Second Sunday in Lent – 28 February 2021 - Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 8^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 27–38:

And 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?” 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 strictly 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 aside 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 setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

³⁴ And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone 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, but 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 soul? ³⁷ For what can a man give in return for his soul? 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.”

There came a time in Jesus’ ministry when He took the disciples off by themselves to instruct them.  To get away from the crowds Jesus left Jewish territory completely and ^{(Mark 8:27)} “went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi”. Jesus drew a smaller crowd in Gentile territory, and it was easier to get the disciples alone.  Jesus was ready to tell the disciples about His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection, and He wanted to tell them in a more private setting.

Jesus took advantage of the walk to the villages of Caesarea Philippi and began teaching them as they walked.  On the way he asked his disciples, ^{(Mark 8:27)} “Who do people say that I am?” This was a very typical teaching method in that day.  Many teachers still use this method today.  Ask a question.  Then guide the discussion as the students struggle with their answer.  You can teach many things as you guide students to the right answer.

The disciples responded with the answers they had heard as they travelled with Jesus.  They told him, ^{(Mark 8:28)} “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” While these answers are all wrong, they do show a high respect for Jesus.  All the names that the disciples gave were men that the people respected.  The names were wrong, but at least they were honourable names.

This first question had been a warmup question.  It is the next question that is really important for the disciples … the disciples then … and the disciples today.  He asked them, ^{(Mark 8:29)} “But you, who do you say that I am?”…..  It is very important that the disciples have the right answer to this question.  Not only the disciples back then, but the disciples today.  It is important that we have the right answer to this question.  You, who do we say that Jesus is?

Peter answered him, ^{(Mark 8:29)} “You are the Christ.” ….. Peter’s words are exactly right.  But did he understand them?  These are simple words to say, but understanding these words can take a lifetime.  Peter said the exact right words, but he will soon demonstrate the he didn’t have a clue what they meant.

^{(Mark 8:31–32)} “[Jesus] 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. ³²And he said this plainly”. Now that we have Peter’s answer, ^{(Mark 8:29)} “You are the Christ,” Jesus began to teach them exactly what it means to be the Christ.  Jesus began teaching them how He would pay for the sins of the world.  He would suffer many things, the Jewish leaders would reject Him, He would die, and He would rise.  This is Christ’s work of salvation, not only for the disciples, but also for us.  This is His work.  This is the work that defines what it means to be the Christ.

How did Peter respond to the very heart of what it means to be the Christ^{?  (Mark 8:32)} “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him”. The word rebuke is not a word that we use a lot.  It means to scold.  It means that Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticise Him.  Peter, the fisherman, was scolding the Son of God.

Peter didn’t know it, but He was acting as the devil’s agent to tempt Jesus.  The heart of the devil’s temptation was all about getting Jesus to avoid the cross.  Peter was actually scolding Jesus for talking about suffering and dying.  Since the suffering and dying are how Jesus earns our forgiveness, Peter was trying to convince Jesus not to do the work that forgives our sins.  Peter was doing exactly what the devil wanted.

Jesus recognised the temptation immediately.  He would have nothing to do with it.  ^{(Mark 8:33)} “Turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Jesus recognised the words of Satan coming out of Peter’s mouth.  He stopped him in no uncertain terms.

Here we see Jesus demonstrate the proper way to be judicious and stern.  Jesus loves Peter.  He does not want Peter to be an agent of Satan.  He wants Peter to be His apostle.  He loves Peter enough to warn him of the danger that he is in.  He loves Peter enough to pull him back from his sin.  Jesus loves Peter enough to use stern, strong language to bring him back into His fold.

Jesus had a warning for the rest of disciples and the crowds as well.  ^{(Mark 8:34–37)} “Calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷For what can a man give in return for his soul?”. 

