B, Reformation Sunday - Psalm 46 & John 8: 31-36 "Fear and Love God"

Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:31-36 ESV)

How is it that we who are slaves of sin, find ourselves in the house of God, knowing and trusting we are free?

Is it because we have proven ourselves to have satisfactorily loved God?  No, not at all!

Is it because there is a divine spark within us that is capable of making a decision for Christ?  No, it’s not!

Is it because we have always been free and are not really slaves? Nope!

Is it because it is done by someone else who knows we are slaves of sin, who knows the divine spark was put out by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and who knows the freedoms we look to would cause us shame if they were unhidden? Yes, it is!

We are free because of Jesus, the Son of God, and God alone.  If the Son sets us free, we are free indeed.

Freedom for Christians allows us to have fear in God.  Having fear in God can be understood in a positive and negative sense.  As Christians, we fear God knowing our sin does not please him, and because of our sin, all of us deserve his wrath.

As we are told in Hebrews, “‘The Lord will judge his people.’  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:30b–31 ESV)

And Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” (Luke 12:4–5 ESV)

Paradoxically, we also have a fear that fills us with awe! So much so, we are willing to throw ourselves down before him, seeking his mercy in spite of the reality we deserve his condemnation.

“Then turning toward the woman Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.  Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:44–48 ESV)

We can turn our back on God and disregard him with disrespect.  When one does this, one places both negative and positive fear in something other than God. One neither heeds God’s warning nor deems him good enough to lead us.

What we fear is what we face. 

In addition to this, what we love is what we face.

Love too has its positive and negative sense. But it’s slightly different to fear.  We always face what we love, but the motives for facing reveal the positive or negative of love. Love is about what we want, what we desire or seek, or what we worship.  The negative and positive of love can be uncovered only when we ask, “Why we want or worship that which we love!”

When we enter turbulent times temptation to fear and love other things than God also becomes murky and more difficult to discern and recognise. As the ship becomes unsettled, like the disciples, we are tempted to forget Jesus is with us in the boat.  He is still and resting as we’re tempted into panic. (See Mark 4:35-41)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. [Selah] (Psalm 46:1–3 ESV)

There is much civil unrest in the world at the moment.  Many hearts are in the mouth threatening to vomit up things that the turbulence tempts us to fear.  Adding to the foaming mess already swirling around us.

Fear of vaccination and fear of un-vaccination are making the sea of society roar and foam, making the mountains of our idols tremble at its swelling. 

Who can make sense in the midst of this mess in which we find ourselves?  There’s  so much venom and violence bubbling away in the hearts of humanity in the majorities and minorities.

When I am confronted with such fear it is easy to be swept up in the surging swell of it all.  I am tempted to add my sin to the sin of others adding mass to the mountains of majorities or minorities.

What mountain of fear are you facing at the moment?

What is your fear causing you to want?

Whatever it is, this is what you love!  This is what you are worshipping.

Like those who sought to silence blind Bartimaeus, as we heard in last week’s Gospel reading, are we not blinded by our superiority of our perception of other’s seemingly inferior fears?  (Mark 10:46-52) 

Yes!  I am just spewing into a sea of churning and foaming chaos.

Now we move onto a new picture painted by the psalmist in Psalm 46

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.  The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. [Selah] (Psalm 46:4–7 ESV)

Here we have a picture of tranquillity. It is the same picture of peace amongst the chaos, as Jesus sleeps in the boat while the disciples face their fears in the death and destruction of the churning storm on lake Galilee.

Jesus is with us in his church.  He is with us in his word, and he is bodily with us in the sacrament.  Fear him, not the unvaccinated! Fear him, not the mandate to vaccinate.  The kingdom of God is not concerned about being vaccinated or un-vaccinated. 

The morning will dawn, and God’s hand will be revealed in all of this.  He may choose to reveal what that is in our life, or we might have to wait until the resurrection to know exactly what that is.

But for now, in these days of darkness what is God’s will for us?  What is Jesus’ will for you, in his boat?  To where is the Holy Spirit leading us?

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. [Selah] (Psalm 46:8–11 ESV)

We are called to fear and love God?  We are called to behold the works of the Lord!

