Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50:4–9 | Psalm 116:1–9 | James 3:1–12 | Mark 8:27–38
“…How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire…” (James 3:5-6). Words are powerful. Like fire, words can be a source of great hope, and comfort, and strength, and light… but they can also wreak havoc… causing all sorts of chaos and destruction. Words can be used to create… to bring about beauty and order, and understanding… opening up new possibilities to explore, and expanding our imaginations. And words can be used as weapons… tools to tear down others… to dehumanize our neighbours… and spread deception instead of drawing us towards the truth. Words shape how we see our world… and how we see ourselves as well… wielding great influence over what we believe, and over what we do. How many of us can remember a time when someone important to us lifted us up with their words? Offering just the right words of encouragement, wisdom, or even correction when it was needed the most? Or what about those poems or songs that pierce our hearts, and open our eyes to a whole new perspective? On the other hand, how many of us can recall those times when someone’s words knocked us back? When instead of helping us find our way, we felt attacked, humiliated, or lost? And looking around our world today, at all the viciousness, all the fear and hatred being thrown about… and all the division and destruction that these words fuel… we can see why St. James warns that the human tongue… our words are a dangerous force: “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!” he says, “And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:5-6). ‘Talk is cheap’, some say. ‘Actions speak louder than words’… maybe. But there is no denying the fact that words can be incredibly powerful. And so, what we say really does matter… especially when what we’re talking about really matters. In our reading today from the Gospel of St. Mark, we heard about a pretty tense moment between our Lord Jesus Christ, and St. Peter, one of His closest followers. In a way, this exchange is sort of a war of words… a conflict over the meaning of who Jesus is, and what He had come to accomplish. It started when Jesus asked His disciples what might seem like a pretty simple question: “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). I mean, the obvious answer would be: Jesus of Nazareth, right? So what is He getting at? What does this question mean? Well, it’s essentially a question of purpose… of reflecting on how the crowds understood His significance. Jesus had been travelling all around Judaea and Galilee, healing and teaching, performing wonderous signs, and exorcising demons… and people had noticed. They had formed their own ideas about Jesus, and what He was up to… ideas that may or may not be true. And so Jesus asks His students to tell Him what they have heard the people saying about Him. “Who do people say that I am?” And for what it’s worth, the crowds seem to have a fairly positive impression of Jesus… identifying Him with people like John the Baptist, or the prophets of old… imagining Jesus as one of the many messengers sent from God over the centuries. Important, and powerful, but not necessarily unique or different from those who had come before Him. Then Jesus turns to His disciples… those who had followed Him closely, and shared in His ministry… and He asks them: “‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’” (Mark 8:29). The Christ. God’s anointed One. Not simply one messenger among many… but the One promised long ago who would bring freedom and salvation to God’s people. The One who would fulfill the promises of Yahweh to Israel, and finally bring about God’s good Kingdom. This is who Peter says Jesus is. And we might expect Jesus to respond: ‘Well done Peter! You figured it out, now go and tell everyone else…’ But instead St. Mark tells us that Jesus “sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.” (Mark 8:30). Why would He do this? I mean, isn’t the whole point of St. Mark’s Gospel story that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, God’s Son? Why on earth would Jesus sternly order His disciples to keep the truth about Him quiet? I don’t presume to know the whole mind of our Lord, but I think one reason He did this is that the word “Messiah”, while true, and powerful, was also powerfully misunderstood. People knew the word “Messiah”… but they did not necessarily know the depths of what it meant… they had all sorts of ideas and expectations wrapped up with this word… ideas and expectations that as it turns out, were not based in reality. Many imagined the Messiah would come at the head of a might army, ushering in God’s justice and judgment on the Gentile nations oppressing His covenant people. And with this popular vision in mind, some took up arms themselves, and used violence to try and prepare the way for the Messiah… serving him by slaying their enemies. Others imagined the best way to prepare for the Messiah was to cut themselves off from the world… to avoid all of those unholy people around them, and strive to keep themselves pure. And yet others sought to reform their fellow Israelites, teaching them to strictly observe the Laws of the Covenant… as well as the traditions of the elders… so that they would be rewarded for their obedience, and remain securely on God’s side in the Messiah’s Kingdom. Jesus knew that these ideas and expectations… these words that were shared among the people were powerful. Many had built their lives and the lives of their loved ones around these visions of what the Messiah was going to do. The word, if it got out, could spread like wildfire… but because so many people were confused about what God’s Messiah was really about… what He was really going to do… if the word got out too soon that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, there could be all kinds of unnecessary confusion and chaos… and instead of bringing the hope and comfort, and strength and light of God’s Kingdom, so many people would miss the whole point… the meaning behind His mission. And so, it’s at this moment that Jesus does something new and unexpected… turning a corner no one saw coming: “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.” (Mark 8:31-32). Jesus confronts head on all of the ideas and expectations the people and His own followers had about the Messiah… about