MESSAGE 15 September – 17th Sunday after PENTECOST YEAR B
THEME: Living with Integrity: Embracing Wisdom, Instruction, and Discipleship
Integrity: It involves being truthful, reliable, and consistent in one’s words and actions.
We explore how wisdom, God’s instruction, our speech, and discipleship converge under the banner of integrity. This quality is essential for a life that is true, just, gracious, and compassionate.
Who Do You Say That I Am? Embracing Jesus in Our Lives
Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” This question invites us to reflect on our understanding of Jesus and our relationship with Him. We will explore this through the lens of wisdom, faith, and discipleship.
- The Call of Wisdom (Proverbs 1:20-33) The Call to Heed Wisdom: Wisdom’s call is public and urgent, emphasizing the importance of embracing God’s wisdom in our daily lives.
Wisdom’s Public Call: Proverbs 1:20-33 depicts Wisdom calling out in the streets, urging people to listen and embrace her teachings. Ignoring Wisdom: Consequences of Ignoring Wisdom: Ignoring wisdom leads to calamity and distress, highlighting the need for integrity in our choices and actions.
Application: In our lives, Jesus embodies divine wisdom. He calls us to listen, learn, and live according to His teachings. Who do we say Jesus is? He is our wisdom, guiding us towards a life of integrity and righteousness. Faith and Works (James 2:18-26) - Faith Demonstrated Through Actions: James emphasizes that faith without works is dead. True faith is shown through our actions. Examples of Faith: Abraham and Rahab are highlighted as individuals whose faith was demonstrated through their deeds.
Watching How We Use Our Tongues (James 2:18-26)
Power of Words: Our speech reflects our integrity. James challenges us to show our faith through our actions, including our words.
Speech as a Reflection of Faith: Our words should align with our faith, promoting truth, justice, and compassion.
Application: Who do we need Jesus to be? We need Him to be our example of living faith. Our belief in Him should be evident in our actions, reflecting His love, compassion, and justice in the world. - Peter’s Confession and the Cost of Discipleship (Mark 8:27-38)
Peter’s Declaration: In Mark 8:27-30, Peter declares Jesus as the Christ. This moment is pivotal, as it reveals the disciples’ growing understanding of Jesus’ identity.
Jesus Predicts His Suffering: Jesus then speaks of His impending suffering and death, which Peter struggles to accept.
Taking Up Our Crosses: Jesus teaches that following Him requires self-denial and taking up our crosses. This is the true cost of discipleship.
Application: Who do we say Jesus is? He is our Savior and Lord, who calls us to follow Him, even when it means facing challenges and sacrifices. We need Jesus to be our strength and guide as we navigate the demands of discipleship.
Reflecting on Jesus’ Identity: wisdom, faith, and discipleship help us understand who Jesus is and who we need Him to be in our lives.
Call to Action: reflect on your own answers to Jesus’ question and to live out their faith with integrity and commitment.
Who do you say that I am is a great invitation to think carefully about who
we are and who we need Jesus to be I don’t know about you but my answer to the question can be different depending on how the rest of my life is going there are days when I need gentle Jesus Meek and Mild to give me Comfort and reassurance other days it’s the Jesus flipping tables in the temple I need to give me a bit of Courage so hearing Jesus ask who do you say that I am is a useful prompt as we wonder what sort of Jesus we need at a particular time.
Who do you say that I am is also a question we should ask of others of ourselves if we’ve got the courage who will people say we are we even willing to ask the question or do we stay silent afraid of what people might say perhaps worried about what truth might be uttered or do we avoid the question altogether so as to project a kind of confidence that we don’t really have Jesus knows it’s one of the hardest questions to ask which is why he asks it in the first place and why he has to ask it first.
The Demands of Discipleship (8:34 – 9:1)
Three demands.
- Jesus insists that if the disciples want to follow him, they must deny themselves. He does not ask disciples to deny something to themselves but to deny the self and all self-promoting ambitions. Discipleship is not part-time volunteer work that one does as an extracurricular activity. God refuses to accept a minor role in one’s life; he requires a controlling place. Those who deny themselves have learned to say, “Not my will but thine be done.”
- Jesus demands that his disciples take up a cross. By requiring disciples to carry their cross, Jesus expects them to be willing to join the ranks of the despised and doomed. They must be ready to deny themselves even to the point of giving their lives.
- Jesus tells his disciples to follow the way he has chosen, not the way they would choose for themselves. Jesus does not want a convoy of followers who marvel at his deeds but fail to follow his example. The procession he envisages is a rare sight: disciples following after their Master, each carrying a cross. The imagery means that disciples must obey his teaching, including what he says about giving their lives.
The rationale. Jesus appeals to the basic human desire to secure one’s life as the rationale for making such a sacrifice. Humans seek to guarantee their lives but usually choose ways destined to fail. Jesus offers a paradoxical principle for successfully saving one’s soul: To save one’s life, one has to lose it. Human beings make futile attempts to safeguard their lives by storing up goods in bigger barns, but nothing that one acquires in this life can ransom one’s soul from God. If we give up our lives for his sake and the gospel, we will be given the only life that counts, life from God. Mark 8:34