But what are the works and will of God?  We are called to be a community gathered under Christ’s love.  By this love the Holy Spirit gathers us in forgiveness. By this love we know we need forgiveness for our faithlessness. By his love we know we are forgiven.

Through his love and faithfulness, we know others need the same forgiveness. And by his love we petition God to help us forgive them as the Father has faithfully forgiven each of us and seeks to still the churning storm within you and me.

Our loving Heavenly Father wants to dissipate your venom, and clean up each person’s vomit, swirling the seas of spewing churning darkness.  He does this by the power of the Holy Spirit calling us to the stillness of Jesus on the cross.  This is the reformation into which God calls you and me daily. 

As we all face the cross, he calls us to know that he is God!  He will be exalted by all people when the curtain of chaos is finally torn in two.  It will reveal the hidden presence of the God of peace. The whole of creation will exalt him for the peace he returns to it, when he finally restores it to its former glory, which he created for us.

He promises us in his Word, he will usher in the eternal era of sabbath rest. This is where all who abide in the work of God’s forgiveness will stand face to face, fear and love God, the Lord of Hosts forever. Amen.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for evermore. Amen.

B, Pentecost 22 Proper 25 - Mark 10:46-52 "Superior Sight with Inferior Blindness"

Mark 10:46–48 (ESV) And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”  And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”  And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

As human beings we are always learning about inferiority and superiority, and how they affect our relationships with other people.

If we feel inferior around others, we tend to typecast ourselves as not being good enough or not worthy of being in certain company.  A person who sees themselves as inferior, pictures themselves as having little to no value in the presence of a person of great honour.

This produces one of two things.  Either, the inferior will have a sense of awe, and treat the other person with honour, showing them deep reverence and respect. Or, on sensing inferiority, instead of awe, will consider honour awful, and show contempt.  Like a tall poppy, we desire and devise ways to chop down superiority in a demonstration of disrespect.

The opposite of inferiority is superiority.  Where one is present the other is usually not far away.  They are like opposite sides of the same coin.  They have a relationship like rise and fall, up and down, in and out. Even if the relationship is chalk and cheese, there is still an association with each other, despite the difference.

When we feel inferior, our perception of the other person’s superiority causes reverence or irreverence, respect or disrespect.

A person who feels or sees themselves as superior, like the inferior, will have something being produced in them too.  Superiority wants to be honoured!  When we feel superior, we want to be lifted up, noticed, and appreciated.  There’s an expectation that all must fall down at one’s feet and pay homage. 

Alternatively, we might want to use the honoured position on someone, in some way.  From a perceived height, we might put down those who appear to be on the rise.  Or, we might have a desire to use our honour to help the inferior, either condescendingly or humbly. 

Inferiority and superiority!  Such is the pecking order in the chook pen of community, living in the hen house of humanity!

This same inferiority-superiority dynamic is at work when Jesus heals Bartimaeus.

Jesus is passing through Jericho, travelling to Jerusalem.  He is about to travel the road to his triumphal entry and death at the cross.  This is the road on which the parable of the Good Samaritan is set.  As Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, he nears Bartimaeus, a blind beggar.

Bartimaeus, literally, son of Timaeus, hears the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth is going to Jerusalem. He cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

It is easy to overlook what is occurring here, but the same inferiority-superiority subtleties are playing out as the account unfolds!

It’s obvious that Bartimaeus is the inferior.  We might assume Jesus is the superior, and he is, in so many ways!  But, here in this narrative, in Mark, the superior are those who rebuke the blind beggar for crying out to Jesus, Son of David, for mercy.

In Mark’s Gospel account, his central theme is housed between two accounts of healing.  In Mark 8 Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26), then Peter confesses him as the Christ (8:29). Jesus begins the first of three revelations that he is going to suffer, die, and be raised (8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34) and tell Satan to “get behind” (8:33).  And coupled with this prophetic triptych of his death and resurrection is the theme of Jesus’ value as the Son of Man, the Suffering Servant of humankind.

So, we arrive here on the road to Jerusalem with those who have struggle to see Jesus as the Servant king, soon to be coronated on the cross, but with blind beggar Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, who only had eyes of faith for Jesus, Son of David.

