Mark 8_22_38

Mark 8:22-28 “Seeing Clearly”

Intro: Hope and I went and got glasses a few weeks ago, I had no idea there were so many options and that glasses are now a fashion statement. Hope got some really cool retro glasses with shaded lens, they look really good! When she first put them on I told her they looked good, but trying to compliment her on her natural beauty I said “but you look better without your glasses on.” She laughed and said “you look better without my glasses on too.”

Seeing clearly is important…. To see clearly (vs. 25) in our text means to see plainly. Last week we spoke about how the disciples were slow to understand and that before we judge them we needed to look at ourselves first because we too are slow to understand. To be able to see clearly the things Jesus wants us to see is to understand clearly what Jesus wants us to know.

This text begins in Bethsaida as Jesus heals a blind man in stages, I believe that Jesus was acting out a parable in order to teach His disciples that it was time for them to understand plainly who He is, His purpose on earth, and our purpose in Him.

Acting out parables is not an oddity in the Scriptures, God once told Isaiah to put on sackcloth to show Israel that God mourned over them, and in Is. 20:2-6 God tells Isaiah to remove the sackcloth and he spent 3 years living naked illustrating to those who trusted in Egypt and Cush to deliver them how they would go into exile… without shoes on their feet or clothes on their back.

In our text Jesus is nearly 6 months away from His crucifixion, He is becoming more purposeful in His teaching to the disciples. He and the disciples move north again, into the villages that surround Caesarea Philippi, roughly 25 miles from Bethsaida. Caesarea Philippi is a strategic location for Jesus’ lesson which will become more clearly next week. [This town was named after Augustus Caesar and Herod Phillip; it had a marble temple dedicated to Augustus, Caesarea Philippi was a place dedicated to the glory of Rome. Next week we will see Jesus’ glory manifested on a nearby mountain top. The glory of Rome is long gone but the glory of Jesus remains and will go on eternally.] this section is to be remembered for next week

It will not be long until they experience life without His physical presence with them.

CPS: Today we need to take a look at this text and pray that the LORD will open our eyes that we can see plainly and understand properly Jesus’ identity, Jesus’ purpose, and our purpose in Him.

We must understand plainly Jesus Identity 27-30

As Jesus and the disciples have began to move north again into the villages around Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the disciples a series of questions. These questions will move them to a deeper and clearer understanding of His identity

Popular Opinion

The first question is found in verse 27, “who do people say I am. This question is a preparatory question, which cause the disciples to think.

The disciples give Jesus what popular opinion has to say about His identity. There is a list that follows starting with John the Baptist who was came in the spirit of Elijah preaching a preparatory message, “repent and be baptized.” It is somewhat odd that people though Jesus was John because the two had been seen together. John plainly told others that He was not the Messiah while pointing to Jesus and declaring “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

Next is Elijah who did not experience death, thus the Jews believed that Elijah would return before Messiah, Jesus tells the crowd of Matt. 11:14 that John the Baptist is the promised Elijah that was to come, thus Jesus is not Elijah. Finally, they state one of the other prophets. The people knew Jesus was sent from God but they thought He was just another prophet returned from the dead. This list is recorded in the same order of Mark 6:14-15. Notice the people believed that Jesus was a reincarnation of one of the prophets.

Today’s popular opinion has lessened. According to a recent Barna poll 98% of none millennials believe that Jesus was a real person compared to 87% of millennials. In Jesus day He was just another prophet, in our day He is just another person who has made cameos in movies and shows from The Da Vicni code to South Park.

There are some people today who view Jesus as God but the number is decreasing, today among Millennials only 48% believe that He is God in contrasts to 62% of elders. 35% of people view Jesus as a spiritual or religious leader like Buddha or Mohamed and 17% aren’t sure what Jesus is.

Peter’s Confession

The crucial question comes in verse 29, “But who do you say I am.” Peter acting as the spokesperson proclaims you are the Christ! Christ is the Greek noun Christos it means anointed one. It is the Greek translation for the Messiah. Peter’s confession is bold and uncompromising just as our should be. His profession that Jesus is the promised messiah who was to come into the world, in antiquity; prophets, priests, and kings were all anointed when installed in their offices, Jesus holds all three!

