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January 16, 2022 | 10:00 a.m.

Things Jesus Never Said:
“Follow Your Heart”

Shannon J. Kershner
Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church

Psalm 36:5–10
Mark 8:31–36

Today is the second Sunday in our new year series entitled “Things Jesus Never Said.” Last week we focused on the saying “You get what you deserve.” Jesus never said that. Today we are focusing on another often-used phrase: “Follow your heart.” Now, we can paraphrase that saying in a number of ways. We could say: Go where your heart leads. Let your heart be your guide. Listen to your heart.

As a friend of mine once pointed out to me, since Jesus was a very faithful Jew, he would have known the Hebrew understanding of the heart. And honestly, it is rather similar to how we think of it today. The heart is essential to our life, both literally and figuratively. But when our spiritual ancestors spoke of the heart, they, like us, were often referring to that part of who we are that holds our emotions, not the internal organ that keeps our blood circulating.

Now, as we dive into this, it is important to remember the things Jesus did say about the heart. He taught us to pray so that we “would not lose heart.” He blessed those he named as “pure in heart.” He challenged us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and strength, and mind.” He warned us that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And finally, as he was preparing his disciples for his impending suffering and death, he compassionately told them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.” But he never said the Southern passive-aggressive “Well, bless your heart,” nor did he ever counsel us to follow our hearts either.

And I have been wondering if that was because the truth is that our hearts are not always reliable, are they. Rather, our hearts can often lead us astray or down the wrong path. St. Augustine once wrote that “the essence of sin is disordered love.” That means that we often love less important things the most, while we love the most important things the least. Even the Apostle Paul knew this struggle. In his letter to the church in Rome he wrote, “I do not do the good I want to do, and the evil I do not want to do, this I keep doing.”

Plus, I suspect that a lot of the time we speak of following our hearts, we are primarily saying “do whatever you want to do” or “do whatever makes you happy.” You, singular and not plural. And while I know that Jesus wants us to have joy and have it abundantly, he never tells his disciples to follow their hearts. Rather, he says “Follow me.”

We heard Jesus say that quite pointedly in this scripture from the Gospel of Mark. Now, this scripture is often used during the season of Lent, a liturgical season that begins next month, because it is a very significant transition point, an almost literal turning point, for Jesus in Mark. Before this moment in Mark, we primarily hear of Jesus healing people, teaching in parables, and working miracles. As a friend of mine said, “the first half of Mark’s Gospel is a nonstop parade of signs and wonders” (the Reverends Meg Peery McLaughlin and Jenny McDevitt provided inspiration for much of this sermon). Yet here, in this passage, this midpoint of the Gospel, Jesus suddenly starts talking about suffering, about the cross, about death. It’s no wonder why Peter reacted the way he did.

After all, Jesus states that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering. Now, before we go any further, we must pause. Often people will read this text and make assumptions about who God is, what God requires of Jesus and us. As another preacher wrote, “The danger here is to assume that God needs a bloody Jesus and that, by extension, God somehow requires suffering from us. And that assumption can go all kinds of wrong ways—so let me be clear. God does not require us to accept abuse as part of some divine purpose. Ever” (Meg Peery McLaughlin).

Instead, a closer read of the Greek states “it is inevitable” that Jesus will suffer and die, rather than the way our NRSV translates as “must” suffer and die. As Brian Blount has taught, “If Jesus continues to preach in the kingdom representative manner that he does, the leadership will necessarily act against him in order to preserve institutional stability and control. The pattern is inevitable” (Brian Blount, Go Preach! Mark’s Kingdom Message and the Black Church Today, pp. 129—130). In other words, Jesus’ preaching and ministry make it inevitable that he will clash with those in power.

And because the institutions he is confronting have more social and political power than Jesus does at that point, the end result will necessarily be Jesus’ suffering. If he will not stop, they must destroy him (Brian Blount, Go Preach!). For Mark, Jesus’ death is not an innocent sacrifice demanded by an angry God, but an inescapable result of Jesus’ challenging and transformative ministry for the world.

Yet to put it lightly, Peter was not a fan of this sudden attitudinal shift in Jesus. He would have much rather followed his heart rather than follow a suffering Jesus. He would have much rather followed a path that led to happiness and success rather than a path leading to loss and hurt. Thus Peter rebukes Jesus for what he has to say!

