Mind your own business.

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


Today's sermon will be a very simple message. Put in one sentence, it is this: "Mind your own business."

Certainly this comment represents a rather harsh and perhaps even rude comment, usually spoken by the person who feels that someone else is meddling in their affairs.

Actually, there are times when preachers get this kind of a comment. If the message is about someone else's sin, the person will say "Right on! Preach it, brother!" But if it's about something they are involved with, the line changes to, "Now you've stopped preaching and gone to meddling. Mind your own business, Pastor."

    Perhaps you remember the story I told you about the new Pastor at the church in Tennessee who railed against gambling on horses. A deacon told him later, "Folks didn't appreciate that sermon. A lot of horses are raised in this part of the country."

    The next week he preached about the evils of smoking. "Too many folks in these parts grow tobacco. You can't preach about that," the deacon said.

    The third week he preached about the evils of drinking whiskey, only to be told by the deacon that there was a large distillery less than a mile from the church where many of the parishioners worked.

    The frustrated minister asked, "Well, what in the world can I preach about around here?"

    "Preach against them heathen witchdoctors. There ain't one of them within a thousand miles of us."

Well, at the risk of being accused of meddling, today, God's Word is a simple, clear-cut message directed to all of us, "Mind your own business."

In fact, you may be surprised that, in so many words, this is exactly what Jesus told one of His closest disciples. The account is found in the final chapter of John's Gospel.

    "Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is going to betray you?')

    When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?'

    Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'" (John 21:20-22)

There's no other way to read it, Jesus plainly told Peter, "Mind your own business."

Evidently Peter got it. Listen to what he said to the people in his own church many years later: "If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler." (I Peter 4:15) The KJV uses an even clearer expression, "Let none of you suffer as a . . . busybody in other men's matters." Interestingly, perhaps somewhat startling, Peter places "busybodies" in the same company as killers and robbers.

But what about what we've always been taught from the world's first story of sibling rivalry which ended in the murder of Abel by his brother Cain? When God confronted him, Cain asked, "Am my by brother's keeper?" We have always believed that without a doubt, if God had answered this question, it would have been a resounding "Yes, you are; you are your brother's keeper."

    As an aside, do you remember the joke about the two monkeys in the zoo? One said to the other, "Am I my keeper's brother?" Of course that's a jibe at the theory of evolution which has sadly even made its way into the church. Just last week, while on vacation, we joined a congregation singing a hymn set to the tune of "Crown Him With Many Crowns" which contained this verse:

      Praise to the living God, from which all things derive.
      Whose Spirit formed upon this sphere the first faint seeds of life.
      Who caused them to evolve unwitting toward His goal,
      Till man stood upright on the earth a living, thinking soul.

      ("Praise to the Living God," 1966)

    No, we don't believe we descended from monkeys, but we do believe that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. The problem is, if we're not careful, this may lead us to become inappropriately involved in other people's business.

In line with this idea of caring for other people, Paul did give what seems to be a contradictory instruction:

    "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4)

Doesn't this sound like we are being encouraged to be involved with other people's business? But when we read the preceding verse, we find, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." And after this verse it reads, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." So that what Paul is asking for here is a kind of humility that refuses to be self-serving, but caring for other people and their interests.

Then there's a companion scripture in Galatians 6:1-5

    "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

    If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

    Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load."

At first, this sounds confusing - on one hand we're being told that we should "bear one another's burdens," and a few verses later, "everyone should bear his own burden."

However, it's not too difficult to understand what is being said here.

1. The passage begins with an appeal to those who are mature (spiritual); they are urged to seek to restore the person who is caught in sin, with a due caution being given, that even the spiritually mature must beware of falling into temptation. However, it is to them, the spiritually mature, that Paul gives the charge to bear other people's burdens - this is not open season on meddling under the guise of bearing someone else's burden. It's like prayer requests being a cover for gossip. "Do you know what I heard the other day?" Followed quickly by, "I'm only telling you this because I know you will pray." Yeah, right! In the process, there's meddling going on, and the message is, "Mind your own business."

2. Then when in this passage Paul says, "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing. . ." he's pointing a finger at those who think of themselves as being spiritual, and therefore qualified to talk about other people's sins. Paul concludes with harsh words, "He deceives himself." Please remember, self deception can be fatal - the self-deceived person sees no reason to seek a remedy. In this case, the self deceived person who believes himself or herself to be spiritually mature - that is, without any confirmation by other spiritually qualified people - they will go about meddling, believing all the time they are doing good when in fact they are doing harm.

