Jesus' way confounded the disciples’ expectations
Daily Scripture
Mark 8:31-33, 9:30-32
Mark 8
31 Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Human One [or Son of Man] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” 32 He said this plainly. But Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him. 33 Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, then sternly corrected Peter: “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.”
Mark 9
30 From there Jesus and his followers went through Galilee, but he didn’t want anyone to know it. 31 This was because he was teaching his disciples, “The Human One [or Son of Man] will be delivered into human hands. They will kill him. Three days after he is killed he will rise up.” 32 But they didn’t understand this kind of talk, and they were afraid to ask him.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Today’s first reading came after Jesus restored a blind man’s sight and the apostle Peter boldly said Jesus was “the Christ,” God’s promised messiah (cf. Mark 8:22-29). Peter’s attempt to correct Jesus showed that he couldn’t yet grasp that Jesus truly meant his mission led to suffering and execution. “This story is unique in the New Testament in that the healing happens in two stages. Mark’s account, however, has an important, symbolic significance as well: Clarity about Jesus’ mission comes only after confusion.” *
- Jesus’ teaching was plain: “He is simply trying to tell them what he can see is going to happen. He will be handed over; he will be killed; he will rise again. Why couldn’t they understand?…. no such fate could possibly have been part of their… understanding of what a Messiah might do…. nobody at all believed that, if and when God did send one, that Messiah would have to suffer, still less have to die.” ** How do you stay open to God’s working, whether it fits your expectations or not?
- We need Jesus’ teaching as much as his first-century disciples. “Jesus is not leading us on a pleasant afternoon hike, but on a walk into danger and risk. Or did we suppose that the kingdom of God would mean merely a few minor adjustments in our ordinary lives?” *** What adjustments has Christ called you to make so far in your ordinary life? What kinds of “danger and risk” might you face in our tolerant 21st-century culture?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, how could there be “danger” or “risk” in coming to a big, popular church? But through that church, you call me to live above and beyond my culture’s values and wishes. Give me the spine to keep following you. Amen.
GPS Insights
Valerie Nagel
Valerie Nagel serves as a Connection and Care Pastor at Resurrection Leawood. A Californian by birth, her Master of Divinity degree is from Duke Divinity School. She served as an associate pastor in the Rio Texas Conference from 2011 in the Austin area and San Antonio. From congregational care and welcoming guests to leading in worship, Valerie loves the local church's ministry. She juggles ministry with being a mom to Caleb (born 2012) and Jacob (born 2015), friend, avid reader, lover of the outdoors, beginner in CrossFit, and foodie.
“What is God seeking to say to us in the crucifixion?” I’ve been thinking about this question ever since Pastor Adam shared it in his sermon yesterday. While every question is welcome on our faith journey, I appreciate Pastor Adam reminding me that some questions might be more helpful. I also appreciate the invitation to think about the cross like we think about art. Every time we study Scripture, every time we reflect on what Christians have believed about the cross over the centuries, and every time we wrestle with the question, “what does Jesus’s death and resurrection mean for us?”, we can see new things and draw closer to God.
What I like about art is that it evokes feelings in me. I may not fully know or completely understand all the history behind a painting or the way the different colors create the layers and textures in a piece, but I do know how I feel when I stand in front of it. I’m grateful for this sermon series because we get to stand before the cross, to learn more about it, and to feel what we feel when we realize how much God loves us.
Honestly, I’m with every Christian and theologian who finds the crucifixion to be perplexing. I went to seminary. I memorized all the atonement theories for the tests. And it still feels hard to grasp all of what the cross means for us. C.S. Lewis said it well, “The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to how it did this are another matter. A good many different theories have been held as to how it works; what all Christians are agreed on is that it does work.”
As we journey towards Good Friday, I invite us to get comfortable with confusion, to ask all the questions, to ask better questions, to learn from what Pastor Adam will teach us through his sermons, and to spend time reflecting on how we feel when we stand before the cross. The great news is that Jesus meets us right where we are and extends his arms to us with love. You are loved friends, and I’m grateful to share the journey with you.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Suzanne Watts Henderson, study note on Mark 8:24 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 84 NT.
** N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 123.
*** N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 112.
