This is a test.

This last week ALL the readings for today screamed at me, saying, “Preach me!”

 

But don’t worry – I won’t inflict a 10 point half hour long sermon on you,

            IF you will agree to do some scripture reflection of your own

                                                in this next week.

 

First, all I’m going to say about the Isaiah lesson 

            is that I pray that I could be like the Prophet Isaiah

                        to have the tongue of a teacher.

I think that my usual intent for my sermons is teaching

            with a strong desire to make the teaching relevant.

So I am going to do my best with that this morning,

            but you have to make the application, each of you for yourself.  Okay?

 

The Gospel:  Jesus said, “Who do you say that I am?”

 

This is a test.

 

This will come up if you are going to be in the discipleship school

            of this great spiritual teacher, Jesus.

 

He asks this question of the 12 in order to check out their discipleship,

            and then, according to how they answered, 

            to give them specific teaching

                        that will be crucial to their discipleship,

and not only theirs, but ours also,

            that is, if we really want to be identified as his disciples.

This discipleship stuff takes up a lot of the Gospels,

            so it really behooves us to give some effort to understanding

                                                the discipleship program that Jesus is cranking out.

 

How do the disciples do with the test question?            

 

They report first that others are into some reincarnation ideas about Jesus,

            about him being Elijah or John the Baptist come back again,

            or that Jesus ranks right up there with the prophets.

 

But as for themselves, the disciples, Peter seems to be speaking for them

            in laying the claim on Jesus that he is the Messiah.

 

And Jesus sternly ordered them, 

            or we could translate it a bit more closely:

                        Jesus strictly set them straight 

                                                that they weren’t supposed to talk about it.

That’s a perfectly legitimate translation, 

                        “that they weren’t supposed to talk about it,”

            rather than the translation 

                        that they weren’t supposed to tell about him, and here’s why.

 

What he then teaches is something different about who he is 

            than the Messiah.

He teaches that he is going to suffer, 

            to be rejected by the religious establishment and leaders, 

            be killed and then rise again.

 

You see, the idea about the Messiah was that this would be the person

            who would have the endorsement of the religious institution,

            and who would free the people from political oppression

                        just like Moses leading the Children of Israel

                        out of slavery in Egypt to freedom.

This Messiah would free the nation from the oppressor Rome

            and would then establish Jerusalem as the capitol for the nation 

                        from which they would now rule the world 

                                                                                                instead of the Romans.

            The Romans would now be subjugated to their rule.

And this Messiah would live forever.

 

That was the common take at that time 

            on what the ancient Prophets had said about a Messiah.

 

But Jesus is not talking about overcoming the oppressors,

            not referring to this huge national issue at all,

and instead he is talking about facing what must seem like utter failure – 

                                                                        getting executed.

Peter can’t take this.

He’s still hanging onto his idea of Jesus as political Messiah.

So Peter tries to set him straight, not a smart move on his part.

Don’t mess with the Teacher.

That will just set you up for getting used as an example for the rest

            about how you haven’t gotten point of the lesson.

 

Sure enough, Jesus looks around at the disciples

            and here the Greek word for see means 

                        Jesus looked at their condition at that moment

                        and saw deeply into them

                        and could see where they were at in their thoughts.

So Peter gets used as an example for the rest of the disciples.

 

“Get behind me, Satan!,” Jesus says, 

“For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

 

Jesus calls Peter Satan, a name that means liar.

He says that Peter is advocating a lie,

and it’s a lie because he is not thinking about things as God does,

            but is thinking out of his own head, his own limited perspective.

 

That’s always the truth.

What we see of truth, of reality, is from a personal perspective 

            colored by our individual experiences and history

            a perspective which is limited. 

 

In fact,

            how can we then presume to say fully who Jesus is?

What we do say is limited.

            What we know is a limited slice of the whole.

                        What we understand is a constriction of the whole of reality.

 

The reality was that Jesus was indeed headed for execution

            for an incredibly important reason.

This was the way he could save the world

                                    and not just his own people,

            and he would do that through Resurrection, not insurrection. 

 

And then Jesus continues teaching his students, his disciples;

            the Teacher gives out homework.

 

“If you are going to follow me,

            you are going to need to take up your own cross,

                                                            your own means of execution.

Let go of your life as you have known it and fashioned, and nurtured it.

            Die to that in order to live in a whole new way.

 

Now here is a good example of homework meant to help us die to self:

            the Epistle lesson for today from James.

Listen to this and read this lesson with a good modicum of introspection.

 

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, 

            for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” 

-- Oh, preaching to myself here. --

“For all of us make many mistakes. … “  

 

The examples of the bit in the horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship

            are given as apt illustrations of the power of the tongue,

of the words we say and how we say them and what effect they can have.

 

“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

            How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 

            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. …

 

“… no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

            With it we bless the Lord and Father, 

            and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.”

 

Reflect on these words.

            How much of this applies to you – and to me?

            Take it to heart.

            Think how important this message is to us as a parish family,

                                                as a community of faith.

            Do we need repentance?

            Is there a mess that you or I need to clean up, 

                                    apologize for, see reconciliation for?

We can turn things around.

            And in doing so we are practicing dying to self.

 

You may want to pull out this page from the bulletin and take it home with you.

 

And you may want to do the same with the Psalm for today, Psalm 116.

            Here’s the Gospel good news for today:

                        a hymn about God’s saving intervention in your life

                        that fits quite aptly with the way the world is at this present time,

            a hymn to encourage our faith 

                        when it may be lagging or we are feeling overwhelmed.

 

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *…

2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *…

4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion. …

I was brought very low, and he helped me. …

the Lord has treated [me] well.

7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.

Amen.