Sunday, September 12, 2021
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
(Times Square, New York City)

Who?

Mark 8.27-38

27Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς κώμας Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππου: καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐπηρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων αὐτοῖς, Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι; 28οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες [ὅτι] Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν, καὶ ἄλλοι, Ἠλίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ ὅτι εἷς τῶν προφητῶν. 29καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπηρώτα αὐτούς, Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος λέγει αὐτῷ, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός. 30καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ λέγωσιν περὶ αὐτοῦ. 31Καὶ ἤρξατο διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς ὅτι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν καὶ ἀποδοκιμασθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ τῶν γραμματέων καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστῆναι: 32καὶ παρρησίᾳ τὸν λόγον ἐλάλει. καὶ προσλαβόμενος ὁ Πέτρος αὐτὸν ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ. 33ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐπετίμησεν Πέτρῳ καὶ λέγει, Υπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. 34Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἀκολουθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. 35ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν: ὃς δ’ ἂν ἀπολέσει τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου σώσει αὐτήν. 36τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἄνθρωπον κερδῆσαι τὸν κόσμον ὅλον καὶ ζημιωθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ; 37τί γὰρ δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; 38ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ μοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων.

Peter’s Declaration About Jesus

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ 28And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

+ In nomine Domini. Amen.

First of all, thank you. Beverly and I have not been inside this beautiful Nave to celebrate Holy Communion with you for at least eighteen months.

That is not to say that we have not worshiped with you! We have, each Sunday morning virtually (as we say). I think we missed only one time. In our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico we are part of several congregations: St. Luke in Albuquerque (where I began my Ordained life back in 1972), the United Church of Santa Fe (where we attend physically outside sheltered by the beautiful pinon trees of North New Mexico), and Temple Beth Shalom, our synagogue, to which when I retired we were given lifetime memberships.

BUT, I have to say with all honesty, that it is Saint Luke’s here in Times Square to whom we feel the closest, even 2,000 miles away, and today here in person. You are very very dear to us and we are very very grateful.

+++

What a Gospel Reading! Three parts, three significant and important parts: Peter’s Confession, Jesus’ rebuke of Peter’s admonitions, Jesus instruction to his followers.

THE Question throughout is “Who are you?” Who is Jesus? What is Jesus about? Why is Jesus? And, probably most important of all, “What happens if I follow Jesus?”

It begins with Who?

A long time ago (1970) before I was even Ordained, in my 3^rd year at Seminary, I was assigned an Internship in Ault, CO (the very northern part of the state). It was to a wonderful little congregation full of Swedish Lutherans. They said to me, “What kind of name is Larzelere?” They pronounced it LARS-a-lear. I said, “French.” “You’re not Swedish!” “No, sorry.” “Well, do you have anything else in your family history?” “Yes, most of me is Irish, on my Mother’s side. And a bit of Quaker.” “Irish‽ Quaker‽” “And German.” “We don’t like the Germans.” I thought to myself, I’ll remember that and I probably should not tell them about my Jewish Great-Grandmother on my Father’s side. They said, “Well, we’ll keep you anyway.” And they did, not only for a year, but for 3 additional months before I left to go back to Seminary for my final year and Ordination and move to New Mexico.

We fell in love with each other. They were followers of Jesus and so was I and we learned to walk together and teach each other and do a lot of wonderful things in the community. It’s the church, after all.

Here begins Part I.

According to the Gospel Storyteller we know as Mark, Jesus and his followers are walking from Bethsaida (located east of the Jordan River) to Caesarea Philippi, which was in the northern part of Israel.

To put it into perspective, imagine that the New York Bay is the Sea of Galilee, that Times Square is Bethsaida, and the New Haven, Connecticut is Caesarea Philippi. The distance from Times Square to New Haven is just about the distance from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi – walking would take about a week. Jesus and his disciples on foot, about 10 miles a day, one week walking together.

Caesarea Philippi means Philip’s Caesarea, or that section of Israel which his father, Herod the Great who was ruling over Israel, gave to him. The Herods are an interesting bunch – powerful, nasty, vicious, self-serving – like any despots we have known in contemporary times. The whole family tree of Herods would take exactly 23 Sermons to explicate.

Philip is one of the sons, and his wife (before he died) was Salome, and Salome features in the death of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. You may well recall that story.

The ancient name for Caesarea Philippi is Greek: πανεας named because there was a spring of water that was a shrine for the Greek God Pan. Pan was the god of shepherds and flocks, woods and forests, and music. He is portrayed as having the hindquarters and legs and horns of a goat and is playing a flute.

