Mark 8:27-33 - Messiah

Here is how I introduced this sermon:

"We're at the half way point and a turning point in this Gospel of Mark. We've been with Jesus now for almost eight complete chapters, or, if you've been keeping track, 31 sermons so far. Today will be the 32nd. If they've averaged about 30 minutes apiece, and they have, then that will make about 16 hours of commentary on Mark so far, or about two hours per chapter.

Although this is the halfway point of the gospel, it is not the halfway point of Jesus’ ministry. In fact, we are very near the end of his ministry, though the disciples have no idea. In fact, the disciples still have no idea about a lot of things, though they do have some ideas they're going to have to get rid of. And in this passage today Jesus is going to try to open their eyes as he did those of the blind man last week. How successful he is remains to be seen.

Lest we be too hard on the disciples let's not forget that we've had an advantage on them. We've had Mark hand-picking and showing us things about Jesus and explaining to us, somewhat, what they mean as he goes along. For instance, right there in the first verse he told us what he had set out to do by writing this book. He said . . .

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.--Mark 1:1

That's his premise. That's what he's set out to prove. And we've known this all along. We've known that behind every story and the way it was told was this underlying premise, this thing that he has set out to show us.

But the disciples aren't reading the book, they're living it. They don't get to hear the voice of the narrator. They're just witnessing events. They weren't there at the baptism like we were. They didn't hear the voice from heaven or see the Spirit descending like a dove. They didn't witness the temptation in the wilderness. Like we have.

Now the focus of Jesus’ ministry will change. No longer is his primary interest in preaching the gospel to the crowds. He will still do this from time to time, but now his focus will be on his disciples, for he knows that his time is short. His ministry is coming to a close and his disciples must be ready. 

So he has taken them far away from their normal scenery, away from the crowds, away from Galilee--deep into Herod Philip’s territory--deep into Gentile territory. In fact, at this moment, they are as far away from Jerusalem as Jesus ever traveled during his ministry--more than a hundred miles away. So let's look at the text."

To listen to the sermon just click the link below. Doing so will open another window in your browser where you will be able to stream the audio immediately or download it for later listening. I want to encourage you to take the time and listen. God bless.


Click here: Mark 8:27-33 - Messiah


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^