SERMON: SELFLESS SERVING

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 20:20-28

 

Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

 

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

 

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

 

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

 

“We can,” they answered.

 

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

 

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

            -- in our study of the life of Jesus up to this point, we have looked at the progressive revelation of God to the world of who Jesus was and why He had come

            -- Jesus was revealed to us to be the Son of Man through His birth, His teachings, and the miracles which revealed His nature and His character to us

            -- and we began to grasp the mission of Jesus through His proclamation of Himself as the Messiah in the synagogue in Nazareth -- through His reteaching of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount -- and through His calling of the disciples to come and follow Him

            -- last week, the entire picture of Jesus came together as we looked at the Transfiguration -- when Jesus was transfigured and transformed in the presence of Peter, James, and John and appeared in all His unveiled glory and majesty -- expressing His true nature as both the Son of Man -- our representative on earth -- the Second Adam -- and the Son of God -- the Christ -- the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords

            -- all that Jesus had been saying about Himself and the reason He came to earth was revealed in that moment to the three disciples there with Him

            -- but as they made their way down the Mount of Transfiguration and back into the world, I’m sure the question on their mind is the same that we have had from time to time -- how do we fit into this plan of God? -- what is our role and our purpose in the Kingdom of God?

            -- now that we have seen Jesus and know that He is truly the Son of God -- the Christ -- what do we do? -- what does He want us to do?

            -- we see the disciples struggling to answer those questions in this passage that follows the Transfiguration event, as the mother of James and John tries to press Jesus to secure her son’s positions in the coming kingdom

            -- with that, let us look back at Matthew 20 and let’s explore this question of our role in the Kingdom of God

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Matthew 20:20-28)

 

            -- verse 20-21

 

Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

 

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

 

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

 

 

            -- ever since Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ and the experience of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus had shared with His disciples what was coming next

            -- He told them that they had to go up to Jerusalem -- that He would suffer at the hands of the Jews -- be crucified -- and then be raised to life on the third day

            -- in fact, He tells them that in verse 19, right before this verse

            -- but none of them heard what He was saying -- they were still hearing what they wanted to hear -- they were still thinking that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to set up His earthly kingdom -- sure, they thought, Jesus will be persecuted and die and be raised again -- but then, the Kingdom will come -- and the question on all of their minds was on what they were going to get -- on what their role was going to be in the Kingdom of Jesus -- as Jesus’ hand-picked men

 

            -- like the stereotypical Jewish mother, the mother of James and John wasn’t going to sit around and wait for her sons to do something -- no, she decided to take matters into her own hand -- she was going to press Jesus to make her sons rulers in His kingdom -- I mean, after all, they were part of Jesus’ top three disciples -- so, why not make sure they were considered Numbers One and Two when the positions were given out in the new kingdom?

            -- so, she came to Jesus and knelt down, and worshiped Him -- but notice that her worship came at a price -- she worshiped Jesus because she wanted something from Him -- she thought that by appealing to Him in that way, He would do what she wanted

            -- how many times do we do that? -- how many times do we come and worship Jesus or go to Him in prayer -- not because of who He is -- not because of what He has done for us -- but because we want Him to do something for us? -- how many times do we put “self” on the throne of worship while giving lip-service to Jesus?

 

            -- Jesus saw right through her motives -- “What is it you want?” He asked

-- how discouraging it must have been for Him to have to ask that question -- here He was, about to give everything on behalf of the world -- about to offer Himself up as an atoning sacrifice on the cross for all of us -- about to endure the shame of the cross and to become sin and bear that sin on the cross of punishment in our place -- and here Zebedee’s wife comes with her selfish request -- seeking to promote her sons

            -- “put one of my sons on your right and one on your left when you come into your kingdom” -- in other words, “exalt my sons -- make them the greatest in your kingdom outside of you -- let them be greater than all the rest”

            -- now, don’t forget -- Zebedee’s wife wasn’t doing this on her own -- James and John were right there with her -- this was a plan -- this was something that the three of them worked out together and brought to Jesus so that they would be exalted -- so that they would be the greatest in the Kingdom

            -- do you see what they’re doing here? -- for three years, James and John had lived in a close group with the other disciples and Jesus -- as God’s progressive revelation of Jesus had been shared with them, they had come to know Him as the Messiah -- they had seen His love and compassion on display -- they had seen His mercy and grace

-- by watching Jesus and knowing Him, they had been taught how to love like Him -- they had seen Jesus give of Himself time and time again on behalf of others -- but here, as their journey is nearing its end -- as they’re going up to Jerusalem for the last time -- their human nature -- their desire for self-promotion and power and prestige takes over -- and they come to Jesus and ask Him to promote them above all the rest

 

            -- verse 22-23

 

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

 

“We can,” they answered.

 

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

 

 

-- Jesus says, “You don’t know what you’re asking” -- for one thing, they obviously have not understood what is going to happen to Jesus when they get to Jerusalem -- they have heard Him talk about the persecution and that He was going to die, but they’re not connecting the dots -- they don’t understand the extent of the cup of God’s wrath and judgment that Jesus is about to drink

-- that’s why He says, “You don’t know what you’re asking” -- you can’t handle what I am about to handle -- you will drink from the cup of suffering, but not in the same way as I will -- for Jesus was going to suffer for the sins of the whole world

 

-- but they also didn’t know what they were asking because by asking this question, they were making it evident that they had completely missed the whole point of the message Jesus had been preaching and teaching -- for three years, they had lived with Him and been taught how to love and to serve others

-- His message had never been about exalting themselves -- it had never been about seeking power and prestige in the kingdom -- so, they are asking for something that they shouldn’t be seeking -- that was not the way to become great in the kingdom of God

 

            -- verse 24

 

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

 

-- when the other disciples heard what James and John had done, Matthew says that they were “indignant” -- they were upset -- they were not happy -- why?

            -- well, for one thing, I think it’s because none of them had thought of it first -- think about what we know of Peter and the others -- don’t you think they would have asked Jesus to be promoted if they had thought of it first?

