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Mark 8:27-9:1
I Can see Clearly Now – Hard Questions
September 19, 2021
Rev’d Chris Johnson
Our series is entitled, “I can see clearly now” and remember we've been saying that spiritual sight
is about understanding who Jesus is and his mission.
This morning we reach what is probably the
climax of the series because in today's reading the issue of Jesus identity is addressed directly.
Jesus asks his disciples two questions, “Who do the crowds say I am?” and
“Who do you say I am?”
These questions of course go to the heart of Jesus’ identity.
Here in Mark 8 we are at the halfway point of Jesus’ ministry so these questions are like the mid
semester exam for the disciples.
The first question, doesn't really have a right or wrong answer,
it’s just asking what others are saying; but it does set up the disciples for the second question.
So the first question: ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’
The disciples answer, “Some say John the
Baptist, others say Elijah and still others one of the prophets.”
The crowds obviously hold Jesus in
high regard, John the Baptist and Elijah were both great prophets and it would seem a number of
other notable prophets were also in the offering.
Jesus was indeed a prophet, but he wasn't a prophet as people would usually think of prophets.
Prophets usually point people to the future and what God’s plan is for the future.
Jesus was
causing God's plan to appear before people’s eyes right now.
We have seen that with the feeding
of the 4,000, and with the healing of deaf and mute man, and the blind man.
In fact, Jesus was
saying and doing a lot of things that were beyond the realm of simply being a prophet.
The crowd’s answer to this question exalts Jesus; but not sufficiently, not nearly enough.
Even a
prophet as great as John the Baptist said, “I am not worthy to untie the thong of his saddle.”
Now I think Jesus is really clever.
By asking his disciples to first consider what other people are
saying, the disciples have the opportunity to think about the alternatives a bit more deeply for
themselves.
When Peter gives his answer that Jesus is the Messiah it's not because he hasn't
considered other options.
Peter could have just gone along with the crowd but he actually comes
to a better opinion - He is the Messiah.
It is interesting to note where Jesus conducts his survey.
It was on the way to Caesarea-Philippi.
This was in fact a pagan area in the very north of the country.
It was a place where there were
Temples and shrines to many other gods.
In 2014 Lynda and I were in Caesarea-Philippi.
- So there was the temple of Zeus,
- the court of pan and the Nymphs,
- the grotto of pan,
- the temple of Augustus.
- the temple of the sacred goats
- the temple of the dancing goats
1
When Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” he does it in the context of all the
other gods of his day.
And he is asking his disciples to make a comparison.
He is saying who do you want to follow?
Who really has the words of life?
These pagan gods or me?
Do you want to follow them, or do you want to follow me?
Have you worked out yet that I am the Messiah?
There are some people who think it was easier back then because everyone believed in God,
whereas today atheism is the default position, and we have all these other religions as well and it's
not right to say any one is more true than any other.
Back then the spiritual marketplace was full
of alternatives as well.
But the Apostles came to the conclusion that Jesus was who he claimed to
be, the Messiah and only way of salvation.
The disciples were aware of a lot of options - Jewish options – Jesus was just another one of the
prophets; and pagan options - one of the idols that were all around them.
But they came to the
very settled conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah.
Last week do you recall what Jesus said to the blind man after he was healed?
He said, “Don’t go
into the village, go straight home.”
Time and again Jesus seems to want to hide the fact that he
was the Messiah.
Look at verse 30.
Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah and what
does Jesus say.
READ v30
Why would he do that?
Wouldn't he want the message proclaimed from the rooftops?
Well one of the reasons I suggested last week was that the people's understanding was so
distorted that if the word got around it would be a gross misunderstanding of what it meant to be
the Messiah.
Jesus understanding of the Messiah was so different to popular thinking.
Look at the verse which follows.
v31
This is a radically different view of the Messiah from what people expected.
-The popular understanding was that the Messiah would be a glorious king who would restore the
political fortunes of the nation by kicking out the Roman Kingdom and bringing in God’s Kingdom.
-Jesus’ understanding was the Messiah would be a suffering servant who would be rejected and
crucified.
These are polar opposites.
The cross was a symbol of shame and failure rather than power and victory.
I think Jesus knows that if his teaching and miracles became a popular political movement he
would be completely misunderstood.
-Jesus wants his disciples to understand the true nature of the Messiah’s mission.
-Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for what will come - the cross.
One person who totally misunderstood the nature of the Messiah's mission, of course, was Peter.
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