Sunday Morning Greek Blog

February 9, 2025

Gone Fishin’: Jesus Chooses His First Apostles (Luke 5:1–11)

Filed under: 1 Corinthians,Courage,Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,John Gospel of,Luke Gospel of,Miracles,Repentance — Scott Stocking @ 4:28 pm
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I preached this message at Mount View Presbyterian Church on February 9, 2025. A portion of this message was repurposed and modified from a message I preached on May 1, 2022. –Scott Stocking

Good morning! The Lord be with you!

Most of you remember the story of Jonah, right? God told him to go to Nineveh and “preach against it” and he straightaway and preached a hellfire and brimstone message for the ages, right? No, of course he didn’t. Nineveh must have been a pretty wicked place if Jonah didn’t feel safe going there. Jonah ran the other way and tried to get as far from Judah as possible. He wanted nothing to do with it.

But he didn’t get very far. While he was on his way to Spain or points further west, a huge storm came up, and irony of ironies, the one who was supposed to go fish for men in Nineveh wound up being “fished” himself. He became the bait to save the ship and her crew that he’d been travelling with. The large fish, big enough to swallow a man whole (i.e., it didn’t leave any bite marks that we know about), spat him back up on shore, and Jonah decided he probably shouldn’t waste any more time and headed off for Nineveh.

Contrast this with our gospel account today: Jesus was apparently at a popular fishing spot on the Lake of Gennesaret, otherwise known as the Sea of Galilee, where a decent-sized crowd had managed to gather to hear him teach. It’s not clear why Jesus needed to get into a boat. Perhaps the acoustics would be better from out on the boat. Maybe the crowd had pressed so closely around Jesus that his sandals were getting wet in the sea. Regardless, Jesus had his reasons for going out in the boat.

After he finished preaching, he decided to go fishing, like any good preacher would do, right? So after a brief objection from Peter (“We just fished all night with nothing to show for it!”) they set out. No sooner had Jesus told Peter to let down the nets then they caught more fish than they could handle. Zebedee’s boys had to come over and help them haul it in it was so large. It nearly sank their boats!

Peter was humbled and a little bit afraid of Jesus at that point. In fact, they were all astonished. But Jesus reassured them: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Unlike Jonah, Peter hadn’t become “the one that got away.” Instead of being swallowed up or sunk by all those fish, Jesus promised to take Peter and his companions under his wings to be his first disciples.

Before we look a little deeper at the apostles, I want to share a few take-aways from this passage. The first is that Jesus knew he would need help getting his message out. In those days, if you claimed to be a teacher, you needed to have a loyal following, otherwise, no one would give you a second look. That was a cultural reality of that time.

Second, it might be difficult to build a core from four individuals who could have come from four different backgrounds. In two pair of brothers (Peter and Andrew, James and John), he had four vibrant and hard-working young men who were apparently of a very similar mindset and deeply devout Jews to boot. They seemed to work well together too. Perhaps he felt they would already be up to speed with what Jesus wanted to do to get the good news out. Since Jesus was primarily coming for the Jews, these four were “salt of the earth” guys who could relate to the average hard-working Jews Jesus wanted to reach.

Third, Jesus wanted ordinary men to be his disciples. Had he chosen to try to work through the Jewish leadership of the day, I’m certain he would have faced no end of debate and questioning and hints and innuendos of blasphemy, etc. He wanted those who had a simple trust in the truth of his message and who wouldn’t cloud it over with a lot of hoity-toity academic musings.

How did Peter do as Jesus’s top draft pick for apostle? Of all the apostles who traveled with Jesus during his ministry, Peter is certainly the most famous. Throughout the Gospels, we see that Peter was often the first one to open his mouth, the first one to volunteer, or the first one to make a big promise. Of course, this also meant that he was usually the first to eat his words, the first one to be rebuked, or the first one to fail in some way, large or small.

Now Simon Peter, along with his brother Andrew, were the first two apostles to follow Jesus. In John 1:42, Jesus officially gives him the name “Cephas” (Aramaic), which is translated in Greek as “Peter,” both of which mean “rock.” In the lists of the apostles, Simon Peter is always found first, which is certainly a nod to his position in the early church at the time the Gospels were being written.

As I said above, Peter and the other three fishermen probably had a pretty good knowledge of the OT, especially the Psalms, from their time in the Synagogue on Sabbath and the basic education any Hebrew youth would have received. They just didn’t go on any farther in the education to be a pharisee or other religious leader.