The superiority of those travelling with Jesus and probably others who begged or traded on the same stretch of road as Bartimaeus, sought to rebuke the son of Timaeus for calling out to Jesus.

There is an irony here in the text that cannot go unmentioned.  The name Timaeus, has as its root, the meaning of honour. The word rebuke and the name Timaeus carry the same root word meaning of honour or value. Bartimaeus a blind beggar, the lowest of the low has the name “son of honour”.  Yet those who rebuke him are taxing or robbing him of his honour for calling out to Jesus.  Rebuking, literally in the Greek, means to devalue and discredit. And this is what the superior seek to do to the little honour they believe Bartimaeus holds. 

The irony continues as the superior seek to censure the inferior.  But Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, continues calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” This is the beggars cry to have his honour restored.  In fact, of all the parties in this passage of Scripture, Bartimaeus reveals himself as the one who has the best view of Jesus, despite being blind.

And so, the relationship between the two unfolds!

Jesus doesn’t patronise Bartimaeus with condescension nor does Bartimaeus bestow any fake reverence or contempt.  Jesus honours Bartimaeus as equal.  Bartimaeus pleads for Jesus’ mercy  who is on his way to be anointed as the Christ on the cross.  Crowned on the cross as the King of Righteousness!

 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”  And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”  And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:49–52 (ESV)

Notice how Jesus doesn’t call Bartimaeus!  Instead. he tells those around him to call the beggar.  So, they do! The superior ones tell him to take courage, “Jesus is calling you.”

Yet again, here there is more irony. Bartimaeus was already showing great courage!  Rather, Jesus was calling the superior ones around him to, “Take heart, open your eyes, have faith in the Son of Man, who seeks to serve you and save you from the slavery of your superiority.”

Jesus honours Bartimaeus with sight, and having restored his sight, Bartimaeus follows Jesus.

That’s all we hear about Bartimaeus.  One could arguably assume he saw and participated in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday because we are told, “he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” 

Bartimaeus possibly would have seen his sight restorer, Jesus, the Son of David, ride a colt into Jerusalem  to shouts of, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9–10 ESV)

Who are you in this passage of Scripture?  What part do you play?  Are you one who honours Jesus by letting him remove your blindness?  Like Bartimaeus, Jesus calls you and honours you through his servanthood, his death and resurrection. He is walking with you, right now, on your road through death to eternity with him.  Amen.

Let us lay aside our inferiority and our superiority. Let us honour Jesus as he serves us with forgiveness, through his Word, his sacraments, and through others who also share in his forgiveness. Amen.

B, Pentecost 21 Proper 24 - Mark 10:42-45 "Victoriously Conquered"

 

Mark 10:42–45 (ESV) And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The sons of Zebedee ask the Son of Man to give them seats of power in heaven.  But Jesus doesn’t have the authority to grant James and John their wish.  Yet he promises they will drink the cup the cup Jesus drinks and be baptised with the baptism Jesus will endure at the cross; namely suffering and death.

All believers endure suffering and the death of self during this life which ends in physical death.  Imagine how James and John would have been corrupted if Jesus had granted them their wish before his work was done on the cross.  If Jesus gave them eternal life and position in heaven through their request, why would they need Jesus’ death on the cross?

And although not asking first, what about the other ten disciples?  What about us too?  Jesus takes the wish of James and John as well as the resentfulness the other ten disciples, along with their displeasure they hadn’t asked first, and turns their perception of power upside down. 

Jesus doesn’t give victory to James and John through their request, nor does he fuel the indignation of the other ten by giving James and John the positions which they want.  Instead, he repeats what he told the twelve when they were arguing about who would be the greatest.  This is recorded back in Mark chapter nine.

“And they (Jesus and the disciples) came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”  But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:33–35 ESV)

Now, Jesus teaches the same thing yet again. Once more, he puts servanthood before James and John, and the rest of the twelve, but now takes the picture of servanthood and adds the language of slavery and being unbound from bondage.

