14th Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 19
Mark 8:27-38
"Faith’s Famous Four Words"
27 ¶ And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"
28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets."
29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
30 And he charged them to tell no one about him.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
37 For what can a man give in return for his life?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Grace and Peace to you from ouor Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
Many years ago, Wanda and I visited Niagara Falls. It was a tremendous sight. The roar of the water, the mist spraying up from the river, the power of the water rushing down that river all of this was a wonder to behold. As you looked above the Falls there was a cable stretched across the river. On that cable was a warning that all boats needed to stay on the other side or the power of the rushing river would send the boat and its occupants over the falls to sudden death.
There is a story about a sailor and a miner who lost control of the rowboat they were rowing above the falls. The swift water started pulling them to the edge of the falls. Someone from the shore flung a rope to the two as they were tossed from their boat into the pounding current. At that same time, a floating log shot by. The sailor grabbed the rope and hung on, but the miner seized the log and wrapped himself around it ignoring the rope. You know the outcome, one man was saved, the other lost. One man was pulled to safety because he choice the right course, the way to safety, the other perished because he choose wrong.
Our gospel lesson this morning talks about the life line of life, Jesus Christ. Our lesson speaks about the one, Jesus, who throws us the safety line of salvation when we are going down the river of life. Our lesson tells Is us about one man’s confession, one man’s declaration about the savior of his life.
Jesus is in the middle of his public ministry. He is in northern Galilee, and he is now heading down to Jerusalem where he knows that the cross, suffering and death await him. As he begins this most difficult part of his ministry, he has to know if he has done any good ? He has to know if anyone has figured out who he is, why he has come. He doesn’t ask the crowds, but he asks the men who have been with him night and day for a year and a half. He asks the ones who are suppose to know him best. He begins by asking them what others are saying about him. They tell| him, some say you are Elijah, other a prophet. Then Jesus brings the question from out there to home, he asks them, "But who do you say that I am" Notice the disciples don’t all answer at once. They don’t all jump in with the answer, but one of them, Peter has figured it all out Peter thinks he knows, so brave, bold Peter says, "You are the Christ." You are the Christ, faith’s most famous words. Peter understood who Jesus was, he knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God, the one who would bring God’s good news into the world.
This morning I would like to look very closely at Faith’s famous Four words, I would like to look at each word of this confession of Peter, so as we study Peter’s confession, we might be able to make our own confession Jesus you are the Christ in our lives.
The first word in Peter’s confession is You. Peter is saying, You, this Jesus of Nazareth, you are the Christ. Notice that this word you is a very personal word. Peter was saying loud and clear that he knew this savior well, he had a personal intimate relationship with him. You, someone that I know, someone that knows me. This you is not some vague God, but a personal God, a God who is concerned about me, as much as I am about getting to know him better.
When I was in college, at Wartburg College, my first two years were spent as a drama major. One of the plays I was in an actor was Luggi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.
In this play a group of actors were assembled on a stage, rehearsing a new drama. And they were interrupted by the arrival of six "character" who clamored to be produced.
They address the stage manager: "We bring you a drama, sir," said one of the characters. " We are six most interesting character.
"Well, that’s most interesting," said the stage manager, "but what do you want here, all of you?"
"Why" came the repeated plea, "we want to live in you."
The play goes on as these six characters act out their drama in these actors on the stage, they fight, they quarrel, they love, they hate, they bring all the emotions of life alive on that stage.
As you think about that play it intrigues me that those six characters wanted to live their lives in someone else because that was the only way their story would be told. I think all of us have a character in us who is clamoring to be heard, we have someone who is trying to tell his life story through us, the chief character in all of our lives should be Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of Peter’s word, You. Peter brings Jesus into a personal relationship with him by using that word you. Is Jesus personal for you?? Do you have an intimate relationship with him? Is your relationship so intimate with Christ that he is the character trying to live out his life in you???
The next word of Peter’s confession is are. Peter says you are. Are in the English language is a verb, a to be verb which means something now, something for today, and something for tomorrow and forever. Jesus is for Peter something for today, and something for ever. Is Jesus that kind of person for you? Is he going to be in your today’s and well as your tomorrow’s???
There is a story about a man who had been very faithful and active in church, but all of a sudden he didn’t come and didn’t come. Then one day, he was back in church. The pastor was pleased and asked him how he had come to return to church he said:
"Every Sunday morning and evening a certain man would pass my house on the way to church. The worship services were so important to him that he did not let the snow or rain stop him. We would talk and he told me he had to walk 8 blocks to church. He often extended me an invitation to join him by saying, " This is a good day to go to church with me." But I never said yes, but he never seemed discouraged when I refused him.
"While I never accepted his invitation to go with him to church his passing by twice on Sunday made me feel dissatisfied. I learn. of his illness by his failure to go to prayer meeting on Wednesday night. I thought that someone ought to take his place. I know I can’t, but I do want to sit in his pew. That man’s steps in the snow made me want to rejoin the church. He had something which I need; and after many years away from the church. I am now back ready to join."
A relationship with Jesus Christ is something for today and tomorrow. Even when we have turned away from Christ, he is still there working through the events and people in our lives.
Jesus Christ is in your life whether you know it or not. Are you willing to acknowledge his presence today and tomorrow? Are you willing to let him be the power and the strength for your life? Can you confess as Peter did, You are the Christ.
The next word in Peter’s confess, the nextword in Faith’s most famous four words is the .
Sometimes we tend to skip over words like the, a, an and others. They are words that usually carry very little weight. But in faith’s famous four words, the is very important. For this the tells us that Peter was seeing Jesus as the only Christ, the only Lord, the only savior for his life. Peter didn’t say you are a Christ, a Christ among many, a savior among many, a lord among many, a God among many. No, Peter said the, meaning the only one, the only Lord, the only savior, the only God of his life.
When you and I think about Jesus for our lives, do we tend to put an a before his name or a the?? Is Jesus one savior, one God among many, or is he the only God in our lives?? Is Jesus the only God we worship, the only God that is glorified, the only God that brings meaning and purpose to life, or is Jesus one among a whole host of god’s in your life?? Does he have to take second place to money, or work or time, or hatred, or unloved? Is Jesus just one of the many gods that you worship?’ Many people place making money ahead of God, many place time ahead because they say they don’t have or want to take the time to worship God. Many place hatred or unloved before Jesus because it is more important for them to carry grudges from the past, or find faults in people today which hinders them from worshiping the one true God.
What is it for you?? Is there an a before the name of Jesus for you or a the meaning that Jesus is the only God for you.
Finally, the last word in faith’s famous four words is Christ. Christ which means Messiah, the anointed one, Son Of God, one part of the trinity, Christ, one part of the Godhead, Christ the Son of God who came to earth to show tell and bring the love of god to us.
Elizabeth Browning wrote:
Earth’s with heaven
And only he who sees takes off his shoes
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Only one of the disciples saw God in Jesus, Peter. For the first time, Peter grasped the momentous fact that Jesus was the Christ. It wasn’t a full understanding, nevertheless, Peter was able to comprehend if only dimly--God’s presences in Christ. He was able to make his own confession of faith. Yes, Jesus you are God, you are the anointed, you are God incarnate.
You and I are called by God to make that same kind of response. We are called to respond to the same personal question that was asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" What matters is whether or not we can perceive the reality of the presence of God in Christ--and relate to that reality with our lives.
Jesus asked, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered,"You are the Christ."
Jesus is asking us, "But who do you say that I am.
I answer.
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 8, 2003