In Matthew 14, we have the story of Jesus walking on the water to the boat the apostles were in, which was being buffeted by the waves. Of course, Peter is the first one to speak up about going out to see Jesus. Here’s a man who wants to take charge, take the lead, and show the others what it truly means to follow. Jesus invites Peter out of the boat to walk on the choppy waters, and for a time, Peter does walk on the water. But instead of keeping his eyes on and faith in Jesus, the wind and the waves around him cause him to fear and doubt, and he begins to sink. Jesus catches him, though, and they both get back on the boat.

What’s impressive here is that Peter was the only one who even thought of getting out of the boat, and then he followed through on his thought. None of the other apostles had the courage of Peter to follow their master in this radical way, by trying to muster up the faith to do what no other mortal had ever done.

It wasn’t long after that incident that Peter had the opportunity to say what none of the other apostles were willing to say. In Matthew 16, Jesus asks the apostles, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The apostles hem and haw and beat around the bush, but Peter is the first to answer Jesus’s more direct question, “Who do YOU say I am?” Peter responds boldly, proclaiming that “[Jesus] is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus praises Peter for his response. But in the very next paragraph, when Jesus predicts his death, Peter rebukes Jesus for talking like that. Jesus immediately rebukes Peter, saying “Get behind me, Satan.” Talk about going from emotional high to emotional low!

Peter claimed he would never forsake Christ, yet on the night of the illegal trial to condemn Jesus, Peter denies knowing Christ three times. And Jesus had told him he would do that despite Peter’s repeated objections. Peter had to feel like the bottom of the barrel at that point.

In John 21:15–19 we have the story of Jesus reinstating Peter to his leadership role. But why did Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved him? Because Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus gave Peter a three-fold mission here: “Feed my lambs”; “Take care of my sheep”; and “Feed my sheep.” Again, not much difference between the three, but this was a commission to care for the church, young and old, when it would begin on the Day of Pentecost.

The result? In today’s language, we could probably say that Peter’s Pentecost sermon went viral. Over 3,000 souls were added to the number of believers after that Pentecost sermon. He boldly and passionately called for these would-be converts to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. He also warned them in Acts 2:40 to “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

A few chapters later, Luke records Peter’s vision of the unclean foods being let down on a blanket for him to eat from. At first he refuses, but then Jesus warned him to “not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This led to Peter being the first apostle to formally take the gospel to the Gentiles, a centurion named Cornelius and his household. After that, the story line transitions to Paul. And let’s not forget that Peter wrote two epistles as well.

So what can we learn from Peter here? First, don’t be afraid to do great things for God. “Great” may not necessarily be fabulous or seen by all. Sometimes the smallest gesture can have a huge impact. Theodore Roosevelt makes the point here: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they lie in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Second, God can work with whatever level of faith you’re willing to bring to the table. It took incredible faith just for Peter to get out of the boat in those choppy conditions, let walking on water. As Yoda says, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Third, know that when we mess up, it’s not the end of the road with God. Peter probably thought he had lost his place among the apostles. But as 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” that is, he can’t disown those who are members of his body, the church.

Peter’s life as an apostle and “fisher of men” is just one example of how the apostles had a profound impact on the beginnings of Christianity. In 1 Corinthians 15:1–11, Paul records that all of the apostles (except for Judas) at some point witnessed the resurrected Christ. That is no small fact to be overlooked, especially in that day when eyewitness accounts were all they had to pass on news. Today, we have people who go out into the world and “plant” churches in places that need more exposure to the Word of God. These men and women, at least in the minds of some, are modern day apostles themselves. They’ve taken on the challenging of spreading God’s word in a place where in some cases it has never been proclaimed before.

You and I have that responsibility as well to share with those who need to hear the gospel. We may not do big things for God, but the little things we do are indeed great when we consider the lasting impact and implications of proclaiming the gospel to the world. Peace to you.

My views are my own.

Scott Stocking

November 2, 2024

Renewed and Restored: Psalm 126

Filed under: Biblical Studies,Courage,Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Life of Christ,Mark Gospel of,Miracles,Psalms — Scott Stocking @ 1:59 pm
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This message was preached October 27, 2024, at Mount View Presbyterian Church, Omaha, NE.

Let me start this morning by talking about “recent events” around these parts. Mom keeps me informed about the congregation’s relationship with the Powers that Be. I have been praying that you can find a moderator who has the vision and the heart to help Mount View thrive. I want to let you know, here and now, with God and you as my witnesses, that I will stand with you and support you in any way possible as you look to your next steps with Mary Ann’s departure since I’m going to be here every Sunday through the end of the year. If you need pastoral care, I will make myself available as much as possible around my teaching commitment and my day job. Most of you know I have a deep historical connection to this congregation; I have a genuine heart for the health and vibrancy of this congregation. I believe in the value and worth of each of you and your corporate mission and that this congregation can still have and does currently have an apostolic ministry in this neighborhood, in this city, and in this world, as the Gospels and the Presbyterian Book of Order describe. The messages preached from this pulpit are being heard around the world (more than 5,000 downloads as of this week), so your ministry is not isolated amidst these four walls.

