We do not understand the full weight of the significance with Gandalf s plea until we experience the rest of the movie.

Transcription

1 3/1/15 The Ring of Power Harvest Center Mark 1:9-15; Mark 8:31-38 Don t tempt me Frodo: 33:47 We do not understand the full weight of the significance with Gandalf s plea until we experience the rest of the movie. In the passage from Mark chapter 1 we have a series of Mark s immediately saying: Immediately he saw heaven being torn open The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness It was in this wilderness experience when Jesus contemplates his mission. Jesus has been fasting for 40 days pushing the limits of human endurance. It was here where the devil tempted Jesus. The question I propose today is, Was this a real temptation or just perfunctory to the real story? How was Jesus tempted? What was the temptation? Remember Jesus was in the wilderness contemplating how he would bring about his Kingdom the Kingdom of God. At this point in his life, did Jesus know what his mission would entail? I suspect he did? Before his baptism, did Jesus know he was God s son? I suspect he did, but he still received the voice from heaven. I am sure there are many reasons why a voice from heaven was offered. Perhaps to let those on the scene know. Perhaps to reassure Jesus. After all he was human and we humans always have our doubts. 1

2 Perhaps it was to show that God does things by process. Before Jesus begins his ministry he goes through the process to contemplate how exactly he will reveal himself. And it was at this time the devil tempted him. I suspect the devil came to Jesus in the same way he comes to us you know in a little red suit with horns and a pitch fork no of course not. That would be not temptation at all. But if he came to Jesus as he comes to us it was in that still small voice of doubt if you are the son of God If you are the Son of God why are you going to put yourself through what you know is inevitable. Let s by-pass all this frail, human, charade and get on with the show. Let s liven things up with Bread a show and take hold of real power. This is what Jesus was tempted with. Offer the people bread meet their physical needs that is how you can really advance your kingdom. Do you think the temptation was for Jesus to satisfy his physical hunger? This was not about Jesus immediate needs this was about inaugurating the kingdom. Jesus could have attracted a great crowd with all the bread he could produce. He did that a couple of times you know. There is nothing wrong with meeting people s physical needs but like Jesus said man does not live by bread alone. There was more to Jesus kingdom than just filling people s stomachs. The problems of the world are not hunger and disease and violence and such the problem goes much deeper it goes down to the core of what it means to be human. Bread will not fix that. Satan tempted Jesus to make his program a social justice program. Jesus had no trouble ministering people at the point of their immediate needs, but his program would go much deeper than meeting people s temporal needs. 2

3 If you are the son of God show the world you have spiritual forces that can preserve your life give them a show. We love a good show. Jesus could have created quite a following through spectacle. Heal a few sick people, cast out a few devils, walk across a few swimming pools he could have given them a show. Think of the light show on Mt. Tabor. His mission was not about proving he was God tempting God to show God s hand. Something deeper was at stake. God has always operated under two key parameters: Faith Free will Did Jesus heal people? Yes. Did he work miracles? Yes. These were born more out of compassion than giving a sign. Despite all the signs, in the end they still murdered him. Did Jesus call for social justice? Yes. But the justice Jesus was bringing had to go beyond providing daily sustenance. A whole new system or order of life had to be inaugurated. The power of the world was in the wrong hands. The very definition of power was distorted and misplaced and misused. Think about it; when we speak of power what do we picture? When we speak of God s power how do we describe it? He can move mountains - he is the creator his majesty and glory are beyond our understanding. God is a transcendent all powerful being. We say God is holy. But how do we know about the holiness of God. By God s transcendence? No. We know about God s holiness by God coming near to us in the incarnation. We know about God s power by what took place on the cross. The cross a picture of weakness and foolishness that has baffled the world for centuries. The cross is shear impotence as far as the world goes, yet it is the power of God. 3