            -- secondly, they were upset with James and John’s request because every one of them -- in their hearts -- believed that they were more capable -- more deserving -- than James and John

            -- even after three years of being with Jesus, the disciples were still a selfish lot -- putting self above others -- always seeking the better position -- the better seat -- we see that all the way up to the Last Supper, when the disciples refuse to wash their feet and try to take the better place at the table

            -- they were still thinking worldly and still thinking the Kingdom of God was about power, even though Jesus had taught them otherwise

 

            -- verse 25-28

 

25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

-- so, Jesus saw what was going on -- I imagine there was quite an uproar as the twelve disciples argued with each other about what James and John had tried to do and about who should be in the highest place with Jesus in the Kingdom

-- finally, Jesus called the 12 over to Him and explained to them, once again, what it meant to be great in the Kingdom -- “whoever wants to be great, must be a servant -- they must be a slave to the others” -- in other words, those who are great are those who deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me in the path of sacrifice and slavery and servanthood -- this is your purpose in the Kingdom -- this is your role -- this is the highest place -- this is what I have been showing you

            -- if you want to be great, don’t try to exalt yourself -- if you want to be great, put others’ needs and wants and desires above your own -- if you want to be great, don’t focus on yourself -- focus instead on serving those around you and promoting their interests above your own

 

            -- in answer to the questions, what are we called to do in the Kingdom of God? -- what is our role and purpose in Christ’s kingdom? -- here it is

            -- we are called to serve -- we are called to love -- we are called to share the good news of Christ with others -- we are exalted only to the point where we humble ourselves in service to Christ and those around us

            -- we find this calling given to us in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, which Jesus gave to His disciples after the resurrection -- to remind you of what the call of the church is, let me share those with you

            -- the Great Commandment -- Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength -- and love your neighbor as yourself

            -- and the Great Commission -- Go and make disciples of all nations -- baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you to do

            -- those are our selfless acts of service that are our appropriate response to Jesus’ Lordship in our lives -- rather than seeking places of honor -- rather than trying to put ourselves above others -- the revelation of Jesus as the Son of Man and the Son of God -- as the Christ -- calls us to humble ourselves and seek to serve Him and others before ourselves

 

            -- at this point, the disciples did not fully understand this -- and wouldn’t -- until after the death and resurrection of Christ and after He revealed to them the mission and purpose of the church in this new age

            -- this is something that we all continue to struggle with in our lives and in our culture -- we always seek power and prestige -- recognition -- respect -- and we jockey against one another to try to better ourselves and the ones we love

            -- but that is not the way of the Kingdom of God -- that is not the calling of the church -- that is not what Jesus’ life has been showing us as we have studied it from the incarnation up to this point

            -- our response to Jesus should be one of humbleness and service, for that is the role of the Christian in God’s Kingdom

 

III.  St. Patrick

            -- to bring this to a close, I wanted to take a moment and look at the story of St. Patrick -- as you know, today is St. Patrick’s Day, and in looking at the life and calling and ministry of St. Patrick, you can see the example of a man who truly understood his role in the kingdom of God

 

            -- I have always been fascinated with St. Patrick -- I grew up reading stories about swords and sorceries -- about King Arthur and his knights of the round table -- and of the druids and how the people lived in Britain and Scotland and Ireland in the early days -- and this is the world that St. Patrick lived in

            -- he has become a man of legend, with many stories and myths attributed to him -- some true -- some not so true -- we remember him today as the patron saint of Ireland who stood against the power of the druids to bring Christianity to Ireland -- the holy man who drove the snakes out of the country and used the three-leaf clover as a device to help spread the gospel message in a pagan land

            -- but the thing to know is that St. Patrick was a real man -- a godly man -- a true servant of Christ -- and if you cut through the mists of myth and know the true story of Patrick, you will see why we celebrate his memory on this day

 

            -- Patrick was born in Britain in the fourth century -- the son of a leader in the local community and church and the grandson of a priest -- this was a time of chaos and decline in Britain as the Roman Empire was beginning to crumble -- the Roman forces had withdrawn from Britain back to Italy to protect the seat of their power, leaving Britain and the other former territories without military support  and vulnerable to attacks from the Picts and the Irish and the other tribes and clans that had previously warred with the native Britons

            -- in the power void left by the Romans, these other tribes began raiding the countryside of Britain -- attacking and pillaging towns and villages and taking young men and women captive for slaves -- it was in such an attack that Patrick was captured and carried to Ireland as a slave when he was just 16 years old

            -- for six years, Patrick served as a shepherd in Ireland -- living as a slave in a pagan land ruled by local chieftains who constantly warred with each other -- it was here Patrick was first introduced to the religion of the Druids, and realized how the Druids kept the nation dominated by requiring strict adherence to their religious practices -- follow the religion of the Druids -- follow their commands -- or you would die

            -- yet still, Patrick maintained his faith in Christ and spent his time in the countryside praying and reciting scripture -- much as David did in his time as shepherd in ancient Israel

 

            -- Patrick wrote in his Confessions that after he had been in Ireland for six years, he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home -- a few months later, the voice spoke again, saying that his ship was ready -- and Patrick fled from his slave master, made his way to the coast, where he caught a ship back to Britain

            -- while in Britain, Patrick's faith continued to grow and he began to serve in the Catholic church, as his father and grandfather had done -- one day, Patrick had a vision of a group of Irish men crying out to him, "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us again"

            -- Patrick realized that God was calling him to leave his homeland and to return to Ireland -- to minister to the people who had taken him captive and destroyed his home -- to live the rest of his life in the land where he once had been a slave

 

            -- Patrick had a choice to make -- he could stay in Britain and serve God in the church there -- ministering to his own people in his own land -- or he could follow the vision and carry the gospel to the pagans of Ireland -- opposing the established Druid religion and sharing the love of Christ with those who had previously enslaved him

