Mark 8:27-9:13, Who Do You Say He Is?

Mark chapter 8 verse 27 to chapter 9 verse 13 hear the word of the

Lord and Jesus went with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi and on the way he asked his disciples

Who do people say that I am and they told him John the Baptist and others say Elijah and others one of the prophets

And he asked them but who do you say that I am? Peter answered you are the

Christ and he strictly charged them to tell no one about him and he began to teach them that the

Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again, and he said this plainly and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him but turning and seeing his disciples

He rebuked Peter and said get behind me Satan for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man and Calling the crowd to him with his disciples he said to them if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and Follow me for whoever would save his life

Will lose it and whoever would lose his life for my sake and the

Gospels will save it For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

For what can a man give in return for his soul For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words and this adulterous and sinful generation of him

Will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels and He said to them truly

I say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power and After six days

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them and There appeared to them

Elijah with Moses and they were talking with Jesus and Peter said to Jesus rabbi

It is good that we are here Let us make three tents one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah But he did not know what to say for they were terrified and a cloud overshadowed them and the voice came out of the cloud

This is my beloved son. Listen to him and suddenly looking around. They no longer saw anyone with them

But Jesus only and as they were coming down the mountain He charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the

Son of Man had risen from the dead And so they kept the matter to themselves Questioning what this rising from the dead might mean and they asked him

Why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come and he said to them?

Elijah does come first to restore all things And how is it written of the

Son of Man that he should suffer many things be treated with contempt But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased as it is written of him

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Does almost everyone who meets you?

approve of you At least mildly. I mean, they're even they're not excited about you. Maybe at least they

They kind of Think yeah. Yeah, you're a nice guy. I mean, you're a nice person. You're a good neighbor.

Someone needs a job start You're you'll help you do your part at work and you'll cover for a co -worker if needed you return your grocery cart

To the store or at least to one of those corrals if you get into a conversation about politics You're not obnoxious

Even with people who disagree with you if you talk about religion You'll put up with differences of opinion.

You're easy to get along with uncontroversial inoffensive and Yes That's the way we should be most of the time being at peace with all people as far as it depends on us

Now a lot of people think that that's the way Christians should always Be that's the spiritual way to be in some places in Europe Some of the

Christian communities were called, you know, the quiet in the land They were the peaceful people who never gave anyone any problems who pay their taxes and do what they're told they say that the folk religion of America now is moralistic therapeutic deism

Moralistic and that it encourages what what they say are good morals I think religion being spiritual is all about being what they call a moral person and moral is now defined as being pleasant supportive encouraging affirming

If an eight -year -old boy starts saying that he's a girl the moral thing to do now They say is you know say that's great.

I'll get your address To expose the child or anyone to the trauma of being told that they are wrong is now considered to be

Abusive, which is the ultimate immorality in today's culture that leads directly to being therapeutic meaning help people to feel better to lessen as far as it is possible all pain and Discomfort help people to adjust basically adjust to the way things are

To adjust to other people Sigmund Freud said that religion by which he I guess he meant Christianity exists to provide a way to avoid pain avoid discomfort

Of course, it does that he said by depressing one's grasp on reality by what he called

Psychical infantile ism that is just fancy way of saying making us think like like infants

We think childlike in a childlike way and but he said maybe that's just the best that some people can do

According to Freud. So now the purpose of the church and the role of the pastor is to comfort the afflicted

Never to afflict the comfortable. It's therapeutic and Deistic meaning that they assume that God is not he's not close.

He's not imminent. He's not sovereign He's not in control of every This or that as James chapter 4 verse 15 says he is

So that now is what modern Western people think is the ideal

Spiritual person if they want to be spiritual they want to be that they may acknowledge that they are not personally spiritual

And if they should become that but they think that's the ideal and since most still respect

Jesus as the ideal spiritual person They assume

Jesus is just like that Jesus is a man man for others. Some have called him.

He's moralistic He's therapeutic They think that he's like, mr. Rogers, you know kind of maybe that's some of you are too young for mr.

Rogers But he's up. He's a mild -mannered gentlemanly inoffensive guy Inviting you to be his neighbor as he changes into his sweater and soft slippers.