Psalm 126 is a trip down memory for the psalmist and his audience. But I want to take a trip down memory lane for us as well. Like the psalmist, I want us to remember the time when we were a full church, when the Lord had given us “fortune.” I remember at least a dozen kids in each Sunday school class most mornings. I remember the kids that Kevin Orr brought over from the Omaha Home for Boys each Sunday. I remember big youth group meetings with at least 40 kids present, and I remember a trip to Worlds of Fun with the youth group. I have a memory, a hazy one at my age, of getting my first Bible with my name engraved on the cover, signed by Karen Englesman and Pastor Loren Parker on May 21, 1972. I even remember going over to Karen’s house for help memorizing Bible verses for Confirmation class, and I went on to memorize Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 20 years later and still have it memorized today.

I know there are others who were touched by the ministry of our congregation in that day, and many of them went on to have ongoing influence in our congregation and elsewhere for the kingdom. Some of you are still here 50 years later. Mount View was a lot like the first three verses of Psalm 126 when I was growing up here in the 70s. I still see that laughter and joy in you when I’m here, and it gladdens my heart.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy. [1]

This psalm, and psalm 125 before it, were probably written together several years after the return from exile and were recited together when they came up in the synagogue service. Now I didn’t do the counting, but a note in my study Bible says both psalms have 116 syllables. The number of syllables isn’t significant, but the fact that they have the same number of syllables is. They were probably sung to the same tune or with a similar cadence. Together they tell the story of life and hope after returning from exile. Psalm 125 recounts the victory over the enemy and the confidence they had after returning home. Psalm 126 starts with the joy they experienced at that time.

This is where the last three verses of Psalm 126 come home to us, I think. It would seem several years have passed in the storyline between vss. 3 and 4. Verse 4 sounds like a prayer: “Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.” Whatever joy and fortune they had in the past is seemingly gone now. We don’t know why or how it disappeared. But that’s not relevant, because vss. 5–6 have the answer to the prayer:

5 Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

6 Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them. [2]

Now I don’t believe there are any coincidences in the Kingdom of God. I’ve spoken before about Judy asking me to follow the lectionary with our Scripture passages in the bulletin, and I decided it would be a good exercise for me to base my sermons on those passages, typically the Gospel passages. This month is my third anniversary of filling the pulpit here, which means I’ve nearly gone through a complete three-year cycle of the lectionary. When Judy sends me the bulletin in advance, I usually only check the Scripture readings and then send back my message title. However, I have noticed on more than one occasion that some of the main points I have made in my message for a certain Sunday have shown up in the prayers and responsive readings that aren’t copied from the Bible, and Judy never had an advance copy of my message. Funny how God works that way, right?

But enough of the boring background: In beginning 10 weeks in row with you, I’ve been praying how God might use me for such a time as this, and it seems like Psalm 126 is the perfect passage for that. I would like to forth to you that you adopt Psalm 126:4 as theme prayer for our congregation here: “Restore our fortunes.” The COVID pandemic robbed many small churches of their members and their ministries, and many closed down. But you have managed to find purpose in your quilting ministry, among other activities, and that purpose is one of the binds that keeps you going. Here’s my challenge to you: when you pray that prayer of Psalm 126:4, ask God what verses 5 and 6 might look like for the congregation. We have all been saddened by the losses suffered through COVID shutdowns, but what are the “songs of joy” we could reap? What does “carrying seed to sow” look like for the congregation? How would you envision what “carrying in the sheaves” means?

Whatever had caused the decline in prosperity that prompted the psalmist to lift up the prayer of vs. 4 was obviously very heart wrenching to the Jews as evidenced by the tears and weeping of vv. 5 and 6. With the talk of reaping and planting seeds, it may be fair to assume they’d been afflicted by a drought or something that caused their crops to fail. But despite their sorrows and tears, they are determined to plant and reap once more. Although at the surface this seems to be strictly agricultural, this also seems to be a spiritual event as well, encouraging them to rejoice in God’s provision. The question I put before you this morning, then, is what kind of seeds would you sow to add to the harvest of God’s kingdom? What kind of “restoration” would you like to see? I don’t think God is concerned about the size or pace of whatever ideas you might have for restoration; he just wants you to dream and trust that he will provide the growth, whatever that may look like.

