Mark 8:31-38 (2nd Sunday in Lent) – February 25, 2024

Introduction

This pericope will actually come up twice in year B. First will be this coming Sunday in Lent and then with a slightly longer pericope (8:27-38) in mid-September. In September we’ll get the fuller scene as Jesus asks who people say he is and Peter answering that he is the Messiah. Then of course, this scene for this week becomes more comical (or sad depending on your take) because Peter is then immediately scolded for not understanding what Jesus must go through.

But even though there are many months between these texts, it can be challenging to preach on the same text multiple times in a year. Especially if you are taking a narrative approach. And truthfully, Epiphany into Lent doesn’t do us any favors in understanding Mark in year B. There is very little narrative lead up to this text. And so, while I think we can take some time to remind folks that Peter did just proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, there’s only so much we can do to catch people up on the narrative. That will be much easier to do in September after we’ve been going through Mark chapter by chapter.

What else could we say about the Narrative?

Again, I don’t think we can catch people up on all of the healings, exorcisms, and feedings and all of the nuances and tension that exist within them. But, as a result of these things, conflict is rising. A few times now, Jesus has been in direct debate and conflict with other religious leaders (Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem). Jesus is not just being noticed by the crowds, he is being noticed by religious authorities for breaking the law of the Sabbath, purity rituals, and then teaching outside of traditional interpretations (according to Mark, although many of these teachings can be found in other rabbinical midrash). Jesus is claiming authority that is usually only reserved for the religious elite and he is displaying power that is other worldly.

And Jesus is not innocent in these things either. He has broken Sabbath customs and purity ordinances. He has openly debated Pharisees and scribes and has intentionally escalated the conversation by calling them hypocrites and belittling them. This could be helpful context because we do need to convey that this first announcement of Jesus’ impending arrest and death isn’t coming out of nowhere. For all our folks who want to believe in “nice Jesus,” Mark is not really the Gospel for that. This is grumpy, frustrated, and perhaps a conflict driven Jesus.

So, what do we do with this?

Preaching Possibilities

Jesus Rejecting Temptation – Our Bartering with God

Depending on the translation, verse 33 could read, “³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter…” or “But turning and seeing his disciples…”

If we are thinking about the movement and action of this scene, if Jesus turns and looks at his disciples, I feel that it’s implying that Jesus is deliberately turning from Peter with the words in his mind and he is going to eviscerate him through this rebuke. But what if Jesus is turning from Peter, because he can’t hear these words. These words that Jesus may actually want to be true, a temptation [‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want. (Mark 14:36).’]. And then, as he turns, trying to stay away from the temptation, he “sees” the disciples standing there, who have overheard Peter’s questioning of is to come. Now, Jesus must stand in his conviction and needs to publicly address this. Peter and all the disciples need to come to terms with the fact that he will have to die. And so, he needs to let this rant burst from him so that they don’t question him (and tempt him) from doing what must be done.

Mark’s Jesus is so beautifully human. Does he—in frustration, anger, and fear—need to scare the disciples enough that they don’t try to lead him astray again?

To soften the blow of this impassioned rant from Jesus, you could include 9:1 to close it out so that there is some “hope” in the midst of this. I can see Jesus coming out of the rant, yelling at them, and then looking up to see their horror-struck faces. Then all the steam leaves him, and he finishes with saying (a sigh leaving him and his face dropping to look exhausted) “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

Do we ever try to barter with God?

I think we could talk about moments when we relate to Jesus, and we see the hard road ahead, trying to get there only to have someone or something offer an easy way out or a quick fix.

But, while I think we could try to relate to Jesus, I wonder if the better Lenten message is, in what ways do we try to thwart the hard work by bartering with God?

We could talk about carrying our cross and what that means for us today (the cost of discipleship). But how are we trying to prevent the cross? Or ignore it and pretend like that’s not where we are going?

Truth be told, I’m wrestling with this because I know I’ve done it. Whether it be later in my drinking days and trying to barter with God so that I could just stop for a while and then start back up again. I’ve tried to barter with God by avoiding making amends with certain people or in avoiding confronting difficult situations. I’ve tried to barter with God and avoiding the pain of healing by intellectualizing my feelings rather than feeling the deeply and going through the difficult unpacking.

Bartering with God isn’t exactly the right phrase here because it’s kind of trying to “convince” God instead. But I like the bartering word because internally we know it’s a bait and switch. We know that we are delaying or trying to ignore the hard thing. We know that the other option is the right option, we just don’t want to confront it right now.

However, while the cross is a place of pain, it is also the place of salvation. Jesus leads us to the cross, not so that we can die, but so that we can live. When we place things at the cross, we are not avoiding them. We are walking toward them, facing them head on, doing the hard thing, and then laying them at Jesus’ feet and asking God to help us carry them.

It is only by recognizing that I didn’t want to stop drinking that I saw the problem of drinking. It is only in recognizing that I didn’t want to make the amends that I realized how freeing it would be. It is only by realizing that I was avoiding conflict that I realized how much conflict I was initiating unconsciously. It is only in spiraling emotionally (from neglecting those emotions) that I realized I need to feel them fully. And it is only in turning all of these things over to my higher power, Jesus Christ, that gave me the strength to face these things. Because I wasn’t on my own.

Does any of this resonate with you?

What are we avoiding because of conflict? What are we ignoring because of pain? What is turning us away from God because it means walking toward the cross?