He looks like a nice guy You would like him might not be excited by him, but you would like him he's helping us to adjust as painlessly as possible to a

God who loves us all and wants us to avoid as Much as he can help us

God can't help everything but he wants us to get through as much a life as painlessly as possible

Avoid all unpleasantness. So even if someone doesn't believe in Jesus Jesus to them will be they think

Inoffensive it's not attractive at least inoffensive and so produce in everyone at least

Many think a a teepid Acceptance That's who they say.

Jesus is he's a nice guy Who helps us? Be nice like him avoid pain

Who helps us feel better when we need therapy? Someone everyone approves of even if they're not really excited by him but CS Lewis said

Jesus produced mainly three effects the real Jesus. He's talking about this time three effects hatred terror adoration

There was no trace of people expressing mild approval Who do you say he is

We see here who he is in four parts first the confession second the admonition third the explanation and finally the transfiguration

First there's the confession starting in verse 27. Jesus asked who did the people say that I am? He's taken his disciples really far up north.

You've got to look at one of those maps in the back of your Bible It'll be up near the northern part of what north of Israel by 25 miles north of Galilee to the region of Caesarea Philippi Which is a mostly pagan area which founded to celebrate

Caesar Caesarea means Caesar on the way there He asked him, you know, basically what's the polling like among the common people the common folks?

What are they saying about me? Who do they say that I am the answers are? The same as from chapter 6 remember when

Herod was sure that Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected And others though said well

Jesus is Elijah Come back because Elijah did lots of miracles and others thought well, he's a prophet

But what about you? Jesus says what about you? That's what they say. What do you say you disciples?

Who do you say that I am? That's the key question That's the question that the book of Mark is written to answer and that is the most important question of life of The universe who do you say?

Jesus is Well Peter answers in verse 29 you are the

Christ That's the answer. It's the right answer. That's the good confession But what is the

Christ now today? A lot of people think Christ is Jesus's last name We have a lot of people today who say the right words about Jesus But they don't have any idea what they mean

Christ is actually the Greek word the Greek translation of the word the Hebrew word Messiah So Christ Messiah are the same thing the anointed one.

That is the one designated empowered Authorized by God to bring in God's kingdom to bring in his rule on earth

The Messiah is the one who fulfills the covenant with David to have a man Remember God made a covenant with David to have a man from David will always be ruling on earth

So the Messiah them Christ's he fulfills the covenant with David to have a man from his line ruling over God's kingdom now so far

Jesus Peter the disciples Even us I hope We're all on the same page.

We all agree The Christ is God's King to bring God's kingdom

But how is he going to do that? What kind of King will he be? You know when you start reading the small print?

About who the Messiah is He's a lot different than they had expected

But so far Jesus agrees notice that in verse 30 Jesus strictly charged them to tell no one about him

Yet don't tell anyone yet implying that Peter was right Jesus here confirms that he is the

Messiah. He accepts Peter's confession. The problem is Peter and the others don't know

What the Messiah really is? You can know all the right words about Jesus make the right confession

But not know what they mean Who do you say Jesus is He's the

Messiah. He's the Christ. What does that mean? Well, like what I just said, he's God's King over God's kingdom.

And how does he become King? Well Peter thought well like David did David killed

Goliath and so proved that he was empowered by God David was a small in Messiah Before him for David the judges proved that they were anointed by God by defeating the enemies of God's people

So, okay today Jesus is going to defeat the enemies of God's people. So proving that he's the

Messiah. Well, who are those enemies? Peter thought he knew No, just like David Goliath was the enemy

David killed Goliath Simple it's pretty straightforward. Now the

Romans are our enemy. And so the Messiah is going to kill them It's going to defeat them drive him out of Israel set up his throne in a new palace in Jerusalem And we we disciples

We few we happy few we band of brothers. Oh We'll be on the ground floor of this operation

You know, we're that we're right at the beginning of the new regime So we're gonna get the prime spots and the new administration can't wait

Peter's thinking What what is it gonna give me Secretary of State or defense that's what it means

So Peter thinks he was the first one to make the good confession, but he didn't know what it meant so Jesus begins to teach them in verse 31 and Jesus gets and gives in admonition

The Son of Man he says remember the Son of Man is the one who brings in God's kingdom comes from Daniel chapter 7

Daniel sees one like a Son of Man who is worshipped who's adored and who rules for God on earth and he is

God a Son of Man is another term for the Messiah. The Messiah must suffer many things Jesus says wait