            -- to go to Ireland was dangerous, and likely to result in his death -- to go to Ireland meant that he would face persecution and trials and troubles, not only from the chieftains and the Irish people, but especially from the Druids who had enslaved the island with their superstitious religion -- still, Christ bid him to go and to serve by telling the Irish about the gospel of Christ -- and Patrick went -- facing his fears and the trials ahead -- and carried the light of Christ to a people living in darkness

            -- without a doubt, Patrick's ministry in Ireland was extremely fruitful -- in his Confessions, he says that he baptized thousands of people -- he ordained priests to lead the new Christian communities -- and he founded hundreds of churches throughout Ireland -- some of which can still be seen to this day

            -- almost single-handedly, Patrick led Ireland out of the darkness of pagan superstition into the light of Christianity -- this is the real reason why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year and why Patrick is revered in Ireland to this very day

            -- it’s not because Patrick went back to Ireland to rule -- it’s not because Patrick went back desiring to be head of the church or to sit at Christ’s right hand -- it’s because Patrick went back to Ireland to serve as Christ commanded -- to once again, become a slave to the people of Ireland in service to the true King, Christ Jesus by carrying the gospel to the people of that land

           

IV.  Closing

            -- so, as we close this morning, I want us to take a moment and consider the contrast between the story of Zebedee’s wife and that of St. Patrick -- on one hand, we see a mother and her sons striving for power, prestige, and position in the Kingdom, thinking that this would make them great -- while on the other, we see a humble servant of God -- who left a ministry in Britain to go back to the land of slavery -- to serve his former captives by sharing with them the good news of Christ and shining a light in this dark land

-- Jesus has made it clear what He wants us to do -- He has shown us the way through His life and in His preaching and teaching -- He calls us to Him, not to serve as rulers, but to serve as slaves -- to offer ourselves to others and to Him -- as He calls us to share the good news with those around us

-- we don’t have to wonder what God wants us to do -- we don’t have to wonder if we are in God’s will -- we don’t have to wonder what God’s will is for us -- we simply have to read it and believe it and do it

            -- God has given us a mission to love Him and our neighbors -- to go and make disciples of all nations -- that is our role in the kingdom of Christ -- we know it -- we feel it when we study God’s word -- this is God’s will for us

            -- the real reason we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is because we see in him a man who knew God -- who heard God -- and who did what God wanted him to do

            -- who didn’t try to exalt himself but humbled himself in service to Christ and others

 

            -- so, as we close, let me encourage you to examine your hearts -- to examine your lives -- are you doing what God wants you to do? -- as you read His word and see His commands, are you doing what He asks you to do?

            -- God has shown us His will -- it is up to us to do as St. Patrick did and to go forth and fulfill God’s will in our own individual lives as servants in His kingdom

 

            -- let us pray

 

SERMON: SEEING JESUS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 16:28-17:8

 

Matthew 16:28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

 

Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

 

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

 

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

 

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

            -- when you hear the name Michelangelo, probably the first thing that you think of is his amazing fresco painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, just north of St. Peter’s Basilica, that depicts God’s creation and the fall of man, pointing us to Christ as our only Savior and Redeemer

-- it took Michelangelo four painstaking years to create this masterpiece -- painting from the top of a high scaffold -- and either standing with his neck strained to see the ceiling or lying on his back, depending on the biographer that you reference

-- when he completed this work in 1512, the world stood amazed at the expanse of the fresco and how the figures and the colors seemed to be alive -- the one word that everyone used to express their view of this masterpiece was glorious

            -- but over the intervening 450 years, the glory faded -- because of its location on the ceiling of the chapel, the masterpiece became dulled and hidden by the grime of life -- wax and soot from candles burned over the years and accumulated on the ceiling -- crystalline accretions of salt leaked through the roof and outer walls, covering portions of the masterpiece -- dust and dirt -- and oils and animal fats and old cleaning solutions from years gone by -- all of these obscured from vision the true picture that Michelangelo had painted

            -- you could still sort of see it -- you could make it out, but the details weren’t visible -- it wasn't as clear or as vivid or as sharp as when Michelangelo first painted it -- the glory of Michelangelo’s masterpiece had faded

            -- so, in 1980, the Vatican took steps to restore the painting to its former glory -- using modern, professional techniques, experts took decades to painstakingly restore and renew the original painting -- in the process, they revealed colors and details -- hidden figures and creatures, such as angels and other spiritual beings, that had been covered for years by grime and that no one knew was there

            -- finally, around 2010, the restoration was complete and for the first time in 450 years, visitors to the Sistine Chapel can truly see what Michelangelo painted -- if you go there now, the glory has been restored, and you can see the true masterpiece that Michelangelo painted

 

            -- for the last couple of months, we have been discussing the story of Jesus -- beginning with the announcement of His conception and the incarnation to Mary and Joseph and continuing on through His birth, His baptism, and His ministry

            -- our goal was to see how Jesus was revealed to His disciples and to the world across the span of His human existence -- and, as I hope you have noticed, every step along the way of Jesus’ life has revealed another facet of who He is and why He has come

            -- we’ve reached the point in our study where the disciples have finally started to understand that this Jesus that they had been following for the past three years was more than just a man -- more than just a good teacher -- more than just a prophet

            -- last week, we looked at Peter’s confession of Jesus, where he boldly proclaimed what no one else had dared to do -- that Jesus was the Christ -- He was the Messiah -- He was God in the flesh -- Son of Man and Son of God

            -- but still, the disciples didn’t fully understand why Jesus had come and the true extent of His ministry -- they assumed that He would fulfill the roles of the Messiah they had been taught their whole lives -- someone who would be a political and religious leader in the image of David -- who would restore the throne of David in Jerusalem and set up the Kingdom of Israel once again

            -- so, when Jesus began to speak of His suffering and persecution -- of His impending arrest and death on the cross and then of His resurrection -- the disciples couldn’t understand -- and Jesus rebuked Peter for saying that this would not happen -- that the disciples would not let it happen

