Steve Bassill: Monday, March 8 Mark 8:27-33 This Very Short Reading
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Steve Bassill: Monday, March 8 Mark 8:27-33 This very short reading links together two powerful statements, Peter declaring that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus saying that he must be killed and after three days rise again. Why are they combined here? Look at the passages: Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. Jesus Predicts His Death 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Why? Why did these two disclosures come at the same time? What are we supposed to learn from this? In responses to Jesus’ question, “Who do you think I am,” while the other apostles answered, saying Jesus is one of the prophets, even John the Baptist or Elijah, Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” From Jesus response, “Do not tell anyone about me,” we are led to believe that he was acknowledging Peter was correct. We could try to conclude that he was not acknowledging Peter’s answer, but instead asking the disciples not to tell anyone about him, but that is hard to believe because they had already been teaching about him and performing miracles before this time. So why disclose at this time that he must be killed and after three days rise again? Maybe because they have acknowledged him as the Messiah, he now has to explain who the Messiah really is. But why did Peter take him aside and rebuke him? Initially I though Peter rebuked him because Peter loved Jesus so much that he would never let him be killed. I think I could still accept this answer, except Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” I think I could still accept that I was right, that Peter loved Jesus so much that he rebuked him and Jesus chastised Peter because Peter cared more about Jesus living than fulfilling the word of God. However, I did some Bible research to get my head around this passage, because I wasn’t really comfortable with my response. What I learned was that Peter had a different perspective of the Messiah than the role Jesus would ultimately play. According to the Sermon Writer Biblical Commentary (Bible study), “the people think of Jesus, not as the Messiah (as we now know him), but as a great man like one of the great men of their history. They have their own ideas about the Messiah, and Jesus does not fit the mold. They think of the Messiah as David’s successor, who will drive out the Roman garrison, re-establish Israel’s glory, and usher in a golden age. To accomplish these goals, they expect the Messiah to use traditional power—military or economic dominance. They expect the Messiah to be a super-man—a man like other men except for his greater power.” This was not the role Jesus was going to play. This may explain why Peter rebuked Jesus. Peter’s Messiah was one who will restore Israel, and to be “be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed,” was not in line with that vision. That statement that after three days Jesus would rise again, I think just went over Peter’s head. So, Jesus knowing these historical expectations of the Messiah, said, ““Get behind me, Satan! “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” These human concerns were to overthrow the Romans and restore Israel to the glory of David’s time. I am not really sure which answer is correct, my first that Peter loved Jesus so much he could not see him die, or the second that he expected Jesus to restore Israel, and couldn’t let that dream die. Both may be correct, but I think the insight I gained from a little Bible study put a whole new perspective on this passage for me. Maybe, that’s what was really important. Margaret Kelley: Tuesday, March 9 Mark: 8:34-9:1 “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” This question lies deep in the heart of my struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual ones. The concerns of our community, society, and world pull daily at my attention, urging me to think about my grocery list, birthdays, cleaning the house, and taxes. And even further, I can become consumed with tendencies towards human weaknesses - acquisition, self-preservation, status, and more. But the question that Jesus asks us here is to consider “the whole world” against our lives. What is the good in the end, if I tend to all my daily concerns, and feed my weaknesses, but lose my soul? I recently heard Dr. Ariel Burger (Rabbi and author) share a story. A woman is walking in the marketplace, attending to her daily tasks, when she encounters her teacher. He asks her, “Have you looked at the sky today?” She looks up for the first time that day and in that moment she remembers that she is made for something more than just trading in the marketplace. This perspective reminds us that we always have a choice - either to look down or to look up. When we look down, we risk losing our souls for the sake of the world. When we look up, we remember that we are small, and our earthly concerns are small. And that while we have responsibilities, tasks, and relationships because we are human and we are alive, we also must never forget the view of the sky - the perspective that reminds us that we are made for something more. Keri Godon: Wednesday, March 10 Mark 9:2-13 I love this account of the transfiguration with an affinity that matches my love for the theatre. It combines the elements of great entertainment - mystery, intrigue, drama, the melding of past and present, super hero style transformation, and it even has, tucked inside, a happy ending! Like beloved characters, the description of Elijah and Moses and Jesus gets me every time, as the way they are with one another transcends time and space. Peter in response, wishing to provide shelter for this trio, invites them to stay and offers comfort. How fascinating to intermingle with a holy trio and be so moved to play host. Love, playing out in living color. God then expresses his love for Jesus in a singular voice, end scene! Rather than paint the town with this news, Jesus asks the disciples to hold silence. Speaking would undo its essence. This Lent, a Lent for the history books, I am relieved that we are invited to hold this essence in the shelter of our souls. Howard Sipe: Thursday, March 11 MARK 9:30-50 As we are introduced to other adults, we usually are told or we ask, “what they do for a living.” When we meet children we ask, “how old you are and in what grade are you in school.” What if the child replied, “I’m in second grade and seven years old. What grade are you in?” With quick math and figuring most start school at five, subtract five from forty, I guess I am in the 35th grade. The question for us is, what grade are you in? Are you still learning or have you stopped learning? What grade would you say Jesus’ disciples were in? Jesus was always teaching, (through His Words, actions, miracles, healing, raising from the dead, etc.) In these verses, He specifically is teaching with His Words and some of them are very hard to understand especially, “the third and hardest lesson! To help with the three lessons that are taught to his disciples and to us in these versus and to help us remember them, I have labeled them G. E. D. (borrowed from the educational systems General Educational Development tests) G - Greatness in service Mark9: 33-37 E - Exclusiveness excluded Mark9: 38-41 D - Disciplined disciples Mark 9: 42-50 The first lesson - G GREATNESS IN SERVICE In these verses the disciples had been arguing on the way about who was the greatest. The disciples were worried about competition with each other rather than “learners and workers with Jesus.” So Jesus teaches them the first lesson of humility and Greatness in Service. “If anyone wants to be first (all of the disciples did, so do we, it’s our sinful, human nature), he must be the very last, and the servant to all – welcoming one of these little children in My name.” The second lesson - E EXCLUSIVE EXCLUDED John said, “we saw a man driving out demons in Your name and we kept telling him to stop, because he was not one of us.” Were they so self-centered on their greatness that they were blinded to Jesus working His miraculous release from demons through another man? Have we learned the lesson? We confess, “I believe in the Holy Christian Church, the communion of Saints,” yet do we exclude from the Kingdom of God fellow Christians who are proclaiming the gospel message and through whom God is working to build His Kingdom even though we have differing church and denominational titles.