Mark: The Turning Point [Mark 8:27-33]

Mark: The Turning Point []

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

Today there is a wrong perspective of Jesus that is extremely dangerous and seductive. David Platt exposes this idea in his book “Radical”. In it he wrote...

“We American Christians have a way of taking the Jesus of the bible and twisting him into a version of Jesus that we are more comfortable with. A nice middle-class American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who for that matter wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings comfort and prosperity to us as we live out our Christian spin on the American Dream.”

Any fair and honest look at the scriptures reveals this is not who Jesus is and not what Jesus demands. Jesus says, “Die and then follow me.” Our text for this week and next week will answer the three most crucial questions asked.

Who is Jesus? What did Jesus come to do? What does Jesus expect of you?

We will only cover the first two questions this week, next week we will finish chapter 8 and discover what Jesus expects of us. Which then catapults into what is know as “the great discipleship discourse” [8:31-10:52] during which Jesus predicts His passion three times, which then he proceeds to instruct His disciples concerning His passion. The reason, we’ll see is, the disciples are going to have some of their ideas changed about Who Jesus is and what He has come to do and what he expects from them. I suspect there are some of us who need our ideas adjusted as well. But let’s not get to far ahead of ourselves.

At this place, where we are today, in Mark’s gospel we reach a climatic point, in fact it’s the turning point. So far Jesus ministry had been successful-especially in Galilee-with common people. However, Jesus ministry had created hostility from the leaders of Judaism. Jesus had spent a lot of time teaching and training his disciples, and while they had made some progress they still were relatively without spiritual discernment. i.e. they had much to learn yet.

The primary issue was who is Jesus and what did he come to do [then and now]. Neither the people in general nor the leaders of Judaism had accepted the implications of His words and works which revealed his identity. The disciples, on the other hand, were beginning to see this, all be it dimly. What the disciples had learned would prepare them for the revelation about to take place. As one commentator put it, “The recognition that Jesus is the Messiah is the point of intersection toward which all of the theological currents of the first half of the Gospel converge and from which the dynamic of the second half of the Gospel derives.” i.e. this is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak…this is the crucial question…who is Jesus? The first sermon I preached here, back in 2011 was titled, ‘who is Jesus’ and it came from Mark, it’s still the crucial question.

Who is Jesus []

Jesus and His disciples head north to the cities around Caesarea-Philippi, not to be confused with Caesarea which was a city on the coast of the Mediterranean, Caesarea-Philippi was north of Bethsaida, which was on the sea of Galilee. It’s at the head waters of the Jordan river near Mt. Hermon. Why the geography lesson? It’s not so much about where the place was as to what the place represented. It was the outer regions of paganism, idolatry, and hostility to the Hebrew faith. So this crucial question posed to the disciples is given in a place in which there is an intersection of unbelief and belief in Jesus as Savior, which is the place where this question is always given.

1. The crucial question [v. 27] ‘who do men say I am?’: Jesus question was crucial: asking and answering it forms the critical point in Mark’s gospel. The issue of His identity has been explicit or implicit in what Mark has related. So far, none had clearly got it. Now it’s time for the truth about who Jesus is to come out. Jesus sensed the disciples were now ready to face it, because grasping this truth would be the all important first step toward a fuller understanding of what Jesus’ identity implied for them. Who do men say I am?

Application: The popular answer to any question is not always the right answer, we see that today in our society about issues concerning sin, and to the question of Jesus’ identity it is certain to be wrong. The question, ‘who do men say I am’ answers from men are arrived at unspiritually, and are based on by natural reason and observation. i.e. the natural man will never get the truth about Jesus, because he is spiritually deaf and blind. Mark has illustrated that for us in the previous event. It’s going to take divine intervention to get the right answer of who Jesus is.

2. The opinion of the people [v.28] ‘John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets.’: Jesus asked for the opinions of the people, so that was the response given. Among the people in general there were at least three answers given to who Jesus is, we’ve seen this before in chapter 6. Some said Jesus was John the Baptist. We’ve already seen this was the view of Herod Antipas [6:14], but apparently he was not the only one to hold this view.

Others thought Jesus was Elijah. Even though we know that it was John the Baptist who would fill this role as coming in the spirit of Elijah [we’ll see that after Jesus transfiguration]. There was good reason to associate Elijah with the coming Messiah because of . but the scriptures did not mean Elijah was the Messiah himself.

