Sermon preached at Zion Lutheran Church, Beecher, IL this past Sunday. Pr. Ron Rock
++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++ "GLORY!" Lent 5, B Sun., March 29, 2009 Zion Lutheran Church, Beecher, IL Sermon Text - Mark 10:32-45 Old Testament Reading - Jeremiah 31:31-34 Epistle Reading - Hebrews 5:1-10 Gospel Reading - Mark 10:32-45 In the name of Jesus. [Amen] Today's sermon is based on the Gospel reading just read. I read one verse from it again: And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to [Jesus] and said to Him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." (Mark 10:35, ESV) Dear friends in Christ Jesus, Listen to these two pairs of sentences. The first pair: 1. There was a plane crash in Australia that killed 5 people. 2. There was a plane crash in Peotone that killed 5 people. Or closer to home: 1. My life is in jeopardy that requires me to have a major surgery tomorrow! 2. Your life is in jeopardy that requires you to have a major surgery tomorrow! Most likely you understand where I was going with those two couplets of sentences. The first sentence in each pair held bad news. And of course, the second sentence in each pair also held bad news but its bad news was of much greater importance to you, wasn't it? It's one thing to hear of a plane crash with loss of life half way around the world and it's a whole other thing to think of that event occurring within a few miles of this spot! And even more to our point everyone thinks this way "Uhhh too bad for you if you need a surgery but If I need surgery well the whole world ought to stop!" or so it is from our perspective! This, in essence, is what happened in today's Gospel reading. Jesus took His 12 disciples aside and specifically told them what would soon happen to Him: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise." Now so you have an even better understanding of this situation you also have to know this This was the third time the third time according to Mark's Gospel that Jesus had told his trusted, faithful, closest disciples that He would be killed in a horrible way. And what was their reaction ? You heard it it was sad no make that "pathetic." In their pathetic self-centeredness in their the-whole-world-revolves-around-me attitude it's as if they hadn't heard one word out of Jesus' mouth! He'd just told them that He would soon die and do so in a horrible fashion and James and John James and John they're thinking of themselves not of Jesus! They're thinking of glory for themselves! The other ten they're no better! They didn't scold James and John for being self-centered oh no they were only upset that those two were trying to get dibs on the best seats in heaven! And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. (v. 41) The ten they likewise didn't concern themselves with what Jesus had said would soon happen to Him. Try to imagine what Jesus thought as he heard His so-called "friends" scrambling for glory just after He'd told them (for the third time!) that a wretched death was just around the corner for Himself. How would you react? Most of us would start looking for new "friends " for the disciples had just shown that they weren't friends. For they had no empathy no concern for Jesus after He'd told them that the hour of His death would soon be upon Him! It's a great thing that we can be counted on isn't it? We certainly never look for glory do we? We can always be found to be concerned about the next person even ahead of our own needs right? And beyond our concern for those around us we always seek to put Jesus in that number 1 position in our lives, don't we? Hmmm Why did it get so quiet in here? Why are there a number of us looking down right now as we consider these questions? You know why! We all know why! In reality every one of us is as guilty as those 12 disciples were on that road leading up to Jerusalem! We, too all so often have that pathetic the-whole-world-revolves-around-me attitude. We, too hear the same story that the disciples heard that Jesus would be condemned to death would be delivered over to the Gentiles where He'd be mocked spit on and flogged before being summarily murdered We hear that story and we allow our mind to wander wondering if church will be out in time so that we can beat the Baptists to the restaurant or we wonder if finally this afternoon we can put the finishing touches on those miserable income tax forms! It's true isn't it? Here we are just 7 days until we begin observing Holy Week and we're bored with the thought of Jesus' death! We allow what's going on in our own lives to crowd out Jesus' death Oh in case you forgot His death is for us! It's in our place! Truly in one way or another we sinfully seek our own glory too pathetically and futilely trying to elevate ourselves to stand out above others even at times trying to stand out before God! It's an amazing irony James and John coveted glory to be permitted to sit at the seats of honor on either side of Jesus when He came into His kingdom. As we've said they thought this scheme would allow some of Jesus' glory to rub off onto them. But consider this Jesus was going up to Jerusalem for the very purpose of sharing His glory with those schemers of James and John with the 10 indignant disciples who were angry because they thought they'd lost their opportunity for glory and Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die so that He might also share His glory with the likes of us! Consider this also the disciples along with us we all scramble to grab glory and privilege for ourselves all so often not even caring who we run over in the process. And Jesus out of His love He wants to simply give His greatest riches to us He loves us that much! And another thing the glory and privilege that we fight tooth and nail to obtain and keep it's as nothing compared to what it is that Jesus earned for us on the cross! Jesus tells all generations what it was that He would do in Jerusalem: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (v. 45) Jesus set out for Jerusalem to give His life as a payment for the sins of those yokels before Him that day and even for us. He would suffer unto His death being punished for the sins of all people of all time so that all people of all time through repentance and faith might indeed share equally in His glory forever! His rising from the dead three days later just as He predicted proved that all that He said was true! That's what was going on that day. Earlier I asked you to consider what Jesus might have thought after He saw His trusted friends scrambling for their own glory even after having heard that He would soon die. I like to think that the reaction of His disciples showed Him all the more that He was their only hope. They were sinners through and through and that He, alone was their only Hope for salvation. I firmly believe that when He saw that His love welled up within Him making Him all the more determined to undergo the torture and death of the cross awaiting Him in Jerusalem. Dear Christians that love of Jesus for mankind for pathetic sinners for us well it endures to this day. On this day and every time that you hear of Jesus' death for us rather than being bored with the thought our minds are staggered... they're stunned at knowing what it was that our God did for us. For God in Christ came to die so that we might share in His riches His glory forever. Some day when we rest with Him in glory we'll all say: "Jesus' love revolved around me!" Thanks be to God! [Amen.] May the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. [Amen.] ____________________________________________________________ Is your valuable computer data vulnerable? Click now for powerful virus protection! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTE1d6G9IzR8REvxZTrLV9hgoDQ7mavhhm1tilKTXvRA3VKSuTurgU/ ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[email protected]>
