s feelings
of inadequacy. there are great things asked
of us. Great tasks. It seems too hard
sometimes to do this Christian life, with so
little reward, so little glory. Obey all the Ten
Commandments. Pray without ceasing.
Memorize Bible verses. Give 10% of your
income to God. Volunteer your time to
do good works. Feed the hungry. Clothe
the naked. Visit the sick. Read your
Bible. Forgive your enemies. Join in
worship with others of the faithful. Be
able to explain who people like Paul, &
James & John, and Naaman & Elisha
are. Can anyone really do all that? Isn’t that
what we hired the preacher to do for us?
These might be called the law.
We learned from Freud and psychology that
the ego is a fragile thing, and needs to be
built up. Telling people that they are
worthless sinners and calling them to
servanthood can’t help their egos any.
Pointing out the Law of Moses and the even
stricter laws of Jesus in the Sermon on the
Mount can only show people that they need
help — that they are mean and low
creatures who can’t pull themselves out of
the mire.
But it’s easy to convince most people of
that, so we usually hear more law preaching
than gospel, grace, & acceptance. And
you’ll notice that those churches are bigger
where the people can go and feel that
they’ve gotten their spanking for the week.
They’ve fed their inferiority complex.
And the second biggest churches are those
where people can hear the loopholes. The
new morality, concessions to this or that or
the other modern trend. Relax the law and
those who don’t want the spanking will
come.
But all of this is just law by itself. Jesus
brings both law and gospel.
After the Law convicts us of sin and
rebellion, the gospel frees us from that sin —
we can’t atone ourselves, so God has sent
his son, in love, to forgive, to take us and
our sin on himself. That’s gospel. But then
we have a new law — we must respond to
God’s love with love of our own.
John the Baptizer baptized those who
repented for the forgiveness of sins. And he
was doing a land office business, putting on
quite a show with his Elijah costume — living
in the wilderness as if he was the prophet
himself — and the people could say, “Look,
there’s John, out there making himself
uncomfortable, living like that so I can enjoy
his favor with God — he’ll earn the brownie
points and I’ll share them.”
Then John says, “Look, I’m not so hot, I’m just
here for the one who comes after me. I’m in the
mire myself — he’s the higher one, God’s
anointed — and he’ll bring the Holy Spirit.”
When Jesus arrives, what does he do? He
joins us in the mire! He goes to John and he
says, “I need your baptism of water and
repentance, that I might be one with those
who need the cleansing of water and the
word.” And joining us, he is visited by the
Spirit & affirmed by God as the pleasing
son. We don’t have to feel inferior – God has
become one of us — we’re worth the life of
his only son.
At the Austin airport the ticket agents had been
handling the rush of passengers boarding the
plane quite well, when a fellow came barging
up to the counter and loudly accused them of
inefficiency. And he demanded to know, “Do
you know who I am?”
One of the agents turned to the other and
said, “This man needs our help. He doesn’t
know who he is.”
We don’t have this kind of identity crisis
either. We know who we are.
Theologically, the church doesn’t recognize the
names of babies until they are baptized. The last
name of anybody doesn’t count. The first name is
the Christian name.
In the state of baptism, we know who we
are — we are baptized into the body of
Christ, part of him who once was baptized
with us into the predicament of fleshly life,
but who as God’s son brought us to the
state of pleasing him.
Now we don’t have to feel alone. We are
part of the fellowship of believers, but more
important even than that, we fellowship with
him who gave his life for us, who was raised
for us, and in whose cross we are raised
from the dead to eternal life.
Now when we stand before the awesome
task of pleasing God, we don’t have to feel
inferior or inadequate. The task is done for
us. We don’t have the heavy burden of the
law, but the joy of the Gospel. And out of
this joy it is easy to respond with love.
There are great things asked of us. Great
tasks. But now It’s not too hard to do this
Christian life. Obey all the Ten
Commandments. Pray without ceasing.
Memorize some Bible verses. Give 10% of
your income to God. Volunteer your time to
do good works. Feed the hungry. Clothe the
naked. Visit the sick. Read your Bible.
Forgive your enemies. Join in worship with
others of the faithful. Be able to explain who
people like Paul, and James and John, and
Naaman & Elisha are.
These are not great things. These are just
parts of a wonderful, simple, ordinary thing
called the life of faith. But the parts can help
us to see the whole. little steps on the way
to the great goal. The goal is wholeness,
shalom, peace with God.
No matter what the task God gives us in life,
the moment of healing for us is the moment
we find our right place in relationship to
Christ Jesus. In that moment the hardest of
tasks is transformed into something warm
and inviting.
we have the body and blood of God’s son
given and shed for us, that we might know
that we are no longer inferior and
inadequate, but forgiven, reconciled, made
whole, one with God through Jesus Christ.
We have identity. Chosen and called out as
the body of Christ.
We belong to him. We serve in and through
him. He has been baptized to make it so. We
have been baptized, and that makes it so.
Lord, keep us in a right relationship, that we may say no to everything that
makes it more difficult to say yes to you. 1253 words