These words teach the exact opposite of the words you hear from those sensational preachers of our day.  They will tell you that God wants you to be rich … God wants your children to get good grades … God wants you to advance at work … God wants you to have a life of victory in this world.  You can find a lot of people who will tell you that if you truly believe, then you will get all these things.  You will become healthy, wealthy, and wise … your children will rise up and bless you … You and your spouse will have a relationship that is just marinated in love. It’s called ‘Prosperity Theology’. The senior Pastor of probably the most popular church in Australia has written two books “You Need More Money” and “There is More”.  It is as if they have never heard Jesus when He says, ^{(Mark 8:34)} “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus promises eternal life in the presence of God and His mercy and grace.  This does not mean that we will live lives of luxury in this sin-filled world.  Instead, Jesus compares the life of this world to carrying a cross … an instrument of torture and death.

How often are we like Peter?  How often do we make decisions based on what appears successful in this world instead of checking the Word of God?  How often do we assume things about God without checking the words that He Himself gave us?  How often do we, like Peter, proceed in the way that we think is best and forget that God may have something totally different for us?  How often do we follow in Peter’s footsteps by following our own thoughts instead of the Word of God?

How glad we can be that Jesus didn’t listen to Peter.  Jesus followed up on His promise.  He went to Jerusalem and there the elders and the chief priests and the scribes did exactly what He said they would do.  They arrested Jesus and held a mock trial.  Then they took Jesus to Pontius Pilate and used political pressure to have Him crucified.   Jesus died just as He said He would and then He also rose … just as He said He would.  Jesus did all this to take away our sin and give us His righteousness instead.  Because Jesus did not listen to Peter, but followed through on His plan, we now have forgiveness, life, and salvation.

It is interesting to recall that the Mark who wrote today’s text was a disciple of Peter … the same Peter in today’s Gospel.  It is interesting that Mark’s account of these events left out a few things.  According to Mark: [Jesus] asked them^{, (Mark 8:29)} “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”According to Matthew:  ^{(Matthew 16:15–17)}  [Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven

According to Matthew, Jesus praised God the Father for revealing the right answer to Peter, but Mark’s account does not include Jesus’ praise to the Father for giving Peter the right answer.  I wonder, and here I am speculating, did Peter leave this out when he told it to Mark because of what happened next?  I wonder.  Did Peter tell Mark to focus on Peter the sinner and agent of Satan.  That way, those who heard this Gospel account would better understand the generosity of Christ’s salvation.  That despite Peter’s great sin, Jesus suffered, died, and rose for him anyway.  That if Jesus can redeem Peter, the agent of Satan, He can certainly redeem us.

Mark’s account is very clear. ^{(Mark 8:31–32)}  “[Jesus] 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. ³²And he said this plainly”. This is what it means to be the Christ.  This is what it means to be our saviour.  Jesus suffered all these things for us.  

When we talk about Jesus, it is very important that we talk about the right Jesus … the Jesus who suffered many things, was rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and died and after three days rose again.  The only Christ who can save us for eternity is the true Christ … the Christ crucified and risen from the dead.  It is in this Christ and this Christ alone that we have eternal life.  This is the Christ we confess to each other and to the world.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

First Sunday in Lent – 21 February 2021 - Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 9–15:

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. 

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying,“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;   repent and believe in the gospel.”

The First Sunday in Lent is always about the temptation of Jesus for forty days in the wilderness.  Since this is the second year of the three-year lectionary, it is time to hear from Mark’s account of the temptation.  So, what does Mark have to say about the temptation?  ^{(Mark 1:13)} “He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan”. That’s it.  That is all that Mark has on the temptation.  Matthew has eleven verses of text about the temptation.  Luke has thirteen.  Mark has half a verse.

The brevity of Mark’s account gives us the chance to examine the flow of events surrounding the temptation.  During Matthew’s year and Luke’s year, we tend to hear the account of Jesus’ baptism on the First Sunday after the Epiphany.  Then we hear the account of the temptation on the First Sunday in Lent.  Unless we take the time to examine the context around the temptation account, we may not notice the relationship between the baptism and the temptation.  Not so in Mark.