Notice that popular opinion stated Jesus was a prophet reincarnated but Peter’s profession is that Jesus is Preincarnate! The one who has always been and will always be! It’s a profession like Peter’s that brings about salvation… this was not his time of salvation, Peter was saved before this time. In John 6:66-69, after a multitude of followers turned away from following Jesus because He claimed to be the bread of life and figuratively said to the followers they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, when asked if they (the 12) wanted to go away also, Peter Professed “Lord, to who shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

These disciples understood Jesus identity, He is the Christ! Why is it important for us to know His identity?

ILL: In the Army when we found ourselves on Guard detail and someone approached our lines, we say “Halt who goes their?” The person would state their name. We would say “Move forward to be identified.” Listen to me, how can you trust, who you don’t know?

Application: Peter’s confession was bold and uncompromising as should ours be! Peter’s understanding was perfected yet but it would be after Jesus arose from the dead and came to Him. Filled with the Holy Spirit of God Peter was a spokes person for the glorious Lord Jesus. We have an advantage that Peter didn’t have at this point in time, he was looking forward but we are looking back and can read the testimony of Christ and ALL that He did, and I’m here to tell you today that Jesus is Christ, God’s salvation sent into this world. Though He was with God and is God in stepped into time to rectify our sinfulness, He is the Lord God almighty Who chose us in Him before the foundation of the world and you must plainly understand this, believe this, and receive this lest you perish into eternal judgment. JESUS IS THE ONE AND ONLY CHRIST!

We must understand Jesus’ purpose 31-33

Peter’s profession is spot on, He is Christ. The Messiah God sent into the world but he didn’t plainly understand the type of Messiah Jesus was. Peter and the disciples had a preconceived notion as to what the Messiah would be like, they thought He would be the victorious King of Israel freeing Israel from Roman rule but Jesus begins to instruct them further so that they would know that He came as the suffering servant so that He could be victorious over sin, death, and the grave. (Jesus did come as conquering King, its what He came to conquer differed from what the Jews were expecting… They expected victory over Rome He conquered something greater, victory over death, sin, Satan, and the grave.)

Jesus’ Suffering

Mark records Jesus’ words as “The Son of man must suffer many things. The title Son of Man is used 14 times in Mark; this is Marks Favorite title for Jesus. Suffer is the Greek verb paschō, it means to undergo an experience. Jesus experienced all the things man experienced, you can literally say that we serve a God who has walked in our shoes. But perhaps’ this statement is meant to draw the disciples the Messianic Prophecy of Is. 53(Read Complete Chapter). With this text I have often wondered why the Jews have a hard time believing that Jesus is the Messiah, it is recorded in the Scriptures in full detail.

For the first time Jesus plainly reveals His purpose and the timing is spot on because His passion will take place in a few short months. He will be rejected by the elders, chief priest, and scribes. Rejected is the Greek verb apodokimazō it means to be rejected as not genuine. The list speaks of the Sanhedrin the Jewish High council; they were the Supreme Court for religious purposes. It was the Sanhedrin that sought Pontius Pilate to condemn Jesus to death on a old rugged cross, which was carried out just as the Scriptures implied; like a lamb He was lead to the slaughter (Is. 53:7). Jesus came to die for the sins of the world including mine, Lord please forgive me!

The Bible teaches, In order for salvation to take place, atonement must be made and there is no atonement without the shedding of blood. On Calvary’s cross Jesus shed His own blood for my soul, He died the death that was reserved for me and for you.

ILL: I had a dream once, there stood Jesus upon Mt. Calvary, His cross laid as His feet. A masked man stood behind Him and kicked Jesus’ kness out from under Him. He fell to the ground, the Lord of Glory. He was stretched out upon that cross as the masked man drove a spike through each wrist and foot. With each blow of the mallet which was firmly gripped in His head preassure blood flowed upon that cross making its way unto the ground. With each blood spattered upon the hands, the tunic, and the mask of that man. Jesus’s crossed was raised and set into the ground, He stood upright suspended between heaven and earth. For 6 hours the masked man watched Jesus has He forgave those who slayed Him, as He promised one beside Him paradise, as He cried out to His Father “Why have you forsaken me.” As Jesus slumped over in death and a spear was thrust into His side, water and blood sprayed the masked figure who then fell down to the ground sobbing. The man torn off his masked and in horror I saw that the man who killed Jesus was none other than me. It was my sin that drove those spikes into the heavenly hands and feet of Jesus yet Jesus dies for me!

Jesus foretold His death, but then He foretold His vindication, His resurrection from the grave, behold the sign of Jonah which Jesus promised. Though dead and laid in the tomb on the third day He busted the death, Hades, and the grave wide open… resurrected to life in all the glory and splendor of God victorious over sin, Satan, and death.

