Lent 2 3/12/06 Text: Mark 8:31-38 Title: My Way or God's Way
Lent 2
3/12/2006
Text: Mark 8: 31-38
Title: My Way or God’s Way.
Let us pray, Lord God, Creator and Maker of us all, speak in the calming of our minds and in the longings of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
For those of you that are long time church goers, our Gospel reading for this morning is very familiar, so familiar that, if you are like I was, it tends to go in one ear and out the other. But this story is more than just a story in the Bible for it has the power to transform your life. All you need to do is listen and then heed its lesson. There is one catch and that is that after listening to what Jesus Christ is saying to you today, you will probably have to struggle with what he said if you want to apply it to your life.
So I invite you to listen carefully this morning. Listen to what Jesus is telling you in this text. Listen to determine what it means for your life. Listen so that Jesus might lead you in the right direction. Listen for his words are directly aimed at your heart.
It is essential that when you look at a particular story in the Bible that you understand the context in which that story is set. That way you will not only have a better understanding of the story you studying but you will have a better chance applying it to your life.
Just before the event we are looking at Peter had just proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the one whom Israel had been waiting for so long. Peter’s confession is the hinge, the turning point of the story. Peter did have it right, for Jesus is the Messiah, the one who will save Israel.
By this time Jesus had fulfilled most of the Old Testament prophecies and it is time for Jesus to teach, to prepare his disciples about what it really means to be the Messiah.
He starts by telling them that he must suffer and die. Now that doesn’t set to well with Peter, the same Peter that had just a short time earlier made such a wonderful confession. Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him.
Mark doesn’t tell us what Peter is saying to Jesus, but more than likely it is something like, “Jesus you need to quit talking foolishness. All that talk about suffering and dying is not going to win any converts to our cause. Quit talking crazy talk. Pull yourself together. You are the Messiah, now act like one.” Let’s not hear any more of that foolish talk about suffering and dying.”
Doesn’t it seem odd to you that in such a short time Peter could confess his belief in Jesus as the Messiah and then in almost the next breath criticize him in the next? It is odd, but maybe it really isn’t that odd, for if we are to be perfectly honest with ourselves, I think that we would have to admit that far too many times we confess our believe in Jesus and then turn right around and try to make him into something he is not. Something that we can handle. Something that will not interfere in our lives, at least not interfere too much.
I am afraid we too would probably have to admit that we don’t really know who Jesus is either. After all, how can one man die for the sins of all people? How can a person be man and God all at the same time? It is impossible for a human not to sin. Jesus must have used his power as God to resist temptation, and that is cheating. I could go on and on, but I think that you get the idea.
Just like Peter, we expect certain things from Jesus, and sometimes what we get is very different from what we expected, for Christ doesn’t always do what we want him to do. I know for sure that Peter did not want Jesus to tell him “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
That had to hurt, but Jesus is only telling the truth. He is not saying that Peter is actually Satan. He is saying that you are either for me or against me. If your are not doing what I ask you to do, then you are doing the work of Satan.
It is pretty simple, for in God’s eye there is no gray area like we like to say there is. He is trying to teach Peter, the rest of the disciples, and us, to view the world from God’s viewpoint. Now that is easier said than done for Peter, the disciples, and us, since we can only view him from our worm’s eye-view.
Let me explain what I mean. Jesus in telling the disciples who he is and what he has to do presents a problem for they have no past experience to base his message on. It is like explaining electricity to someone who has never seen a light bulb, or listened to a radio, or watched TV. Think about it for a minute. How can you explain electricity to someone like that? It is almost an impossible task for there is no foundation on which to build their knowledge.
Frankly, I have seen thousands of light bulbs, enjoyed the miracle of electricity, and gotten shocked numerous times. Some of us are slow learners. I still don’t understand how it works. I know it does work, but to be honest it seems more like magic than science to me. I would be a poor choice if someone wanted me to explain electricity to anyone, especially someone who has never experienced it.
Now we who confess our faith in Jesus Christ every Sunday have an advantage over the disciples that day, for we know what happened. We know that Jesus did in fact suffer and die. We know that he did rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. We know that, but I am afraid that we still fail at always connecting the dots, thus we do not recognize what Jesus life, death, and resurrection really mean for us.
