Sermon on Mark 8:27-38

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Our reading from James reminds us of the power of our speech. We can use our mouths to tear down or to build up.

Peter does both in our Gospel reading.

He started off well by answering Jesus correctly: that Jesus is the Messiah.

Messiah (or Christ in Greek) is a title, meaning “anointed one.” Throughout the Hebrew Bible, you can read about God sending prophets to anoint people God has chosen to be king: Saul, David, and so on.

God’s anointed one is a king, a leader who will save God’s people, presumably by defeating their enemies and ushering in a time of peace and prosperity.

In Jesus’ day, God’s people were living under the oppressive Roman Empire. They were taxed heavily, ruled by a foreign power, and under constant threat of violence. It’s understandable that they expected the Messiah, God’s anointed one, to rise up, overthrow the Romans by military force, and establish a new kingdom of strength and might.

Also, when Jesus was asking these questions, he and his disciples were on their way to “the villages of Caesarea Philippi.” This was near a temple built by King Herod, dedicated to Emperor Augustus, whose title of was “Son of the Divine.” It makes sense that Peter and the disciples would have thought Jesus, God’s anointed one, was going to Caesarea Philippito defeat the sacrilegious, oppressive Romans.

So, when Jesus said he was supposed to suffer, be killed, and rise again, that went against everything Peter thought the Messiah would be. So, Peter used his mouth, which had correctly proclaimed Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, to scold Jesus for describing what he would undergo in service of his messianic mission.

But, Peter’s understanding of the Messiah’s mission was different from what Jesus’ mission actually was.

Of course, we know, and Peter would find out,the true form of Jesus’ mission. It was far beyond a political victory, a military triumph, or an earthly empire.

The Reign of God, the Beloved Community, is so much more.

It’s the picture of eternity we see in Revelation—with all the peoples of the world united in singing to God.

It’s the completion of the glimpses we get of the beauty of creation.

It’s the fulfillment of the peace, justice, unity, and joy that we can only dream about on this side of life.

Our human imaginations, though amazingly powerful, are not big enough to capture the fullness of the Beloved Community.

It’s so much bigger than a military victory.

And the people in power would kill Jesus over it.

Jesus was warning his disciples of what was to come and what would be required to endure it. His disciples and all his followers would have to lay down their egos, their dreams of military might, their hopes for glory and power and riches, even their own safety. That is what it means to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.

Jesus’ disciples would need to expand their idea of what it meant to be the Messiah.

Jesus and his mission were so much more than they imagined.

But Jesus’ instructions were and are incredibly challenging. They go against our basic instincts as human beings—instincts to protect our reputations, our power, and our very lives.

It’s so counter to what we see and hear in our culture, too. We’re told to “look after #1” and to work hard to make the most money and buy the best things.

We see and hear people protecting their egos by putting others down—from government officials to celebrities to social media. Unless we’re vigilant, that kind of language can trickle into our everyday conversations with friends and neighbors.

We’re surrounded by fearmongering, name-calling, and cynicism.When it’s all around us, it’s hard not to be affected by it.

As our reading from James says, “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire.”Unfortunately, fire has been a too-present reality for Southern California this week. Let’s continue praying for everyone affected.

But the metaphor is vivid. We’re surrounded by words that are often negative and anxiety-inducing—tv, radio, social media, advertisements, political commentary, random people’s opinions about some public figure’s faux pas, hyperbolic predictions of any number of devastating futures…It’s unending and inescapable.

If our reading from James is right and “no one can tame the tongue,” what are we supposed to do?

Maybe silence is the answer, or at least a step toward an answer.

Our society doesn’t tolerate much silence. Our world is full of noise.

What if we stemmed the flow of words washing over us?

What if we turned off the volume on all our devices and closed our eyes, just for a moment?

Maybe in even a moment of silence, we could hear the still, small voice of God.

Just three weeks ago, we heard Peter say that Jesus has “the words of eternal life.”[1] Yet, so often we get caught up in listening to words that aren’t life-giving.

It can be hard to hear God above all the noise we’re surrounded with. It’s up to us to find moments of silence or it isn’t likely to happen.

Silence can be intimidating when we’re not used to it.But even a minute of paying attention to your breath can make a huge difference. You can always work up from there. Chances are you can tolerate more silence than you think. Extraverts included.

In my own imperfect experiments with silence, I tend to find myself more aware of the noise around me the rest of the time. It’s easier to notice when social media is making me anxious or when the radio is overwhelming. And that makes it easier to turn them off until I’m less flooded.

In the meantime, I’m more mindful of what is life-giving: books, walks, a text to a friend, daydreaming out the window.

In Philippians, Paul exhorts his readers to meditate on good things: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”[2]

What if we replaced even one minute a day of the life-draining noise around us with a minute of silence?

What difference might that make in your life?

What could the Holy Spirit do with that empty space?

Author and educator Parker Palmer wrote, “In our culture, we tend to gather information in ways that do not work very well when the source is the human soul: the soul is not responsive to subpoenas or cross-examinations.

At best it will stand in the dock only long enough to plead the Fifth Amendment. At worst it will jump bail and never be heard from again. The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting, and trustworthy conditions.”

As uncomfortable as our culture is with silence, there’s a reason why it’s got such a lengthy history in the Christian tradition and in many other faiths as well. God is always with us, of course, but we so often only hear God when we slow down and quiet down enough to hear the still, small voice.

Our reading from James reminds us of the power of words to tear down or build up.In our Gospel reading, Peter illustrates that very power.

Jesus warns his followers that he isn’t here to build an earthly empire but a Beloved Community of peace, justice, joy, and love that will last forever. And it’s worth risking everything.

Silence can help us hear God past the life-draining noise that surrounds us.

Let’s take one minute now to sit in silence.Then, we’ll sing together in praise of our Messiah, God’s Anointed One.Let’s begin now. The Lord be with you.

[1] John 6:68

[2] Philippians 4:8