I believe God is moving in his people now to start and sustain a revival. The church Jill and I attend just added a third service two years after opening a huge worship center that seats over 1,000. Younger people seem to be coming back to spirituality and faith in many areas. I believe Mount View has the potential to have a strong outreach in this part of Omaha. But what that looks like, I can’t say for sure, and I wouldn’t want to put God in a box by suggesting any one area to focus on. I have some ideas that respect where we’re at as a congregation and that don’t involve a contemporary worship band shaking the rafters! All I know at this point is that you have the grit and determination to keep this congregation alive and to cause the Presbytery to sit up and take notice of you if you so desire.

I will tell you that I’m going to pray the same prayer for myself, as the timing of my two-month (at least) stint with you is not a coincidence either. Jill got pushed out of her job of 12 years a couple weeks ago, so we’ll need the extra income this affords. But I’ve never looked at this as a paycheck. I love being able to return to the place that established me in the faith and share in the ministry of proclaiming the gospel with you. I honestly sense from the Holy Spirit that he wants me to be a strong encourager to you at this time. I had a few things happen in the last ten days that could only be from God that confirms to me I should be doing more than just preaching in the next two months.

I know I’ve probably come on a little strong this morning but given what you’ve gone through since reconvening after COVID, I sensed that you need an extra dose of encouragement and courage. I want to fair and forthright with you, though: I’ve got too many irons in the fire right now to say I’m “all in,” but I’m in as much as my schedule will allow. God is working on my heart too with respect to ministry, and I feel a fire in my bones as well. Perhaps, like Esther, God has brought me here for such a time as this, whatever that looks like. I’m excited to be here for the next two months to see what God has in store for us. I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Before I close, I don’t want to ignore our Gospel passage this morning (Mark 10:46–52). Jesus did a true miracle in opening the eyes of a blind man. That was a real event as far as I’m concerned, a genuine miracle. It’s not a metaphor or some psychological truth couched in a legend story or however else some theologians try to downplay it. But just as the miracle is real, so is the guiding principle of the account, that God can do great things through Jesus and those of us who follow him. I pray that we would be aware of the opportunities around us to continue to share the good news of Jesus with those who need hope. I pray that God would open the eyes of those around us to see the joy and commitment of this congregation and desire to be a part of it.

Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.

Scott Stocking

My opinions are my own.

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

October 11, 2024

An Invitation

Filed under: Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness — Scott Stocking @ 9:35 pm
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Hey, all! Thank you for your readership! This is already another record year for my blog and I’ve got some new things in the works that I hope I can reveal soon.

I wanted to take this opportunity to invite you, if you should be in the Omaha area in November or December, to come check out Mount View Presbyterian Church where I’ve been filling the pulpit occasionally since 2021. It’s also the church I grew up in. The part-time moderator is resigning as of next week, and the church has asked me to fill her scheduled preaching spots in the near future, which means as of this post, I’ll be preaching every Sunday from October 27 through the end of the year. I would love to meet some of my readers in person and chat with you about what God is doing in your lives.

On October 28, I’m back in the classroom after a 14-year hiatus from on-site teaching. I’ll be teaching Biblical Interpretation for Crown College’s Omaha extension campus. I had done some online teaching for a couple years from 2018 to 2020, but on-site teaching with live interaction with students just can’t be beat. I’ve learned so much since I was last in the classroom, because I started my blog after I moved away from now-shuttered Lincoln Christian University. I am excited to meet the students and be back in the classroom.

The opportunities for extra income come at a providential time for my family. My wife’s employer for the last 12 years for whatever reason had her manager and a VP conspire together to push her out of her job this week toward a different job that she didn’t feel safe in for several reasons that I won’t go into here. We’re trusting God to show us the next steps, and I’ve already had an encounter with an “Angel” (more about that at a later date) who says she has a prayer warrior ministry. I told her I believe in angels and that I’m a God-fearing man of God, so I’ll take her at her word and cherish her prayers and anyone else’s for that matter. I figure I’ll put up a donation button as well on the blog, since I believe the Lord would want me to use whatever resources I have available to me (Ecclesiastes 11:1–6; Matthew 25:14–30). Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.

If you want to contact me privately, use the email link that should appear on this page (scott.stocking@sundaymorninggreekblog.com). Again, thank you for reading, and Happy Fall!

Scott Stocking

September 30, 2024

Jesus’s “Mean Tweets”: Political Rhetoric in the Heat of Battle (Matthew 23)

Filed under: 1 Samuel,2 Chronicles,Biblical Studies,Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Government,Life of Christ,Matthew Gospel of,Prayer — Scott Stocking @ 11:35 pm
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NOTE: This article looks at Old and New Testament passages. If you want to go straight to the Jesus/New Testament part, jump down to the Jesus, Paul, and Mean Tweets section.

