Dig Deeper - Sunday 1st March
Sermon Reflection Questions - Lent: Journey to the Cross: Who do you say I am
Mark 8:27-33
Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 1st March service:
This point in Mark’s gospel is a turning point. Up until this point, Mark has written about all that Jesus had been doing with an emphasis on demonstrating that He is the promised Messiah. In this passage, the narrative changes, and Jesus now starts His journey towards Jerusalem. The journey to the cross.
Reflection. When Jesus asks His first question, ‘Who do people say I am?’ He expects the disciples to reflect on what they have picked up travelling with Jesus; what they have seen and heard so far. If you have been reading through Mark with us this Lent, these are the things you may have noticed. His baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit; His healing of many people; His calming of the storm; how He fed a crowd of thousands of people, twice.
The disciples tell Jesus that some think He is Elijah, returning as promised or John the Baptist.
Revelation. Then Jesus asks them a more personal and challenging question. ‘Who do you say I am?’ It’s that irrepressible Peter who has a lightbulb revelation and jumps in saying, ‘You are the Messiah!’
And Jesus asks us that same question, ‘Who do you say I am?’ We believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God and our Saviour, because that’s what He claimed to be, and the evidence is there to prove it.
We have
· Jesus’ fulfilment of prophecy
· Jesus’ character, lifestyle and actions.
· Jesus’ teaching
· Jesus’ death and resurrection; His absence from the tomb.
· Jesus’ presence with His disciples after His resurrection; the birth of the Christian church and the witness of Christians now and down the ages.
So, we too can confidently respond to Jesus’ question, ‘Who do you say I am?’ by joining Peter in saying, ‘You are the Messiah!’
Rebuke. Then Peter has a problem. Although he correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, he seems to have the popular Jewish view that the Messiah would lead a political movement to free them from Roman rule. But Jesus then drops a bombshell. The Son of Man, He says, must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.
Peter thinks that Jesus has got this wrong and tells Him so, only to be stunned by Jesus’ forthright rebuke. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ Ouch.
Questions for discussion:
1. Mark recorded a number of events in Jesus' life in chapters 1-8. Which events do you think most convinced the disciples of Jesus’ divinity?
2. Why do you think Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone about their discussion? V30
3. We have more evidence than was available to the disciples at this point in Mark’s gospel. What evidence would you use to convince someone that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah?
4. Has there been a time in your Christian life when you have made a mistake? How did that change you? Consider what happened to Peter both before and after the Cross.
5. Jesus said to Peter, ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’ V33. Take time to reflect on any areas in our lives where our ‘merely human concerns’ detract from our relationship with God. Consider if there are any things we need to ‘put behind us’
6. Take encouragement that even for the disciples, it took time for Jesus messages to them to sink in.
Prayer
Loving heavenly father, as you led your disciples on a journey of discovery about who you are and their relationship with you, we pray too that, as we journey through Lent, we may walk with you on our journey of discovery. As we reflect on our lives so far, we seek your revelation and guidance for the days ahead, that all we do may be in accordance with your will. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