Still some thought Jesus was one of the OT prophets returned-at least in some kind of spiritual identity. Perhaps Jeremiah who was known as the weeping prophet, who had a similar message of Jesus, repent and turn to God, and who was associated with sorrow and grief as the Lord Jesus was. All of these views regard Jesus as a prophet from God, so this shows how highly people regarded Jesus but also shows how far from the truth they were in know who Jesus is.

application: The answer that Jesus was just a prophet-even a great prophet with the spirit of one of the great former prophets-was ultimately misguided. Such a view of Jesus was doomed to see Him as a forerunner, and not as the fulfillment of God’s promises. It’s wrong in viewing Jesus as one looking forward rather than as a final word from God. Wrong in viewing Jesus as a spokesman for God rather than the Lord Himself. Human answers always underestimate the truth of who Jesus is. There is only one acceptable answer...

3. The disciples answer [v. 29] “you are the Messiah”: After public opinion was given Jesus asks His disciple, but who do you say that I am? Peter speaks for the group, as he often did, I would suppose the disciples had discussed this before, whether they all had come to this conclusion or not is unknown but the reality is when Peter answered it was clear, direct and it was right. Jesus is the promised Messiah! You are the Christ [Greek, Christos] in the Hebrew it’s Messiah, both mean the anointed One, the One chosen and endowed by God for a divinely ordained role.

In first century Judaism there was a Messianic expectation, and the disciples were sure Jesus was the Messiah…they were right. The problem was they didn’t understand what that meant fully. In the OT God’s anointed included prophets, priests, and kings. The clear implications of the Messianic office was the Messiah would be God’s own son and a descendant of David. Thus, the identity of Jesus as Messiah implied He is God’s Son and His office is that of prophet, priest, and king. One of the misconceptions of Jesus day, and surely the disciples had been influenced by this was that the Messiah would come and free Israel from Roman rule and restore her to her former glory., but we see that’s not what Jesus came to do. When Christ comes again it will be to rule and reign, the first time it was to atone for sin.

Application: While the disciples still had much to learn about Jesus, the true answer given that Jesus is the Messiah was not an answer given by human understanding, but by divine revelation. , flesh and blood has not revealed this to you Peter, but my Father who is in heaven. it was revelation! The only way anyone can come to the truth about who Jesus is is by God’s divine illumination. that’s not popular today, we like to be able to do things the way we like but the bible is pretty clear. We don’t initiate movement toward God, He initiates movement toward us. “while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” We should praise God for this. If God was waiting on me to move He’d still be waiting. So the disciples got the answer right and...

4. Jesus charge [v.30] ‘tell no man this: Jesus did not permit His disciples to share the news that He was the promised Messiah. Doesn’t that strike you as odd? Why would you not tell everyone Jesus is the Messiah? Not at this point anyway, you see the popular view of the office of the Messiah in Jesus day was so far different than what Jesus, the Messiah, was actually going to do, that to share the news then would cause a crisis before time. Jesus wasn’t interested in starting a revolt against Rome, He was going to solve the problem of separation from God. Even the disciples at this point didn’t get it, so Jesus is beginning their training and their new way of thinking about the office of Messiah. Jesus is going to start making some radical changes in their ideas about Him. So...

What did Jesus come to do? []

1. A new understanding of the Messianic role [v.31]: Jesus began to teach them what He had come to do, in fact He would teach them this lesson multiple times but they would not fully get it until after the resurrection. At this point in the disciples lives their idea of the Messiah needed serous correction and verse 31 summarizes this radical new concept they would accommodate. And a radically different concept it was, one they were totally unprepared for. The concept, the Messiah would suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be rejected, be killed, and rise from the grave after three days.

Four verbs state what would happen to Jesus and they are all connected to the word ‘must’, suffer, be rejected, be killed, rise after three days...the necessity of this is of course beyond human comprehension and grounded in the will of God. The Messiah must...

Suffer: The Greek [pascho] suffer is a general word associated with all the suffering Jesus would endure from his betrayal, prosecution, and crucifixion. Jesus would suffer mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes we’re tempted to think that Jesus suffered the most physically through the severe beating he took and the brutal death of crucifixion. But that was not the worst of his suffering. Christians throughout history have suffered unthinkable torture for Christ. No the worst suffering came as the full wrath of God upon sin was poured out upon Him!