What? That makes no sense to Peter and the rest God's empowered

King the authorized representative of God on earth who rules for God who will crush the oppressors of God's people and must suffer many things

No, Peter's thinking that that's impossible. He's victorious. He's triumphant He's gonna parade into Jerusalem and take over but Jesus says that the

Messiah himself will not only suffer much But he's gonna be rejected by the elders the chief priests the scribes we'd say the theologians the whole establishment

They're gonna throw him out and he's gonna be killed how could it Messiah be killed that's impossible

After three days, then he'll rise Notice first 32 Jesus said said this plainly

Said it plainly Now I think this is Peter because Mark probably comes we don't know for sure but Mark probably comes from Peter.

I think this is Peters Recollection as an old man Just kind of amazed at himself looking back

Maze at himself for not understanding. How was I so hard -headed? It didn't get through until after it all happened about 30 years later

Peter Peters probably telling Mark all this and he comments I Don't know why I didn't understand it

He said it plainly But I was so obtuse And he believes how obtuse and arrogant

I was I took him aside To rebuke him. Can you believe it?

I rebuked him instead of being taught Peter just assumes that he knows what the

Messiah is better than Jesus After all Peter has made the good confession and now

Jesus sounds like he's denying it Jesus is saying I'm gonna suffer be rejected and killed and Peter thinks that's impossible.

You're the Messiah And that can't happen to the Messiah Jesus is denying the good confession

How Peter thinks I need to set him straight Must be confused. Maybe he doesn't know what he's saying.

I got to set him straight So he does Peter rebukes Jesus. He takes

Jesus aside Privately gives him an admonition Because he is so sure

That Jesus is wrong about the Messiah Now notice verse 33 Jesus turning

Again this is just one of those kind of details that you find it in real history Peter remembers that He was rebuking

Jesus and Jesus turned apparently from him and saw the disciples Other disciples and Jesus had now

Peter had rebuked Jesus privately, but Jesus will not give Peter that consideration

Jesus makes sure the other disciples see and hear this He's going to embarrass

Peter in front of the others and he says to Peter Get behind me

You're in my way You're an obstacle to me now we talk like that Peter's trying to convince

Jesus that the way for the Messiah will be of earthly conquest of success of comfort

Always avoiding suffering, you know, it's winning winning winning You know who else tried to get

Jesus to go that way Satan Satan tempted Jesus to win the world.

You can have the whole world. You just bow to me. That's all you got to do or Alternately Jesus you could you can win the throne of Israel just jump from the pinnacle this temple way up high

Or they're all these pavement and stones below But then the angels will come and gently gracefully carry you down and everyone will see that and you'll be

King No suffering necessary Satan was always tempting

Jesus To go the way of least resistance least pain least loss

So Jesus calls Peter who had made the good confession Satan Satan is speaking through you

Peter Today Jesus would be accused of being abusive for talking like that to it to a loyal follower.

He only meant well Jesus He was only trying to give you an admonition Watch out for that Jesus.

He's abusive someone would say No, Jesus here gives the admonition for that is you're like Satan or Satan is speaking through you because You're not setting your mind on the things of God But on the things of man

You're not thinking about what glorifies God But what what people want people want comfort to avoid all suffering at all costs

They want a moralistic therapeutic religion Freud is right in a way people want a religion that tells them that just relieves their pain

It helps them avoid discomfort The admonition the rebuke to Peter and to us is to turn from that and seek

God Well, then comes the explanation starting verse 34 they think like we think

God God's way is the way of comfort of ease of least pain and suffering the

Messiah Can't be a suffering servant He's a conquering King We his people can't be called to take up a cross

That's shameful. That's painful. That's not victorious. It's not successful.

It's not prosperous Who do you say Jesus is

Well, the prosperity gospel says he's your prosper He's your healer your guarantee of a pain -free life.

You'll live into ripe old age and then you'll just Pass away in your sleep.

You'll never suffer anything if you just say the right thing and of course give them an offering

The politically obsessed to say well, he's the preserver of your lifestyle.

