{"id":7210,"date":"2021-10-26T06:29:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T13:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=7210"},"modified":"2021-11-03T06:27:50","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T13:27:50","slug":"a-verse-for-all-seasons-mark-931","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=7210","title":{"rendered":"
A Verse for All Seasons: Mark 9:31<\/div>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Click here for a pdf version.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A Sermon for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the divisions in the Bible into chapters and verses were done much later. The division into chapters was made perhaps in the Eighth Century A.D., and the division into verses was made in the Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These divisions are not inspired, but they are helpful. Sometimes these divisions are rather clever the way they are. For example, everybody knows John 3:16: \u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.\u201d What about 3:16 in other New Testament books and letters? 2 Timothy 3:16 is also significant: \u201cAll scripture is inspired by God\u2026\u201d, and Revelation 3:16: \u201cSo because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.\u201d Of course, 3:16 in other letters and books isn\u2019t always a striking verse, but nevertheless, it is an exercise that can be interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text in Mark 9:31 is in a similar kind of situation. For example, Mark 9:31 is very similar to Mark 8:31. In both Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer many things, be rejected, killed, and after three days rise again. In 8:31 Peter grabs Jesus and rebukes him. He didn\u2019t want talk of suffering and death. And Jesus rebukes Peter, saying: \u2018Get behind me, Satan!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mark 9:31 Jesus again tells his disciples he must suffer, be killed, and then rise after three days. The text says the disciples \u201c<\/strong>did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.\u201d They were buffaloed. They didn\u2019t realize what was happening. Although you have to admit it was rather plain: He was going to be captured by the Jews. He was going to be killed and rise again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, Mark 8:31 and 9:31 are parallel texts. In the next chapter, in 10:33 \u2013 easy to remember, 8:31, 9:31, and 10:33 \u2013 again there is this passage in which Jesus says he is going to be captured, killed, and rise again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens afterward this time, the third time? Immediately James and John, the brothers, say to him: \u201cTeacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. . . . Let us  sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory\u201d (Mark 10:35-37). In other words, they expected him to restore the kingdom of David, and they wanted to promote themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are people unable to see the difference between those things which are really critical and decisive and those things which are trivial and not essential?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in some churches less than a century ago, the men sat on one side of the aisle and the girls and women on the other. There was a time when no woman would dare come to church with her head uncovered, even the girls. And they always wore dresses or skirts, never pants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a previous time ministers never used humor in a sermon or told a joke. It was considered improper to laugh in church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also in that time congregations sang the major hymns, the chorales, including those in a minor key, because that\u2019s what you did. Now some congregations avoid hymns written in a minor key and mainly sing what are called \u201cpraise songs,\u201d or as someone has said 7\/11 songs, seven words sung eleven times, sung to bouncy, upbeat tunes. They don\u2019t start by singing: \u201cLord, have mercy upon me,\u201d because they want to be always positive, upbeat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic point is that there are those who say: \u201cMany things are not basic and must change,\u201d over against those who say: \u201cWait a minute, there is that which is basic and should never change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a lot of pressure in the modern world to forget about the past, be positive, always ready to change and move ahead into the future. There is a lot of pressure among Christians to be with the culture, to be upbeat and entertaining. Some people come to church to get a boost for their feelings. They don\u2019t want negative talk or a negative experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we say to that? Three things about experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First is something that happens in the New Testament. You recall how in Matthew and Mark it says just before the crucifixion Jesus prayed: \u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d It wasn\u2019t a positive experience. Or you may think of the eleven who were there. They had been with him for three years, and all kinds of things had happened. Miracles and teachings. And then he is killed. He was gone. That was a negative experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, look at the hymn, \u201cIn the Garden.\u201d The hymn is sometimes used in funerals and it\u2019s based on that scene in the Twentieth Chapter of John where Mary Magdalene meets the risen Lord and she says: \u201cRabboni!\u201d which means: \u201cMy teacher.\u201d It\u2019s quite a scene. The hymn goes: \u201cHe walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own.\u201d It goes on: \u201cHe takes my hand\u2026.\u201d What\u2019s wrong with that? It\u2019s not what happens in the Twentieth Chapter of John. The risen Lord says: \u201dYes.\u201d And then he says: \u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\u201d Or you could say: Don\u2019t handle me because I have to go to my father. And so there is a huge difference between the risen Lord and us, a huge difference between he who is now beyond death and we who remain, who, while in Him, are still caught in sin and death. The huge difference is there. He is not our buddy. He is our Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, you really ought to be wearing crash helmets in church. Why? Dynamite! TNT! The Gospel is a massive explosion. The Lord God makes it happen. The Word of God comes and grabs us, and in spite of ourselves makes us his own. This is decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This helps us to focus. It is curious that we have these three verses in three different chapters, and Peter says in 8:31, as we might say: \u201cLord, Lord! No, things have to be nice. We have to be happy. Not a cross.\u201d Or as in the second time, in 9:31, when they didn\u2019t know what to say and were afraid to ask him. Or, the third time, in 10:33, when they start talking about who\u2019s first in the kingdom. Which one of us is going to sit at your right hand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the key. Not only is it repeated this way, but it\u2019s the key to the whole Bible and to the whole universe. The Lord God himself came and died and rose again for you and me. And that explodes everything. That makes all the difference. Why? Because it gives us, as Paul says in Romans 8:21, \u201cthe glorious freedom of the children of God.\u201d What is that freedom? Four things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is the freedom to know that the Word of God produces faith in me. It says in Romans 10:17: \u201cFaith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the preaching of Christ.\u201d We don\u2019t have to ask ourselves: Did I hear right? Did I understand it right? Or did I feel it right? No, he\u2019s done it. And that\u2019s enough. That\u2019s freedom. It doesn\u2019t depend on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second place, we hold that because of this, there is one priesthood of all believers. We don\u2019t have to depend on the minister. We don\u2019t have to depend on any kind of religious expert to proclaim the Gospel. You and I and all of us are called upon to proclaim the Gospel \u2013 not our experience, not our theological understanding, but to proclaim each one of us to all: He died and rose for you and me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the third place, when it comes to questions of politics and ethics, that means the Bible does not give the church a particular expertise about politics or science or other worldly matters. Individuals who are in the church may have expertise, but the church doesn\u2019t, nor does it have expertise about ethics. But we are given the freedom to use our minds and our expertise to work on politics for our neighbor. When it comes to individual questions for you and me, Paul spells it out succinctly in Romans 13:8-10 when he writes: What does the law say? Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness. Verse 9 says all the commandments are summed up in: \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself.\u201d And then verse 10: \u201cLove does no harm to the neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.\u201d In the freedom of the Gospel we ask ourselves: What does harm? That\u2019s a completely different way of looking at things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, about other religions: We\u2019re not caught in the trap of saying, \u201cThe final measure of everything is tolerance.\u201d We do not make tolerance God. We are open and free so that we uphold civil rights for everyone, but we also know that it says in John 14:6: \u201cI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.\u201d We have the freedom to proclaim the Gospel and also know that the Lord will do all things well. He will bring in his kingdom. It will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of this center, Mark 9:31, we get beyond the trivialities and back to that which makes all the difference. The Lord is Lord, and he makes all things right. He has saved you and me. We are free in him. Thanks be to God. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A sermon for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost. Select here<\/a> to read more or here <\/a>for a pdf document.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7210"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7234,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7210\/revisions\/7234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}