The modern name for the place is Banias. It is located just north of the Golan Heights near the base of Mt. Hermon. I have been there. It is a lovely place: flowing spring, sheltering trees. Maybe even the music of that ancient Greek God floating in the air. It is one of the main springs that feeds the Sea of Galilee.

One can imagine Jesus and his followers stopping there to refresh themselves with water and sitting in the cool shade of the trees.

“So,” says Jesus, “Who do people say I am?”

[Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι;]

There are several answers: “John the Baptist” (remember John would die when Salome danced for her stepfather (another Herod). “Elijah or one of the other prophets.”

Why Elijah? Elijah had been dead for about 900 years.

Because, the tradition of Judaism said that before Messiah (in Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ) appears, Elijah will return.

Even today as we join our Jewish brothers and sisters sometimes for the end of Shabbat on Saturday nights in the delightful service called Havdalah, it ends with a song to Elijah:

Eliyahu Hanavie, Eliyahu Hatishbi, Elyahu Elyahu Elyahu Hagiladi,
[Bimherah Yavo Elenu Im Mashiach Ben David.]

Elijah the prophet, Elijah of Tishbi, Elijah of Gilead, may he soon come to us along with the Messiah, son of David.

And at the Passover Seder, in every Jewish home an empty chair is set at the table for Elijah, and at a point late in the meal the door of the home is opened to welcome Elijah.

Everyone in Jesus’ time knew this, so they answer: “Some folks believe you are Elijah returned.”

But then the stinger: Jesus asks (the Greek says επηρωτα – it’s a very strong word that means “interrogate, accost with a question, demand an answer.” Now, Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek; but the Gospels are written in Greek, so this is the way the author of Mark’s Story records the Q/A between Jesus and his followers. “What about you!?” asks Jesus. “Who do you say I am!?”

And rising to the occasion, Peter (who becomes the head of the early followers of Jesus) says: Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός

Χριστός is the Greek word for the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ‎ which is “Messiah” – the expected one who is to come and save God’s people from occupation by the Romans and despots like the Herods and such.

End of Part I.

Part II.

Jesus proceeds under the shade of the trees and by the water springing forth at Bania, to tell them what is going to happen now that they have identified themselves with him. It’s not going to be pretty, he says. There will be suffering, rejection by the religious authorities, death (his death) and then his ἀναστῆναι his resurrection.

Who responds?

Peter. Peter says “No!” Actually the Greek word used has more than one meaning: the first is to show honour, the second is rebuke (which is how this passage is usually translated), the third is Question severly! I’m going with the third meaning. What Peter is doing is what any of us would do, in light of horrible prediction we say, “No! Can’t be. Don’t let it happen.”

Jesus response is surprising. Υπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ! Literally, “Go away from my presence, Tempter!” Why? Because to try and stop the future is to try and stop the whole life and being and meaning of the Χριστός.

It’s like anything uncomfortable or dangerous or challenging – we don’t want to do it! I mean really, who wants to get oneself dirty in the life of those who really really really need help? But not to do so is to walk away from what it means to follow Jesus.

And that brings us to Part III.

Jesus turns to the crowd. We picture them gathering at the Bania edging up to the disciples and Jesus, overhearing the ardent conversation, wondering how this will all turn out.

Jesus speaks [to everyone]: if you want to become my followers, let go of things, take up your cross.

Ah, that’s where we usually stumble in this story. Cross? Really? What does Jesus mean? A literal Cross‽

What Jesus means is that to follow him is to do just that follow (the Greek word is ἀκολουθεῖν) all the way, no matter what, through hard times and good times and challenging times and life and death and into life. All of it. No matter what, that is what it means to be a disciple, to be a follower of Jesus.

What does it mean for us to be followers of Jesus???

I used to have my Confirmation Class write three things in the front of their Bibles. After they got over the shock of actually writing something in a Bible, they obeyed.

#1. The first thing is to Listen. (Not speak, not pray, not debate. Be quiet and listen, listen to God.)

#2. I am a Child of God, loved by God.

#3. Nothing I have ever done, or will do will ever change #2.

And now I would add #4. Everything happens in community – God’s Love and the Love of Jesus permeates itself into the world through us, through this community, through these followers of Jesus, through you and me and us.

That is indeed the Gospel, the Good News for this Sunday.

Let us pray a familiar prayer; it one of my absolute favourite prayers.

O Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us, and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And let us all say: Amen.

Deo Gratias (+)

The Rev. Benjamin Larzelere III
Retired