The concise nature of Mark’s Gospel allows us to hear the account of the baptism and the temptation in one reading on one Sunday morning. ^{(Mark 1:9–13)} “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” ¹²The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan”. Mark almost gives the impression that Jesus was still wet with His Baptism when the Spirit drove Him out into the wilderness. The Greek word translated as drove (ekballei) in the text has two parts.  The main part means thrown.  The other part means out.  You could say that the Spirit threw Jesus out into the wilderness.

We should not think that the Holy Spirit threw Jesus into this temptation against His will.  Instead, we should understand that Jesus knew that His mission was to defeat sin, death, and the power of the devil.  Jesus knew that this temptation was coming.  He knew that this was part of His vocation as our Saviour.  His will and the will of the Holy Spirit were one in agreement.

The proximity of the Baptism and temptation narratives in Mark also provide additional understanding of the purpose of Jesus’ baptism.  We covered most of the purposes of Jesus’ baptism on the First Sunday after the Epiphany.  However, today’s text gives us one more purpose. ^{(Mark 1:10–11)}  “When [Jesus] came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” This appearance of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was not just for the benefit of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the other people who witnessed it.  It was also an announcement to the demons of this world that the Saviour was now on the battlefield.

The idea is that this was an intentional confrontation with the devil.  We should not think that the devil noticed Jesus fasting in the desert and thought to himself, “Now that He is hungry, He will be weaker.  He will be easier to tempt.  This will be a good time to tempt Him.”  Instead we should think of Jesus eager to do battle for us and the Holy Spirit encouraging Him into that battle.  The leading of the Holy Spirit teaches us that this was not some random encounter between enemies.  Instead, the temptation was part of the intentional plan of God at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.

Why is this so important?  The writer to the Hebrews said, ^{(Hebrews 4:15)} “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Why is it important that Jesus was tempted, and why is it important that He did not sin?

Jesus earned our salvation as our substitute.  He took our place as the target of God’s wrath on the cross.  Just as He took our place on the cross, He must also take our place under the law.  ^{(Galatians 4:4–5)} “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons”. In order to be our substitute, He must experience the things we experience.  He had the power to come to earth as a fully formed mature man, but He didn’t.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirt in the womb of the Virgin Mary.  He experienced the same period of gestation that other humans do.  He experienced infancy, childhood, adolescence, and so forth.  He did not just walk a mile in our shoes.  He walked an entire lifetime in our shoes.  He did this to be our substitute.

That is what His state of humiliation was all about.  He had it within Him to deal with every problem of life with His divine power and authority.  However, if He did that, how could He be our substitute.  Instead, in His state of humiliation, He dealt with all of life’s difficulties with the same resources available to every other human on the planet.  He used His divine power to help others, but He could not be our substitute if He performed a miracle every time He had a problem.

If Jesus is our substitute, He must even experience the same temptations we experience.  At the same time, He must do this without sin.  When we examine the Old Testament for the laws concerning sacrifices, there is one phrase that appears in the instructions for every animal sacrifice.  That phrase is “without blemish.”  Whether it is an ox, or a goat, or a ram, it shall be animal and shall be “without blemish.”  All these sacrifices point forward to Jesus who must be “without blemish.”  If He sinned, even just once, His sacrifice on the cross has no meaning.  We would still be in our sins. 

 That is the reason we take such comfort in the Apostle Peter’s words: ^{(1 Peter 1:18–19)} “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” We also take comfort in the words of the centurion who witnessed Christ’s crucifixion and praised God, saying, ^{(Luke 23:47)} “Certainly this man was innocent!” You see, if Christ has even one sin, then He cannot carry your sin. ^{(2 Corinthians 5:21)} “But for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”.John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ^{(John 1:29)} “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

The Gospel according to Luke informs us that when the devil had ended every temptation, ^{(Luke 4:13)}  “he departed from him until an opportune time”. We should not take this to mean that the devil stopped tempting Jesus at the end of the forty days.  Instead, we should understand that the devil only stopped until the next opportunity … that the devil used every opportunity he could to tempt Jesus … that Jesus lived a life full of temptation.

