Sermon Index
March 8, 2015, Lent 3B
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Today we see Jesus being interviewed by various Jewish groups. These interviews had the purpose of finding something on Jesus that they could use in a trial against him. Jesus is being tested, he is being tried in public, you might say. Let’s look at the accusations, the defense, and we get to be the judge. On Tuesday morning as Jesus and the Disciples were walking back to Jerusalem, they passed the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the previous morning. It was completely withered. It is a sign of the power of Jesus. It is a sign of what will happen to the city of Jerusalem because of unbelief. It is the sign of the power of prayer. And Jesus connects prayer and forgiveness, because the tree is a sign of things when not forgiven. The religious authorities challenged Jesus asking him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do this?” (11:28). They had not given him a license to preach. Did he get permission for some other rabbi somewhere? Of course it was a rhetorical question meaning, “You do not have authority. Stop preaching.” But Jesus says his authority does not come from people but from God. When the Jewish leaders said they did not know where John the Baptist got his permission to baptize and they did said, “We do not know” (11:33) Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” Now, we who read the Gospel of Mark have to be the judges. By what authority, do you think, Jesus does these things? Look at the evidence. Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah or not? Do you believe that he has authority in your life? Can he curse you like he did the fig tree? Is there fruit in our lives? Let’s pray for forgiveness! Do we return thanks and praise and service to God? Will he kick us and our church out of his vineyard? Are we building on the sure foundation? To the question about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus answered “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” At the trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus was accused of being a rebel against Rome because he called himself the King of the Jews. Jesus’ answer tells us that we have a foot in both the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of heaven and that we have a responsibility to both. We must love God and love our neighbor who is our fellow citizen. Church offerings serve the kingdom of God and taxes serve our neighbors in our country. But I think that Jesus is telling the Jews to be sure that they really giving to God what belongs to God. And so we are challenged also. We are also on trial. Do we follow these words of Jesus? And we must remember what Jesus gave. He gave his life blood as a sacrifice on the cross to God. He gave his life to save the people of this world who are in the kingdom of Caesar. The question of the Sadducees about the Resurrection is important. Does Jesus know the future? Is there a future? Is there life after death? Will Jesus live again after dying on the cross? Is it possible that the dead rise? Science and human history say, “No.” There are miraculous cures and Jesus did raise a few dead people, like Lazarus, but they all eventually died again. Tuesday of Holy Week is just three days before Good Friday. Is there hope for Jesus? Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. But is there hope for us? The witness of the whole New Testament is for future eternal life with Christ in heaven. We believe that. The question about which is the greatest law has a double answer: to love God 100% and to love your neighbor as if they were yourself. In our confession of sin at the beginning of the worship service we confess that we have not kept those two laws. But we confess the importance of that love. And so Jesus tells us what he told the teacher of the law, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (12:34). Jesus asked the question about the relationship of the Christ to David. If King David calls the Christ his Lord, how can he be his son? It is not logical. I think the best way for a Christian to understand this is to confess that the Man Jesus, born 28 generations after King David as his descendent, was from eternity the Son of God, and therefore David’s Lord. This is the answer to Jews who asked about his authority. This is the answer to the Sadducees about the resurrection and eternal life. Jesus is the King of the Jews to whom we must give what he has first given us. Holy Tuesday was busy. There was the widow who gave all her money as an offering. Jesus gave his life for us. What have we given him? Then in Mark Chapter 13 Jesus talks about the end of the age. Jesus leaves the beautiful city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple was built on Mount Zion. Across the valley was the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus and the disciples went. Jesus sat down at a place where they could look across and see the Temple. It was a large building made of white marble with a gold dome. Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. It would happen in the year A.D. 70. The Roman army would completely dismantle and take away the precious stones to be used elsewhere. And of course they would take the gold and everything of value. Jesus gave practical advice to his disciples so they would not panic (13:7). They are to watch the signs of the times. Not only earthquakes and famines (13:8), but also to pay attention to the political wars that would come to Jerusalem. And he says, “Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (13:14). That prophecy came true. Jesus also foretold that his believers would be persecuted. They would be hated, arrested, beaten and even killed. But when the disciples are on trial for their faith, that trial becomes an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel. We are living in that sort of time today. Christians in Africa and the Middle East are being killed because they believe in Christ. They believe the promises of Christ about love, forgiveness and eternal life. To them and to us, Jesus said, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (13:13). That prophecy has come true. Then Jesus gave a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled. This one also concerns us. This is the end of the world: the Day of Judgment, the day of resurrection, the parousia, the second coming of Christ. Jesus said, 13:26 “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” When we are persecuted, these words give us hope. They give us courage because we know that God has not forsaken us. We do not know when that will be. Jesus spoke of signs of the end. There will signs on earth and in the sky. We can see these signs and so it seems that Jesus should be coming back very soon now! And so Jesus tells us be ready. “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (13:33) We have faith, and so although when we think of our sin we might be fearful of the coming of Christ, yet because of our faith we know we are ready. We are ready because Christ has already come once. That is the story of Christmas, of Holy Week, and of Easter. In the Lord’s Supper we celebrate that Christ is with us today. We celebrate with those who greeted Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on the first day of Holy Week. “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” Amen. |
11 The Withered Fig Tree 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” The Authority of Jesus Questioned 27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” 29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!” 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’....” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” The Parable of the Tenants 12 He then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this scripture: ”‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. Paying Taxes to Caesar 13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Marriage at the Resurrection 18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” The Greatest Commandment 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. Whose Son Is the Christ? 35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: ”‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. 38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.” The Widow’s Offering 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Signs of the End of the Age 13 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” 5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, ”‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. 28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. The Day and Hour Unknown 32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” |
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church