The Must and the Matter of the Christ Mark 8:27-9:1

Not remembering who you are or whose you are can easily lead to things you see as good being turned for evil. In the episode “D.O.A.: MacGyver” of the ’80s action show MacGyver (season 2, episode 21, directed by Cliff Bole, written by Jaison Starkes, aired April 27, 1987), the titular character develops amnesia after falling through a window. The bad guys convince him that they aren’t terrorists; his boss is a terrorist, and MacGyver needs to stop him. MacGyver even pulls a gun on his boss—even though MacGyver famously hates guns.

-Jesus reveals His identity and purpose so that we can follow Him into the Kingdom

I. Who Jesus Is vv. 27-30

Jesus asks a question, a critical one, about His own identity

He asks it collectively and the answers for the people are pretty good

They see Him as a prophet, like John the Baptist or Elijah

This is high praise for Jesus, but it still falls short of the mark

He asks the question individually, and Peter answers correctly:

Jesus is the Christ

He is God’s anointed servant, chosen for a task

Christ will deliver God’s people out of slavery and into freedom under Him

While this looks much different than the people anticipated, it is exactly the plan of God for Jesus

Interestingly, the King and Kingdom are here, but the time is not now

Jesus silences them in this moment

Jesus is who He says He is, but it is not time for full understanding; if they tried to make Him their king, He would not have been able to become their sacrifice

There is going to be a shocking gap between who Jesus is and what Jesus does in the understanding of even His most faithful disciples.

When you eat a meal, you might like to have condiments with it. Ketchup, pickles, mustard, and the sauces and spices that are added. Our modern view of self and identity can see Jesus as the add-on to who we are. We can do as we wish and act how we will, and Jesus just tags along. However, when we place our faith in Christ, Jesus redefines us—we are subject to what he says and who he says we are, not the other way around. The idols of our individual identity and autonomy don’t mix well with our new identity in Christ.

II. What Jesus Does vv. 31-33

Second, we are faced with a question: What will Jesus be doing, since He is the Christ

His answer is completely shocking to all of us!

He will:

Suffer many things

Be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes

Be killed

Rise from the dead

All of those feel disconnected from who the disciples believe Jesus to be

Peter does not understand in the least:

He attempts to rebuke Jesus, as though Jesus is the one who misunderstands

He receives a rebuke:

He is identified with Satan, because such thinking is out of line with God’s intent for His Christ

He has a human perspective, not a heavenly one

As people, we cannot see a good purpose for suffering

Yet, when God arrives on the scene Himself, suffering is a necessary component of God’s saving plan

Acts 9:15–16

[15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (ESV)

2 Corinthians 11:23–28

[23] Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. [24] Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; [26] on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; [27] in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (ESV)

III. Why It Matters vv. 34-1

This all matters, because Jesus sets a pattern that we will follow if we follow Him; His way is the way of suffering for the sake of glory

His is a pattern of self-denial, taking up a cross to follow Jesus

It is a pattern of temporary loss for the sake of eternal gain

It is a pattern of commitment to the Father, faithful obedience and loyalty to God

This all matters because the powerful kingdom of God is going to burst onto the scene shortly and the time for decision and commitment is now!

“God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”

― C.S. Lewis