It is good for us to know that Jesus lived a human life just like the rest of us.  That life included the same temptations that enter your life.  It is good for us to know that, even though Jesus endured temptation, He never sinned.  This means that when they raised Him up on the cross, He was our substitute.  He carried our sin.  He suffered our punishment.  He earned our forgiveness.

The ultimate sign that He never sinned was His resurrection.  His resurrection assures us that He did all things perfectly.  It assures us that His death in our place was a success.  It assures us that we will also rise from the dead.  It assures us that we will live with Him forever.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

Ash Wednesday - 17 February 2021 - Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 

The text for this meditation is written in the 3rd Chapter of the Book of Genesis:  Verse 19: “You Are Dust, and to Dust You Shall Return.”

 

 

 

Next to Good Friday, today is the most somber day on the Christian calendar. Ash Wednesday is the day when we remember, as I will ask you to remember in just a few minutes time during the imposition of the ashes, that we are dust and to dust we shall return. 

 

But what do I mean when I say that to you? We’re remembering a tragically significant day in human history, a day that necessitated everything we’ll talk about through this entire season of Lent. The day that created for us a significant problem: To dust you shall return.

That statement is a direct quote from Genesis 3:19: “You Are Dust, and to Dust You Shall Return.” 

 

There God is addressing Adam immediately after the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden. He is informing Adam of all the negative consequences of his and Eve’s disobedience in eating the fruit of the tree from which God had instructed them not to eat. God had warned Adam and Eve that if they ate the fruit from that tree they shall surely die. But they did not obey God and instead followed the tempting words of Satan, eating the fruit from that tree.

 

And from that day on, death followed, just as God said it would. Adam had been formed by God from the dust of the ground. And God’s statement to Adam, “You are dust,” acknowledged his creation of Adam from the dust of the ground. Then the words “to dust you shall return” acknowledged Adam’s pending physical death and the decay and returning to the ground that death would bring. Adam was formed from the ground, and Adam would return to the ground. “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

 

There is also an eternal spiritual death that the sin of Adam and Eve brought into the world that day. An eternal estrangement and separation from God. Banishment from him, his love, his mercy, and his compassion. Adam would live the rest of his days remembering those sobering words from God. How he must have wished that he could turn the hands of time back and undo what he and Eve had done; but it was done. “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

 

Unfortunately, you and I are conceived and born facing the same problem that Adam did following his sin. As Paul writes in (Rom 5:12); “Therefore, . . . sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so “You Are Dust, and to Dust You Shall Return.” death spread to all men because all sinned” That statement made by God to Adam is just as valid when spoken to us: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

 

Significant problem! But we don’t like to think about it, do we? Our own death, the fact that we will one day go into the earth, is not something we like to remember. It makes us uncomfortable. And our society makes it very easy to avoid remembering that we are dust. From advertising to books to movies, so often the impression is given that life in this world goes on forever, that we are invincible, that somehow, we are the exception to death! We convince ourselves that maybe if we don’t think about it, we can somehow avoid it. And so many people go through life avoiding that one final earthly reality until they are right at death’s doorstep. God reminds us all this day, “To dust you shall return.”

 

Subsequently, as people who remember that we are dust, we gather here on this Ash Wednesday and repent of our sin. We confess; we admit before God and one another our sin and our sinfulness. We express our sorrow for our sin. We ask God to forgive our sin. We ask God to help us amend our sinful life and live a more God-pleasing life.

 

And yet, even more important than us remembering that we are dust is the fact that God remembers that we are dust. In Psalm 103:14; the psalmist informs us that God “knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust”. And in the Scriptures, whenever God remembers his people, he always acts on behalf of his people, to bless his people.

 

In fact, God had already remembered us and all of his people even before he told Adam, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Because just four verses before God spoke these words to Adam, that very same significant day, God spoke to Satan and assured Satan that God was going to send one who would crush Satan’s head.

