Slammed Doors and Broken Noses
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever gotten up the guts to share with someone about Jesus and the door has been shut firmly in your face?
Preacher school has lots of odd assignments. One of them was for evanglism class. We were to share the Gospel with 5 people over the course of the week. Well, I didn’t get around much. So, one evening, I walked to Aldi and started a conversation with someone.
This wasn’t one of my finest moments.
We chatted and I asked him what he thought about Jesus. He responded that he didn’t like Jesus much after his whole family died. And then he looked at me, with the look: what are you going to do about this? I was speechless and he chuckled with his friend or boyfriend, wasn’t sure, and walked off.
When I was a senior in high school, I spend a month in Brazil on a mission trip. I got to chat with a drug dealer on the street, shared the Gospel and asked him if he would like to accept Jesus. He said that he couldn’t and walked away really sad.
There are certain experiences that remain vivid on one’s mind. And you think back on them.
I’m sure that you have some experiences like that.
We are called to imitate Christ. To live his life. To proclaim his message. The result will be the same result that he experienced.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Today, we are going to talk about some of that trouble, as people respond to Jesus with a messed up understanding of who he is.
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”
And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
Through this passage, we will see that in our imitation of Christ, some will take offense, some will push us aside, some will try to silence us, but we should keep speaking.
Before we dive in, will you pray with me?
1. Some Will Take Offense
1. Some Will Take Offense
In our imitation of Christ, some will take offense.
Our text begins with Jesus’ return to his hometown. After Jesus finishes his parables, he actually goes across the lake and casts out the demons from the men in the tombs, as well as some other miracles, as Matthew relates in chapter 8. All of which are captured in this one verse:
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.
Then, he comes to Nazareth. You can imagine the hubbub. They heard about his miracles, some of his teaching has filtered through to them. They all gather in the synagogue to hear the son of their town, the famous one, speak. And they were amazed.
Not because they thought that he was so great. But because they thought that he was a fraud.
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”
Many of us have experienced this. You accepted Christ and tried to share the Gospel with family members or with high school friends and teachers. They remembered what you were like, they changed your diaper, they bailed you out of jail. They know all of your garbage, and therefore they don’t want to listen to anything you say.
Not just not listen, but they take offense at what you say, because it is different that what you used to be, and therefore, you must be a hypocrite or something.
Not only will they take offense because they know you, but they take offense because of the message.
Paul writes 1 Corinthians 1 18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
That offense hurts. That offense makes us want to stop the imitation and the ministry.
2. Some Will Push Us Aside
2. Some Will Push Us Aside
Some take offense. Some will push us aside.
Herod hears about Jesus’ miracles and about his teaching and thinks that John’s spirit has been temporarily housed in Jesus’ body. This shows how similar Jesus and John’s teaching was. John literally paved the way for Jesus by prepping people with the exact ministry that Jesus was going to perform. And John paved the way by showing the end result of Jesus’ ministry.
That’s for a little later though.
Herod is confronted by truth, when John tells him that he is sinning against God. Instead of repenting, Herod throws John in prison.
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Herod wanted to kill John, but he was too scared of the crowd. So, he pushes him aside. Tries to pretend like John doesn’t matter. Tries to remove John from being able to influence people, because Herod didn’t like what John was saying.
When we speak the truth, people will not like what they hear and sometimes they will try to push us aside.
I think about Paul. People did not like what he spoke about. They did not like what he wrote.
By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.
Certain members of the Corinthian church tried to push Paul aside by saying he wasn’t a true apostle. The sufferings he went through proved that he wasn’t a true apostle and therefore shouldn’t be listened to.
I’m sure others heard about Paul’s past. The people he caused to be killed, they would probably say that he shouldn’t be listened to. Life would be easier, if we didn’t have to listen to Paul, so let’s not do it.
When the Todd Becker Foundation came to town and did the event in the gym, several pastors in the area commented on the news’ facebook article how the Foundation shouldn’t have come. No one should take what they say to heart, because they taught from the Bible and the Bible can’t be trusted.
Pushing it aside. Discrediting it. Trying to make sure no one listens.
If we follow Jesus, if we proclaim his message, sometimes we will be pushed aside.
3. Some Will Try to Silence Us
3. Some Will Try to Silence Us
In our imitation of Jesus, some will try to silence us.
Herod wanted to kill John, but he didn’t do it. Herodias got Herod to kill him in a way that she knew he wouldn’t go back. Forcing her daughter to dance for him, he promised to give her anything she wanted.
Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
She was so frustrated, angry that John would call them to a higher standard, she didn’t stop until John was killed. Until he couldn’t speak again.
We know that this was the same response that Jesus had with the Pharisees.
But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
They didn’t like his teaching. They were convicted, but did not want to repent. So, they tried to silence him.
Herodias ultimately silenced John. The religious leaders ultimately silenced Jesus.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.
And in two days, they did it.
But, they didn’t silence him.
Jesus promised his disciples:
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
I have books in my office of Christians throughout the past 2000 years, stories of persecution, missionaries and ordinary people who were put to death because those around them didn’t want to hear the truth about Jesus.
And they were silenced.
But, really they weren’t.
Tertullian, who lived in the 2nd century, wrote: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Augustine wrote: “The martyrs were bound, imprisoned, scourged, racked, burnt, rent, butchered—and they multiplied.”
Why is this the case? Because truth cannot be silenced.
Jesus is the truth. There is too much evidence otherwise. People have tried to stomp it out, discredit it, silence it, but the message still goes throughout the world, in spite of the opposition.
In the imitation of Christ, some will take offense, some will push aside, some will try to silence.
4. We Must Keep Speaking
4. We Must Keep Speaking
But, we must keep speaking.
The message of the Gospel is too important to be kept quiet.
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
This is the pearl of great price. The priceless treasure that the world is yearning for.
Even though we walk in the steps of Jesus, taking up our cross, enduring the suffering, as he did, we keep going.
You say, but my family is going to hate me, or my friend is going to leave me.
Jesus responds:
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
You might be the prophet in your hometown and people take offense. Jesus still went to his hometown, even though he knew what their reaction might be.
You say, but I keep getting pushed aside. People are making horrible accusations about me, trying to discredit me. You are not alone. I’ve been there. Keep living and speaking truth.
Peter writes:
keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
And sometime, maybe, people will be gathered around you to silence you. May the words of Polycarp be on your lips as your last testimony.
As the crowd gathered around him to kill him because of his faithfulness to Jesus, he said boldly: “86 years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king and my savior?”
And then he died. People heard the truth, saw how he died, and followed Christ.
We are to imitate Christ. We are to proclaim truth and love well. May we do that this week, in spite of what happens, for the glory of God.
