Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.09UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.67LIKELY
Sadness
0.51LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.68LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.82LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.85LIKELY
Extraversion
0.22UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.85LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.72LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
This morning, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, we are picking back up in our study of the Gospel of Mark.
If you’re new to MCF, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking a book of the Bible and studying it from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it means in our lives today.
That being said, we are currently working our way through the Gospel of Mark.
A gospel written primarily to tell us who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what it means to follow him.
Today we are picking back up in Mark chapter 12 as we work our way through the final section of this Gospel, a section called “The Passion of the Christ”.
A section that highlights the final week of Jesus’s life leading up to his arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.
And as we’ve learned, it’s been an eventful week.
A week full of verbal battle between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day as the religious leaders work to discredit, disqualify, and hopefully bring an end to Jesus.
To date, we’ve looked at five of these verbal engagements, and today we will look at the 6th one as Jesus is now back on the offensive.
In other words, Jesus will instigate this next round as he poses a question.
A question that strikes at the heart of the Gospel message.
Now, you might be thinking, “Pastor, since it’s Easter, shouldn’t we skip ahead to the part where Jesus rises from the dead?
Shouldn’t that be our focus today?”
Now, you might be thinking, “Pastor, since it’s Easter, shouldn’t we skip ahead to the part where Jesus rises from the dead?”
Well, we could do that, but to be honest with you, the question that Jesus is about to pose has as much to do with the resurrection as the resurrection itself.
So, in order to set up Jesus’s question, and help give us some framework, I want to begin by asking you a question concerning Jesus.
The question is this:
Question - When it comes to Jesus, who is he to you?
In other words, what is your view of Jesus and what purpose does he serve in your life?
I think that’s a great question for us to consider on Easter Sunday.
Because the truth is, depending on how you were raised, what you’ve been exposed to, or even what somebody has told you about Jesus, you have a certain perspective of Jesus.
So as a result, it goes without saying, that in this room and even for those watching online, many of us may have differing views of Jesus.
Differing view of what he came to do.
Differing view of how we should view him.
And differing views of how we should relate with him.
Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about:
For instance, if you grew up Catholic, you have a certain view and perspective of Jesus.
Father Donald Senior, professor emeritus of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago puts it like this.
He writes, “For a lot of Catholics it’s not quite that clear,” he says.
“I think for some, Jesus is an example.
He’s understood to be divine, to be God incarnate.
But it’s not like some other person—not that unctuous, immediate emotional contact that I think evangelical piety has.”
He goes on to say, “Some Catholics misunderstand the Jesus of the gospels because they’re not as familiar with the gospels,” he says.
“They’re familiar mainly with the passages read out loud on Sunday.
So because there’s not a history of Bible study as much [in the Catholic Church], they miss out.”
What
What do they miss out on?
Father Donald Senior, professor emeritus of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago puts it like this.
He writes, “For a lot of Catholics it’s not quite that clear,” he says.
“I think for some, Jesus is an example.
He’s understood to be divine, to be God incarnate.
But it’s not like some other person—not that unctuous, immediate emotional contact that I think evangelical piety has.”
So, that’s one example.
Growing up Catholic gives you a certain view or perspective of Jesus.
But let’s say you grew up in a protestant church.
Maybe you grew up in a Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, AG, or Presbyterian church.
And as a result, you too have a certain view or perspective of Jesus.
For example:
For instance, as a protestant, maybe your view of Jesus has been based more on knowledge and association.
In other words, because you grew up in a church, you were associated with Jesus.
In Sunday School you were taught that Jesus was the Son of God.
You were taught that Jesus came to die for our sins.
You were taught that Jesus rose from the dead.
But the truth is, that’s about as far as you go with Jesus.
Your understanding of Jesus is based on a knowledge and church association, and so as a result Jesus is more of an idea than an active living agent in your life.
For other protestants, maybe your view of Jesus is based more on a relationship.
Growing up you were taught that not only is Jesus the Son of God, not only did he dies for our sins, but he’s also somebody you can have a relationship with.
And in a way, he’s kind of like a facebook friend.
Meaning, at some point in your life, you made a decision to invite him into your life.
Meaning, at some point in your life, you made a decision to invite him into your life.
But the truth his, it’s a distant relationship.
It’s more like a Facebook friendship.
Sure, you might tag him from time to time on your timeline as you give a shout out for Jesus.
You might even send him a private message when life gets hard and you need help or have a question.
And because he’s like a Facebook friend, the reality is your relationship with Jesus is distant, it’s guarded, and you don’t really know him that well.
And truth be told, if Jesus ever said something that bothered you, or if Jesus didn’t approve of your lifestyle status, you might even consider unfriending him.
Your relationship with Jesus is surface at best.
But maybe your one of those radical protestants.
You know, like an Evangelical or a Pentecostal protestant.
You’re the person that goes to that church out by Taco Bell.
As a result you grew up in a church that primarily focused on the relationship aspect of Jesus.
And for you, Jesus is more than knowledge, he’s more than just a Facebook friend, in fact, he’s a personal friend.
A close acquaintance.
He’s your BFF.
And so for you, Jesus is your buddy, he’s your pal, somebody you can hang out with.
And as a result, your view of Jesus isn’t maybe as reverent as it should be.
So, that’s another example.
Maybe instead of a Catholic view you have a protestant view of Jesus.
But it could also be that there are some here today, and you didn’t grow up in the church at all.
You’re not Catholic, you’re not Protestant.
In fact, you don’t have a religious heritage.
Your parents didn’t take you to church.
You didn’t go to Sunday school.
So as a result, your view of Jesus is based more on a historical or secular view.
A view that maybe doesn’t see Jesus as anybody but another person that lived and died in history.
And as a result, there’s a good chance you really don’t know anything about the Biblical Jesus.
My point is simply this.
Because we all have differing religious upbringings and backgrounds, more than likely we all have differing views of Jesus.
Differing views of who he is and what he offers us.
So, here’s my question to you again on Easter Sunday morning, “When it comes to Jesus, who is he to you?”
I ask you that question, because as we come back to today, that’s the question on the table.
This is the question Jesus will pose.
Because just like today, in Jesus’s day there were varying views of who Jesus was and what his purpose in our lives was to be.
But thankfully Jesus is going to give us some insight into this question.
So, here’s what I want to do this morning.
In order for us to better understand what our view of Jesus should be, I want to read through the passage, give some explanation, and then apply what we’ve learned to our own view of Jesus.
So, let’s pick back up in as Jesus poses this question to the religious leaders of his day.
Beginning in verse 35 Mark writes:
“And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9