 

Remembering that we are dust, God did act on behalf of us and all people. He came here and lived among us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Christ completely and voluntarily took upon himself all sin and all evil, even the penalty for sin and evil: death itself. He himself went into the earth, into the dust of the ground, as he was buried in a tomb. Worst of all, he endured the penalty of spiritual death there on the cross as he was abandoned and forsaken by his Father and cried out (Mt 27:46); “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

But he would not remain in the dust of the earth. On the third day, he would rise from the dust of the earth, just as he predicted he would. And so will we. On the day when he returns, we and all believers in Jesus Christ will rise from the dust of the earth with new, glorified bodies. Bodies that are incorruptible, no longer subject to sin. Bodies that are immortal, no longer subject to death.

 

And that is why we do not simply place ashes on our forehead tonight in any old pattern. We do so in the shape of a cross. For only in the cross of Christ and what occurred there do we have hope and life.

 

There’s an old expression that maybe you’re familiar with: “Left in the dust.” For example, when there’s a race taking place and one runner pulls away from the other, the announcer might say that the runner who pulled away “left the other runner in the dust.” In other words, he left the runner behind.

 

We give thanks that God has not “left us in the dust.” He has not abandoned us in our deadly significant problem. He has not left us behind. Just the opposite is the case. He came here in the person of Jesus Christ to make certain that we would be lifted from the dust of the earth. Just as Christ rose physically, bodily, from the grave, so we, too, will join him (Rom 6:5) “in a resurrection like his”. God will not leave us in the dust. Amen.

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen 

Transfiguration of Our Lord – 14 February 2021 – Year B

Grace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 

 

The text for this meditation is written in the 9^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 2 – 9:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud,  “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. ⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

 

    Today is the Sunday of the Transfiguration.  We just heard an account of that very Transformation from the Gospel according to Mark.  Transfiguration Sunday is a major turning point on the church calendar.  We enter the Sunday of the Transfiguration from the season of Epiphany and, as we leave, we look forward to Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.

    So it is that the Sunday of the Transfiguration is a hybrid of these two seasons.  The obvious epiphany is Jesus standing before Peter, James, and John and giving them a glimpse of His glory.  The foreshadowing of Lent is the prophecy of Jesus’ upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection that precedes the Transfiguration by just a few verses.

    The reading that we just heard from the Gospel according to Mark begins with the phrase “And after six days …” Six days after what?  The preceding verses tell us that Jesus ^{[Mark 8:31–32]} “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”.  So the transfiguration happened six days after Jesus began telling the disciples about His sacrifice to save the world from sin.

    We know that the disciples did not understand what Jesus meant because Mark’s account goes on to say, ^{[Mark 8:31–32]} “And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him”.  None of the disciples understood, but Peter was always the one with the mouth and he actually scolded Jesus for talking about suffering and death.

    Many of you will remember Jesus’ response to Peter. ^{[Mark 8:33]} “Turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””  With these words, Jesus warns Peter that not only is he wrong, but he is also acting as an agent of Satan in order to tempt Jesus to abandon His mission of going to the cross.

    So the transfiguration happens about six days after Jesus began telling the disciples about His suffering, death, and resurrection.  It also happens six days after this very dramatic demonstration of Peter’s confusion about these events.

    So Jesus took Peter, James, and John up onto the mountain.  Mark tells us that Jesus was transfigured so that even His clothing shone whiter than any professional laundry could get them.  Not only that, but two Old Testament saints, Moses and Elijah, appeared and had a conversation with Jesus.  You have got to admit that this is pretty impressive stuff.

    The Gospel we recently heard doesn’t actually tell us anything else about Jesus and his conversation with Moses the Law Giver and Elijah the prophet.  Instead, it draws our attention to the utter failure of Peter to understand what is happening.  Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here.  Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  Once again, here is Peter trying to divert Jesus from the cross.  In effect he is saying, “Hey Jesus!  We can build some shelters up here and just stay here and worship you.”  Now keep in mind that if Jesus stays up on the mountain, then He can’t go to the cross.  This is simply another variation on the devil’s main temptation of Jesus.

