Looks like good old Peter goofed again.  Remember two Sundays ago when Peter, James and John climbed a mountain with Jesus and Jesus was transfigured before them and Peter wanted to build three dwellings, one for Jesus one for Elijah and one for Moses?

He does it again…

To help us understand what is going one let us take a closer look at these words that make up the Gospel.

            “Then he began to teach them…

“Then” is an adverb meaning “after that”   after what?

Jesus had just asked his disciples “who do people say that I am?”  They answered:  “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah and still others one of the prophets. Jesus again asked   -  “Who do you say that I am?” 

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Peter got it right but couldn’t hold on to it.

Peter’s concept of Messiah came from the Hebrew “the anointed one” which all the Sabbath schoolteachers at the local synagogue had told the little kids would be a King like David …

Someone who would come riding in on a white stallion to liberate the people form their Roman oppressors…

Like someone in our own time who happened to land on the aircraft carrier (USS Abraham Lincoln) where a banner was unfurled with “Mission Accomplished”

That was 6 years ago!

So, Jesus begins by telling his closes friends where the Sabbath Day teachers go it wrong.

He starts by referring to himself not as Messiah but as “the Son of MAN.”

Bible scholars are not sure what that is all about, except to say, that Jesus used this designation as a way to identify with all that is human...that is with us.

And then Jesus goes on to tell Peter and us…

“You are setting your mind not on divine things but human things…” 33b.  It is one thing to identify with us and quite another thing to think like us.

The Disciples don’t understand…or better put don’t want to understand . . .

God and the world are at odds.

We are not so much interested in what God wants but what we want.

In Jesus day the word was that the Messiah (the Royalty of Israel) would ride in on a stallion (not a donkey) to once and for all set the record straight… He would again restore Israel to her former glory under King Solomon and David.

He would send the occupying armies of Roman Imperialism and their pagan gods running for cover.  The triumphal entry would sound more like Julia Ward’s  “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; he has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible           swift sword”

Than the  “I don’t know how to love him” of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Super Star.”

The preconceived notion of Messiah was a triumphal military leader that would usher in the long over due recognition that many felt had been in the cards all along . . .

Most like Peter, had no clue what sort of God had claimed them as is own… so long ago.

That is why the OT reading is so important. That is why we continue to read it every week. 

In the lesson today we learn that God is a God that keeps promises. There is no fine print here that makes null and void the warranty if you don’t keep a rigid maintance schedule.

In Vs.1 God introduces himself ... notice  that LORD  is in all capitals… that is because the translators did not quit know what to do with the Hebrew word El Shaddi…  In some Bibles it is translated “The Lord God Almighty”… or just Lord.

The fine print in the footnote of some Bibles will tell you that El Saddai could also mean God of the Mountain or God with may breasts…

Referring to Sarah’s bareness, that would change when, at the ripe old age of 90 she would be nursing her first born.

There are other name changes as well. Abram’s name becomes Abraham; meaning father of many nations and Sarai becomes Sarah meaning Princess…

In other word the Prince and Princess of the Covenant shall be a blessing to those yet unborn. Sarah will be the matriarch of Royalty.

Just a side note, Sarah was Abraham’s half sister – they had different fathers but the same mother.

So in vs.  16 we read “I will bless her and she shall give rise to nations; kings and peoples shall come from her.”

This time the sign of God’s promise would be circumcision and that is where the Apostle Paul picks up  the story in our second lesson..

Beginning with vs. 12  Where the Apostle refers to Abraham as the father of circumcision.

            “The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his     descendants by the law (TORAH) but through the righteousness of faith.”

Paul is making an argument that it is not by outward appearance or even by following religious prescriptions that we are loved by God, but it is faith that does it all… faith in “Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (24).

n the Gospel  Peter rebukes Jesus and then Jesus rebukes Peter. . . 

Peter’s Messiah was not the one his Sabbath School Teacher had told him about.  He was not the one who would land on the aircraft carrier with a banner stating “Mission Accomplished…”

 The Messiah of the Bible called himself “ Son of Man” the suffering servant, the one whose crime was that he showed  the world an alternative to militancy, to imperialism and one up-man ship.

He would ride to his destiny on a donkey… and don’t let anyone tell you that his how the imperial armies of Rome conquered the world.

There is another hymn that better suits the “militancy” of Jesus:

            Lead on o King eternal, Till sins fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the             sweet amen of peace; for not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums, but             deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes..”

Last Wednesday we heard from Ted Zimmerman who with his wife Jane, are missionaries in Hong Kong. There Pastor Zimmerman teaches at one of our seminaries and also ministers to several congregations.

Hong Kong has a population of 7 million. It is one of the most densely populated places on earth.  Only 9% of the population is Christian.

As he tells it, many parents objects to their children becoming Christian because they believe this means that their children will not sacrifice to them or provide for them in the spirit world after they die. 

In a culture that values obedience, to ignore parental wishes puts enormous pressure on young people who have converted to Christ. 

He says that “ to follow Jesus

            “ In this place is different from what it may mean in some other culture. Surrounded by secular materialism of a bustling modern city, mixed with  traditional Chinese ancestor worship Buddhism and the worship of various gods and   goddesses – a Christian really has to swim against             the tide here. There are very few casual Christians here in Hong Kong. Instead there is intensity and a commitment that often puts me to shame.” Pastor Zimmerman tells us about Mr. Cheung, a successful businessman who just finished Seminary and now must wait three years before he can be ordained. Because those are the rules.  We are told about Peace Luthean Church that meets on the third floor of an apartment building in an elongated room that had three of the walls knocked out so they could accommodate the 150 people that worship there each Sunday.

             “ The third floor is reached in a small elevator or you can climb a grungy stair case. “It takes a certain level of dedication just to make it to a worship service,     yet the whole place pulses with faith. “

I often wonder if we in the West who where raised in the superlative luxury of never having to defend our faith aren’t a bit spoiled.  We take for granted that Jesus will forgive us for our lackadaisical manners and whimsical excuses for staying away from the banquet..

Our lessons for this Sunday SPEAK of the God who keeps his promises;

to Abraham and Sarah,

to Noah and those before him and to us as well... do we?

            “Jesus 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.” And Mark adds;            

            “He said this quite openly.”

You and I too, are children of Promise.

The Apostle reminds us in today’s lesson:
            “Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’ were   written not for his sake alone, but for ours also.”

It is called Baptism.

“Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with Gods mercy and forgiveness.” Amen amen