MARCH 29, 2009  SERMON ARCHIVE

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

In the verses just prior to today’s Gospel, we read these words:

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise."

Dear Christian friends,

Our Lord must have felt like He was preaching to stones or to brick walls when He spoke to His disciples about His suffering and death. These words before our Gospel Lesson are not the first time Jesus "began to tell them what was to happen to Him."

Not once, but twice before in St. Mark's book, Jesus preached sermons to His disciples about His suffering, death and resurrection. On each previous occasion, the disciples did not react to His preaching as well as our Lord might have liked:

Jesus preached His first sermon about His suffering and death not long after Peter confessed to Him, "You are the Christ" (Mark 8:29). Jesus' first sermon about how "the Son of Man must suffer many things" (Mark 8:31) did not sit very well with His congregation, and Peter "took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke Him" (Mark 8:32). You remember how well that turned out, with Jesus' responding, "Get behind Me, Satan!" (Mark 8:33)

Jesus' second sermon about His impending death did no better than the first. Jesus preached, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And when He is killed, after three days He will rise" (Mark 9:31). None of the disciples rebuked Jesus this time, but that is because "they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask Him" (Mark 9:32).

The words prior to today’s Gospel are the third sermon Jesus preached on the same topic:

Taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise."

Maybe you should think of this third sermon as an example of how the hearing of God's Word makes people worse instead of better. Just look at the progression of reactions over the course of these three sermons preached about Jesus' suffering and death:

In the first sermon, the congregation reacted negatively, but at least they reacted.

In the second, the congregation wanted to react, but it felt too afraid to say or do anything in response to the Word

The reaction to this third sermon is the worst of the three because there is no reaction at all.

Jesus had just preached a sermon about His death and resurrection, which are the very heart of the Christian faith, and the disciples do not even act like they heard a Word of it.

James and John had their eyes totally on themselves. They were unswayed by the preaching of the Word, devoting their attentions only to their own concerns. Vying for position, they appear to have thought themselves worthy of title and rank. "They said to Him [Jesus], 'Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.'"

James and John are not alone in ignoring the Words Jesus preached to them. The other disciples jumped right in with them. "When the ten heard it [James' and John's request], they were indignant."

Theirs was not a holy indignation that objected to James and John ignoring the preaching of the Word. Theirs was a selfish indignation. They, too, were ignoring the preaching of the Word and concerning themselves only with getting with their own share of the pie.

Three sermons of the purest Gospel, preached by the Lord of Life Himself; three reactions that go from bad to worse. Opposing the Word, as Peter did in the first sermon, is bad enough. Allowing the Word to go into one ear and out the other, as all twelve did in the section before today's Gospel, is worse.

Now, how many of feel like you would like to object to what I said earlier, that the hearing of God's Word makes people worse instead of better.

If so, tell me, then: why do people grow bored with the preaching of the Word? Why doesn't your attention stay riveted to the Word any better than it does?

If God's Word truly works improvements in us, then why do you and I both immediately return to our preoccupations and our worries as soon as worship is over?

I know that I can hardly say the Benediction before my mind returns to how I might juggle the bills; how I might find time to go play a little with my Jeep, and how I might balance my travel and enjoyment schedule with my bedside manner.

It is really no surprise to me that James and John act as though they have never even heard the Word. These men do not surprise me because I do the same thing and I do it all the time.

Of course, you must always bear in mind the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Perhaps the most important thing that you should remember with regard to the Fourth Petition is the fact that it is the fourth, and not the first or the second or the third.

The Fourth Petition is the fourth petition, which suggests it might not be quite as important as "Hallowed be Thy Name" (Mathew 6:9), "Thy Kingdom come," and "Thy will be done" (Matthew 6:10). It is only the Fourth Petition we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread", and yet are tempted to make daily bread your first petition, your primary concern, and your main food for thought.

James and John fell into that same sin . Jesus was preaching about holiness of God's name and the coming of the kingdom and the accomplishment of the will of God when He preached about His suffering and death. In other words, Jesus was bringing His disciples the very best of God's promises and assurances for their salvation.

All the while, James and John (and the others, too) were concerning themselves only with daily bread. "Teacher," they said, "grant us to sit, one at Your right hand an done at Your left, in Your glory." It is as if these men were saying, "Enough about the cross, Jesus! Make my position and status sure. Give me assurances that I will maintain a certain level of honor and reputation and comfort, no matter what happens in the future."

You might still be hung up by my suggestion that the hearing of God's Word makes people worse instead of better. Maybe I could revise the statement to make it more acceptable: If the hearing of God's Word does not make people worse instead of better, it certainly brings out the worst in you. That is to say, God's Word displays your sin with indelible clarity.

As you can see from this Gospel, God's Word lays bear your James-and-John type motivations and your ten-disciples type jealousies.

Beyond that, the Word of God makes impossible demands upon you, such as the command Jesus gives to you in this same Gospel: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." Good luck accomplishing that!

Even beyond that, this Gospel holds you also guilty of allowing the living and miraculous Words of God to go into one ear and out the other.

This is the third sermon Jesus preached to the disciples on the same topic, and their reactions worsened with each preaching. If the closest disciples of the Lord were capable of such negligence and stoniness at the hearing of His Word, so also are you. That seems like pretty good motivation for Lenten repentance.

Yet even while the Word of God brings out the worst in you, it delivers to you the very best of God.

Taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise."

Here is the Holiness of God's name established among you: that Jesus preaches the stuff of your forgiveness and salvation, earned for you when God the Son suffered and died at the hands of the Gentiles.

Here is the coming of God's Kingdom and the greatest manifestation of His glory: that Jesus was hung on the cross and crowned with thorns, glorified between two thieves whose places were prepared for them by God's own justice.

Here is the accomplishment of God's Will: that "they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise."

Take this Gospel to heart, dear saints! Mark it well!

In this Gospel, Jesus assures you that the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer have been fully answered and accomplished for you.

Do not pass these promises lightly by. Take them as evidence and assurance that your God shall faithfully answer your Fourth Petition prayers as well.

As St. Paul said in another place, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

Dear friends,

Christ Is Risen.