Final Answer?

Reverend Debbie Cato
Mark 8:27-38
Fairfield Community Church
September 15, 2024 

 

Let us pray:  God of Knowledge, speak to us so that we may focus on divine things. Pour out your Wisdom upon us so to give us strength and understanding to take our cross and following you. Amen.

 

 

“Final Answer?”

 

How many of you are familiar with the TV Game Show “Who wants to be a millionaire?”  It first aired in August 1999 with Regis Philbin as the host.  The contestants sit in a chair and answer one question after another, each time the money gets bigger and bigger.  You can stop and take home the money at any point or move on and risk losing it all.  For most contestants, the gamble to win more money is often more enticing than the risk of losing it all, so they continue to play. When they give their answer, Regis gives them one more chance to change their mind – “Is this your final answer?” he asks.   “Final answer,” the contestant says.

Imagine that we are watching “Who wants to be a millionaire?” and Jesus is the host and the contestant, Peter sits across from him.   Peter answers question after question and now, he’s at the million-dollar question.  Answer this one right – Peter wins it all.  Answer wrong – he loses everything.

“For one million dollars, Peter,” Jesus says, “Who do people say that I am?”  I can see Peter, all excited… shaking in his seat… grinning from ear to ear.  “I know this one, Jesus,” Peter says, “You are the Messiah.”   “Final answer?” Jesus asks.  “Final answer.” says Peter.

 Final answer. What does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Messiah? What does it mean for His disciples? – for all followers of Jesus if He is the Messiah?  Peter certainly didn’t understand.  Do we?

 The first half of Mark’s Gospel is filled with accounts of Jesus’ healings, his miracles, and his exorcisms of demons.  It is filled with all his teachings to the crowds.  It’s filled with his teachings to his disciples. People wonder, “Who is this man that teaches with such authority?”  Some call him rabbi; some think he is John the Baptist, some Elijah the great prophet.   People speculate… but Jesus keeps his true identity quiet. 

Today, we begin the second half of Mark’s Gospel.  For the first time, Jesus begins to speak boldly about his true purpose and mission.  From here through the end of chapter 15, Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem.  He has completed his ministry in Galilee and Jesus is traveling toward his ultimate mission.  It is in these chapters that Jesus acknowledges who he is. He tries to teach his disciples what that means – for him; and for them. 

 It is in these chapters that we learn that Jesus must suffer and die.  While they travel toward Jerusalem, Jesus’ prepares his disciples for suffering.  Or at least, he tries. 

Peter’s confession distinguishes what the disciples know about Jesus from the common views about him.  Jesus acknowledges that he is the Christ, but Jesus still does not claim the title of Messiah.  The Son of Man did not come just to exercise authority on earth, but also to suffer.    Although Peter’s final answer that Jesus is the Messiah is right, that confession will be misunderstood if suffering is not the central truth about Jesus’ identity. 

Jesus will not claim the title of Messiah until he has suffered, until he has been crucified and risen from the dead.  It is through his resurrection, that Jesus IS the Messiah; the Christ.  The Messiah is Jesus unique role in salvation history, that is only achieved through his death on the cross. 

You see, when Peter gives his million dollar answer, he has a different definition of what a messiah means.  He doesn’t like Jesus’ talk about suffering.  He doesn’t like the talk about dying.  How can Jesus say this?  You’re wrong, Jesus!  The Messiah can’t suffer!

It’s natural, and even understandable that Peter should feel compelled to correct Jesus.  For Peter, it was unthinkable that Jesus would die.  But for Jesus, it was inevitable.  Suffering is the only way to destroy the stronghold of Satan, which is Jesus’ purpose from early in the Gospel.  

The disciples participated in Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing.  Now they discover that they must also participate in the ministry of suffering.  Following Christ in self-denial and even in suffering is a necessary means of salvation.  One cannot follow Jesus except “on the way” of self-denial and the cross.

 Modern culture is exposed to the symbol of the cross primarily in jewelry or figures of speech.  We think of bearing a cross as putting up with an inconvenience or a hardship of some kind.  We even joke about it.

The symbol of the cross in the first century – when Mark’s readers lived, was vastly different!  It was an image of extreme repugnance!  The cross was an instrument of cruelty, of pain and shame.  The cross was a way to  dehumanize individuals.  The cross symbolized hated Roman oppression and was reserved for the lowest social classes.  It was the most visible aspect of Rome’s terror apparatus, designed especially to punish criminals, and deter those who opposed Roman power.  It was used to quash slave rebellions. 

 In 71 BC the Roman general Crassus defeated the slave-rebel Spartacus and crucified him and six thousand of his followers.  A century later, in Mark’s day, Nero crucified and burned Christians who were falsely accused of setting fire to Rome.  The image of the cross for Mark’s community suffering adversity under Nero, was not a sign of God’s grace, but rather of the identification as followers of Jesus and their faithfulness to the way of Jesus himself instead of Rome. 

The church continues to be a martyr throughout the world.  There are those in Southeast Asia that read and study their Bible in secret, knowing that if they are caught, they will be killed.  In our day, Christians who work to bring justice and peace to suffering peoples around the world are often victims of the violence they are trying to end.  Sometimes death squads single out religious leaders and missionaries for particularly brutal execution in the hope of frightening the people. 

Most of us aren’t asked to live that way.  To literally put our lives on the line for our beliefs.  To suffer that way for Christ.  But perhaps we need to consider whether there are situations in which public pressure does lead us to deny our faith.  To deny the core values taught by Jesus.

We know that our Christian faith is not always welcome in the workplace so, we learn to hide our Christian identity when morally questionable practices seem to be the order of the day. We keep our mouths shut when perhaps we ought to speak up and speak out. 

When we go to the polls, we forget the gospel teachings of justice and equity and love of neighbor, and instead vote in ways that benefit ourselves and hurt those without a voice.  We spend our money on things we think we need while people all around us are hungry and homeless.  We would rather deny others than deny ourselves.  These things are so small compared to what others suffer for their faith and yet how often do we fail?

Jesus warns Peter and the disciples - and us, that attempts to preserve our life from self-denial and suffering may jeopardize our very soul.  When the way of Jesus is more important than our own existence, we will secure our eternal being; but when our own existence is more important than Jesus, we will lose both Jesus and our existence into eternity. 

Confronted with the necessity of suffering, most people react exactly like Peter.  Jesus sets out the challenge for us to think as God does, not as human beings normally do.  Jesus’ healing miracles and his compassion for the crowds at the feeding miracles make it clear that God does not delight in human suffering. 

The disciples were sent out to heal as well as to preach the good news.  Yet danger lies in concluding that suffering and self-sacrifice are always
undesirable. Despite everything the Bible tells us about the suffering of truly righteous people, Christians frequently think that if we pray enough God will remove all trials from our lives.  When a loved one is diagnosed with a dreaded illness, we tend to pray for miraculous healing rather than pray for strength and courage and wisdom in dealing with the bad news.  When children continue to die by high powered weapons, we offer thoughts and prayers but no solution.  Somehow, we have grasped the Jesus of the miracles but have ignored the word of the cross. 

When confronted by the call to discipleship, disciples do not have a “both…and” choice – both Christ and our own lives.  The claim of Jesus is a total and exclusive one.  It does not allow a convenient compartmentalization of natural life and religious life; of secular and sacred.  The issue is who is in charge.  To say “Christ” is to give up the right to define what “Christ” means; it is to acknowledge His authority to define the term and with it the meaning of the confession.

Today’s text has great significance for us.  By leading to a clear understanding of the correct answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” this text points to a clear understanding of the question, “Whose am I?” 

 So, imagine you are the contestant and Jesus is sitting across from you.  He smiles and says, “Who do YOU say I am?”  A lot is at stake.  Your answer has eternal consequences.  What is your final answer? Amen.