            -- you see, the disciples still had not glimpsed the true glory of Jesus -- who Jesus was and what He had come to do was hidden behind a veil of religion and tradition that prevented the disciples from seeing the truth

            -- so, this morning, we are looking at this passage that we know as the Transfiguration of Christ -- the moment when Jesus peeled back the veil -- when He removed the grime of life that had hidden Him from the Israelites -- and when He reveals Himself in His majesty and glory for them to see with their own eyes

-- the next step in their journey of faith in the real Messiah -- not the false Messiah they had created in their religious traditions

            -- with that, let us turn now to this passage and look at the Transfiguration event, where the glory of Jesus is revealed

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Matthew 16:28-17:9)

            -- look back at Matthew 16:28

 

Matthew 16:28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

 

            -- have you ever wondered what this verse is all about? -- here we are, two thousand years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, still living on this fallen earth -- still experiencing the consequences of sin and death -- still struggling with living in a world held captive by Satan

            -- we long for the kingdom of God -- we long for the return of Christ -- we long for the day when our faith will be sight and when we will see Jesus in the clouds returning to set up His throne and His kingdom on earth once and for all eternity

            -- but it hasn’t happened yet

            -- and while we like to talk about how the kingdom of God is both here and in the future -- we don’t see it with our human eyes right now -- we catch glimpses in Christ’s church of the kingdom -- but we all know it’s not here right now -- not in the all-encompassing way that the Bible tells us the Kingdom of Christ will be established

            -- so, how can Jesus tell His disciples that some of them will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom?

            -- it could be a reference to the resurrection and His ascension to Heaven, but that was Jesus leaving, not coming in His kingdom

            -- so, what does Jesus mean when He tells His disciples that some of them are going to see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom?

            -- that’s what we’re going to read about in this next section

 

            -- what Jesus is referring to is that some of His disciples are going to see Jesus as He truly is -- as the Son of Man and the Son of God -- as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords -- they’re going to truly see Jesus for the first time in their lives

            -- a lot of times we see paintings and illustrations of Jesus with His disciples -- and it is common to see Him enveloped in light with a halo around Him -- anyone looking at Him would know immediately that this was God

-- but that’s not how the disciples knew Jesus -- He didn’t appear in a flash of light when He called them to “Come and follow Me” -- Isaiah 53:2 says that Jesus had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him -- nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 

-- in other words, when Jesus' disciples looked at Him, they didn't see God in physical form -- they just saw a man like themselves -- someone that they lived with and followed and listened to because He had insights into God's teachings that were new and had life

            -- it wasn't until around this time that they began to realize that there was more to Jesus than just another gifted rabbi -- it wasn't until later -- after His resurrection and ascension -- that all of the disciples began to see Jesus for who He was

            -- but here in this passage, Jesus is going to give three of His disciples a gift -- He is going to let them see Him in a way that we won’t until His return -- they will see Him as the King, as He reveals Himself for a moment to help the disciples grow in grace and in their knowledge of Him

 

            -- Chapter 17, verse 1

 

Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves

 

-- Jesus had 12 disciples there with Him, but He only took three of them with Him to this mountain -- some people wonder about that -- about why Jesus didn't carry all of the disciples with Him to the top of the mountain to experience what Peter, James, and John did

            -- we don't know for sure -- the Bible doesn't tell us -- we do know that these three became the leaders of the early church, and Jesus may have chosen them to experience this special moment because they needed to see Him in His glory in order to lead the church through the initial sufferings and persecutions that they would face

            -- I do believe one reason He chose only them is that they were the only ones out of the twelve who were ready to see Him as He was -- these were the three that truly believed that He was the Son of God -- they may not have understood completely, but they believed -- they were seeking the truth -- they were looking for God in their midst -- and their faith was rewarded

-- there's a lesson there for us -- we can all be in the presence of Jesus, but only those who come to Him with eyes wide open -- only those who come to Him without preconceived notions -- will see Jesus as He truly is

-- to go with Jesus to the mountain -- to put aside the filter and the cloud of life and religion and experience -- and to see Him in His glory

            -- the question then for us is, "Are we truly seeking God as He is? -- Do we desire to see His glory and His kingdom? -- Is our focus on Christ and His glory or is our focus on the world around us?"

           

            -- verse 2

 

2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

 

            -- Matthew tells us here that Jesus was "transfigured" -- the Greek word that is translated here literally means "metamorphosis" -- a change in form

            -- while we read that Jesus' face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light, there's obviously a lot more going on here than Jesus just changing His clothes

            -- what happened on this mountain was that Jesus was transformed -- He took on another form -- He changed from being just a man in appearance to appearing in His glorified form

            -- Peter, James, and John witnessed this man that they knew becoming something else -- for the first time in their lives, they saw Him as He truly was -- in all His heavenly glory

            -- at that moment, all that they thought they knew about Jesus was stripped bare -- no longer was this just the Galilean carpenter and rabbi and teacher that they knew -- no longer was this just a fellow first century Jew who might be the Messiah who would become their earthly king -- no longer was this just the man who shared their fire

            -- everything about Him was changed -- His clothes -- His features -- His appearance -- His very being -- they no longer looked at Jesus the man -- they looked at Jesus the God

            -- their vision had been cleared and they would never look at Him the same way again -- they had been given a glimpse of Jesus as He truly was -- they had seen Him as He exists in His kingdom -- and this vision of Jesus would change what they knew and believed about the Messiah and it would change their lives forever

 

            -- verse 3

 

3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

 

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

 

 

            -- Matthew tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the mountain and that Peter, James, and John saw them standing there talking with Him -- the question is, "Why?" -- Isn't the real issue the fact that Jesus was now standing before them in His transfigured, glorified form -- who cares about Moses and Elijah?

            -- they're there for a reason -- Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets

            -- for Peter, James, and John, their former vision of the Messiah and of God was based on these two things

-- their idea of who God was and what God was supposed to do and how God was supposed to act was based on the law of Moses and the revelations revealed to God's prophets

            -- over the years, the true image of God revealed in the law and the prophets had gotten blurred and covered over and hidden as life and experience and religion changed who the people saw

 

            -- why do you think the Pharisees missed seeing Jesus as Messiah when He was on earth?