It had to be this way. Jesus’ purpose is God’s plan A and there is no plan B. The Son of God came for the purpose to give His life a ransom to purchase man from the slave markets of sin and the perfect, beloved, only begotten Son of God was the only one who accomplish this feat. The Son of Man a Messianic title, alluding to His Humanity and His divinity, you see not just any blood will do for eternal atonement, only the blood of Jesus. Only God is good enough to die for the sins of the world but only a man could die for the sins of the world.

Jesus purpose was to die and rise again.

Peters Misunderstanding

Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but this typr of suffering Messiah wasn’t what Peter and the disciples were hoping for. Peter looking towards the cross had a hard time picturing His Lord being killed and the Kingdom of Israel not being delivered. Peter’s mind was not set on the heavenly foreordained wisdom of God. He said “let thie never be so Lord” rebuking Jesus. Then Peter receives a rebuke much stronger than any rebuke the Pharisees had received. As in the wilderness the temptation comes for Jesus to bypass the cross head and Jesus repeats His the words of Matthew 4:10 ,“Get behind me Satan.”

Peter and the disciples could tie all the dots together; they could understand how the Messiah could die.

ILL: There is an old story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, “Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong. You’re supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark.” Aaron didn’t say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, “I didn’t come up here to read.”

Jesus had not come to earth to reign victorious over a government He came to reign victorious over something far greater and by far needed much more, He came to give victory over sin, death, and the grave for all who will believe, by dying and being raised again to life.

We must understand the purpose of Jesus because our eternal state hinges upon accepting this truth.

We must understand our purpose in Jesus34-38

I’d like to ask a question of each of you today. By a show of hands, who here knows beyond a shadow of a doubt his/hers salvation? If you died today do you know with certainty you would be received into heaven. Now, who here knows beyond a shadow of a doubt his/her purpose for this life? This text tells us that purpose.

Deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after me. If there was a cross in Jesus’ future then there was a cross for Peter and all of Jesus’ followers. You see Salvation is free but following Jesus is costly. There is a price for discipleship. In Jesus’ day the picture of a cross was one of certain death, as you read in the Gospels Jesus carried His cross from the city to Calvary as throngs of people watched, to take up your cross and follow after Him means a trip to Calvary.

ILL: I recall a story told by R.G. Lee while on his first trip to the holy land, as the tour guide led them to Calvary’s hill he began to tell them that this is the site where Jesus was crucified. The guide asked the question, has anyone been here before? Dr. R.G. Lee, with tears rolling down his face raised His hand. The tour guide asked, “Sir you’ve been here before, may I ask when?” Dr. Lee said “Yes, you see 2,000 years ago when Jesus died for me, I died with Him.

Have you been to Calvary? I hope so! But the question is have you been to Calvary daily. This text tells us our purpose as blood bought born again believers is. 1. We must surrender ourselves to Jesus completely. 2. We must identify with Him in suffering and death. 3. We must follow Him obediently wherever He leads. Our purpose put simply is, since Jesus died for us we must live for Him!

Jesus say’s if we live for ourselves we will lose ourselves but He we lose ourselves for Jesus’ sake and His Gospel then we will truly find ourselves. Friends what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose His soul.

Here is your purpose in Christ, live for Him

ILL: James Dobson tells the story of when his daughter, Diane, was a teenager, she came home one day and said, “Hey, Dad! There’s a great new game out. I think you’ll like it. It’s called Monopoly.” He just smiled.

They gathered the family together and set up the board. It didn’t take the kids long to figure out that their Dad had played the game before. Soon He owned all the best properties, including Boardwalk and Park Place. He even had Baltic and Mediterranean. His kids were squirming, and he was loving every minute of it.

About midnight he foreclosed on the last property and did a little victory dance. His family wasn’t impressed. They went to bed and made him put the game away. As he began putting all of the money back in the box, a very empty feeling came over me. Everything that he had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And then it occurred to him, Hey, this isn’t just the game of Monopoly that has caught my attention; this is the game of life. You sweat and strain to get ahead, but then one day, after a little chest pain or a wrong change of lanes on the freeway, the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world just as naked as the day you came into it.

What is your purpose in life? Jesus says its not the gains and the sorted profits of this world but constant surrendering to His will.

Conclusion: Today I pray that we can see clearly Jesus’ identity, His purpose that we may trust whole heartily in him, and recognize our purpose in Him is to surrender our life to Him.