    About this time, God the Father puts in an appearance similar to His appearance at Jesus’ baptism.  A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”  It is almost as if God the Father was saying, “Hey!  Pay attention!  This is My Son.  When He tells you that He is going to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise from the dead, listen to Him!”  When the Father appears, the disciples find themselves face down on the ground trembling in terror.

    Not much has changed over the centuries.  We find ourselves down with our faces to the ground in terror right along with the disciples.  You see, we think that we would really like to be there with the shiny, mountain top, Jesus.  We think it would be really great to have God’s glory shine down on us.  We think it would be great to bask in the brightness of God’s presence.  But, what we think would happen and what the Bible actually says about being in the glory of God are two different things.

    God’s revealed presence has a profound effect on people.  The Bible tells of people falling to the ground like dead men, falling to their faces, quaking in fear, and so forth.  Basically, it doesn’t make any difference what kind of person you are.  If God were to show up in all His power and glory, you would have a panic attack.  Today’s Gospel account says, “Peter did not know what to say, for they were terrified.”

    You see, when God shows up in the full majesty of the glory that He revealed on the mountain top, we become intensely aware of how holy He is and how sinful we are.  This is the terror of sinful people in the revealed presence of Holy God.  There is a reason angels normally begin their message with the words, “Fear Not!”  Even though the angels only reflect the glory of God’s holiness, it is enough to terrify even the bravest soul.  We think we would like to bask in the glory of God, but the terror of Peter, James, and John teaches us to rethink our desire for this kind of mountaintop experience with God.

    Instead, we should think about joining God on a different mountain … the mountain Jesus was talking about when He said ^{[Mark 8:31–32]} “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”.  As marvellous as it is that we should hear about Jesus showing His glory to Peter, James, and John, this is not the glory that we should seek.  Instead, we should seek the glory of the blood, sweat, and tears of the cross.

    It is in the ugly brutality of Jesus on the cross that God reveals His greatest glory.  The glory of Christ on the cross is the glory that takes away our fear and replaces it with humble confidence … a confidence, not in ourselves, but a confidence in the God-man on the cross.  It is the brutal glory of Christ on the cross that takes away all sin and replaces it with the righteousness of Jesus.  This is the glory that Peter did not understand when Jesus spoke of His suffering, death, and resurrection.  This is the glory that Peter did not understand when he suggested building three shelters on the mountain top.

    Eventually, Peter would understand.  Before he understood, he had to witness Jesus in Gethsemane as He prayed.  He had to witness as a band of soldiers arrested Jesus.  He had to witness as he tried to stop Jesus’ mission with his sword only to see Jesus heal the ear of the servant.  He had to witness as the soldiers took Jesus away to suffer and die.  Most of all, he had to witness the living Lord risen from the dead … showing His hands, feet, and side to the disciples.  Even then, it was only when the Holy Spirit came on the following Pentecost that Peter would get it right.

    We are thankful that Peter got it right because he is the one who taught Mark, and Mark is the one who wrote today’s reading from the Gospel.  Peter finally did get it right.  It is through the apostolic words of Peter as recorded by Mark that we have the Gospel account we heard today.

    All too often, we seek the bright glory of the mountain top experience that shone on Peter, James, and John as we heard it in today’s Gospel reading.  We tend to ignore that part where the disciples were in terror.  We ignore the terror because we are arrogant enough to believe that the holy glory of God will not strike us down with terror over our sins.

    God the Father’s message is clear.  “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him!”  Listen to Jesus teach ^{[Mark 8:31–32]} “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”.  It is this suffering, death, and resurrection that is the glory of God that rescues us from sin, death, and the devil … that gives us eternal life.