            -- because the Jesus they saw was not the Messiah they were looking for -- they had made up in their minds who the Messiah was and how He would look and what He would do, and when Jesus showed up, He didn't fit their image -- He wasn't who the Pharisees were looking for, and so they rejected Him

            -- the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration is to demonstrate to the disciples that who they are seeing now -- this Jesus who is standing before them glorified as King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- is the real Messiah -- the real Jesus -- the real God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- as affirmed by the Law and the Prophets

 

            -- verse 5

 

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

 

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

 

            -- as if to punctuate the lesson here for the disciples, God the Father descends upon the mountain -- enveloping it in a cloud just like we see Him doing in the presence of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament -- as the cloud descends, the very voice of God proclaims to the three terrified disciples, "This is My Son, whom I love"

            -- in other words, the Father was making sure Peter, James, and John got the message -- this Jesus who was standing before them was the real Jesus -- the true Jesus -- the Jesus stripped of all worldly affectations

            -- this was the reason Jesus brought them up to the mountaintop that day -- this vision of Jesus was given to them so that they might know Him -- this vision of Jesus was given to inspire and invigorate their lives -- this vision of the true Jesus was what they were supposed to preach and proclaim to the world

            -- this was the Jesus that they were supposed to worship -- not the man they thought they knew -- not the image of the Messiah they had been taught to look for

            -- this was the real deal -- and this was who they were to see when they looked on the face of Jesus from now on

 

            -- verse 7

 

7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

 

            -- verse 8 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible -- it sums up why we are here this morning -- it sums up our lives and our purpose and reason for being

-- “when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus"

-- how awesome is that? -- how awesome would that be if that was our daily experience? -- if we went through life and saw nothing and knew nothing but Jesus

 

            -- what happened on that mountaintop for Peter, James, and John was that all the layers of life and religion and experience that had clouded their vision had been removed -- their eyesight had been restored -- their purpose and meaning had been realigned -- their hearts were set on Christ -- their eyes were fixed on Jesus -- and from this moment on, they saw no one and nothing other than the real Jesus

           

            -- Peter, James and John went up on that mountain with a partial faith -- a growing faith, but not a mature faith -- as they walked up that mountain, they didn’t really understand who Jesus was -- they didn’t really understand why He had come -- but everything changed in a moment

            -- and they came down that mountain changed men -- they came down that mountain with a vision of heaven and of Jesus glorified in His kingdom

-- it was that vision of Jesus in all His glory that enabled them to endure hardship and persecution -- it was that vision that empowered them to build His church on earth -- it was that vision that gave their lives meaning and purpose

 

-- this is where I hope that all of us are headed -- even today, we tend to make Jesus into our own image -- we tend to see Him as something He is not -- as someone once said, “If the Jesus that you are following agrees with everything that you believe and affirms everything that you do, then you are probably not following the true Jesus”

-- the truth is that our vision can be clouded by life -- and we start to see Jesus through the trappings of our man-made religion -- or worse, through the lens of our particular cultural or political persuasions

-- we see a Jesus of our own making -- we don’t see Jesus as He truly is

-- Peter, James and John were given the gift of seeing Jesus in His kingdom -- of seeing Jesus in all His glory -- and that changed them forever

-- our goal is to do the same by using God’s word to remove the grime and the dirt that hide Him from our vision -- to get back to the truth of God’s word so that we can see nothing except the true and glorified Jesus, just like Peter, James, and John

-- for it is only in Him and through Him that we find ourselves

 

III.  Closing

 

            -- there's a hymn that you may be familiar with called, "Be Thou My Vision" -- it's an old Irish hymn that we sometimes sing in church

            -- let me share with you a couple of stanzas from that hymn:

 

“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

 

“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”

 

            -- this hymn speaks to what we have been looking at today in this passage of the transfiguration -- when we know whom it is that we serve -- when we have a vision of the true Christ in our hearts, then our lives find meaning and purpose

 

            -- as we close today, I want to encourage you to go to the mount of transfiguration this week -- spend some time alone with Christ -- renew your heart -- refresh your vision -- revive your life

            -- spend some time in the Psalms this week, reflecting on the passages that praise God in all of His glory and splendor -- ask Jesus to show you His glory -- to give you a vision of who He is and what He has in store for us -- so that we might remove the veil before our eyes and behold Jesus in all His majesty and glory

            -- let us pray

SERMON: WHO AM I?

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Mark 8:27-33

 

Mark 8:27-33

New International Version

 

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

 

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

 

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

 

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

 

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

 

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

-- have you ever played the game “Who Am I?” -- this is the game where names are written on a card and everyone draws a card at random and then puts the card on their forehead -- they then have to ask questions of the people in the room until they figure out who they are

-- for instance, if you’re the person with the card on your forehead, you might begin by asking someone in the room, “Am I a fictional character? -- or “Am I a political figure?” -- or “Am I someone in history?” -- and then proceed from there to narrow your guesses down

-- the game goes on until the person either figures out who they are or they run out of time or the limit on questions, depending on the rules for that particular game

-- the game can be very entertaining and is often used during team-building exercises or as icebreakers at meetings or conferences

 

            -- while this is only a game, it does introduce to us a very important question -- “Who am I?” -- our entire lives are built around how we understand and answer that question -- Who am I? -- am I a pastor? -- a wildlife biologist? -- a husband -- a father -- a hiker -- a birder -- a Georgia Bulldog -- an American -- a Christian?

            -- the way we see ourselves shapes who we are and how we live and what we do -- and how we answer that question determines how we live our lives

            -- but just as important is the reverse of that question -- “Who do people say that I am?” -- how do others see me? -- how do others perceive me? -- how do others relate to me?