He says, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:44-45 ESV)

Jesus says those who would be first must be bound or tied up for everyone, and the Son of man came to die on the cross to untie or unbind many.  There was no way Jesus had authority to give the sons of Zebedee the positions for which they asked. His sole duty was to be the first to serve them, untie and save them, so they might later drink the same cup as Jesus and be baptised with the same baptism as the Son of Man.

This is the victory Jesus sought to give James and John, together with the other ten disciples.  Jesus pursued freeing and saving all people through his death and resurrection, not just James and John or the twelve disciples. 

Through the cross, Jesus is victorious.  He conquered the sting of sin and death at the cross when it appeared as though he was conquered. He unbound humanity from sin, when through our sin he appeared to be bound and finished at the cross. 

But he was not finished!  Rather, the curse of sin was finished! For those who trust Jesus, we welcome him unbinding us through the giving of his life as a ransom for ours. Believing forgiven sinners are truly thankful for this.

Many years after James and John asked Jesus to sit beside him in his glory.  Long after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  And years after Herod killed James, the brother of John, (Acts 12:2) Jesus speaks to John and he records what he says to the seventh church in Asia Minor.

He says to the church in Laodicea, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne”. (Revelation 3:21ESV)

Now that Jesus has conquered through the cross, he invites John and the hearers of Jesus’ revelation to John, to sit with him on his throne. You and I are also the hearers of Jesus’ revelation to John. Therefore, we are invited to sit with Jesus on his throne!

How can this be that we are invited to sit with Jesus?

Just as Jesus did for James and John and the other disciples, he has done for us and all who trust in him.   He has served and saves us through the cross by giving us his life as a ransom.  Jesus has become the slave of all and has freed us from the bondage of slavery.

So, if we too have conquered because we have been conquered in Jesus’ death and resurrection, what does Jesus teach us about our victory, today?  What does being conquered look like for you and me?

Just as Jesus conquered in his death, we conquer too because we have been conquered for eternal life with Jesus.  And we continue to be conquered!  In his revelation to John, he tells us what remaining in this victory does for us. 

“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7b ESV)

“The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11b ESV)

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17b ESV)

Jesus says, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations… And I will give him the morning star.” (Revelation 2:16,26,28 ESV)

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5 ESV)

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” (Revelation 3:12 ESV)

Jesus said to John and he promises you and me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:6–7 ESV)

Because you and I have conquered and have such a wonderful gift waiting to be revealed for us in eternity, let us hold fast to Jesus Christ our first love.

Let us endure suffering for Jesus’ sake, with our eyes fixed firmly on the prise he has in store for us. 

Let us cast off the idols that promise a false salvation, enslave us, and bind us.  But rather, let us use God’s gift of wealth to shrewdly serve others to the glory of Jesus our true wealth. 

May we allow the Holy Spirit to subdue our human spirit, so our faith is strengthened in these days. And because we have such a wonderful gift in store for us, let us seek every opportunity to share the wealth of this eternal gift with others. 

Let us pray that, as we come to a deeper knowledge of our salvation in Jesus, we don’t become apathetic to the  growing familiarity of Jesus’ servanthood amongst us.

And may the Holy Spirit kindle the fires of Jesus’ love in our hearts, hindering us from becoming lukewarm in our willingness to serve others as Jesus served and continues to serve us. Amen.

B, Pentecost 20Proper 23 - Mark 10:17-22 "The Rich Young Man"

Mark 10:17–22 (ESV) And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honour your father and mother.’ ”  And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”  And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

Why did the rich young man refer to Jesus as good?  Jesus says, “no one is good except God alone”.  Was the rich young man so full of the knowledge of God that he knew Jesus was God, God the Son from eternity unto eternity? 

We know the young man was full of earthly riches and not so full of the knowledge of God, despite his proclamation that he had fulfilled the Laws from the commandments that Jesus lists.

Notice the commandments Jesus lists!  All are from the second table of the Law.  In the same account recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew also includes Jesus referring to the summary of the second table of the Commandments, saying, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself!”

The rich young man may have loved his parents, and his neighbour, and fulfilled these Commandments.  However, Jesus initiates an invitation of love by looking at the man, loving him and then invites him to follow him. 

