A New War

MATTHEW HOXSIE MEAD
GOSPEL OF MARK
DAVID BARTLETT, ALLEN HILTON
MARCH 30, 2003
SERMON 2: MARK 8:27-38

Note, that much of the material for this sermon was used in the Lent 3 Sermon (below) at Saint James.

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

You may have noticed that we have a new carpet today at the front of the church. When I was last here two weeks ago we had just moved the pews out and there was a rather barren space at the up here, this is a welcome change. I think that the rug has made our worship space more comfortable and given it a warmed feeling.

Change is nothing new, in fact we have recently experienced a great change that has affected us in many different ways. A few days ago our nation went to war. Before I begin I would like to note that we all have a general sense of unease about war. Aside from the terrible nature of war and the obvious effects and dangers it has for those who are directly involved in it, we have questions that cannot easily be answered and fears that cannot easily be addressed. How will the war affect us as a nation? How will it affect us individually? How long will the war last? How will it affect our safety and security? Will there be more terrorist attacks? Will it affect our jobs? How will it affect our daily lives? What does it mean for me to be a Christian during a war?

Amidst all the TV watching, newspaper reading, and discussions about the war, you may have noticed that we have settled into Lent, albeit with other things on our minds. Normally, Lent is an opportunity for us, as we prepare for Easter, to try to become closer to God through various acts of piety. We do this by giving up things and occasionally taking on new challenges, adding new disciplines to our lives, or avoiding certain things. Whatever act of piety we may pick up and drop off after forty days, whatever state of mind we might be in, whether we are at peace or at war, in good times or bad times, whether we have a new rug or not we are reminded today that there are many things that change. Life, in fact, is a series of never ending changes.

Today’s gospel speaks to us today, amidst all of the uncertainty and change that we have experienced. In today’s Gospel Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, we seen a constant back and forth between Jesus and those around him as they attempt to put some form of label on who he is while he refused to let anyone label him. Finally, today we see Jesus asking his own disciples this very question. “Who do people say that I am?” His disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" To this question Peter stepped up and replied: “You are the Christ.”

After this identification, however, Jesus taught them that he must suffer, be killed, and after three days rise again. This is something that Peter cannot accept or understand. He therefore takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. Peter’s mistake was not that he had failed to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, but that he had a worldly idea of what a Messiah was supposed to do and be.

What was a Messiah was supposed to do and be? During Jesus’ life and for many years after it, Jerusalem and all of the surrounding region was under the control of the Roman empire. In many places, the Romans were resented and hated because they were oppressive outsiders who treated the locals with contempt and taxed them heavily. It was hoped that someday a Messiah would come and restore Israel to its former glory. People hoped for a worldly king who would come and kick the Romans out and restore the old kingdom like it had been under King David. This type of Messiah was not supposed to suffer and die, rather this Messiah would make the Romans suffer and would come in power and victory.

Most likely, it was this type of Messiah that Peter himself hoped for. It is therefore no surprise at all that he could not understand or accept that Jesus had to suffer and die. The Messiah that Peter had in mind was one that would satisfy and address all of Peter’s worldly cares. He had put all of his worldly hopes into Jesus and suddenly they had been dashed. Jesus scolded Peter by saying: “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men”.

Jesus continued on to explain to Peter that it would be difficult to follow Jesus, one must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Jesus. Often it is very hard. It is very hard to put our Lord Jesus Christ before the things that we see and do every day. The disciplines that we try to maintain for ourselves in Lent are about bringing us closer to God and resetting our priorities so that we put the things of God and not our own things first. If we put all of our worldly cares and concerns at the forefront of our lives and forget about God, what good does it do us? Jesus asks us this same question: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? It is very hard to deny our worldly desires and ourselves and put Jesus first anytime, but it can be especially hard to trust ourselves to God when we are uneasy or afraid and there are very scary things happening in our world.

War or no war, Lent or no Lent, rug or no new rug in the church, there is always one constant: God’s love. God’s love is there for us no matter what changes we are going through. Whether we are in good times or bad times, whether we are at ease or struggling, God is with us. Now, we have questions and fears and we worry that life will get more difficult. Struggling through life is nothing new. Saint Paul went through many struggles and eventually was martyred in Rome. Yet, throughout all of his struggles he also knew that he could never be separated from the love of God. Listen to what he writes in the 8th chapter of his letter to the Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:38-39]

My message to you today is to open your hearts to God, trust in God and put your faith wholehearted in Jesus Christ. By placing your whole trust in Jesus you can be assured that no matter what he will be with you. Trust in Jesus, put Him first in everything you do and have faith that through good times or bad times, through life and through death He is with you and He loves you.

We are in the middle of Lent now but in a few weeks Lent will be over. We are at the start of a war but at some point that war too will be over. The things of this world are fleeting – honest to God they are – they come and go. Some are good some are bad, but even if we gain the whole world we still lose it all when we die. Reset your own priorities so that Christ is at the forefront of your life because Christ transcends life and death. The Gospel of John tells us that eternal life begins now with faith in Jesus Christ. Put our Lord God Jesus Christ at the forefront of your life now and know that no matter what happens, nothing, not even death itself can separate you from his love.