Sermons on Mark
My goal today is to focus on some of the events from the last half of the week, but I hope to do this by seeing these events through the eyes of one of Jesus’ closest followers—Simon Peter. Throughout the Passion Week, Simon Peter seems to be involved in everything that is happening—which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good. As we consider all these things that he said and did during these last few hours of Jesus’ life, I hope to be able to portray not only his words and actions but also his implied thoughts and feelings. I will not overly-dramatize the text of Scripture to make it say something that it does not say, but I will attempt—when possible—to analyze the text of these gospels to help us see and feel what Simon Peter is experiencing. We’ll begin where Pastor John left off last week—in the Upper Room where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover on Thursday evening.
When Jesus was ministering on Earth, He taught and did many things. On one such occasion, He went to a desolate place to take a break and rest with his disciples only to be interrupted by a crowd who wanted to see Him perform miracles. What He did at that time provided His disciples with several key lessons that we can still learn from today.
One of our Christian brothers in Ukraine related a story that a Russian tank approached the point there where they were helping people. The Russian soldiers got out of the tank and said, ‘We’re out of gas, but we’re also out of food and water, and we’re freezing.’ And so the Ukrainian believers that these Russian soldiers are fighting against gave them water, food, hot tea, and even let them use their cell phones to call their families back in Russia.” The prayer request of one of our leaders in Ukraine was: “Pray for us. Pray for our people. But pray that we will have opportunities to reach the Russian soldiers with the gospel.” There is no way to explain their attitudes and actions except to point to the work of God in their hearts! The sign that you follow Jesus Christ is that you love one another. What an amazing display of love by these Ukrainian believers!
In our text today from Luke 5, we encounter a situation that I’m almost certain none of you have ever experienced. Sometimes it can be difficult for us to understand something if we do not have any personal experience that can connect us to that thing or event. In our passage today, we are introduced to a man who is suffering from a highly contagious skin disease—referred to as leprosy in Scripture. When we think about lepers—and the pain and suffering that they must have undergone as a result of their disease—we probably feel sorry for them. But that was not how they were treated in the first century A.D. Let’s look at how Jesus broke the cultural norms to reach out with compassion to the dregs of the society.
There is nothing quite like the build up and anticipation for a winter storm in the South. A week ago today, the local meteorologists were telling us to get ready because a winter storm was on its way. Well, we’ve heard that before when it was much ado about nothing. But nonetheless, we prepare. Many would argue that the raids on the grocery stores and closing of schools and businesses are not only needed, they are essential. I wouldn’t disagree, but I do think we might take it a little overboard when we start hoarding 14 gallons of milk for a storm that’s supposed to last two days. Today, as we continue our study through the Gospel of Luke—In the Steps of the Savior—we’re going to spend a little time focusing on some things that Jesus considered essential. Then we will attempt to apply these principles in our own lives to see how we might emulate Jesus’ actions today.
As we continue to study the Essential Elements of Life in Christ, we will continue once again this week to consider a spiritual discipline that, while essential, it is not something that we practice every day. In fact, this particular element is practiced on a weekly basis by design. Of course, the element that I am referring to is the spiritual practice of Sabbath. I’m sure that many of you are aware of what the Sabbath is in a Jewish context, but today, I want us to realize that celebrating Sabbath is not just a Jewish thing! God intends for all followers of Christ to practice Sabbath rest.
The Spiritual Disciplines of silence and solitude—while unique from one another—go hand-in-hand. You can have solitude without silence, but it is almost impossible to have silence without solitude. So rather than spending two weeks discussing these disciplines separately, I will do my best to address them as two sides of the same coin. By definition, solitude is the state or “situation of being alone without other people.” Solitude provides believers with an opportunity to reflect on spiritual matters by removing the distraction of people and things. A few weeks ago, Pastor John preached on the discipline of community and how we need one another to grow in spiritual maturity. Experiencing community is essential to our spiritual growth, but so is being alone with God!
Hell is the absence of God and every good thing that His presence brings to this world. If hell is the absence of God, then it is also the absence of everything good—joy, pleasure, laughter, music, art, food, water, etc. Can you imagine? God patiently offers us the free gift of eternal life with Him, but when man exercises his free will and chooses not to follow God’s plan, then his choice has determined his fate. John 3:17-18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Four events occurred in a dramatic succession on that Easter weekend: The Upper Room, The Garden, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection of Jesus. Let’s look at each of those events and their implications.