Pentecost 16 year B 09 Sermon Mark 8:27-38
As a result of his miracles… word is spreading among the Jews… that Jesus might be a reincarnated Elijah or Jeremiah … or maybe John the Baptist… raised from the dead…and there’s growing speculation… he just might be… the long-promised Messiah…everyone knew… would take back Jerusalem from the Romans… by force.
Rome’s Jewish puppet king Herod Antipas… hears these rumours with growing concern Jesus is about to become a dangerous rival. And though Herod can’t believe
Jesus actually is the expected Messiah… his popularity could make Jesus bold enough to lead a rebellion.
Herod can no longer risk Jesus remaining at large and free… and seeks to eliminate him…just as he had Jesus’ cousin…
John the Baptist.
Warned by friendly Pharisees…
Waterfall slide
Jesus heads away to the north… into towns with largely pagan populations…Tyre and Sidon and the Decapolis…
and on with his disciples…into the lush green catchment…
of the headwaters of the Jordan River…into villages controlled by another Herod…named Philip…into Caesarea Philippi…
Caesarea slide
Herod Philip’s Caesarea was a centre of Greek culture…
and chock a block… with pagan temples…theatres and fine sculpture…where Herod colluded with Rome’s claim …
That its kings were gods…
Philips father…Herod the Great…built the white marble temple… you can see on the left … in fine political form he built it in front of a cave… sacred to the pagan population… and dedicated this temple to the worship of Caesar Augustus. It had no back wall but opened into the grotto… so the great cave became the inner sanctuary of the Temple. [pause]
Pan slide
Next door… was another cave-Temple…Herod Philip himself built…also mindful of his ratings in the polls…
this one Philip dedicated…
to the half man…half goat…god Pan. [pause]
And with these shrines to the gods Pan and Caesar as a backdrop … Jesus asks his disciples
Slide words
"Who do people say I am?"
Well up on the gossip… Jesus friends report …
John the Baptist…maybe Elijah…maybe one of the prophets.
That’s fascinating news… Jesus says
"But what about you guys…
Slide words
who do you say I am?"
Here they are in front of the Cave of Pan… which leads so deeply into depths of the earth…its widely assumed to be the entrance to the ghostly underworld…the home of Hades…the god of the lower regions…a region inhabited…
by the disembodied spirits …of the dead.
But Peter says – I don’t think you’re a recycled prophet…
I believe
Slide words
"You’re the Messiah." [pause……….]
Blank slide
For heaven sake! Jesus’ shouts…don’t go around telling people that! Mate You’re gonna get us in deep trouble. Mention the title Messiah… and its curtains…
Herod Antipas already thinks… I have my eye on the throne. [pause]
And that’s exactly what most Jews thought the Messiah would do…be God’s anointed king in the line of David… promised by the prophets…who’d overthrow the all occupying armies…restore the land and wealth to Israel …unite and rule her tribes…all heralding the Messianic Age of peace… at least for Israel’s people.
Now hang on a minute Peter…Jesus says…your image of me could be all wrong…you’ve got a lot to learn about what it actually means … to be God’s anointed one…[pause]
Remember at his baptism Jesus had come to understand his identity as the anointed one of God…but because of how the Jews foretold the promised Messiah…such a title could only land Jesus in deep trouble… with political and religious authorities … especially those colluding with Rome’s proclamation that Caesar is god… insisting Caesar’s will… be done on earth as in heaven.
If you’re going to stick with me…Jesus tells his followers…if you’re going to follow my teaching…
you need to know there’s gonna be a cost...
So here in front of what locals call the very gates of Hades…Jesus warns his friends…of the suffering… rejection and… yes….even death… he’s likely to experience…
even alluding to the Roman’s favourite method of execution … public torture on a cross.
Slide words
He said all this quite openly. [pause………..]
Peter is appalled…and tries to shuffle Jesus out of earshot of the others…and begins to tear a strip off him…
But before Peter can get a word out Jesus shouts get behind me you accuser… you Satan… and turns his back on him
Slide words
You’re setting your mind… not on divine things but on human things. You’re not looking at this from God’s point of view…you’re seeing it all from a human perspective!