There is an old saying, “There is nothing worth dying for.” A statement that a lot of people believe in with their whole being, but Jesus didn’t, for he said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” That doesn’t sound like “There is nothing worth dying for” does it?
Peter and the other disciples don’t get it, for they had not yet seen the power of God in Jesus’ suffering and dying. They hadn’t seen the empty tomb. They just don’t get it and I can’t say that I can blame them, for all we have to do is look at our own lives.
We say, “Look out for number one.” Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the love he wants us to have, not the love of putting oneself first. That is quite different than looking out for number one.
We say, “If I don’t take care of myself, nobody else will.” Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That is quite different from, “If I don’t take care of myself, nobody else will.” isn’t it?
Peter and the disciples didn’t get it because Jesus was teaching them something that was much more mysterious than electricity. He was telling them how things worked in the Kingdom of God. He was asking them to make a shift from a worm’s-eye view to a God’s-eye view of him and his life giving work.
That is the same problem we have, for too keep trying to view Jesus through our worm-eyes view. We try to domesticate him, to make him harmless and comfortable, something that we can manage. Something that will not cause us to much discomfort.
We like Jesus to be where we can keep an eye on him and a good place for that is for him to stay right here in church where we don’t have to worry about him interfering in our lives. Oh sure we know that we are going to heaven because of what he did. We accept his free gift of forgiveness.
We accept him and his forgiveness, but that is as close as we want him to be in our lives. So many times we leave here every Sunday and go on our merry way unhindered by his demands on our lives, demands that are always good for us.
You know, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can change, I can change, we all can change, for Jesus is not telling us that we actually have to die to follow him, or to actually walk around carrying a cross like the one in the corner. What he is telling us is to just put him first in our lives.
Jesus knows that when we have put him first we have changed from viewing him from a worms-eye view to a God’s-eye view. And in doing so we no longer see Jesus as just someone who has assured us of a place in heaven as important as that is. We see him as someone we want in our lives guiding us through the good and bad times as we do the will of God. Amen
3/12/2006
Text: Mark 8: 31-38
Title: My Way or God’s Way.
Let us pray, Lord God, Creator and Maker of us all, speak in the calming of our minds and in the longings of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
For those of you that are long time church goers, our Gospel reading for this morning is very familiar, so familiar that, if you are like I was, it tends to go in one ear and out the other. But this story is more than just a story in the Bible for it has the power to transform your life. All you need to do is listen and then heed its lesson. There is one catch and that is that after listening to what Jesus Christ is saying to you today, you will probably have to struggle with what he said if you want to apply it to your life.
So I invite you to listen carefully this morning. Listen to what Jesus is telling you in this text. Listen to determine what it means for your life. Listen so that Jesus might lead you in the right direction. Listen for his words are directly aimed at your heart.
It is essential that when you look at a particular story in the Bible that you understand the context in which that story is set. That way you will not only have a better understanding of the story you studying but you will have a better chance applying it to your life.
Just before the event we are looking at Peter had just proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the one whom Israel had been waiting for so long. Peter’s confession is the hinge, the turning point of the story. Peter did have it right, for Jesus is the Messiah, the one who will save Israel.
By this time Jesus had fulfilled most of the Old Testament prophecies and it is time for Jesus to teach, to prepare his disciples about what it really means to be the Messiah.
He starts by telling them that he must suffer and die. Now that doesn’t set to well with Peter, the same Peter that had just a short time earlier made such a wonderful confession. Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him.
Mark doesn’t tell us what Peter is saying to Jesus, but more than likely it is something like, “Jesus you need to quit talking foolishness. All that talk about suffering and dying is not going to win any converts to our cause. Quit talking crazy talk. Pull yourself together. You are the Messiah, now act like one.” Let’s not hear any more of that foolish talk about suffering and dying.”
Doesn’t it seem odd to you that in such a short time Peter could confess his belief in Jesus as the Messiah and then in almost the next breath criticize him in the next? It is odd, but maybe it really isn’t that odd, for if we are to be perfectly honest with ourselves, I think that we would have to admit that far too many times we confess our believe in Jesus and then turn right around and try to make him into something he is not. Something that we can handle. Something that will not interfere in our lives, at least not interfere too much.