He's the champion of your agenda The old -time religion says that he's your ticket out of hell as long as you make the right confession like Peter You can have assurance that you're saved no matter how you live

The moralistic therapeutic deus says that he's your nice therapist who carries you through the hard times

Then he really can't do anything about to stop but he can help you kind of feel better while you go through it Jesus says that he's the

Messiah Yes, like Peter said But first he must suffer

Many things Not avoid pain and be killed Not escape death, but be killed and finally rise

Now if you want to follow him He's gonna lead you the same way Well, he calls a crowd to himself.

He wants not only the disciples are there He wants a crowd to hear this but the disciples must have a specialty there and explains.

This is the explanation if Anyone would come after me

You want to follow Jesus? If it's really your desire to follow Jesus, then he says let him deny himself

Deny Yourself as you have to say no To yourself

You want to hate someone who hurt you? No You want that sexual experience with someone you're not married to?

No You want to be? indulgently wealthy No You want to say something?

That's not true Because it makes either makes you more popular This is what everyone wants you to say

Or it hurts the person you want to hurt No, you want something other than God No a

Few weeks ago. I admitted that I'm not a Sabbatarian which is different from most Reform people and that is

I don't believe that Christians are under a new Sabbath law Now been changed to the Lord's Day If we were we were under a

Sabbath law We'd have to prohibit doing any business on Sunday That is like going to restaurants or you working on Sunday Even if the after church now

Sabbatarians would say you've got to respect them if they really keep it They would say yes, that's what you got to do.

You just got to deny yourself And you would probably accuse me back. You're just being too lax and they may have a point

They have a point that maybe we're not Sabbatarians because it's hard, you know get to we have to deny ourselves

If you're a Sabbatarian and yet you have to deny yourself that trip to Olive Garden after church

But I do believe that we are called to assemble for worship at least once a week And for some of us here, that's a sacrifice

We're calling on some people who normally operate their business on Sunday to not work at least a few hours in the morning

So that we can gather We're calling on them to lose income

You're gonna have less money Because they chose To follow

Jesus and be a member here now, it'd be nice if we could promise I would love it if I could just promise, you know, if you close on Sunday morning so you can go to church

Okay, sure. You'll miss your usual. You'll miss the Sunday lunch business but I Guarantee you

God will prosper you so that you'll make even more money the fewer hours that you are open

You'll come out you'll make even more if you'll close anymore. I promise that's the prosperity gospel tactic and If we do that We're no longer asking people to deny themselves.

We're not training them to be disciples. It's what disciples do they deny themselves? We're not telling them

That you have to give up something what we are telling them that Jesus is just a great business guru

Jesus is superior way of getting rich of Being self -indulgent of being a self -centered consumer, you know

We're saying you can actually do less work and get more money and they say sure last sign me up for that If they believe us, we're telling you if we if we tell you that that Jesus is better It giving you what you what you really want money

Then is the business by itself You can't do that Jesus here explains that that is not

His way we're called to deny ourselves the extra money we could be making by working right now deny yourself

Take up your cross Jesus is going to take up his cross for you now if you want to be like him

You'll have to take up your cross that painful instrument of execution you desperately don't want

To have less money to be poor you don't want to be rejected You don't be called a bigot and a hater because of what you believe but you have to take up that cross

You have to despise the shame But be willing to bear it Deny yourself take up your cross because in verse 35 whoever would save his life

By trying to avoid all pain all shame all disapproval. He will lose it They'll live a life to be ashamed of whoever's ashamed of me

Jesus says just below you'll be Jesus says I'll be ashamed of him at the end, but Instead of using religion to avoid all pain whoever loses his life

Now loses not because they were careless or they were foolish Not because they invested their life and something that was nothing like money or sports or whatever, but he loses it for my sake for Jesus Because they are following him

They lose it for him. They don't have less pain They're not infantile II avoiding suffering and discomfort.

That's like an infant at all costs. It can't be uncomfortable No, they actually Get more discomfort they lose comfort for now for following Jesus They don't get as many vacations nor as luxurious ones or as nice of houses or cars then they

Then they would have gotten if they hadn't followed Jesus because they gave money instead of just keeping it for themselves their own self -indulgence

They didn't they didn't get to be thought of as the quiet in the land who go along with whatever the culture now supports

Because they said What God says about the newest cultural sense they lost their life

They lost the things that their money their esteem their time their pleasures now because they believe in Jesus They lost their life

Because they gave it away for Jesus and he says

They gave it away for Jesus and the gospel They may be like missionaries like Jim Elliot who said he is no fool.

