September 15, 2024

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK:
First reading and Psalm

Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 116:1-9

Second reading

James 3:1-12

Gospel

Mark 8:27-38

The gospel from Mark:
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?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

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. 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 wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 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 of 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 angels.”

Sermon:
In our gospel reading, why did Jesus tell his disciples to keep quiet after asking them “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter answering him, “You are the Messiah.” He sternly ordered them not to tell anyone. 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, is killed and after three days rises again. This is like a man when he could not find his key to his front door and looked for it under a streetlamp, a neighbor asked him why he looked for it there? In the Old Testament Isaiah said to God “You Hide Yourself.” God had provided the Israelites their land. After the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and Cyrus had carried the Israelites off to Syria, finally God let them come back and rebuild. The disciples did not like being told that their Messiah would be killed and would rise again. But God gave them HIs Son, Pastor Stevenson says to us as he continues on ………..

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