what God’s Chosen One had come to accomplish. He tips His hand and reveals to them that His path lead to betrayal, suffering and death. And only then would He be raised and glorified. Jesus knew this would be the culmination of the whole story of God’s salvation in the Holy Scriptures, and turning point in the entire story of humanity. He knew that to save the world, God’s beloved Son would have to lay down His own life to rescue His enemies… to offer them God’s forgiveness, freedom, and new life once and for all. But there was one problem: Peter could not handle it. There was no place in his imagination for a humiliated and suffering Messiah. God’s Chosen One was supposed to reign in glory, and overthrow His enemies… not willingly experience a shameful and agonizing defeat. And so, Peter does the most logical thing: he tries to change his Master’s mind. He takes Jesus aside, and quietly rebukes Him… trying to guide Him… to encourage Him… to help Him see that there must be another way forward. Peter tries to tell Jesus what it means to be God’s Messiah… and as we heard, it doesn’t go well. Jesus responds to the words of Peter with a rebuke of His own: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Mark 8:33). Jesus connects Peter, one of His closest followers, with the forces of darkness… with the deceptive enemy, who’s eager to offer enticing temptations to turn our backs on God and His ways. These are harsh words, to be sure. But they are words not intended to simply tear Peter down, or fill him with shame… but to shed much needed light! To powerfully drive home the danger of what was really going on here. Even though Peter may have thought he was helping Jesus, in reality Peter was trying to convince Christ to abandon His mission… to set aside His Father’s will, and save Himself instead… a temptation that could have been disastrous for the whole world, had Jesus given in to it. Despite Peter’s conscious or unconscious intentions, Jesus can see the evil one at work in the words of even his dear friend… a fire set alight by hell… and so our Lord publicly and powerfully rejects Peter’s vision of the self-seeking Messiah. How often do we Christians today follow in St. Peter’s footsteps? Offering words that seem wise, but actually lead away from the Good News that we have been entrusted to share? How often do we see Christ’s name co-opted by those who wreak havoc in our world? Spreading hate, prejudice, greed, and all sorts of other destructive forces? How often do we hear people who claim to be disciples of Jesus tearing down those around them, and using their words to seek influence, and to keep themselves feeling safe and secure? Jesus had harsh words for St. Peter that day long ago. And sometimes I wonder what harsh words our Lord Jesus might have for us, His people today. But the Good News is, that even when His words are harsh, they are always words that flow from His gracious love… words of rebuke, not to crush or condemn, but to turn us back to the right path, and to the light. Unlike the evil one, Jesus is not our accuser… but our advocate… the One who truly has our back! Offering us another way… opening up our imaginations to God’s way, and inviting us all to share in it. And so, after He says a firm ‘no!’ to Peter’s idea of the Messiah, Jesus shows us how we can all say ‘yes!’ to Him, and share in what He is up to: “He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38). The Messiah came to give His life as a gift of love… to reconcile our broken world to God. He came to bring God’s life, and hope, and grace, and love to those who are lost. To set the prisoners free. To welcome the outcasts. To lift up the broken hearted. To forgive sinners. But in order to accomplish all this, He had to deny Himself… deny His impulse to save Himself, and take up HIs cross… and lose His life… trusting the Father to raise Him up again. Jesus lived out these words… faithfully holding true to His Father’s love, and dying to save the world He spoke into existence from the destruction we keep on bringing on ourselves. And then He rose again, overthrowing death itself, and blowing apart all of our ideas and expectations of what is possible… and inviting us to face our own suffering with an unshakable hope… the hope that even if we lose everything… the same saving love that raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up too. The word of the Gospel… the Good News of Jesus, the Risen Lord is powerful. It changes lives when we believe in Jesus, and what He has done for us all at the cross. Which is why it is always important for us to remain attentive to this word and to what it means! To do all we can to understand the significance of our Messiah and His mission of saving love. Peter knew Jesus better than the crowds did… he was right about His identity, but not about His purpose and goal. And we know that many Christians know things about Jesus… but seem to miss the big picture… why He came, and what He is calling us to do too. But thankfully in time, Peter’s own life would be transformed by the Good News… he would come to know the fullness of God’s forgiveness and redemption through the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. And we can too! It doesn’t matter if we’ve been following Jesus for a whole lifetime, or are just at the start of our journey with Him, we can all learn more about Him. We can all draw near with faith, and humility, and curiosity, to listen to His word… striving to better understand what He has done, and what He is still doing in our world. We can do this in many ways, including intentional study… both alone and alongside others… learning together… teaching each other… guiding and correcting and encouraging one another as God’s Holy Spirit brings Christ’s words to life in our midst. Words are powerful. And we know that our world needs to hear the words of hope and light and life that the Good News of Jesus gives. And so, may we draw near to Jesus, God’s word made flesh, and spend our lives listening to Him, so that we all can share the hope, and comfort, and strength, and light that He is with the world. Amen.
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Rev. RObRev. Rob serves as the Priest-in-Charge at St. Luke's Gondola Point, and as the School Chaplain at Rothesay Netherwood School Archives
December 2024
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