He gives what he cannot keep To gain what he cannot lose He went to Ecuador as a missionary to a savage tribe there and was in 1956 speared to death by that tribe

Giving What he could not keep Or you may give what you cannot keep by by sacrificing your money

Your time in service with the church your prayers for the sake of the gospel losing your life

Losing your life just a few Sacrificed minutes at a time a few dollars at a time for Jesus's sake and for the gospel

You will save it For in verse 36 Jesus explanation goes even deeper you lose your life for Jesus and the gospel because What profit is it?

Even if you gain the whole world all the wealth all the power world the whole realm of nature mine and yet give up your soul

Why not lose your soul? For Jesus and the gospel if you can't keep it any other way

You're gonna lose all that anyway You do a reasonable figure you business people here do a reasonable cold

Calculated business like cost -benefit analysis. That's how good business people make decisions

What is going to make the most profit in the end? Well on the one hand You're offered the whole world the whole realm of nature all money property power

Can be yours but at the cost of your soul your your eternal life or You could as Jesus just proposed lose what this world calls your life

Your money your stuff your reputation your family your relationship things you won't be able to keep anyway and in exchange

You Get your life you get to really live which is a better deal Now sure giving up your life in this world

With its offer of wealth and comfort and luxury being looked to as a nice guy. Everybody likes you giving that up It's gonna hurt

Sometimes it might hurt like being crucified You've taken up your cross

To follow Jesus who first took up yours it's not the psychical psychically infantile way to avoid pain

It's not therapy It's the way of Jesus For in verse 37

Jesus an explanation goes even deeper it's better to not gain the whole world To lose all your money your reputation and comfort and keep your soul your eternal life because What is your soul worth what's your soul worth a few extra dollars working on Sunday morning

Is it worth a trip a yearly trip? Maybe the Disney World? Alexis sex a companion

Popularity Acceptance as a nice guy. What is your soul worth?

For in verse 38 Jesus explanation goes even deeper it doesn't make any sense to take the cash

Take the relationship or the membership of the nice guys Club in exchange for your soul because Whoever's ashamed of Jesus and his words

Jesus will be ashamed of him Notice he says and my words

Who's ever ashamed of me and my words now some people think that they are following Jesus they say they love

Jesus But they made a Jesus in their own image he's a

Jesus who supports their causes Jesus is a socialist they say really Jesus who said to him who has a more be given and to him who has not even what he has will be taken away

It's a socialist really or he is someone who's just as unconcerned About racial justice as they are even though he said love your neighbor

Not just your nation or your race or the people you like They claim they're not ashamed of Jesus They claim that they love

Jesus, but they don't love his words So they hardly read them They don't even really know what the real

Jesus is like because they've hardly paid any attention to his words They won't go to a church where they're preached Jesus says here who is there whoever is shamed of me and my words in This adulterous as unfaithful as immoral and sinful generation in this whole evil age of him

Will the Son of Man? Also be ashamed When he comes with the glory of his father with the

Holy Angels And the final judgment comes He's not gonna want to be associated with you

Just like you didn't care to be associated with him now So do not be someone he's ashamed of when he returns now when you

Survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died your riches gained

You count but loss Poor contempt on all your pride

Then he says still explaining in chapter 9 verse 1 truly Pay attention to this.

This is for certain. I Say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death until They see the kingdom of God after it has come with power

Now some people who are apparently in the habit of not reading verses in context see this and ask well, how can that be?

Jesus hasn't returned yet But all these people have died that he spoke to here.

They didn't see the kingdom come with power Well others have reason hmm, well then Jesus must have returned in some kind of mystical secret way

During their lifetime at least of some of those in that audience like maybe at the destruction of Jerusalem in 8070

But I think Mark tips us off. He tells us what Jesus was referring to in the in the very next story

Who do you say he is? Well, we've heard the confession he's the Christ and then the admonition

He's not coming the painless way of man and the explanation if you want to follow him

You'll have to go his way bearing a cross and now the transfiguration. Who do you say that he is?

On chapter 9 verse 2 notice begins after six days Hmm.

Well, that's unusual Particularly a mark. Isn't that unusual? You know before mark over and over again connected almost every story every incident with immediately immediately immediately

Which both conveys a sense that Jesus was it work? He's busy.