I am afraid we too would probably have to admit that we don’t really know who Jesus is either. After all, how can one man die for the sins of all people? How can a person be man and God all at the same time? It is impossible for a human not to sin. Jesus must have used his power as God to resist temptation, and that is cheating. I could go on and on, but I think that you get the idea.
Just like Peter, we expect certain things from Jesus, and sometimes what we get is very different from what we expected, for Christ doesn’t always do what we want him to do. I know for sure that Peter did not want Jesus to tell him “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
That had to hurt, but Jesus is only telling the truth. He is not saying that Peter is actually Satan. He is saying that you are either for me or against me. If your are not doing what I ask you to do, then you are doing the work of Satan.
It is pretty simple, for in God’s eye there is no gray area like we like to say there is. He is trying to teach Peter, the rest of the disciples, and us, to view the world from God’s viewpoint. Now that is easier said than done for Peter, the disciples, and us, since we can only view him from our worm’s eye-view.
Let me explain what I mean. Jesus in telling the disciples who he is and what he has to do presents a problem for they have no past experience to base his message on. It is like explaining electricity to someone who has never seen a light bulb, or listened to a radio, or watched TV. Think about it for a minute. How can you explain electricity to someone like that? It is almost an impossible task for there is no foundation on which to build their knowledge.
Frankly, I have seen thousands of light bulbs, enjoyed the miracle of electricity, and gotten shocked numerous times. Some of us are slow learners. I still don’t understand how it works. I know it does work, but to be honest it seems more like magic than science to me. I would be a poor choice if someone wanted me to explain electricity to anyone, especially someone who has never experienced it.
Now we who confess our faith in Jesus Christ every Sunday have an advantage over the disciples that day, for we know what happened. We know that Jesus did in fact suffer and die. We know that he did rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. We know that, but I am afraid that we still fail at always connecting the dots, thus we do not recognize what Jesus life, death, and resurrection really mean for us.
There is an old saying, “There is nothing worth dying for.” A statement that a lot of people believe in with their whole being, but Jesus didn’t, for he said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” That doesn’t sound like “There is nothing worth dying for” does it?
Peter and the other disciples don’t get it, for they had not yet seen the power of God in Jesus’ suffering and dying. They hadn’t seen the empty tomb. They just don’t get it and I can’t say that I can blame them, for all we have to do is look at our own lives.
We say, “Look out for number one.” Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the love he wants us to have, not the love of putting oneself first. That is quite different than looking out for number one.
We say, “If I don’t take care of myself, nobody else will.” Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That is quite different from, “If I don’t take care of myself, nobody else will.” isn’t it?
Peter and the disciples didn’t get it because Jesus was teaching them something that was much more mysterious than electricity. He was telling them how things worked in the Kingdom of God. He was asking them to make a shift from a worm’s-eye view to a God’s-eye view of him and his life giving work.
That is the same problem we have, for too keep trying to view Jesus through our worm-eyes view. We try to domesticate him, to make him harmless and comfortable, something that we can manage. Something that will not cause us to much discomfort.
We like Jesus to be where we can keep an eye on him and a good place for that is for him to stay right here in church where we don’t have to worry about him interfering in our lives. Oh sure we know that we are going to heaven because of what he did. We accept his free gift of forgiveness.
We accept him and his forgiveness, but that is as close as we want him to be in our lives. So many times we leave here every Sunday and go on our merry way unhindered by his demands on our lives, demands that are always good for us.
You know, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can change, I can change, we all can change, for Jesus is not telling us that we actually have to die to follow him, or to actually walk around carrying a cross like the one in the corner. What he is telling us is to just put him first in our lives.
Jesus knows that when we have put him first we have changed from viewing him from a worms-eye view to a God’s-eye view. And in doing so we no longer see Jesus as just someone who has assured us of a place in heaven as important as that is. We see him as someone we want in our lives guiding us through the good and bad times as we do the will of God. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:17 PM
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