The Collision

Who is Jesus? Who is he supposed to be? What is he supposed to accomplish? Will he make everything great for everyone? Will all followers become wealthy? And what if you are wrong?

This week I have heard so many different ways of thinking from people who think they are just so smart. They think they know about Jesus. But they are simply mistaken. And most of them have read almost no Bible at all. But THEY KNOW what is true. They know where Christianity came from – Hedenism among others.

Jesus had a similar problem one day. And he even called one of his own 12 men Satan. That man was not thinking was not correct.

We are about to read from Mark 8. So, if you don’t have your Bible in hand, go get it quickly.

And if you don’t have a Bible, we can help you. Just call this number. Like a man from South Carolina did over the weekend. His was mailed yesterday. Call the number. Give us your Name, a COMPLETE mailing address. We will get it coming your way real quick. But today, just listen real close, ok.

Mark 8, says, ‘Mark 8:31  And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Jesus had just heard from Peter. Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ. I am sure they were wonderful words to Jesus’ ears.

But without warning his 12 apostles, Jesus took a hard turn. One not popular among his disciples.

Jesus started telling them of his end. About his coming Passion. Suffering mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically. About being rejected by the religious authorities of Judaism. About his being killed. About his rising again after 3 days.

He told them in advance the core ideas of the gospel. He was, in essence, prophesying to them.

But this did not match Peter’s concept of who the “Christ” or “Messiah” was to be.

For a few centuries, Jews had developed the concept that the “Christ” would be the great king, like David had been. David won battles. He conquered and subdued enemies. And the “Christ”, being in the family line of David, would also conquer and subdue the Romans. Or, at least, that was what Peter thought.

So Peter took Jesus aside and began to explain to Jesus how “the Christ” was to be a super-leader. Jesus would rally the nation to himself. Jesus would supply all the arms needed for battle. Jesus would use his divine powers to overcome the Romans, just like David depended on God to defeat Goliath and the Philistines. Jesus would re-create the glory days of Judaism.

But Jesus turned to Peter, stopped him, and started rebuking Peter.

CONFRONTATION!

Two powerful ideas were about to collide.

Mark 8:32-33  “And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  (33)  But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Did you hear that? Jesus called Peter, “Satan”.

He called Peter the accuser of God’s people. He was saying Peter was being God’s opponent.

Jesus told him his head was in the wrong place. Peter was stuck in the politics of his day. Peter thought he was following the man who was going to Make Jews Great Again.

Peter’s interests were on what people could do, what people wanted. He was not thinking about the things important to God.

Years later Paul would tell the Colossians where their heads ought to be.

• Colossians 3:1-3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  (2)  set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  (3)  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

And John, who was watching his buddy, Peter, get rebuked by Jesus, wrote

• 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.(what man thinks)  (17)  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Where is your head? You can know by examining how you spend your free time. Is it about the things of this life, or about the things of that originate from Heaven.

What kind of Jesus do you have? 

Are you focused on the things above, on God’s things?

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Thanks for watching, Until we do visit again, goodbye for now.