Sermon Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Aug. 21st
Sermon
Text:
Matthew 16:13-20
I
traveled to Israel in January of 2008 with a group from Wartburg. We
spent time in Jerusalem, at the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, and spent 3 days
around the Sea of Galilee. We even took a boat ride onto the sea
itself and there in a boat on the waves, my professor gave us
communion. It was amazing. I also find the amount of history in that
part of the world astonishing. We went to Tiberius a town just south
of Nazareth where you could see Roman wheel ruts in the stone. We
also went to the town of Tel Meggido, the town were the end is
supposed to take place, therefore the word Armageddon. A Tel is a
man-made mountain or hill, it comes when people just continue to
build up and up upon the ruins below them. At Tel Meggido you can see
a pit they have dug that lets you see just layer upon layer of
building, centuries upon centuries. Looking into history. We find
some history in Caesarea Philippi the town we find Jesus during this
weeks lesson. I did not get to visit while over there, but the town
itself is ancient. The name has changed over the years and the name
we see here is recent for Jesus' time. It is named after Caesar
Augustus, the Caesar after Julius Caesar, and also after Philip,
Herod the Great's son, who at this time rules this region of Galilee.
For
this story that's sort of a loaded town to find yourself in. Named
after both the ruler of the area, and the ruler of the Roman Empire,
who viewed himself as either a representative of the gods, or even a
god himself. So in this place dedicated to worldly rulers, we find
Jesus asking the disciples, Who do you say that I am?
That's
a fascinating question. We asked that question of ourselves during
various seminary classes, and we always ended up giving these huge
theologically complex answers, full of large words. As we begin the
school year I am beginning to put together my lessons for
confirmation, and for the 11th graders who will be
confirmed this October I am going to have a short essay question,
which will probably be based on this question to some degree. I'm not
going to ask for 10 pages or anything, probably a page or two. It is
a question to ask ourselves every once in a while, if not everyday.
And I would expect that we would spend quite a while crafting what we
would say, and we give good responses.
When
we look at Peter's response he is concise, yet deep. Peter answers,
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. I wish I could
answer that well to Jesus' question. It answers it, but asks us to
look deeper as well. Messiah is a word that we are familiar with, in
fact more familiar than you may realize. Messiah is a Hebrew word,
and the Greek word used for it is “Kristos,” where we get Christ.
I remember being extremely fascinated the first time that I realized
that Christ was not Jesus' last name, but a title. Jesus the Christ.
Jesus the Messiah. But, what does it mean? Messiah means anointed. It
is the word used for the anointing of a king or priest. But, in
specific reference it refers to a special individual who will be
anointed and will lead the Jewish people to freedom. In many ways,
Moses is seen as a Messiah figure, he rescues the Israelites from
Egypt, during the Babylonian Exile, we also get a King of Persia,
Cyrus, mentioned as a Messiah figure as he is the one to allow the
Israelites to return home. But, each time the Israelites find
themselves in future persecution and continue to find themselves
under foreign empires. So the search continued, and to Peter, he
views Jesus as this Messiah, the one to set them free. Jesus tells
him he is blessed for such an answer.
But,
Jesus frees them and us in a way much different than we would expect.
The messiah is seen as a powerful king, similar to the Caesar that
the town they are in standing in is named after. A mighty warrior who
will free them from earthly powers. But, is Jesus that kind of
Messiah, is Jesus that kind of Christ, in Jesus that kind of king? He
is killed for that reason. It says King of the Jews on his cross,
killed because they feared he would rise up against them. But, Jesus
dies, and rises, and in that way frees. Not from earthly rulers, but
from the greater power of sin. Peter's answer is grand, but it is so
much more than he conceives.
We
ourselves declare Jesus as Messiah, whenever we say Jesus Christ.
But, what does it mean to declare Jesus as Christ?
Our
Church's Church-wide Assembly was this past week. I tried to watch as
much as possible of it online as I could, and someday hope that I
will be able to experience it in person. The theme for the assembly
was “Freed in Christ to Serve.” It is based on Luther's statement
in The Freedom of a Christian, “A Christian is a perfectly free
lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful
servant of all, subject to all.” We are freed from the power of Sin
through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah,
and we declare that every Sunday. We are freed because of the God who
loves us. But we cannot stop there. Since we are loved, we must go
out.
A
overseas classmate of mine my first year at Wartburg, Joseph
Livenson Lauvanus, now the Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Haiti,
was the preacher on Wednesday morning of Church-wide assembly. In
looking at the text of the woman at the well in John where she asks
Jesus if he is the messiah, and he answers yes, I am he. Bishop
Lauvanus says that our Vocation, the call extended to all by Christ
is that we are to love, and to be loved, and to make that love
evident through our presence that should make a difference and change
lives everywhere and with any circumstance. With the love of God, we
can work miracles. He declares that we are working miracles in Haiti,
and hope is found. But, the reason for working these miracles, for
going out to love, is not for our salvation.
He
closes: “it is not that oh, Bishop Hanson went to Haiti and has a
big interest there, and God is going to say, ok I'm going to give
each member of the ELCA ten thousand points, Like, when we get a
million points we are all saved. Is it that? No. It is not that. It
is all because we are Freed in Christ to Serve. My Friends, as we are
going to partake in communion, let's remember that our mission begins
after worship, where we are sent to make a difference as God's chosen
people to bring peace and love in the midst of Chaos. Amen.”
When
we declare Jesus as Messiah, as the one who frees us, it puts us to
work. We are free, to serve. We are free, and mission begins. In
communion we are fed, and we go out to nourish. We are freed from the
chaos of sin, so that we can go out into the chaos of those hurting
around us showing them the messiah that frees them.
I
love the last line of our text. “The he sternly ordered the
disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.” It reminds
me of my parents strictly telling me to not do something, and what is
the first thing I'm are going to do? Go do that thing they don't
want. So, for once, don't listen to Jesus, go out and tell the world,
that Jesus is Messiah, that Jesus is the anointed one who frees us
from the bonds of sin and death, and we show this through our words
of comfort, our actions of caring. Tell the world that they are free
to serve.
Amen
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