Sunday's Message - Two Hats

As disciples of Jesus, we've been called to follow him by claiming his example and learning from his teachings. From June to October, we're going to focus on the Gospel of Mark so that we might better understand how we might follow our Savior and live as his community. 

During the following twenty Sundays, the message will apply following passages:

June 6, 2021 - Mark 3:20-35

June 13, 2021 - Mark 4:26-34

June 20, 2021 - Mark 4:35-41

June 27, 2021 - Mark 5:21-43

July 4, 2021 - Mark 6:1-13

July 11, 2021 - Mark 6:14-29

July 18, 2021 - Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 25, 2021 - Mark 7:14-23

August 1, 2021 - Mark 7:24-37

August 8, 2021 - Mark 8:27-38

August 15, 2021 - Mark 9:30-37

August 22, 2021 - Mark 9:38-50

August 29, 2021 - Mark 10:2-16

September 5, 2021 - Mark 10:17-31

September 12, 2021 - Mark 10:35-45

September 19, 2021 - Mark 10:46-52

September 26, 2021 - Mark 12:28-34

October 3, 2021 - Mark 12:38-44

October 10, 2021 - Mark 13:1-8

October 17, 2021 - Mark 13:24-26, 32-36

On Sunday, August 8, 2021, we looked at Mark 8:27-38. The passage, the message and the podcast is below:

Mark 8:27-38 [Contemporary English Version]

Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah. Others say you are one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

“You are the [Christ]!” Peter replied.

Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “The nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.” Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, “Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.”

Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?

Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Two Hats

Now, have y’all ever heard the phrase, “wearing two hats”? Well, if you haven’t, just watch this little video, and you’ll know exactly what it means. 

Of course, there’s a reason I mention this, and it really has a lot to do with all the camping equipment up here this morning. Now some of y’all may find this shocking, but when I was growing up, we never went camping. You see, I was raised in the city and for me, the closest place to get back to nature was an area called the Great Dismal Swamp, and let me tell you, it’s not nearly as wonderful as it sounds. But I think the biggest reason we never went camping involved by Dad. You see, when they were kids, he and his buddies used to camp all the time, but Dad, well, he never really enjoyed it. And so he decided way back then, that once he grew up, he was never going to sleep in a tent on the ground again. And I’ll tell you, I can kind of identify with him on that. I mean, it’s a lot like the way I feel about salt water and sand. 

Anyway, he didn’t like to camp and so we never went, with one exception. Back when I was about eight or nine, I was a Cub Scout. And my Dad was the den leader, and one weekend, we went camping, and I’m talking about with tents in the woods. And although I certainly didn’t know it at the time, on what would be my one and only camping trip, my Dad was actually wearing two hats. I mean, on one hand, as the den leader, it was his job to make sure that everybody had a positive experience and that we did all the stuff a bunch of eight and nine-year-olds could be trusted to do in the woods. Now that was one hat he wore. On the other hand, though, he wore the “dad” hat, which meant that he had to make sure his eldest son didn’t chop off a finger cutting wood or set himself on fire making s’mores or wander off and get eaten by a bear. Now those were the two hats my Dad wore, and looking back, I’m not sure which caused him the most stress.

But you know, my Dad wasn’t the only guy who wore two hats. As a matter of fact, the Evangelist Mark applied this same sort of idea to Jesus. In other words, according to Mark, Jesus had two very clear and distinct roles to play during his time on earth, and they were reflected in two titles that he gave Jesus right at the beginning of his gospel. I mean, just listen to the very first verse in the Gospel of Mark: This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. [Mark 1:1, CEV] Now right here, Mark told us exactly who this man named Jesus was, didn’t he? On one hand, he was the Christ, the Messiah. On the other hand, though, he was also the Son of God, or as Jesus will identify himself, the son of man. For Mark, these were the two hats Jesus wore. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s what makes the passage we’re looking at this morning so special, because in these verses, I believe Mark finished up his focus on one and then moved on to the other. In other words, this scripture is sort of like the hinge on which the whole gospel turns. Let me explain. As I read it, during roughly the first half of his gospel, Mark focused on establishing Jesus as the Christ, something that ends when...

Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah. Others say you are one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

“You are the [Christ]!” Peter replied. [Mark 8:27-29, CEV]

You see, when Peter called Jesus “the Christ,” the first half of the gospel was over simply because Mark had done what he set out to do, to show that Jesus really was the Christ, the Messiah. But remember, that was only one hat. Now, Mark needed to show how Jesus was also the Son of God.