    The season of Epiphany is about the revelation of Jesus Christ.  It begins with the light of the star that led the magi to the Christ child.  It ends with the Transfiguration that teaches us that this man Jesus is also true God. In revealing Jesus as both man and God that Epiphany prepares us for the glory of the cross.  It teaches us that the man who died on the cross is also the God who shone forth in the transfiguration.  That in Jesus Christ,  we have both man and God dying for our sins as He hangs on the cross.

    This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday … the beginning of Lent.  Now that we have once again celebrated the Epiphany of Jesus Christ as both God and man, we are ready to remember that Jesus must be both God and man so that He can go to the cross and save us from sin.  We are now ready to remember the journey that Jesus took from the mountain of the Transfiguration to the mountain of the cross.  We are ready for Lent.  We are ready to meditate on the journey that leads to the cross where Jesus will battle for us and win the victory – the victory that gives us true life with Him forever.  Amen

 

The love and peace of our Great triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen 

Epiphany 5 – 7 February 2021 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

(Christus Consolator - Carl Bloch)

The text for this meditation is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 29 – 39:

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹ He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

³² That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. ³³ And the whole city was gathered around the door. ³⁴ And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

³⁵ In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. ³⁶ And Simon and his companions hunted for him. ³⁷ When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸ He answered, “Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” ³⁹ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

 

There are many Christian churches across the world that are home to many remarkably rich works of art. Spectacular biblical insights can be captured through art, art that faithfully depicts deep truth and inspires the heart and mind. In a church in Sweden, (Sofia Albertina Kyrka) in Landskrona, there is a painting above the altar in this church that beautifully captures the divine reality of our Gospel lesson from St. Mark. One can see, huddled around the risen messianic figure of Christ is a multitude of people in various states of anguish. The painting is by Carl Bloch, a Danish artist who used his considerable talent to portray the Lord Christ in various episodes of his life. The title of the painting in the Landskrona church is Christus Consolator (Christ the Consolator). A consolator is “one who consoles.”

 

Consolator, as a word, is obsolete, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It’s true; we don’t hear that word anymore. The word we do hear is consolation, a modern word that is almost synonymous with the word ‘loser’. Who here has ever received a consolation prize? Tell me, were you ever genuinely consoled by a “consolation prize”? You just lost in front of a crowd of people and someone gives you a yellow ribbon—not blue, not red, not white, but yellow. Go home and console yourself with this yellow consolation prize; you lost.

 

There was a TV commercial many years ago that is seared into my memory. A father and son were leaving the Soccer field. The announcer introduced young Peter, still in his gear. He was the goalie who let the ball get by him and his team lost the game. The dad, who felt his son’s anguish but who also knew that life is much more than Soccer, offered his son a Life Saver lolly. The son grudgingly took what his dad offered. The dad told his son that when he, as a lad, lost his high school’s big game, it took a whole roll of Life Savers to make him feel better. The son turned to his dad and smiled and asked him if he had a whole roll. The dad consoled his son by reminding him there would be other games. Then the scene ended, and the announcer told the viewer that Life Savers are a part of life.

 

A roll of Life Savers lollies may be useful for some occasions, but the people in the Christus Consolator painting don’t strike me as those who could make do with a lolly. A prisoner in chains is looking for relief from his sins. A cripple has seemingly lost the will to live. A man so poor and skinny wonders where he can find hope. A widow huddles beneath the fold of Christ’s garment. An orphan looks out at us, forlorn. A doubting-Thomas type wrestles with his scepticism. None of the figures in the painting is a biblical character. Instead, they are representatives of the countless people through the ages who have encountered Christ the Consolator. ^{(Mt 11:28)} “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. 

 

We find refuge in him, the Consolator. And the delightful image in that church pairs twin realities that blend into one: the Divine Consoler is welcoming the distressed, and the painting hangs directly above an altar. That is precisely where our consolation is found; that is precisely where Christ the Consolator welcomes us, where we find rest, where he affords us the supreme comfort of his love, his forgiveness, his death and resurrection, his life, and his heaven. That painting belongs above an altar. That painting makes sense hanging over an altar.