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is an inspiring one for young and old alike. A young shepherd boy, probably still in his teens, uses a sling and a stone to bring down the largest enemy Israel had ever faced. While David’s victory in battle is impressive and saved Israel from a potentially pyrrhic outcome, his dialogue with the Philistine can be instructive to us on how to talk to our political adversaries and enemies.

Goliath’s first taunt of the Israelites is arrogant and defiant, as one might expect, and disheartening to the Israelites.

“Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”[1]

Goliath did this for forty days. I’m not sure why they stretched it out that long. It would seem that apart from Goliath’s strength, perhaps the Israelites looked intimidating enough that the Philistines didn’t want to trust their bluff with Goliath. But the Philistines must have gotten their spirits up when they saw scrawny little David coming their way. Goliath laughed and taunted Israel even more:

“Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”[2]

David probably realizes he needs a little humility here, so his response is one of faith and trust in the Lord first and foremost, but also confidence. He also turns Goliath’s threat to feed him (just David, not the armies of Israel) to the birds and says:

“This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”[3]

Of course, with the help of God, a good shot, and Goliath’s giant sword, David defeated the giant.

So what did we learn from this interaction? First, David emphasized that he had an unwavering faith in what God was about to do through him. He knew he couldn’t do it on his own strength, but he’d also prepared himself for this moment, so it seems, by taking on a lion and a bear earlier in his life. Second, in addition to announcing his faith and trust in God to the Philistine, he also returned the smack talk and upped the ante on it. In the end, David didn’t have to eat his words, but the birds got to feed on his enemies.

In 1 Chronicles 20, we see Jehoshaphat calling all Judah to a fast in response to a threat from Moab. In this instance, there’s no communication with the enemy. Jehoshaphat offers up a prayer, and Jahaziel prophesied that God would fight for Jehoshaphat and Judah’s army. They sent a choir out in front of the army, and God set up ambushes for Moab’s army to rout them. All Judah had to do was carry the plunder back to Jerusalem.

A similar event happened with Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32 (also recounted in Isaiah 37) when Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem. Sennacherib talked a bunch of smack to Hezekiah and blasphemed God repeatedly. Like Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah offered up a prayer with Isaiah, but no smack talk back to Sennacherib, and Sennacherib’s 185,000 forces are decimated.

Jesus, Paul, and Mean Tweets

In the New Testament, we see quite a different picture, but the dialogue isn’t about posturing for war. It’s primarily about confronting the religious establishment. In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptizer sees a bunch of Pharisees and Sadducees in the crowd that’s gathered around him and calls them a “brood of vipers.” Jesus would repeat that admonishment in 12:34 and 23:33 when confronting the Pharisees. Matthew 23 is also where we see Jesus pronounce seven “woes” against the “teachers of the law and Pharisees” and takes that a step farther by calling them “hypocrites.” He has a host of other criticisms he unloads on them as well. They’re hell bound and leading others astray. They’re “blind guides…fools…men,” “whitewashed tombs,” and murderers.

Then of course there’s the confrontation with the money changers in the Temple. Even though Jesus would say the Temple would be destroyed and that worshiping God wasn’t limited to the Temple or any other location for that matter, he still considered that his spiritual home, because he’s passionate about calling it “my Father’s House,” which means it’s his by “family” connection, and he wants to protect the integrity of the Temple while it still stands.

Before I wrap up the biblical background on this topic, I want to bring in one more quote from the apostle Paul. In Galatians 5:11–12, Paul is teaching about whether circumcision should still be considered a meaningful religious ritual for Gentile converts to Christianity. He is so upset about those legalistic “agitators” that he wishes they would just “emasculate themselves!”

In first-century Mediterranean culture, a teacher would not hesitate to talk serious smack about those who opposed or questioned his teachings. If you couldn’t defend your teaching, either by rational argument or by brutally calling out the shortcomings and hypocrisy of your opponents, you wouldn’t maintain a following very long. Jesus knew this of course, so he didn’t worry about being “Mr. Nice Guy” when it came to confronting his enemies. After a while, it became obvious that his religious opponents, NOT the Romans, wanted him eliminated. No one else in religious leadership was going to say anything nice about him. His followers often didn’t have enough clout for their positive view of Jesus to overcome the negative view held by the religious leaders. Jesus was on his own, with all the fullness of deity dwelling in him, and that was enough to keep him going.

Bringing It Home

Here’s the question that bridges the interpretive chasm from first-century Judea to twenty-first-century America, and indeed the world: “Would Jesus have used ‘mean tweets’ against his opponents?” Oh yeah, I went there. Leading up to the 2016 election, it was easy to see that the media and the Democrats were out to get Trump. The big tell: no one in the mainstream media would ever dare say a bad word about Hillary Clinton, while Trump always had a huge target on his back.