4 Satan comes to Jesus one last time and tells him, All the kingdoms of the world could be yours if he just bows and worships me. What was Satan asking for? Was he asking Jesus to literally bow before him? Would that even be a temptation? What was Satan asking? Like Gandalf s temptation, we do not understand the full weight of what Satan was asking until we move further into the Gospel story. We are given a clue as Jesus carries out his mission, because in fact, Satan does not come to Jesus one last time in the desert. Satan continues the temptation all through Jesus life. We mentioned the feeding of the multitudes. At one point the people were so impressed with such a display of provision that they try to make Jesus ruler as they forcefully violently try to take the kingdom away from Rome and the corrupt Jewish leadership. In another place, when John the Baptist was imprisoned, John sends his disciples to Jesus basically telling him that now would be a good time to over throw Rome and inaugurate his kingdom. John, like the multitudes, had a certain understanding of messiah and kingdom that was based on how the world was always been ordered a world ordered by violence and might. This was the world of the OT and John is understood to be the last of the OT (type) prophets. It did not even enter their minds that there might be another way to order the world and bring about the kingdom of God. Peter as well, who was bold enough to rebuke the Lord for not having the sense to know how a messiah should act, had no inkling that his idea of messiah was diabolically opposed to Jesus idea. I find it interesting that both John and Peter received revelations from God that Jesus was messiah, yet they both missed how messiah would inaugurate the kingdom. Satan was not asking Jesus to worship him out right. Satan was asking Jesus to grab the ring of power in the same way all messiah kings, and emperors and Caesars brought about Empire by force - by war - by violent retribution. 4

5 Of course, like Gandalf, Jesus would have used this power much better that Nebuchadnezzar or Xerxes or Caesar. Jesus would have welded the power of war and violence in a good way but it would not have been God s way. Jesus is called the second Adam in a way that compares Jesus faithfulness to Adam s unfaithfulness. Adam and Eve were called to a special place in creation. They were given the honor of bearing the image and likeness of God to represent God and join God in bringing about dominion starting with the garden to the rest of the world. Rather than do it God s way they grabbed the ring of power and thought they could carry out God s plan their way the result was disastrous. The world shifted from an axis of God centered relationship to one that was satanically centered on power and violence. After Adam God had another son Israel who God calls his first born son. Israel was called to reflect the love and justice of God but time and time again they failed miserably til finally Jesus comes on the scene and they think they can grab the ring of power by killing the Lord of glory. I suspect that the religious leaders had a pretty good idea Jesus was sent from God. They just did not like what God sent. So they murdered Jesus using a Roman cross. The cross however, was what Jesus was destined for all along. On the cross, Jesus shows his true colors his true and full nature the cruciform (crossconforming) nature of God. Through the cross, Jesus proposes a new arrangement of human society. Jesus calls it the kingdom/government/politics of God. Instead of being formed around an axis of power enforced by violence, Jesus offers an axis of love expressed in forgiveness. This was something first century Jews could not grasp. It eluded both Jew and gentile. 5

6 It escaped the understanding of even Jesus closest friends. No one got it. Leaving the desert, Jesus begins his ministry by calling Israel to repent. What was Jesus telling the people to repent from? In Mark 8, we find a pivotal point in Mark s gospel it is first time Jesus speaks of his death. Note Jesus movements: He rebukes Peter, but he is looking at his disciples. Jesus speaks to an adulterous (unfaithful) and sinful generation. Peter s rebuke of Jesus represents every infidelity to God s call to faithfulness past present and future. Like Adam we are so prone to reach for the ring of power rather than trust God s way. What is God s way the cross. Mark portrays Jesus as being very intentional about his mission. Was the devil s temptation real? Could Jesus have grabbed the ring of power and failed his mission? If not it was not a real temptation. The good news is that Jesus did not grab for power, but showed us the way to life life in God s kingdom. Life centered on an axis of love and forgiveness. In the very act of murdering God, God looks down from the cross and offers forgiveness. This is absolutely contrary to the way of the world. Now we are given the clarion call to follow Jesus to bear the image and likeness of God. Very few of us will be put to the test like our Coptic brothers from Syria and Egypt. I only pray that I would have the spiritual fortitude to offer the same faithful witness as they have. 6