            -- this morning, we see Jesus asking that very question of His disciples and us as we continue in our study of His life and ministry

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Mark 8:27-33)

            -- let’s get right into it -- look back at verse 27

 

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

 

 

            -- as you know, Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted about three years, from His baptism by John in the Jordan River to His death and resurrection

            -- last week, we looked at the start of His public ministry, when Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount to the crowd there in Galilee -- in this sermon, Jesus restored the heart of the Law and the Prophets by showing the people what the Father had intended them to do and how He had intended them to live -- leading them to put aside the manmade rules and traditions and to get back to the heart of the Law by following the Greatest Commandment -- “Love the Lord your God with all your hearts and souls and minds and to love your neighbors as yourself”

-- He went on to tell the crowd and His disciples that He had come -- a veiled reference to His identity as the Christ -- that He had come not to destroy the law and the prophets -- not to upend the religious and political establishment and set up a kingdom on earth -- but that He had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets -- to once again stand in our place as the Son of Man and fulfill the Law by completely obeying all that God had commanded us to do -- living as the only sinless and perfect man -- the Second Adam -- so that He could fulfill God’s demands and go to the cross in our place as the perfect sacrifice

 

-- and just like so many of us tend to do when we hear sermons or spiritual truths taught, everyone in the crowd there that day heard Him, but very few “heard” Him -- rather than truly listening and hearing what Jesus said and adjusting their understanding and lives to what He had just told them, they heard what they wanted to hear

-- and when Jesus said He had come -- when the people understood He was claiming to be the Messiah -- they assumed He would fulfill the popular concept of what a Messiah would be -- someone who would come as a revolutionary leader -- restoring Israel to its rightful place as rulers of Palestine for eternity

-- they just didn’t understand who Jesus was telling them He was

 

-- but now, it’s two years later, and a lot has happened -- after giving the Sermon on the Mount to the crowd, Jesus began His earthly ministry in earnest -- He traveled throughout Galilee and Judea -- healing and preaching and teaching that the Kingdom of Heaven was near -- showing the people through His actions and His words that He had come to bring healing to their spiritual lives -- to offer them forgiveness of their sins and reconciling them to the Father through Himself as the Son of Man

-- through it all, Jesus was trying to get them to understand the true calling of the Messiah -- trying to get them to understand the right answer to the question, “Who am I?” that He first asked in the Sermon on the Mount

 

            -- time has gotten short -- so, it’s critical for the people and His disciples to know the answer to this question at this point, because the events of this passage mark the start of His final journey to Jerusalem, which will end with His death and resurrection

-- for two years, Jesus has been teaching the people and showing them who He is -- now it’s time for the final exam, comprised of two questions: the first, “Who do the people say I am?”

 

            -- verse 28

 

Mark 8:28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

 

 

            -- after two years of teaching and preaching -- after two years of displaying His power and authority over creation and the spiritual world -- the people still didn’t have the right answer to this question

            -- “Who do the people say I am?” Jesus asked -- and His disciples responded by telling Him how the people saw Him:

-- some thought that He was John the Baptist -- after the death of John, a lot of the Jewish people -- including Herod, who had killed John the Baptist -- began to believe that Jesus was John raised from the dead and that’s how He had the power to heal and do miracles

            -- others thought He was Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets -- Elijah because of the scriptures that said Elijah would be sent before the coming of the great and terrible Day of the Lord -- those who believed Jesus was Elijah would have looked at Him as the forerunner or herald to the Messiah, but not the Messiah Himself -- the appearance of Elijah would have meant the end of days was at hand

            -- some assumed Jeremiah, as Matthew records in his account of this event, because according to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah would return bearing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem when the Messianic Kingdom was established -- there is no scriptural basis for this -- this was just a common belief -- also, the people might have assumed Jesus was Jeremiah because they saw Him only as another prophet, and Jeremiah was the first prophet in their Scriptures

 

            -- what is amazing is that none of the crowd -- none of those who had listened to Jesus’ preaching and teaching -- none of those who had heard Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount -- who had seen the miracles -- who had followed Him throughout Galilee and Judea -- knew who Jesus truly was -- they all missed it

            -- and a lot of us miss it today, too -- as Max Lucado points out, a lot of us have wrong understandings of who Jesus is even today

            -- Lucado wrote that “for some, Jesus is a good luck charm. The "Rabbit's Foot Redeemer." Pocket-sized. Handy. Easily packaged. Easily understood. Easily diagrammed. You can put his picture on your wall or you can stick it in your wallet as insurance. You can frame him. Dangle him from your rear view mirror or glue him to your dashboard.

-- “His specialty? Getting you out of a jam. -- Need a parking place? Rub the redeemer. -- Need help on a quiz? Pull out the rabbit's foot. -- No need to have a relationship with him. No need to love him. Just keep him in your pocket next to your four-leaf clover.

-- “For many he's an "Aladdin's Lamp Redeemer." New jobs. Pink Cadillacs. New and improved spouses. Your wish is his command. And what's more, he conveniently reenters the lamp when you don't want him around.

-- “For others, Jesus is a "Monty Hall Redeemer." "All right, Jesus, let's make a deal. For 52 Sundays a year, I'll put on a costume -- coat and tie, hat and hose -- and I'll endure any sermon you throw at me. In exchange, you give me the grace behind pearly gate number three."