You don’t have to look far to see that press coverage of Trump was and has continued to be overwhelmingly negative while coverage of Clinton (or Biden, Obama, and Harris) was and continues to be overwhelmingly positive. Trump would be criticized and fact-checked. His supporters would be lumped into a “basket of deplorables” and “canceled” or ostracized, while the sins of the left were overlooked or whitewashed. So if the mainstream isn’t going to say anything critical of a Democrat and use debates to fact-check one candidate but not the other, who’s going to speak up for Trump? Many conservatives are, but Trump’s voice is the one that needs to be the loudest for himself. It can’t be easy for him, but he keeps plugging away with a smile on his face and joy in his heart as he tosses chicken nuggets to fans at an SEC football game or cheers on the fighters at a UFC match. He must say the nasty stuff about the Democrats, because in this climate, most of us have a reasonable fear of losing our livelihood or even our freedom if we speak out against the powers that be.

If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m targeting a specific demographic of voters with this article. I know many believers out there who are struggling with voting for Trump because of his “mean tweets” or his name calling of his opponents. But from my perspective, and I think my article confirms this is a biblical perspective, Trump is just following in the footsteps of Jesus when it comes to confronting the “political” Pharisees and Sadducees of our day and age. The left has been increasingly using lawfare against Trump, but thankfully with limited success. He can’t just sit back and take it, though. Even after two people now have tried to kill him, he still presses forward, and he needs to keep standing strong for himself, the rule of law, the Constitution, and the American people and their way of life.

I don’t understand how someone could hold up Trump’s mean tweets against the lawfare of the Left and still say “Orange man bad; donkeys good.” If you’re a follower of Christ or a Jewish believer in God, I urge you to consider how Trump has modeled his campaign, whether intentionally or not, after the method of Jesus when confronting those who were trampling on the freedom God wanted his followers to live in. Our freedoms are in danger from the Left. There’s no third-party candidate who will save the day for us. Trump has a proven track record of defending our country, creating prosperity, and negotiating peace in the Middle East that no other candidate in history, except perhaps Reagan, has ever accomplished. Don’t be afraid of the mean tweets. If they were good enough for Jesus, they’re good enough for Trump.

If you don’t like the mean tweets, then at least consider this: Why don’t you be the ones who support Trump with prayers of protection and success, just as the Jews did in the OT stories above. You can play just as important role with prayer as Trump can with mean tweets. Don’t sit on the sidelines, though, if you don’t like any of them. No one you vote for is going to be a perfect role model of Christian belief and practice. Vote for the man who’s already shown you he cares about your freedom and prosperity.

My opinions are my own.

Scott Stocking

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

February 29, 2024

How to Not Be Ashamed of Jesus (Mark 8:31–38)

Filed under: Biblical Studies,Christology,Courage,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Greek,Lent,Life of Christ,Mark Gospel of,Passion,Psalms,Repentance,Soteriology — Scott Stocking @ 10:47 pm
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Message preached second Sunday of Lent, February 25, 2024, at Mount View Presbyterian Church in Omaha, NE.

Think for a moment about the things people give up for Lent: Chocolate, coffee or other caffeinated beverages, maybe adult beverages, or something that might take more discipline like trading in turf for surf on Fridays or not watching TV. But should Lent really be about giving up things that maybe aren’t so good for us physically or spiritually anyway? Why not instead give up those things that distract us from our commitment to Christ? For those not familiar with the seasons of the church calendar, it may be best to first answer the question, “What is Lent?”

The word Lent itself simply means springtime. For those of us in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere, that seems like a funny thing to call it, because it starts in the dead of winter, anywhere from the middle of February through first week of March, typically. But it does end just before Easter, or Resurrection Sunday as some call it, so that is springtime for us.

Because it typically starts in the dead of winter, the acts of denial typically associated with Lent may not have been a deliberate choice in the early and formative years of church polity. Winters were probably pretty harsh for some. But the fact that Lent looked forward to a time of emerging from the darkness and coldness of winter into the light and life of spring was certainly a means of hope and a renewed sense of purpose. But it wasn’t just a meteorological hope: Lent as a religious holiday always looks forward to the eternal hope we have because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As we come to our passage today, we see Jesus is beginning to experience some frustration with his closest followers. Peter has just made the good confession that Jesus is the Messiah when the other apostles couldn’t figure that out. Up to this time, the disciples had been holding out the hope that Jesus would finally be the political leader the Jews had been expecting to come throw off the chains of Rome and allow them to live as a free people again. But Jesus knew he had to set them straight on just what his kingdom was going to be like. He knew freedom was coming, but it wouldn’t necessarily be from Roman rule. He knew blood must shed, but it wouldn’t be the blood of Romans. He was looking for a kingdom that would not be limited by a geographical region because it would rise up in the hearts and souls of his followers. But just because this kingdom wouldn’t come by war doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be difficult.