He's active You know who's every all the time something was going on and it also may just mean next the next thing

With usually no sense of how much later one thing happened after another

But here all of a sudden is a very specific Indicator very specific transition from one to another six days later less than a week this is to tie this story the

Transfiguration with the confession the admonition and the explanation that went with it ending with some of you

Some of you like Peter James and John won't die Until you see the kingdom of God Come with power well,

Jesus takes Peter James and John up to the mountain and He is transfigured You all will recognize you all know some

Greek and here's an instance where you know, the Greek word the Greek word is metamorphic a Right.

He was metamorphosed Metamorphosis What's the proper verb?

He was metamorphosed transformed before them so that they could see and where Jesus said some of you will see

Jesus just shows the power of the kingdom of God and He shows that it will metamorphose

Transform our mortal bodies to be glorious his clothes became radiant Intensely white not just perfectly white like you could do with a lot of bleach but shining with a brilliant splendor as though we were clothed with light and Peter later writes in 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verse 16. We were eyewitnesses of his Majesty That's the word he uses for what

Peter saw at that transfiguration majesty Describing this very event.

His majesty was being revealed when normally it was veiled by his humanity

Now that that veil is being pulled back just for a moment so they could see

Who Jesus really was? Majesty who do you say he is?

Not just the Christ is he certainly is the Christ but not just that Elijah and Moses appear speaking with him

Elijah the leading prophet and Moses the giver of the law the law of the prophets They're speaking with and about Jesus Peter speaks to oh

But Peter Peter is just blathering Like someone is you know, sometimes people just got to fill the silence with something

So they just talk rabbi means master. It's good that we are here

That was one of the great understatements of history Let us make three tents one for you one for Moses one for Elijah Okay Jesus was a carpenter.

Was he asking to Jesus get to work because Peter's a fisherman who's gonna build these tents He said that because he didn't know what to say

In which case he could should have said nothing But he like the others says he was terrified

Remember what CS Lewis said about the real Jesus Jesus produced mainly three effects hatred terror here or adoration

Never mere mild approval Now the father speaks a cloud envelops them and a voice from heaven spoke like it is baptism

This is my beloved son. Ah Now we really know

Finally, we really know he is the son to the father the loved one

What's that mean to us Listen to him stop blathering and listen to him then suddenly

Elijah and Moses disappear and Jesus returned to normal standing with them

Jesus only And as they're coming down the mountain Jesus told them not to tell anyone about that transfiguration until after He was risen from the dead

Now finally, we learned what all those commands we've seen in Mark over and over again Often ignored, you know to tell

Jesus would tell someone don't tell anyone about the miracle Why he told them that they were to they were to keep the news of the miracles

Undisclosed until after the resurrection and then after the resurrection they will know who

Jesus is That he's not just a miracle working prophet like Elijah Having seen

Elijah Peter James and John asked why do the Bible scholars? Why do they say that Elijah will come first before the

Messiah comes and Jesus says in verse 12 That they're right Described to write

Elijah does come first indeed Elijah has already come he says in verse 13 now to this day

Some of the confusion of our day some Christians claim that a well Elijah has to come before Jesus returns

But here Jesus says quite plainly that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah coming first That prophecy is fulfilled.

He wasn't John the Baptist was in the wilderness. He's dressed like Elijah's with the camel skin and leather belt

He was prophesying he was the Elijah They the forces of the world did to him what they pleased

They killed him So, why are you surprised? You know

Peter Jesus is saying to them. Why are you surprised you you triumphal people who think religion is a way to escape pain?

Why are you surprised that I should suffer and die? Don't you know that it's written?

Like an Isaiah 53 of the Son of Man the Messiah the suffering servant will be rejected bearing our griefs carrying our sorrows wounded for our transgressions

Who do you think he is? Who do you think

Jesus is? Just a nice guy kind of everyone mildly approves of him.

Everyone likes Jesus, right? No, not the real one. Some people hate him Some people are terrified of him

Do you think he's just a superior? Pain -free way to succeed in this world.

No He calls us to take up our cross Or is he someone to to look to in adoration and say to We're the whole realm of nature mine

That were a present far too small Love so amazing so divine

Demands my soul my life my all Is that who?

You think Jesus is Then do you do you deny yourself for him? Do you listen to him