YEar 3 Day 1

Year 3 Day 1


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 8:27-30 (Focus v29)


Message - Alan Burke 


Jesus had asked His disciples ‘who do people say I am?’ Now He flips the question round, the Rabbi asking the question of his disciples to teach them. They had now been with Jesus for some time, they had heard and seen, alright they might have not heard and seen very well, they might not have understood most of the time. But Jesus asks them, what about you, who do you say that I am. 


And Peter replies “You are the Christ”


This is the first confession of who Jesus is. This is the first confession of Jesus as the Christ, many have heard His teaching, seen Him preform miracles, experienced his healing power, the crowds perused Him, many were amazed, yet they didn’t know who He was and this is the first time we have a confession of anyone other than the demons of who Jesus is. The title “Christ” comes from the greek word Christos, it means “anointed one” or “one anointed by God.”The word Christos corresponds to the Hebrew word messiah, which also means anointed one. In a sense anyone who is anointed by God is a “christ”, but Peter’s confession is that Jesus is the anointed one, the Christ, the Messiah. 


Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ”, is because he believes that Jesus is the who would fulfil the covenant promises of God. What a change there had been in this Peter, he was there among the disciples on the boat that we though about a couple of weeks ago who were worried about their bread, back in v14. They had just seen Jesus feed the four thousand and there they were worried about bread, they didn’t understand the reality of who they were with but now Peter gets it. 


Peter get’s it, or does he?


Well he does and he doesn’t. 


Peter at this stage is like the man who had just been healed in Bethsaida, the man who at first saw Ents walking around, people as tress, Peter could see but he couldn’t see clearly. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ but still didn’t understand what this meant. Look to what comes next, v32 for although Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ but then Peter in v32 takes Jesus aside and began to rebuke Jesus, the reason why was that Jesus had just told them that he must be killed and after three days rise again (31). Then look to v33, this Peter who had just confessed that Jesus is the Christ is told rebuked by Jesus and told “Get behind me, Satan!”. 


Peter saw but he didn’t see, just like the man who was asked in Bethsaida by Jesus do you see anything, this question of the disciples by Jesus was do you see, but just like the blind man initially the disciples did not see clearly. Although had got the right answer what he understands by that answer isn’t right, not yet anyway, for Peter confessed but he didn’t understand fully yet.


Now we are in chapter 8 and there are 16 chapters. This confession comes right in the middle, Peter has sight but it is more like Ents walking around, tree people than seeing clearly, people as people. So we are right in the middle of Mark’s gospel, this is the middle, not at the end, not at the beginning, when these disciples come to this understanding that Jesus is the Christ. There is still much for them to learn, they have a long way to go, and just like these disciples we all have. For spiritual maturity doesn’t happen over night, it continues on, but crucially important is that everything that follows for these disciples and for us must begin with the knowledge, the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God, the Messiah, and it is only the beginning of the road of discipleship. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q9 What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is, God’ s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good. (Gen. 1, Heb. 11:3)