This is why Jesus starts teaching his disciples and followers about his upcoming suffering. He wants his disciples to be ready as well, as they will not be immune to suffering and persecution. Peter, ever the fireball, rebukes Jesus for talking about suffering and rejection. After all, Peter thought Jesus would use his divine power to take care of Rome once and for all. Yet Jesus rebukes Peter harshly for thinking like this: “Get behind me, Satan!” O you of little faith. When James and John ask if they can sit at the right and left hand of Jesus, that must have broken his heart as well. Even Judas, we’re told, is “helping himself” to the group’s funds at this point, presumably thinking he might be the minister of finance in the kingdom he thought was coming. Jesus was realizing their human frailty didn’t allow them yet to see what kind of kingdom he would raise up.

What’s interesting about v. 31–32 in our gospel passage this morning is that, when Jesus talks about what he must suffer and at whose hands he must suffer, never once does Jesus mention Rome. Jesus said he would suffer at the hands of the religious leaders of his day, not at the hands of Rome. Did you ever notice that little detail? Apparently the disciples didn’t notice that little detail either when he said it, because they went on thinking the kingdom would be all about confronting Rome. That’s why Jesus must tell them two or three times about his suffering and death in the last half of the gospel accounts.

So what can Jesus do about it at this point? The Jews were not expecting a suffering Messiah, so they weren’t even paying attention to the suffering Messiah psalms or prophecies. We read the last part of Psalm 22 this morning, which is quite upbeat compared to the first part of that Psalm whose verses detail many aspects about what happened to Christ on the cross. The truth is, Jesus knew he must begin to explain more in detail about what he himself would be facing, “the baptism with which Jesus will be baptized with,” and for that matter, what John and James and the rest of the disciples would be facing.

For whatever reason, the Lent passages are a little out of order. A couple weeks ago was “Transfiguation Sunday,” and the Scripture for that Sunday was the gospel text immediately following today’s passage, Mark 9. Apart from Jesus’s words and teaching in the last part of Mark 8, the Transfiguration event should have been the first clue to Peter, James, and John that Jesus’s coming kingdom was not going to be one of this world. It would in fact be a very different kingdom and look nothing like any kingdom ever before seen on earth.

Notice after Jesus finishes rebuking Peter, the very next thing Mark records Jesus saying is that his disciples must take up their cross and follow him. The question is, how would the disciples have understood the “taking up the cross” reference if they hadn’t yet seen Jesus crucified? They knew that the cross was an instrument of Roman torture and punishment, so Jesus’s mention of it must have been somewhat concerning to them if not frightening.

His words get more concerning as he goes on. It’s not enough for one to take up their own cross, but then he starts talking about “losing” your life or your very being. The contradiction of what he was saying must have been mind blowing. If they want to keep their current life, they’ll actually wind up losing it. But if they give up their current life in favor of following Christ and proclaiming his gospel, they’ll actually find out who they truly can be in Christ and what is God’s purpose for their life.

He begins to cut at the heart of the disciples’ misleading conception that they would be “gaining the world” by following Christ, gaining positions of influence and power in an earthly kingdom. What good is it to get all that power if you forfeit who you are and what God wants of your life? O, that many of our politicians would learn that lesson, right? How much is your soul, your very being worth if you would cast it aside for earthly gain, especially when you hold that up against the value that God places on your soul?

Jesus minces no words as he closes out his teaching. It’s time to take sides. If you’re ashamed of Jesus, Jesus honors that and won’t invite you to hang out with him anymore. You won’t have to worry about being seen with someone you’re ashamed of. Is that what you want? On the other hand, if you’re “at home” with Jesus and not afraid to be identified as one of his followers, then you’ll get to join him in the eternal home prepared for you.

Before addressing the positive elements of this passage, I want to wrestle with one question about the negative element: What does it mean to be ashamed of Jesus? The concept in the Bible suggests that being “ashamed” of something is the opposite of being confident you’ve done something right or good and taking a sense of inner pride in that. Being ashamed is more akin to being disgraced, that is, wanting to hide your face from others for whatever it is you’re doing, whether it is a sinful act that deserves shame or a cowardly attitude that causes you to either not take action when you should or even worse, to outright deny the value of something. Additionally, the root of the word is also the root for the concept of strength or power in the New Testament, but for the meaning “ashamed,” the negative prefix is added ἐπαισχύνομαι (epaischynomai)[1]. So there is an underlying nuance of not having or losing strength or power when your ashamed of good things. However, the shame we experience when doing something wrong is meant to motivate us to strengthen our resolve and our character so we have the power to do better the next time.

