Sermon for 9/22/24: Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 20b)

No sermon audio. The recorder malfunctioned. Sorry. It's a shame too, as the delivery was much better in the second service.

CLICK HERE for the service video. The sermon begins at 49:10.

Finding the Real Jesus
Mark 9:30-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

          Sinful man does not readily receive the things of God. He does not comprehend the message of a Lord who suffers, bleeds, and dies like a common criminal, hanging naked from a wooden stake in the ground outside the city walls. To the sinner, such a God is weakness, and the notion that such a death has lasting meaning is pure idiocy. To the sinner, the Gospel itself is utter foolishness. “My god is great,” says the sinful heart. “My god is the one who is all powerful and yet would never punish me for anything. He is love when I want him to be love; he is hate when I want him to be hate.” The god of sinful humanity is our own belly. Mankind creates a god in our own image—a god we see when we look in the mirror—to suit our own needs.

Because our flesh still clings to our sin, Christians also try to put Jesus in a box that suits our own desires. We confess Him as Lord and Redeemer, and then we relegate Him to a moral example. We allow Him ro be the Savior who forgives sin, but we ignore Him when He declares, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He is either the righteous and merciless Judge who is eager to condemn, or He is our buddy who is more concerned with good intentions than the impurity of our hearts and deeds.

In our heart of hearts, we want the Jesus who will triumph over those who hate us and give us our every whim. He is the God to whom we render thanks and praise in times of joy, but whom we question and even curse in our pain and sorrow. We come to Him in prayer, but we neglect to include that most vital part: “Not my will, O Lord, but Your will be done.” We live in defiance of His commandments and then attempt to make ourselves look better by pointing out the sins of others. We allow Jesus to be either Lord or Savior, but we will not allow Him to be both.

Sinners do not readily receive the things of God. We do not hear the Word and see that it is reasonable and therefore deserving of consideration. The sinful heart is so blackened and marred by sin that only God himself can change it. Not even the disciples were able to receive the news of God’s Kingdom. They heard the heart and core of the Gospel—Christ’s death and resurrection—and they were afraid to ask what it meant. Does it not seem a little strange that Jesus speaks of His impending betrayal, death, and resurrection, and His disciples have no idea what he is talking about? How could they not comprehend what must come to pass for the Son of Man? Surely they, of all people, could put two and two together! They surely were familiar with the words of Jeremiah from our Old Testament reading of the lamb being led to the slaughter—and they most certainly could have connected that with John the Baptist pointing to Jesus and saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

No, like the rest of the Jews, the disciples desired the Jesus who would defeat their Roman oppressors. Even Peter, James, and John did not comprehend what must happen, and they had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration in the presence of Moses and Elijah. They could only imagine with horror a betrayal of Jesus into the hands of men. Along with Peter, they all swore they would never let such things occur. They did not want to deal with what Jesus was telling them; they did not even want to ask.

Our text for this day is not a mundane repetition of what everyone already knew. Jesus speaks of His betrayal, which came at the hand of Judas, and His crucifixion at the hand of the Romans, and His disciples were scandalized beyond belief! God tests the faith of his people. Part of that testing is withholding knowledge of certain things. He withheld from the disciples a clear comprehension of His betrayal and death to test them. He withholds no such knowledge from us, for we have been taught the Scriptures and the meaning of His death. And yet, we need to hear that message continually, because it is not what we read in the imagination of our hearts.

The Lord tests the faith of his people in many and various ways, but in so doing, He draws them to Himself, under the shadow of His wings. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. You will receive tests from the Lord during your earthly pilgrimage. And there will be times that you question what He is doing. “Why are things turning out for me this way?” “Why didn’t I get the scholarship I expected?” “Why is my health the way it is?” “Why doesn’t my worship and prayer life make me feel a certain way?” “Why doesn’t my witness to other always make believers out of them?” In such times of uncertainty and trial, you must look to what God has promised and not dwell upon what He has not promised. He has already promised you that He works all things for your benefit and for your eternal good. He promises that He will always be there to comfort you in distress and be your oasis in the wilderness of this sinful world. But He only does these things in the ways He has promised: through the cleansing waters of Baptism, in the word of Absolution, and in His body and blood in the bread and wine of the Supper.

Seek the Lord where He has promised to be. This won’t any easier for you than it was for the disciples, but His promises are the same, and He does not falter in keeping them. Receive His gifts and be continually fed by them, for your Lord is there to give you rest from the burden of your sin and to strengthen you in His love and mercy. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.