And I’ll tell you, that’s why, right after Peter called him the Christ, the whole tone of the Gospel changed and Jesus stated talking about something he hadn’t even mentioned before. You see, according to Mark, “Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, ‘The nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.’ Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.” [Mark 8:31-32a, CEV] He also described how following the Son of Man wasn’t going to be cake walk, something that irritated Peter so much that “[he] took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that.”[Mark 8:32b] You see, as he wrote about Jesus as the Son of God, Mark’s focus shifted from glory to suffering. And in my opinion, that explains why, after this passage, Jesus offered this same lesson about how he was going to suffer two more times and why, after he’d cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” [Mark 15:34b, CEV] and after he’d died, this happened: A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!” [Mark 15:39, CEV] In other words, just like Mark showed how Jesus was the Christ in the first half of his Gospel, in the second half, we can see Jesus as the Son of God who suffered and who was rejected and who died on a cross. You see, for Mark, those were the two hats that Jesus wore.

And you know, I think that’s something really important for us to remember.  I mean, first, in my opinion, it’s important for us to remember that Jesus is the glorious Christ. And I’ll tell you, I believe Mark did an excellent job of showing what that glory was all about in the part of his gospel before Peter made his confession. For example, do y’all remember how the people reacted when Jesus started preaching? Just listen to Mark: Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching. Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses.” [Mark 1:21-22, CEV] Now that’s what Mark wrote. And based on what we’ve been talking about over the last couple of months, that authority wasn’t limited to just Jesus’s words. My gosh, just think about the stuff he did before he was called “the Christ.” Man, he healed the sick and kicked out demons and raised the dead. He stilled a storm and walked on water and fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish and then 4,000 with seven loaves and a few fish. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself sort of summed up what it meant to be the Christ when he said this to some of the disciples of John the Baptist: “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. God will bless everyone who doesn’t reject me because of what I do.” [Matthew 11:4b-6, CEV] Man, this is how Jesus showed himself to be the Christ, and I’m talking about the glorious Christ.

And you know, this is something we need to remember, and I’ll tell you why. Now I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes my life seems to be a little out of control and it makes me feel, well, overwhelmed. Of course, I recognize that my issues are small potatoes when compared to others. My gosh, I feel all stressed out by having to replace Maggie’s cell phone and to fix two leaking toilets over in Weirton, while other folks are dealing with real physical pain and genuine loss. But regardless of the size or the amount, when our problems feel like anchors, that’s the time we need to remember the one who could and still can heal and calm and empower. You see, Jesus really is the glorious Christ, and brothers and sisters, when we feel overwhelmed that’s something we need to keep in mind. But remember, that’s not the only hat Jesus wore. 

Because second, I think it’s equally important for us to remember that Jesus also was and is the suffering Son of God. And again, after Peter said that Jesus was Christ, Mark was really clear about how Jesus showed that reality as well. I mean, in the next chapter, Mark wrote, “Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.” [Mark 9:30-32, CEV] And a little bit later, Jesus said, “We are now on our way to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death and hand him over to foreigners, who will make fun of him and spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.” [Mark 10:33-34, CEV] No, by his own words, Jesus believe that he was going to suffer and die. And of course, we know that was exactly what happened. I mean, Mark wrote: 

About noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until around three o’clock. Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He is calling for Elijah.” One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, “Let’s wait and see if Elijah will come and take him down!” Jesus shouted and then died. [Mark 15:33-37, CEV]

Now this was what happened, and this was what the Roman soldier saw that moved him to say “This man really was the Son of God!”

And I’ll tell you, I think this is something we also need to see, you know, the suffering Son of God, and I’ll tell you why. Again, I don’t know about y’all, but there are times when I just need someone to listen and to understand, someone who knows what I’m experiencing on my worst day. Living can be really hard, and when we add feelings of loneliness and alienation to that, man, that can be oppressive. But you know, when that happens and we think that no one understands, well, that’s just not true. Along with everything else Jesus’s death on the cross accomplished, and it accomplished a lot, it’s also a tangible reminder that Jesus experienced the very depth of human pain and isolation. And that means that when we approach him in prayer and share with him our fears and our doubts and all the other stuff we may not be able to share with one another, not only will Jesus listen, he also understands because he felt those things too. In the Letter to the Hebrews, the writer said, “We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” [Hebrews 4:14-16, CEV] You see, along with being the glorious Christ, Jesus was and is also the suffering Son of God, and I’ll tell you, when we feel isolated and alone, that’s something we need to remember, because that was the second hat Jesus wore. 

Now in case you were wondering, my one and only camping trip came out fine. I didn’t chop off any fingers. And I didn’t go up in flames. And I wasn’t eaten by a bear. And actually, as I remember, we had a pretty good time, which meant that my Dad wore his two hats well. And you know, that’s also true of Jesus, the one whom Mark called the Christ and the Son of God. You see, when we remember that he really is the glorious Christ, maybe we won’t feel so overwhelmed by problems and pain. And when we remember that he’s also the suffering Son of God, maybe we’ll have place to turn when we feeling isolated and alone. You see, I really think this is possible when we remember that Jesus really did wear two hats.