3. Paul then continues with the exhortation that each one of us should evaluate our own lives, but certainly not by comparing ourselves with others, and therefore assuming a superiority complex - like the Pharisee who boasted, "I'm glad I'm not like other men."

To say that "each one should carry his own load" simply means that we should take care of our own business, which is the same as saying, "Every man must give account of himself to God." So again, "Mind your own business."

Part of the point here is that self-proclaimed spirituality will almost always end up in prideful meddling.

Going back to the conversation Jesus had with Peter, it came about because Peter was concerned with what would happen to his fellow disciple, John. Most commentators believe that Jesus had just prophesied that Peter would die with stretched out hands, as in crucifixion. Tradition tells us this came to pass, and that Peter, feeling unworthy to die like His Lord, requested that he be crucified upside down. Whatever it was, learning of his own fate, Peter wanted to know, "What about him?" In so many words, Jesus said, "That's none of your business."

But let's be quick to note that that was not all Jesus said; He immediately added the words, "You must follow me." "Mind your own business." What is that business? "Follow me." And that's the message for us today - "Mind your own business; follow Jesus."

To understand what Jesus had in mind when He said "follow me," we can turn to Luke 9:22-23:

    "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Notice that just prior to this, Jesus had predicted His own death on the cross: "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

"Mind your own business; follow Jesus, who leads you to the cross."

Please understand, one cannot follow Jesus without the cross. To say it another way, there's only one way to be a Christian - carry the cross. We must be very careful not to neglect, or even despise the cross Jesus died on - as the writer to the Hebrews said, don't crucify Him again. (Hebrews 6:6)

There's no such thing as a cross-less Christian.

As you well know, our church bears the name "Crossroads." But the name is a good choice not only because it's found in the Bible (Jeremiah 6:16), or because the church is located near the junction of route 94 and 23, but should also be a constant reminder that we walk on a "cross" road.

In the quote from the Gospels about taking up the cross and following Jesus, I purposely chose the rendition given by Luke because he includes the word "daily." Yes, it may seem like a burden to carry the cross, but remember Jesus said "My burden is light" - and it is light because He is in the yoke with us, and as long as we abide with Him, there is strength to carry the cross.

We also remember that Jesus also taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." There is "daily" sustenance available to those who take up the cross "daily."

"Mind your own business; follow Jesus - daily, with the strength He provides."

This brings to mind the words of a well known Swedish hymn, "Day By Day." The words of this hymn were written by Lina Sandell, born on October 3, 1832, the daughter of the pastor of the parish church of Froderyd, Sweden.

    Day by day and with each passing moment,
    Strength I find to meet my trials here;
    Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
    I've no cause for worry or for fear.
    He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
    Give unto each day what He deems best;
    Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
    Mingling toil with peace and rest.

    Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
    With a special mercy for each hour;
    All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
    He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
    The protection of His child and treasure,
    Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
    "As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"
    This the pledge to me He made.

    Help me then in ev'ry tribulation,
    So to trust Your promises, O Lord;
    That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
    Offered me within Your holy Word.
    Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
    E'er to take, as from a Father's hand,
    One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
    Till I reach the promised land.

So the message is simple, "Mind your own business; take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus." If we do that, there is a promise that adequate strength will be daily provided. If we don't, we may be judged along side the murderers and thieves.

Discussion Questions
"Mind Your Own Business"

1. What are some of the options church members have when they feel that the Pastor's messages are "over their heads"?

2. When would we say that the comment "Mind your own business" is neither harsh nor rude?

3. Why are we so prone to be delighted when other people's sins are condemned?

4. What was the occasion, and who were the disciples involved when Jesus told one of them to mind his own business?

5. According to one apostolic letter, "busybodies" are classified with what other groups of people?

6. How is it that the theory of evolution has become acceptable in the church?

7. It may be that Christians meddle more than non-Christians, and even justify their doing so. If this is true, why?

8. How might Christ-like humility help guard against meddling?

9. In Galatians, when Paul mentions the one who "thinks he is something when he is nothing," to whom is he referring?

10. If we are quick to identify other people's sins, and then compare ourselves with them, what does this do for us?

11. How is it that self deception can be fatal?

12. What did Jesus say to Peter right after telling him that John's future was none of his business?

13. What does it really mean to take up the cross?

14. How can the name of our church help remind us of what it means to follow Jesus?

15. In order to take up our cross _____, we must pray, "Give us this day our _____ bread."

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