 

Jesus strides into a sickroom. Peter’s mother-in-law is suffering with a “great fever,” according to St. Luke—a high fever. In those days, before antibiotics, such fevers were a genuine and immediate threat to life. This woman is left nameless. This is a surprise, but not an accident. Early Church Fathers, those who were taught by the disciples, say that Mark was closely associated with Peter. Of course, St. Mark knows Peter’s mother-in-law’s name; yet he does not use it. Why? Mark is telling us something. Mark is telling us that the Lord Christ attends the anonymous, the forgotten, the nameless, faceless individual who is in need of consolation. She offers no prayer, she makes no approach toward the Lord, yet he comes to her. He is the one who takes the initiative with us, to serve us, to extend life to us. He does not grow faint or weary in his pursuit of us. Nor does he turn away when the road to serve us becomes perilous. He comes to us in our “back rooms,” suffering with our own perilous fevers.

 

An exchange takes place: her sickness and his health. He takes what is ours and gives to us what is his. Sickness, demon-possession, disease, sin, and death—he came to take it all. No magic wand, no incantation, no great gestures or show. He simply took her by the hand and lifted her up. The fever left her. More than one biblical writer tells us about this blessed exchange. Isaiah writes, ^{(Is 53:4)} “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”. Matthew writes, ^{(Mt 8:17)} “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases”. Paul tells us that Christ became poor with our poverty, he became sin with all of our transgressions, he became dead with the death of the whole human race. He takes what robs us of our humanity, and he restores us with his virtue, his blessing, his victory, his truth, his love. That is consolation.

 

This life is very often not pretty, not comfortable, not fun. People look for consolation. People hunt high and low for every conceivable way to cope with trouble in life, and they desperately grasp somethings that they think will turn things around. An adulterous relationship, a bottle, gambling, clothing, makeovers, food, shopping sprees, travel, philosophy, endless entertainment—vanity, vanity, vanity. Looking for consolation in these things not only doesn’t help but very often makes the problem worse. It may deaden the pain temporarily, but it does not console. Our Lord brings us something more.

 

Jesus took the woman by the hand and lifted her up. That exact same phrase is used one other time in the Gospel narratives: for Jairus’s daughter, his dead daughter. She, too, had no name. She lay in the back of the house, a twelve-year-old, lifeless. The situation was not one that a Life Saver lolly could resolve for Jairus and his wife. Christ Consolator moved directly to the child’s side, took her by the hand, and raised her up: ^{(Lk 8:54)}“Child, arise”. Resurrection is consolation.

 

^{(Jn 10:10)} “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. Jesus the Consoler said that. He served Simon’s mother-in-law with his life. She received it, and then she got up to serve others. What better way to understand your life? What better way to understand what takes place in this Divine Service and then what takes place out there, in that world where we will walk? He serves us, here. Christus Consolator serves us through the Word, the preached Word that we hear, at this altar where he gives us his body and blood. He consoles us with his resurrection and sends us out to serve our fellow dwellers on this earth. The great fever of our sin is not on us. We are forgiven. Our shame has been removed; our guilt atoned for. We are embraced by the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. We have been made new in Christ’s blood. All this is consolation of the highest order.

 

On the holy cross, as he bore the fractious weight of mankind’s horrible deeds, there was none to console him. Sacred head, horribly wounded, with grief and shame weighed down. In that act, in that sacrifice, our eternal consolation was in view. To bless us and sustain us, he died; the Son of God Almighty died. To console us in whatever grief this world brings, the Lord of heaven and earth died. Receiving his consolation, we mount up; courage is born of his consolation—courage and strength and fortitude and hope. His consolation provides momentum; we walk toward heaven, each day closer to consolation in a cup that runneth over. We shall run in this life, the race marked out for us; we shall run and not be weary. We walk toward heaven. We will not faint. Christus Consolator is with us. Amen.

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen