Sermon 9/12/2021

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Sermon Proper 19 B 2021

Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Mark 8:27-38

Theme: Students of Christ 

I don’t know what dinner table conversations are like at your house, but at ours they often revolve around school and schoolwork. Probably because I insist on asking our kids the same predictable question every time - “so tell me, how was school? What did you learn today?” Often the answers are brief, “it was fine, not much”. Occasionally we get into lengthy discussions or debates. 

One recent discussion was about math. Our youngest was insistent that it was unnecessary for the teacher to assign so many math problems. His argument being that If you can do one, why do you need to do 15 more of the same?

Show of hands - How many of you love math? How many of you struggle with math? 

Those of you who raised your hand can probably explain to our 10 year old why teachers assign so many math problems. Most of us can’t grasp a mathematical concept, much less master it, by simply listening to someone explain it and then solving only one problem.  It is only by doing it ourselves, going through the steps to solve the problem over and over again that we get it.  We learn by doing. 

The same principle applies to other areas of our life: sports and athletics, building and repairing things (Rick Rule, Dave Heisler, Gruvers), gardening, sewing, cooking (Sally Porter’s pies), painting, singing, dancing, playing an instrument (Scott’s trombone). The more we do it, the more we learn.  Being a student of anything requires practice. 

Being a student of Christ is no different. 

We learn best when we take the teachings Jesus gave us and go out there and do our best to put them into practice. 

Peter is a great example of how this works. Peter was one of a small group of people that accompanied Jesus in his travels and spent their days listening to him teach and watching him perform amazing signs and wonders. The bible gives us several stories about Peter so we have a slightly clearer image of him than we do of some of the other disciples of Jesus. When I think of Peter I picture him as the bright and over eager student, the one who throws their hand up first to answer a question and is jumping out of their seat to speak. 

Eagerness is not a bad thing

When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water he was eager to get out of the boat and give it a go himself so he asked Jesus to call to him so he could walk on out and join him. Jesus did as Peter requested, but once he stepped out onto the waves he only got a few feet before he started to sink. That is not a bad thing either. Peter learned a valuable lesson about his faith that day, a lesson he never would have learned if he stayed in the safety of the boat.  It was only because he ventured out to ACT on his faith that he was able to gain a deeper understanding.  I think many of us would agree that we have learned more from our failures and mistakes than our successes. 

As we know from Peter, being a student of Christ is a lifelong journey of trying and failing and trying again. As we also know one of the most beautiful parts of being a follower and a student of Christ, is that Jesus is always there reaching out a hand to help us when we flounder, falter or fall. 

The other really important spiritual lesson Peter can help us teach us is the difference between knowledge and understanding. 

Traditional  - Let’s look again at the gospel lesson today from Mark that Amy read for us.  The passage in which Peter professes that Jesus is the Messiah but then tries to rebuke Jesus when Jesus explains what is about to happen to him.

Take a moment and turn with me now to Mark 8:27-34 

8:27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"

8:28 And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

8:29 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah."

8:30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

8:31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

8:32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

8:33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

8:34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

We can learn alot from this exchange between Peter and Jesus.  What I find interesting is that Peter had knowledge but not understanding. What I mean by that is Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but he did not truly understand what being the Messiah was all about. 

Here again, Peter reminds me of one of those students who is eager and quick but doesn’t always listen well. You teach them a concept and their mind is off and running on its own path excited to make the next mental connection but is no longer open to instruction.  Peter was quick to perceive that Jesus is the promised one of God, but as soon as Jesus started to teach them about God’s plan for the Messiah, Peter couldn’t hear it. He had already worked out in his mind how things were going to go and suffering and death were not a part of his calculations. 

The piece that Peter was missing he would learn soon enough. 

The way that “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1) 

In a few short weeks he would stand by and watch as his beloved teacher is arrested, tortured, put to death and rise from the grave.  He will learn first hand that the power and victory and triumph of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection was won not by arguments of truth, it was won by acts of love. 

Peter would learn even more as he spent the rest of his days living out Jesus’ special request “Feed my sheep”. Through each act of service he would grow in his understanding. 

There was a time in my life when I thought being a Christian meant believing all the right things. Now I see things differently.  I see that being a follower of Jesus is about learning how to live and love as Jesus lived and loved. That is what it means to take up our cross and follow. It is to surrender our lives to God so that God might use us to show Christ’s love to the world. 

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:1-2)