-- “The Rabbit's Foot Redeemer -- The Aladdin's Lamp Redeemer -- The Monty Hall Redeemer -- Few demands, no challenges -- No need for sacrifice -- No need for commitment --

Sightless and heartless redeemers -- Redeemers without power -- [But] that's not the Redeemer of the New Testament.” -- [that’s not who Jesus is]¹

 

            -- so many of us miss the answer to the question, “Who Am I?” that Jesus asks -- we see that in this verse

            -- even though Jesus had shown the people in Israel that He was the Messiah through the miracles and His teaching and preaching -- including His teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth and the Sermon on the Mount that we looked at a couple of weeks ago -- all the people missed it -- all the people missed who He was -- and got the answer to the question, “Who am I?” wrong

 

            -- so, Jesus turns to His disciples and asks them the second and most important question -- the same question that all of us will have to answer at some point in our lives -- that our eternity hinges upon

            -- verse 29

 

Mark 8:29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

 

 

            -- Jesus is not asking this question because He didn’t know the answer -- He knew the heart of everyone standing there that day -- He knew who among His disciples were true believers and which one was going to betray Him to the Jewish authorities

-- Jesus wasn’t asking this question to find out what the disciples knew or didn’t know -- He was asking this question to lead the disciples further in their faith and understanding of who He was

-- He was asking this question so that the disciples would take a moment to truly consider what they believed about Him and to reveal the depth of their faith and trust in Him

-- this is a question that all of us need to be asked, too

-- I’ve shared with you before some of my journey to faith -- how I joined the church and was baptized when I was about 12 years old and how it wasn’t real -- I did it because everyone else was doing it -- I did it because it was expected of people my age in our church

-- no one ever asked me who I thought Jesus was before I got baptized and joined the church -- it was years later when a coworker asked me that question, “Who is Jesus to you?”, that led me to seriously consider the answer to who Jesus was and what my relationship to Him truly was

-- if you haven’t already done so, you need to take a moment and think about that question that Jesus is asking here -- “Who do you say I am?” -- not who the church says He is -- not who society says He is -- not who your parents or your preacher say He is -- who do you say Jesus is and do you know Him as your Lord and Savior? -- that is the question Jesus is asking the disciples here in verse 29

-- “I know who the people say I am -- but what do you say? -- Who do you say I am?”

 

            -- Peter seems to always be ahead of the others in everything -- he was impetuous -- he tended to react to situations rather than to respond -- he moved when the others hesitated -- he spoke when the others considered what to say

            -- from the very beginning of his experience with Christ, Peter was the first to follow -- the first to head out -- and now he’s the first to confess his faith -- “You are the Christ”

-- Matthew’s account has Peter saying, “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” -- emphatically proclaiming that Jesus was God

            -- we should note here that this is the first time that anyone confessed that Jesus was the Christ in the Synoptic gospels -- this is the first time that someone has answered the question correctly

            -- in Matthew, we read that Jesus affirmed Peter’s declaration of Him as the Christ -- noting that this truth had not come to him through flesh and blood -- through human knowledge and reasoning -- but through the revelation of the Father through the Holy Spirit

            -- “Who do you say I am?” -- Peter responded by saying, “You are the Christ” -- what is your answer to this question? -- who is Jesus to you?

 

            -- vs. 30

 

Mark 8:30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

 

 

-- now that Peter had expressed the greatest truth of all in answering Jesus’ question -- now that Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God -- it seems curious that Jesus would immediately tell them to not tell anyone about Him

-- wasn’t that the reason He had come? -- shouldn’t that be the overwhelming mission of the disciples?

-- there is a good reason for this, and it goes back to what we have been saying about how the people viewed Him -- the fact that none of them knew who or what the Messiah was and none of them realized that Jesus was the Messiah

-- the reason why Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about Him was because of the common misconceptions about who the Messiah was

 

            -- the people were still thinking of the Messiah as a political leader -- a revolutionary -- someone who would remove the Romans and restore Israel to prominence -- setting up the throne of David in Jerusalem once again

-- and even though Peter had gotten the answer to Jesus’ question right, the fact of the matter is that even the disciples didn’t fully understand what Jesus was going to do as the Christ

            -- so, if the disciples began proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, the people would have understood their proclamation in the way most people believed -- they would have heard what they expected to hear -- they would have expected Jesus to go out and do what they thought a Messiah should do

-- Hiebert explains that for the disciples "to go out and broadcast the fact that [Jesus] was the Messiah would simply raise false hopes among the people who were expecting an earthly Messiah who would fulfill their political hopes²

-- if the disciples had done this, it would have resulted in a revolutionary movement -- the people would have tried to have Jesus declared King through political and military force -- we see that in John 6:15, where it says the people were about to come and take Jesus by force to make Him king

            -- but this is not the type of Messiah that Jesus came to be -- in His teachings and His actions, Jesus combined the roles of Messiah, King, and Prophet with that of the Son of Man and the Suffering Servant -- Jesus showed that the Messiah was more than the people envisioned -- that the Messiah was both the Son of Man and the Son of God -- that His kingdom was not of this world -- and that His role was to reconcile the world to the Father through His own death on the cross

            -- contrary to popular opinion, Jesus came as the Messiah to die in our place rather than to rule in Jerusalem on a human throne

            -- Furthermore, the disciples themselves were not yet qualified to proclaim the whole truth concerning Him as Messiah² -- they were beginning to understand -- they got the answer to Jesus’ question right -- but their faith was not completely mature at this point

-- so, for these reasons, Jesus warns His disciples to not teach and proclaim Him as Messiah until after His death, when the truth of who He was and why He came would be revealed and evident to all

 

            -- verse 31

 

Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

 

            -- up to this point, the question that everyone asked of Jesus was “Who is He?” -- and that is the question that Jesus had tried to answer in His sermons and through His preaching and miracles -- His words and His works were used to reveal His messiahship -- that was the focus of His earthly ministry up to this point

-- but beginning from this point forward -- after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah, as the Son of the Living God -- Jesus’ message begins to shift and He begins a period of intense discipleship with the disciples, teaching them that His death and resurrection would prove His claims of Messiahship

            -- the question about Jesus changes from, “Who is He?” to “What kind of Messiah is He, and what does it mean to follow Him?”³

 

            -- we see that in the gospels, as their theme and focus shift beginning with the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Christ -- where before, the focus of Jesus’ ministry was on preaching, teaching, and healing -- actions which affirmed the authority, power, and deity of Jesus -- now the focus and attention changes to the events leading to Jesus’ departure from earth -- His journey to Jerusalem, persecution, crucifixion, and finally, the resurrection

            -- it was only after Peter’s confession that Jesus shares with His disciples about His upcoming arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection for the first time -- they weren’t ready before

