Sermon Tone Analysis

Mark 8:27-9:1

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Introduction

On February 17 there was a special day marked on my Rosenort Credit Union calendar called Ash Wednesday.

I suspect that for most of us that day passed by without us even noticing it.

For other people in the world, it is a significant day because it marks the beginning of a season of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter.

It is called Lent and extends for 40 days, not including Sundays and concludes on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter.

Many people mark this season with some type of fasting – either from meat or something else.

We have traditionally not marked it at all.

This year, I would like to mark it not with fasting, but with focus.

Beginning today and over the next 4 Sundays, whenever I am preaching, I plan to preach on some aspect of the story of the death of Christ.

Today we will begin with Mark 8:27-9:1 and then go to Mark 14 and continue through the entire Passion story until we conclude on Easter Sunday with Mark 16.

After Easter I plan to return to the rest of Mark and complete the series on this gospel.

So, this morning, please turn to Mark 8:27-9:1.

I discovered an interesting thing in Mark the other day.

The word “boat” appears 17 times in Mark 1-8 and then never again in the entire book.

The reason for this is that the ministry of Jesus took place around the Sea of Galilee in the early chapters of the book.

In Mark 8:27 we read that, Jesus was in Caesarea Philippi, which is in the northern part of Israel, at the head waters of the Jordan River, near Mount Hermon.

From there he took a journey, making one more brief stop in Capernaum in Mark 9:33; going down into Judea, the southern part of Israel in Mark 10:1, and then on to Jerusalem in Mark 10:32.

The rest of his ministry from that point on takes place in the area around Jerusalem.

Mark does this very deliberately because the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem is not only a journey across physical geography; it is a journey to the cross.

That journey begins in the section we are looking at today.

Until Easter, we will join Jesus in this journey to the cross in order to prepare our hearts to understand the gift which was given to us at the cross and to prepare our hearts to truly rejoice in the message of the resurrection.

But we will also join Him in this journey because we are called to follow Him.

It is a journey to the cross, but for us it is also the journey of discipleship.

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I.                   The Way of the Christ

!! A.                 Who is Jesus?

Throughout Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, we have already noticed that His popularity increased greatly.

People came not only from the region around the lake, but also from the entire country, as we saw a few weeks ago.

As they observed Jesus teaching with authority, healing without hesitation, casting out demons with power the question on everyone’s mind was, “who is this?”

            Jesus asked this question of His disciples and they reported that the people had certainly recognized that there was something special about Jesus.

They identified him with some pretty significant people.

Some thought He was John the Baptist.

As we know from Mark 6, John who had had a significant ministry that impacted the entire country, had been beheaded by Herod.

Some people heard the preaching of Jesus and saw His power and wondered if perhaps John the Baptist had risen from the dead.

Others thought that perhaps He was Elijah.

As you may remember, Elijah was probably the greatest miracle worker in the Old Testament and he had not died, but had been taken to heaven in a chariot.

Still others identified him with one of the other prophets.

In all of these conjectures, they had recognized that Jesus was special, but they had not really understood.

They had identified him as a forerunner to the Messiah, but had not actually perceived that He was Messiah.

!! B.                 You are the Christ!

Then as Jesus asked the disciples the same question, they responded with the right answer.

Peter, quite clearly said, “You are the Christ.”

What are we to make of this identification?

Because we have understood the whole gospel, we have a lot of New Testament ideas about what this means, but what did the disciples understand?

“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word “Messiah.”

Both of these words mean “being anointed with oil.”

Being anointed meant being set apart for service and being recognized by God and others as called.

In Exodus 28:41 we read, "After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them.

Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests."

King Saul was also anointed to serve God as king.

Anointing implied a call from God and a special assignment from God.

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed the coming of a special person who would be called of God to redeem His people.

David heard God promise the coming of an eternal king in his family.

This promise was repeated in Jeremiah 23:5 which says, "“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

" With this background, the Jewish people were expecting an anointed one, a Messiah, a Christ to come and redeem them and reign eternally.

This concept is reflected in Daniel 7:13,14 where we read, "“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.

He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

Peter identified Jesus as this one – promised by God and anointed by God to reign forever.

How amazing!

And yet how puzzling when Jesus warned them to keep silent about this identity.

Why would he do that?

!! C.                 The Path of Suffering

After this warning to keep silent, Jesus went on to teach them what being Messiah would mean.

In Mark 8:31, Jesus announced to his disciples, for the first time, what was going to happen to Him.

He was going to suffer.

He was going to be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law.

He was going to be killed.

Then after three days he was going to rise again.

In Mark, there are three times when Jesus announced to His disciples that he was going to be killed.

This is the first time.

Then he made another prediction in Mark 9:31 and a third in Mark 10:33.

These announcements are all part of the path to Jerusalem, the path to the cross.

Peter’s reaction to this announcement was to “rebuke” Jesus.

This word for rebuke is a strong word.

It is the same word used by Jesus when he rebuked the demons as he was casting them out.

Peter rejoiced when he heard Jesus indicate that He was Messiah.

But we can also imagine his reaction when he heard Jesus talk about suffering and death.

Peter had a view of Messiah that was victorious.

Didn’t the promise to David indicate that this king would reign eternally?

Didn’t the promise to Daniel say that He was to have everlasting dominion?

How could he speak of suffering and death?

Peter could not wrap his head around that at all and so the only logical thing was to rebuke Jesus.

Peter’s understanding was the same understanding that most of the people had and they were not ready to hear about a path to victory through suffering and that was why Jesus told the disciples not to tell others his identity.

They would have misunderstood the meaning of being Messiah, which would have closed their ears to the message further.

And yet this path which Jesus announced was necessary.

The word for “must” is a significant technical term for divine necessity.

It was because God planned it and God predicted it that it was necessary for Jesus to follow this path.

In Isaiah 53, the path of the suffering Messiah was clearly laid out and Jesus accepted that path and was willing to follow it.

It was necessary.

Therefore when Peter rebuked Jesus, it represented a temptation for Jesus.

The path was not easy, but it was necessary and He had chosen it and anything that would derail him from it would be a temptation of Satan.

So when Jesus rebuked Peter, using the same word Peter had used, he was not personally attacking Peter, but rather, refusing the temptation which his words represented.

He explained that the path he was on was “the things of God” and the avoidance of that path was “the things of men.”

Jesus revealed that He was God’s sent one and explained that the path to victory which He was going to take was a path that led through obedience to God’s will and meant suffering and death.

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II.

The Way of the Disciple

In Mark 8:34, Jesus changed the direction of his comments to speak not only to the disciples, but also to the crowds.

After revealing to His disciples what it meant that He was Messiah, He spoke to all about what it means to follow Messiah.