Episode 1407: For the Sake of the Gospel

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1, 407 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. I'm David Wood.

[00:00:09] David Wood: I challenge you to invest in yourself and others and impact the world by using your gifts to live out your calling. Having the ability to speak your truth is key. And one way to learn how to do that is listen to this, the Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend, Scott Maderer.

[00:00:28] I'll see you there

[00:00:38] Scott Maderer: living those words into the real work, becoming invested our whole self into that. What kind of transformation could take place if the church could live the gospel, instead of just saying that we follow the Bible. Instead, we would follow [00:01:00] Jesus. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:01:05] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures. For your True calling in the Inspired Stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:33] In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk with you about Mark chapter nine, verses two through nine, and Mark chapter eight, verses 31 through 38. I share how maybe there is a connection between the call to the mountain transformation and the rebuking of Peter. I share how we are called to find the truth of the gospel rather than the words of the Bible.

[00:01:58] Mark chapter 9 verses [00:02:00] 2 through 9 says, six days later, Jesus took with him, Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

[00:02:19] Then Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, This is My Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him.

[00:02:39] Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Mark chapter 8, verses 31 through 38 says, Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great [00:03:00] suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

[00:03:08] He said all this quite openly, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 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. 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.

[00:03:32] For those who want to save their life will lose it. and those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy [00:04:00] angels.

[00:04:02] So the lectionary this week gives two different passages from the gospel of Mark and says that on this Sunday there's two different choices that you can preach on. Plus one of them, the Mark chapter 9 verses 2 through 9 one, was used just a few weeks ago on Transfiguration Sunday and that seems to be the Sunday where that passage quote belongs.

[00:04:28] At first glance, these two passages seem like wildly different moments in the life of Jesus, and it seems odd that they're paired together. Of course, oftentimes we would just use one or the other, or pick one or the other, make it a this or that, not a this and that. But what if we look at them together?

[00:04:49] What if we look at them together and see what ideas might come out of that? In one, you have Jesus proclaiming a terrible death to come and a [00:05:00] difficult life for those who are following him. And in the other, we have this mountaintop transfiguration moment with a blessing and an instruction.

[00:05:10] Doesn't seem like they're related to each other or of the same mood or cut of the cloth. In both of them, though, there is a mention of Peter. There's a vindication for Peter. He normally gets a bad rap in Mark. He doesn't tell us what Peter says to rebuke Jesus, but think about it.

[00:05:34] Rebuking Jesus that already carries with it a certain baggage that we immediately go, my goodness, what is Peter doing? What, how does he pull aside the Messiah his Lord and say something to him? And if you look back a few verses, there's a passage about who do you say that I am that Jesus asked and Peter [00:06:00] answers the Messiah.

[00:06:01] It's an important moment for those who are disciples and Peter is the one who gets it right. He's the one who says you are the Messiah. But Peter doesn't seem to get a gold star for that. In fact, Jesus says, yes, I am, but don't spread it around. Let's keep it to ourselves for now. He's Jesus speaks to them sternly, says Mark.

[00:06:25] And then we have the passage from Mark, from chapter 8. This passage where Jesus is speaking to them sternly, it picks up right after that. They seem to be on the defensive, and that's part of the reason that Peter maybe pulls him aside and speaks to him. We don't know what he said because Mark doesn't seem to care.

[00:06:49] It doesn't seem to be important to Mark's story or the story that Mark is telling, but it probably started with you're the Messiah. Maybe it has to do with [00:07:00] what Peter's mindset or vision of what a Messiah was and how a Messiah should speak and what a Messiah should do and how Jesus wasn't necessarily fitting that image when he's talking about death and suffering.

[00:07:14] When he's talking about these messages that don't seem to fit, that seem weak at first glance, that seem like they're not really the strong picture that Peter probably had of what a Messiah should do and say and how they should act. Let's go back to the mountain passage. Peter seems to be saying, wait a minute, let's go back to that moment.

[00:07:37] Let's look at how Jesus is brightening and he's shining and God is speaking to us. That's a messiah that I can get excited about following. That seems like a messiah that's ready to make a difference. That seems like someone that's really going to make a change, but now talking about death, that's not what we want to focus on.

[00:07:59] Let's go back on the [00:08:00] mountain and stay there. Let's lose track of time up on the mountaintop where we see And put our messiahs up on a pedestal where they're perfect, unbroken, unaffected, and unassailable by anything else. But think about it. In Mark chapter 9, it doesn't say that what happens to Jesus is going to happen to us.

[00:08:25] But in Mark chapter 8, he said it's a possibility and that we can choose it. We can pick up the cross, we can enter into suffering, embrace the brokenness, recognize that the journey that we're on in the journey that everyone is on is one of faith and humanity, even if they're doing or saying or acting in a way that we don't agree with, there still have God in them.

[00:08:54] Those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their lives for my sake will [00:09:00] live. What is it that you're willing to give up your life for? It's not necessarily a risk yourself unto death kind of call, but it might be that. It has been that throughout history for many people. You know what it's like to be so focused, so wrapped up in something that you don't even notice the passing of time.

[00:09:23] You don't notice hunger or sleep. You don't notice anything but that thing, that activity, that person. You've lost yourself fully into that thing. You can't live that way always, but we do from time to time. And what Jesus is challenging us to do is find that moment in the truth of the gospel, not the words on the page, not what it says in the Bible.

[00:09:49] Not just looking for things in the Bible that we can cherry pick and say this is how you should do it or this is the rules you should follow or you're breaking the [00:10:00] rules so now you're in trouble. Instead, it's about following the truth of the gospel, living those words into the real world, becoming invested our whole self into that.

[00:10:17] What kind of transformation could take place if the church could live the gospel instead of just saying that we follow the Bible? Instead, we would follow Jesus. Thanks for listening.

[00:10:38] Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor, go over to facebook. [00:11:00] com slash inspired stewardship and like our Facebook page and mark it.

[00:11:07] that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there. Until next time, invest your time, your talent, and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.