I know I’m jumping ahead a bit in the biblical timeline, but we have two appropriate examples of shame we can point to, especially in the events surrounding the crucifixion. Perhaps you’ve probably already made the connection to Peter’s actions outside the high priest’s residence at the illegal trial of Jesus the night before his crucifixion. Not once, not twice, but three times Peter denies knowing Jesus. Those were acts of cowardice on his part, but I’ll give him credit for at least showing up there. Where were the rest of the disciples after Jesus’s arrest?

The other example that perhaps you haven’t considered as an act of being ashamed of Jesus would be Judas’s betrayal. As I said above, Judas and the other disciples were expecting an earthly kingdom. Judas seems to have become disillusioned with the direction Jesus’s teaching and ministry had taken and was ashamed that things seemed to be falling apart from a worldly perspective. Perhaps he thought that getting Jesus arrested would be just the catalyst needed to start a revolt or rebellion that would cast off Roman rule once and for all. He wasn’t the only one who hadn’t yet grasped that there was a more eternal, spiritual kingdom on the way. When what he had hoped for didn’t pan out, his own shame was so great that he went out and hanged himself. He lost any shot at redemption at that point.

Peter, it seems, gave up at the point of his denials, but fortunately for the early church and the rest of us today, he didn’t follow in Judas’s footsteps. A few days after the resurrection, Peter received forgiveness when Jesus asked him not once, not twice, but three times if Peter loved him. It was as if each yes answer Peter gave undid each of his denials at Jesus’s trial.

How can we today show that we’re not ashamed of Jesus? The most obvious thing is keep sharing the good news of Jesus. As long as this congregation is doing the work God is calling and gifting you to do, you have no reason to be ashamed about any aspect of the ministry of this church. Don’t even be ashamed of the size of your congregation. Where two or three are gathered in Jesus’s name, he’s here in our midst. Don’t be discouraged. I also want to encourage you NOT to think that this church will inevitably close its doors. God works in mysterious ways, and he can bring life to places in ways we never imagined.

The Gospel of John has a slightly different version of this passage. It’s not strictly a parallel passage, but it does involve Jesus predicting his death and has the piece in it about losing your life for the sake of eternal reward. Listen to the words of Jesus John records for us:

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.[2]

Now of course, in this passage, Jesus is referring to himself as the seed. But if we are in Christ, we also can be the seeds that produce a whole new crop. So I would encourage you not to think of Mount View Presbyterian in terms of it being in its twilight. Think of this church as a seed that is planted here in the neighborhood of 52nd & Hartman, where you have several grade schools within a three-mile radius. I would encourage you to look beyond yourselves and see what possibilities lie ahead, because God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work in us (Ephesians 3:20). We may not see it ourselves, but I truly believe God has a long-term vision and plan for this congregation in this location.

Need more encouragement? I told you a few weeks ago in the parlor about how I’ve been recording my messages and putting them on my blog page. Well, I found out I underestimated how much impact that is having, apparently around the world. Last year, my messages were downloaded over 2,000 times by I don’t know how many people. Just so you understand how that works, someone has to send out a link to the message file on my blog, and others have to intentionally click the link to pull it up on their computer or phone and listen to it. Already this year, there have been an additional 400 downloads of these sermon files. As I said a few weeks ago, I always put on the text version of the file that I’ve preached the sermon here at Mount View.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where these people are who are downloading and listening to these sermons. But am I crazy to think that maybe someday someone might show up at our doors who says, “Hey, I thought I’d check out your church because I heard one of your messages on the Internet”? Regardless of the long-term outcome, know that people all over the world are hearing the word of God in messages preached from this pulpit. Last year alone, people from over 160 countries read at least one article or listened to at least one sermon on my blog. I don’t say this to brag about me. All I do is post the files on the Internet. I don’t do any significant promotion. This all happens by word of mouth and the power of God in fulfillment of his promise that his word never returns void. This has been a God thing through and through, and I pray that this congregation will reap the reward from that.

So I leave you with this: Do not be ashamed of your congregation, because you are the body of Christ, placed here for his purposes. Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation. And do not be ashamed of Jesus, who has given us life and hope in his kingdom, both now and for eternity. Amen.

[1] Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc. Accessed February 29, 2024, from the software. The word used here has an intensifying prefix (ἐπ’) before the more common word for “ashamed.” The root of the word appears to be *ἰσχύ, which means “to be strong, capable.” The negative prefix alpha is added to the beginning of the root and after the intensifying prefix. The complete concept of the word “ashamed” in context, then, is akin to a complete absence of strength of character to stand for one’s convictions.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Scott Stocking

My thoughts and ideas are my own, and I have given credit where credit is due.

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