At the cross, all of God’s holy wrath and justice due us came crashing down upon Christ in a moment. The Father turned his head because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin upon Jesus. says, “God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Him.” i.e. at the cross Jesus drank the full cup of the wrath of God for sin, your sin, my sin, all sin for all time, and when He drank every last drop of God’s wrath upon sin, he cried out, “it is finished!” That’s suffering, that’s the gospel!

The just and loving creator looked down upon helpless and hopeless sinful people and sent His son to bear his wrath against sin upon the cross, and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who trust in Him will be reconciled to God forever!

application: verse 31 directly reveals the way of Christ and indirectly the way of the Christian life. God’s way is a way the calls for humility and even suffering and death. The way of the cross is the way of God. That way does not line up with human pride. It was even one of the temptations of Jesus, remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness [] what Satan was trying to do was get Jesus to do anything but God’s will.

Interesting Satan is not opposed to messiah’s and guru’s who are like lets all get together and love one another and have a good time and be really spiritual and all that stuff…what Satan is opposed to is a Messiah who will die on a cross and rise from the grave. If the Evil one can divert the pastor, bible teacher, or Christian to avoid focusing on the cross and spend time focused on human comfort, and knowledge, and ease, well then he gets a major when. And the frightening thing today is, what is so popular today in mainstream Christianity? Self-help, self-fulfillment, prosperity and wellness…how many books do you see on the stands about suffering for Christ? Not many. I’m not suggesting we all need to move to Somalia so we can suffer for Christ…your sensible people. We must not trivialize the cross and our sin.

2. A tense exchange between Peter and Jesus [v.32-33]: So after the words of Jesus about what He came to do, Peter’s brash response stands in conflict with the Lord’s concept of the Messianic role. You gotta love Peter, he’s that one guy that when he’s right he’s really right and when he’s got it wrong, he’s really wrong. This cracks me up, it says, “Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him” Rebuked-the same word-charged them not to tell Jesus used in verse 30. So Peter no doubt feeling pretty good about himself and getting the answer right to Jesus’ question about who he was, the Messiah, now emboldened, says, “wait a second here Jesus, let me explain the OT to you, because apparently you misunderstood something here.” You gotta love this guy. I know I’m often hard on Peter, but it’s only because he’s the guy always blurting out the answer. We all know those people, they just shout it out right or wrong. Even though others may be just as wrong in their thinking, he’s the one who gets the eyes rolled at all the time because he’s always opening his mouth.

application: At any rate, I’m glad for Peter in the bible because I can look at some times when Peter messes up and say, I’m glad I’m not the only one to do stupid stuff. Peter’s reaction illustrates the fleshly reaction to ideas that do not match up with our human judgment. Peter’s response is natural enough, but it was not in tune with Jesus. We have to guard against the same tendency in our own reaction when the ways of God seem to go against what we have learned to think of as natural or right.

Jesus response to Peter’s rebuke was strong and severe. Get behind me Satan. That’s strong language, did he say that because Peter was Satan??? No. But Peter was manifesting the thought pattern of Satan. Jesus says “get behind me” i.e. fall in line as a follower. With Peter’s rebuke he had taken role as leader, Jesus says you follow me! How tempted are we to get out in front of Jesus and say Jesus follow me, I’m just going to go on ahead and get some things in order then you can come on after me…We follow Him! Get behind Jesus!

Satan or adversary or enemy is the attitude Peter was showing toward Jesus. Rebellious toward the way’s of God. Isn’t it interesting that soon after Peter made this amazing God revealed confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and now is speaking for Satan??? Peter was thinking the way man thinks and not the way God thinks. God’s ways are not man’s ways. We as American Christians are not far from the thinking of the Jews in Jesus day, we’d much rather view Jesus as the Messiah with the government on His shoulders as opposed to the cross on His shoulders. You see what we learn from this?

Jesus does not fit our expectations. It won’t be until Jesus is arrested, beaten, and bloodied that when asked by the high priest are you the Messiah, Jesus finally responds publicly, “I am” And in almost laughing manner the response is…a bloody Messiah? a suffering Messiah? a rejected Messiah? a dead Messiah? What kind of Messiah is that? The only Messiah. Have you trusted the Only Messiah?

Have you turned to Jesus? The one who was rejected, suffered, killed and rose from the grave on the third day so that all who trust Him would have eternal life?

I invite you to respond the only way one should to this Messiah Jesus, like this…complete surrender of all we have and all we are to Him.

prayer: God we are in desperate need of Jesus, open our ears, our eyes, and soften our hardened hearts to the gospel in Jesus name. amen