It all sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  Oh! By the way, you need to sell all that you have first, and then give what you’ve been paid to the poor.  Jesus answers the young man’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life? You must sell your life to get eternal life then you will get treasure in heaven, that’s what you must do!”

The answer the rich young man received was not a good answer.  The good teacher gave a bad answer.  One wonders what the fellow meant by “good”?  All his good at keeping the second table of the Commandments, was not good enough. 

We can only imagine what the fellow was thinking as his face dropped and he went away sad because he had great wealth in his goods. “The good teacher has told me to sell all my goods, but that doesn’t seem like a good idea, perhaps the teacher is not so good after all.”

What Jesus said was not lost on the disciples either.  They were amazed by his conversation with the rich young man. But we are told they were even more amazed, exceedingly astonished in fact, when Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25 ESV). Gob smacked they asked, “then who can be saved?” (v26)

Jesus is tearing up the script from two thousand years of Jewish practice.  The young man rich in his law practise experienced it.  Even the fishermen disciples could understand the implications of what Jesus was saying to them.

We hear in the text a familiar phrase, “Jesus looked at them.”  He looked at them just as he looked at the rich young man and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 ESV)

Only God is good.  Salvation is only possible with God.  What one does is not good enough.  So, what do we make of what Amos says to the Israelites…?

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14–15 ESV)

We know the remnant of Joseph, the Israeli kingdom of the north, did not seek good but continued doing evil in the sight of the lord and were exiled into captivity by their northern neighbours.  Comparably, the rich young man appears to be seeking to do good and not evil, but Jesus seems to tell him different!

But Jesus was not being contrary to the Law of the Ten Commandments, nor is his call for the rich young man to sell all that he has and follow him any different from Amos’s promise that the God of hosts will be with the Israelites when they seek or worship good rather than evil.

Jesus is good. He is God the Son. Only God is good, so following Jesus is good.  The young man’s question is quite stupid and foolish when you consider that gaining an inheritance is not something one does.  Rather, an inheritance is given or bequeath after death. 

But although it is stupid and foolish, it gave Jesus an opportunity to teach a fundamental fact that only God is good. In fact, the young man’s expression that Jesus was a good teacher was indeed a prophetic truth although he didn’t realise it when he asked his idiotic question.

If only he had followed the invitation of this Good Teacher.  Jesus would have led the young man to the cross and he would have received a rich inheritance through Jesus’ death.

Speaking of idiotic, Peter, the archetypal blunderer, after all the amazement of the disciples at knowing there was no way they could pass a camel through the eye of a needle, pipes up and says, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” (Mark 10:28 ESV)

We have heard this from Peter before, but this time Jesus doesn’t tell Satan to get behind.  Satan would be overcome and put behind soon enough at Jesus’ death at the cross and resurrection to life.  Jesus waits for now, but at his trial he needed only look at Peter, as the cock crowed. 

But here Peter’s insistence that they had left everything to follow Jesus, flies in the face of Jesus looking at them and saying, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 ESV)

All things are possible for God! Despite Peter falling away at the cross, Jesus Christ, the Good Teacher reinstated Peter through his death on the cross.  Peter received Jesus’ resurrection love, the forgiveness of his sin.  The impossible was made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

When Jesus looks at you what does he see?

When Jesus, the living and active Word made flesh discerns the thoughts and intentions of your heart, what does he see?   When you hear his call to pour out the richness in which you trust, all the idols you trust in for your life, like the rich young man, we might be tempted to walk away in despair, or, the opposite, become haughty and look down on Jesus and his Words of life.

Nevertheless, you are encouraged in his word. Despite being exposed for what we are, by the Word of God, just as the rich young man and Peter’s motives are also revealed by the Word of God, God calls you to follow him. Why? Because only through Jesus, our Great High Priest, the impossible is made possible!

Hear God’s encouragement in Hebrews chapter four…

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV)

So, we hang onto the goodness of God, the goodness of Jesus together with the Holy Spirit whom both lead us and teach us in the Word of God and in the Sacraments that make and continue making us holy.

Let us pray.

Lord God, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.  Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.  Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!  (Psalm 90:12–17 ESV)

We ask this in Jesus’ name, trusting the Holy Spirit continues his holy work within us, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.