The verb used for Peter’s rebuke is the same verb always used whenever Jesus would cast out demons to set people free, to heal them. Therefore, Peter’s use of this word implies that Peter saw something demonic in Jesus that needed exorcising! Suffering, rejection, death—those are not words Peter ever associated with a messiah. So Peter tells Jesus outright he is not allowed to speak that way.

But in response, Jesus shuts Peter down. He tells him to assume his correct position—his position as Jesus’ follower, not as Jesus’ leader. Get behind me, Jesus says. Follow me, Jesus demands. Not follow your heart, for I have no doubt Peter’s heart was screaming “No” to what Jesus was offering. Follow me, Jesus declares. And to his credit, Peter did. Kind of. He certainly tried and grew more faithful over time.

As you know, this is the weekend during which we mark the incredibly liberating ministry of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We remember all the risks he took as he led an entire movement set on transforming our nation as they tried to exorcise the demon of racism from our nation and from our own hearts, powers and the principalities that still linger amongst us, though, and hold power even today. As part of our honoring Dr. King’s legacy, I often read selections of his Letter from Birmingham Jail. This is the part I wanted to read together today:

“Let me take note of my other major disappointment,” Dr. King wrote to the white clergy of Birmingham. “I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable exceptions.” He lists a few clergy who had come out in support. Then he continues,

”But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church.

”I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.

”When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests, and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.”

• • •

I wanted to read this particular section of the letter, a section on which I have never focused before, because my guess is that a great majority of those white Southern clergy were “following their heart” in their reaction or inaction in response to Dr. King’s efforts. And while I am being critical, I am also being confessional. I speak as a white clergywoman who often has to fight that battle herself.

That identification leads me to suspect that their hearts knew that getting involved in desegregating their churches and in fighting against the segregation in their town would cause them nothing but trouble. Their hearts knew that the majority of their parishioners would undoubtedly grow very angry and disappointed in them. Their hearts knew that many of their church members would stop coming and definitely would stop giving.

Those pastors’ hearts knew they would be accused of bring politics into the pulpit. They would deal with threats to their lives, threats to their churches, and threats to their livelihoods. Even if they were sympathetic to the cause, their hearts knew the difficult fallout that would come should they say yes to being an ally in the movement for racial justice.

I have no trouble imagining that all of those consequences that their hearts knew so well were why so many of them were cautious and remained silent behind “the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.” Like Peter wanted to do, they were following their hearts and their hearts were screaming “No” to taking those risks, those faithful risks.

And yet Jesus never said to follow your heart. Rather, he said “Follow me.” And friends, it is that truth that stands behind our own work here at Fourth Church towards becoming not just “not racist” but anti-racist as a religious institution. I have said it before, but it bears repeating: we do not do this work of examining the myriad of ways “whiteness” is centered and considered normative in our shared culture and then trying to change it because of what someone said on MSNBC or in the New York Times. Nor do we do this complicated and difficult work so we will be considered culturally woke or because it is politically correct. The primary reason we are engaged in this anti-racism work, the primary reason it is one of our priorities as a congregation, is because Jesus told us to follow him, not our hearts.

And I believe with every fiber of my being that because of what we see in Jesus; because of what we read in scripture about the liberating, transformative, radical justice and love of God; because of what we know about the ways the Spirit blows in our midst calling for change and a fullness of life for all people, that this work of anti-racism, this work of transforming our hearts as well as our policies and practices, this work is our call for our time. Our work towards anti-racism is faithful. It is necessary. And I believe God demands it of us.

And this is just one reason why I am so deeply glad that Jesus never actually said “Follow your heart.” For to be totally candid, my heart often quivers with fear and a desire for self-protection. My heart often tells me to not stir up trouble or make any of you angry with me. It’s budget season after all. My heart can sometimes long to just stay silent behind these beautiful, secure, anesthetizing stained-glass windows. Perhaps some of your hearts do too.

Yet because Jesus does say “Follow me,” despite what our hearts might caution, we move forward anyway, trusting that the God who created us and formed us as a spiritual fellowship pushes us, prods us, carries us, and inspires us. For we have a part of the race to run, and we will run it with perseverance. For Dr. King’s dream — inspired by God’s dream — of who we can be together as a beautifully diverse family centered in love and justice and kindness, part of Christ’s living body on earth, is still on its way and we have the privilege of participating in it even now.

Follow your heart — something Jesus never said.

Follow me — words he did say and words that claim our lives. Amen.

Sermon © Fourth Presbyterian Church