If any want to become my followers,
Slide words
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life… will lose it… Yes…they can sell out to the powers and principalities… and yes maybe save their life…but if you follow me…
slide words
even if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it.
If you lose your life because of me and the good news I’m teaching… that will be life saving in the end. The powers and principalities don’t have any respect for your life…
why you could become the richest Jew
in the whole Roman world…and it still wouldn’t save you…
if they decided you were no longer useful.
Slide words
Indeed, what can the sell outs give in return for their life? They’ll have nothing to bargain with. And Jesus goes on…
Blank slide
…but I grant you this is an adulterous and sinful generation ….and those who are ashamed of me and of my message …well I’m gonna be ashamed of them when my purpose is fulfilled…and I come in my Father’s glory with the holy angels. [pause]
Jesus has a complex assignment… part of it… is to heal Israel’s image of God…and reconcile even the pagans to God …That’s a big ask…
As long as Israel sees God as their property …as long as they hold onto a vision of God… as a powerful punishing
judge when they sin…and a God who smites their enemies when they’re good…the cycle of war…revenge and retribution will never end…nations will always keep score …people will continue to commit acts of emotional and physical violence…in the name of God…
Peace and forgiveness would never stand a chance. [pause…]
And like Peter and other Jews of his time…if our image of God is out of whack…our logic about God will be flawed…
At my conference last weekend…one of the speakers told us how his image of God was shaped by watching his barrister father in courtrooms…As a child he actually pictured God as a judge with a great heavy gavel…dishing out punishment. Another woman used to picture God as an unapproachable king… sitting on a throne.
Some people have an image of God who will bring wealth and power to his chosen ones… while raining down destruction on their enemies. A God who’ll reward them…
if they rain destruction down… on their enemies.
I want you to talk to your neighbour for moment about the image of God you first formed…
Chat and Discussion
To follow Jesus we have to shake
every image we have of God…every image …that doesn’t line up with Jesus teaching about God and Jesus’ life…
Peter was appalled when Jesus claimed…
their longed-for Messiah… would be so vulnerable… in the face of hatred and violence…but he was…and instead of striking his persecutors down…Jesus prayed they be forgiven. [pause]
When we surrender our lives… to the God revealed by Jesus
…yes we might end up suffering for our beliefs…we might end up martyrs battling against injustice and prejudice…we might end up denying our own desire for revenge… and acting …
only out of sacrificial love for our enemies…
When we surrender our lives to the God whose image is revealed in Jesus…we might end up poor instead of prosperous …the world isn’t happy…
when its idols lose market share…
And when we surrender our lives… to Jesus’ revelation of God’s will on earth …God’s way of peace with justice… compassion and mercy…at least Jesus’ God…full of mercy and forgiveness… won’t be among the things we fear… [pause]
Being good Jews…Jesus friends have an image of God shaped by thousands of years of victory in war against weaker nations and a conquered people …subject to stronger nations
Their image of God was like this…
when we’re winning… God’s with us…when we’re losing… God’s against us… we must have done something wrong.
But that’s a totally illogical image for the God who anointed Jesus… to preach good news to the poor and proclaim liberation to the captives…That’s not a logical image for the God whose anointed one…would be pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities…whose saving message and suffering… could bring the world reconciliation … peace and healing at last. [pause]
Does your image of God lead you to expect mercy or condemnation? Does your image of God lead you to forgive …as you’ve been forgiven? Does your image of God’s love for you… strengthen you in the face of rejection… or when you cling to the gospel of peace? Does it strengthen you so you can stand up to any power of injustice oppression and hatred… wherever they are found…
knowing your popularity could take a nose dive?
Over the next week I want you to take a look at the image of God revealed by Jesus and see where your image of God needs to be healed? My prayer is that you’ll surrender all your images… for a vision of the God of Love…
revealed in Jesus Christ. …Andrew…
