The Gospel of Mark – Part 30 

Easter – The Power of the Resurrection – Mark 8:31-9:1

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – April 12th, 2020

Intro:

This week we are returning to our series in the Gospel of Mark as we celebrate Easter together!  The good news is that even when we are separate during this time, we are together in the Spirit. The passage we are turning to this morning is Mark 8:31 – 9:1. This passage comes directly on the heels of the passage where the disciple Peter recognized and declared the true identity of Jesus in saying, “You are the Christ.” You would think that following this eternity-splitting, revelatory statement, things would get better for those following Jesus and easier for Jesus himself.  Wasn’t His main mission for people to know that He was indeed the Son of God?  Wasn’t the purpose for His appearing for people to understand who God was so they could listen and come to Him. Wasn’t that the point? So now after people realized this, Jesus could go home? Or was there something else that Jesus came to do? From our text this morning we will see the true mission of the Son, what He came to do and what He calls us to. In understanding this passage, you will know the central mission of the Son, what the Gospel is, what we are to do in response and where the kingdom of God truly comes in power.  

The Mission of the Son   

Mark 8:31-33 ESVAnd 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. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 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.” 

Now this is an incredible conversation! Peter just declared the Jesus was the Christ and then moments later after Jesus told Him what was going to happen to Him, Peter rebukes Jesus. He knew that Jesus was God, but then He thought He knew better than God, that he needed to confront and correct Him on the plan. And Jesus turned and saw His disciples, and then rebuked Peter by telling him to, “get behind me, Satan!”  In one brief moment, Peter goes from being a “hero” to a “zero.” From being on top of the mountain, to being crushed by it. Talk about a turn of events!What caused this reaction from Christ?  Jesus told them what He had to do, that He was to suffer many things, that He would be rejected by the leaders of the people, that He was going to be killed and after three days rise again. This is what “must” be done.  This was the will of the Father; this is what He came to do. He did not come to be recognized, He did not come to be an example, He did not come to be famous teacher and healer. The reason He came was to “seek and save the lost.” The reason He came, was not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Luke 19:10 ESVFor the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Matt 20:28 ESVThe Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

This was the reason that Jesus came. This was His primary mission. In order to accomplish His mission, He had to suffer many things, He had to be rejected, He had to be killed and He had to rise again. So why did He have to do this for the lost to be saved? Couldn’t it be accomplished another way? Like a less painful way, an easier way? The answer to that question is “no” it could not be accomplished any other way.  So why was this the only way? First, the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), and all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). There is no one that is righteous, not even one (Rom. 3:10). We have together become worthless (Rom. 3:12) and by nature are “children of wrath” because we have carried out the desires of the body and the mind and have lived by the passions of our