-- they had followed Jesus, first as a teacher -- then as a prophet -- but now, their faith and belief in Him had grown to the point where they realized He was more than a good man -- more than just a teacher -- even more than a prophet -- He was the Christ -- the Messiah -- the Son of God -- God in the flesh

            -- and it took that knowledge and their growing faith to prepare them for what was to come -- for if they had gone on believing that Jesus was just a man -- even a prophet -- then His death would have shattered them

-- but because they now believed in faith that Jesus was the Son of God, then they would be sustained through His death until the resurrection, at which point their faith became sight

 

            -- I want you to understand just how difficult this would have been for the disciples -- how this was a hard thing for the disciples to accept -- to wrap their heads around

-- remember who these men were -- these were Jewish men, steeped in the religion and traditions of Judaism -- their whole lives they had been taught the commandment, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God -- the Lord our God is one”

            -- and now Jesus is calling them to understand that command in a drastically different way by accepting Him as more than the human messiah they had been waiting for, but as the divine Messiah -- as the Son of God -- as the Holy One sent by the Father to save the world from its sins

            -- it’s a lot easier for us to believe that than it would have been for the disciples, given their religious training and cultural understanding -- this would have required them to rethink everything they had been taught and had believed before Jesus came

-- so, the story of Jesus that we have been following has been one of progressive revelation to the Israelites, as He has shown them His power and authority through the miracles and His teaching until they reach this point, where their faith begins to mature and they glimpse the full truth of the good news of Jesus

 

            -- verse 32

 

Mark 8:32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

 

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

            -- as we see here in Peter’s response to Jesus, the disciples still don’t fully understand who Jesus is at this point -- they’re getting there, but there will still be missteps along the way -- there will still be times when they doubt and don’t understand -- there still will be times when they think with their head and not their heart -- when they use human knowledge and wisdom instead of spiritual knowledge and faith

-- even after declaring Jesus as the Christ, it’s obvious that Peter still doesn’t fully understand who Jesus is as the Messiah -- his proclamation of Jesus as the Christ is still tainted by the common understanding of the Messiah as a human king

-- the Jewish people never would have associated suffering and death with their conception of a Messiah -- so, when Jesus tells them that He is going to suffer and die and rise from the dead, Peter can’t accept it -- it goes against what he has been taught his whole life -- he rebukes Jesus for saying this -- essentially saying, “This can’t happen -- you are the Messiah -- we’ll keep it from happening”

-- so Jesus rebukes Peter because he has taken a step back -- after confessing Jesus as the Messiah -- as God in the flesh -- Peter turns back to his heritage -- to his Jewish religion and tradition -- to human knowledge -- rather than leaning upon the spiritual revelation he had received about Jesus

 

-- but take this as a start -- as a new beginning -- this passage marks a critical moment in the life of the disciples as their faith begins to truly grow and the promise of what they will become in Christ is glimpsed -- we’ll see more of that next week when we look at the Transfiguration of Christ

-- understand that the faith of the disciples is still a work in progress -- that’s why it says in verse 31 that Jesus “began to teach them” -- this is the starting point -- this is the foundation on which the church of Christ was to be built

-- in Matthew’s account of this confession of Christ by Peter, we hear Jesus saying to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter -- petro -- the rock -- and upon this petra -- foundation of rock -- referring to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah -- upon this rock, I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

-- this is the beginning of faith -- this is the foundation of the faith of the disciples and of the church -- it is the realization and the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ -- as the Messiah -- as the Son of Man and the Son of God -- as God in the flesh

-- at this point, Jesus began to teach them what the Scriptures meant when they proclaimed Him as the Messiah -- what type of Messiah He would be -- and why He had to be persecuted and crucified and be resurrected

-- He begins to answer the questions for them “Who am I and why did I come as your Messiah?”

-- this will be the emphasis of His ministry from now until His death in Jerusalem

 

III. CLOSING

-- let’s bring this to a close

-- as this passage shows, our lives are filled with questions.

-- as Alan Carr points out, “Some of the questions we are faced with are very mundane and routine. For instance, “What shall I wear today?” -- “Where do you want to eat dinner?” -- and “What do you want to watch on television?” -- are not questions that have long term importance in our lives.

-- “Some of life’s questions are just plain unanswerable. For instance, “Why do women open their mouths when they put on eye makeup?” -- “Why do men refuse to stop and ask for directions?” -- “If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?” -- and “What was the best thing before sliced bread?” -- are questions that really do not matter in the least.

-- “But some of life’s questions are terribly important -- [questions like] “Will you marry me?” -- “What shall we name the baby” -- and “Doctor, what is my prognosis?” -- [these] are all questions that have lifelong implications.

 

       -- “In this passage, Jesus asks two questions that are eternal in nature. The first question has to do with what others say about Jesus -- [Who do the people say I am?] -- Their opinions of Him reveal the condition of their hearts. Their answer to His first question demonstrates whether they are saved or not.

        -- “The second [question] has to do with your personal opinion of Who Jesus is -- [Who do you say I am?] -- Your answer to this question will determine where you spend eternity”⁴ 

 

            -- we’re going to close in prayer now, and as we do so, I want you to take a moment and search your heart for the answer to the question that Jesus asked in this passage -- Who do you say I am?

            -- don’t leave here until you answer that question -- don’t leave here with doubts about your relationship with Jesus -- but come to Him -- believe in Him -- trust in Him -- ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart as your Lord and Savior -- put your faith and trust in Him so you can answer that question as Peter did

            -- Who do you say I am? -- You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God -- My Lord -- My Savior -- and My Redeemer

            -- let us pray

1 Source: Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday (W. Publishing, 2004), pp. 89-90

2 Hiebert, “Gospel of Mark -- An Expositional Commentary

3 Grassmick, Bible Knowledge Commentary

4 [Alan Carr, “Is That Your Final Answer?”, ://www.sermonnotebook.org/mark/Mark%2039%20-%20Mark%208_27-30.htm]