The text for today’s sermon is from the first verse of the Old Testament reading set for today, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16. The passage tells of God making his covenant with Abram, as he makes him Abraham, whose name we recognise. God says: “I am God Almighty, walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”
So what does this have to do with our reading from Mark which Alan read for us? Well, let’s look at the context of the reading first. Of course this is Mark’s gospel, events unfold quickly, and there is often little detail which might help us!
In the earlier part of the chapter, we hear what is often regarded as the pivotal point of Mark’s gospel. Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is, and then makes it much more pointed as asks the disciples to answer for themselves who they say he is. And we get Peter’s declaration, “You are the Messiah.” There is no more detail than that. Do the other disciples agree with him? We simply don’t know, though we probably assume the answer is yes. But beware of assumption!
However, we come to today’s passage. The disciples, having experienced Jesus’ teaching and way of life, understand at least some of the nature of who he is as Messiah, so can now begin to have the implications of who he is unpacked. If we look back at the subjects we studied at school, we had to learn the basics before we could understand the complexities of a subject. Taking a GCSE in maths is compulsory before we’re allowed to take maths A level, or advanced maths … if you want to know about that, ask Alan, he’s done lots of maths! If we’re learning how to make lasagne, you have to first learn how to make a bolognaise sauce and a white or béchamel sauce before you can make a lasagne. These are, by comparison with what Jesus had to tell the disciples, very simple, almost ridiculous, examples, but I hope it explains the point. They could recognise Jesus as Messiah, but what were the implications, what else did he have to do to fulfil his mission?
Jesus starts by talking about the suffering he’d have to endure at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. I think the disciples would understand Jesus suffering, they’d seen the hard time Jesus often had when the elders, chief priests and teachers tried to question him about his teachings.
As far as we know, they hadn’t set about him physically, but it’s not too much of a stretch for the disciples to imagine this turning nasty and Jesus suffering physically. But then he says he must be killed and after three days rise again. Now we don’t know if this is exactly how Jesus put it to them, but if it was exactly like this, it was like he told them the worst bit, but went straight on to the good news, that he would be killed and rise again, so they’d see the point of his death, not dwell on the death itself. But Peter got stuck on the first part, his human death, and we can imagine impetuous Peter saying something like, “No Jesus, this can’t happen to you, we’ll stop them, we’ll stand up for you!” Matthew records these words of Peter: “Never, Lord, this shall never happen to you!” Someone being killed was the end as far as they were concerned.
Jesus then goes on to tell them the implications for their lives. I must say, I have some sympathy for them all to hear so much that was new to them, apparently all at once. It is comparable to being told bad news by your doctor or consultant … it’s bad news, but here are the implications, and there are some treatments, and this is what they will be like.
I know some of us have experienced this, and it’s not easy. Even when the doctors are very understanding, and explain things very clearly – it’s the fact that the information is not expected, and opens up a whole new territory which has to be explored and understood for our daily lives. Sometimes we need to hear it two or three times before we actually get it, and so it is with the disciples, Jesus tells them about his death twice more before the entry into Jerusalem.
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to tell them that they, his followers, all his followers, will have to lose their lives for his sake and for the sake of the gospel. There’s no mention of being saved on this earth so that his followers, us!, can spend eternity in heaven with him. In fact, he says his followers have to take up their own crosses, as Jesus will do, and follow him. And the martyrs down the ages have taken up their cross and died for the sake of following Jesus. He goes on to say if anyone is ashamed of him and his words, then He will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
Another of the readings for today is Romans 4: 13-25, and Paul expands Jesus’ teaching here. He goes back to God’s promise to Abraham, establishing his covenant of love and protection for his people, if they follow him. This covenant marks a turning point, because until then, obedience to the word of law was what people had to do to truly become children of God. But now Paul points out that it is the relationship with God, righteousness, that counts, and that comes by faith. Because Abraham believed in God and his promises, God did indeed make him the father of many nations, starting with Abraham and Sarah having a baby, though both were well past the age when normally they’d be able to do so. But God had spoken to Abraham, and Abraham had faith in what the Lord had told him. Paul says in v. 20 Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Paul goes on to say this faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness, closeness, right relationship with God. And goes on to say this applies to us too, the people of Paul’s time, and us too here in Amington today.
We are covered by God’s covenant that he will be our God if we believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead, who died for our sins and was raised to justify us, to cover our sins.
That feels to me like a lot of words! So to summarise: first, Jesus tells his disciples that he will be killed, but will rise again. The disciples find it hard to hear the part about his resurrection, they are stuck on the human part of the story, that he will be killed. To think about his resurrection means thinking about “life, death, the universe and everything” (as we might put it), and that is a completely different order of things. Jesus goes on to tell the disciples and followers that they are to follow the example he demonstrates for them, to take up their own crosses and follow him. It’s like the words of the text for the sermon, “I am God Almighty, walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” But Jesus does go on to emphasise the importance of doing so, it will mean that our faith in Jesus and his way, will be credited to us when Jesus comes again, as we will be recognised as children of God – as Abraham’s faith in God’s promise to him was credited to him as righteousness, or walking in the Lord’s way.
We hear the story of Jesus’ life year after year, we know about the crucifixion and resurrection, and so it often doesn’t have the same impact for us, as that first telling to the disciples had. But the message is clear: we are to take up the cross of Christ in our lives, where we are, and follow him. We are to walk before God and be blameless, whatever that means for us. That way, we can have the fullness of life on this earth, as we’re told in John’s gospel (John 10:10) but also we will be recognised as children of God when Jesus comes again to call us home to be with him.
Amen.