"Mercy on Us" 3-2-22

Overview

Mercy on Us

Lent opens with a cry from the heart of David: "Have mercy on me, O God" Psalm 51:1. After his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, the prophet Nathan brought David to repentance, and David poured out one of Scripture's deepest confessions. That same plea—Lord, have mercy—threads through the Lenten liturgy and shapes the rhythm of these forty days: a season of reflection, repentance, and preparation for the celebration of Easter.

In Mark 8:27–33, Jesus leads His disciples north to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, away from the crowds of Galilee and the badgering of the Pharisees. There He asks two questions. First: "Who do people say that I am?" The disciples answer accurately—John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets—reflecting the popular speculation rooted in Malachi 4 and Jewish tradition. Then comes the question of all questions: "But who do you say that I am?" Peter, speaking for the Twelve, confesses, "You are the Messiah"—and as Matthew records, "the Son of the living God" Matthew 16:16. They had seen His authority over storms and demons; they understood that He was God in the flesh.

What they had not yet grasped was His mission. So Jesus begins to teach that the Son of Man "must undergo great suffering and be rejected… and be killed, and after three days rise again." Peter pulls Jesus aside to rebuke Him. The literal Greek of his words in Matthew is striking: "Mercy on you." It was a plea that the Father would spare Jesus the cross. But Jesus answers, "Get behind me, Satan. For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." The cry for mercy is itself rebuked—because mercy for Jesus would mean no mercy for us. He charged them not to tell anyone yet, because the message was not complete without the cross and the empty tomb.

This is what the ashes proclaim. The mark on the forehead reminds us of our frailty and mortality—"you are dust, and to dust you shall return" Genesis 3:19—and of our sinfulness from conception Psalm 51:5. In ancient days ash was used for cleansing, and so the ashen cross preaches the cleansing accomplished at Calvary. When you wash the ash away tonight, let the water remind you of your baptism, where Christ claimed you as His own. The "divine must" of the cross was not a tragedy to be averted but the very plan of redemption: the spotless Lamb bearing the wrath we deserved, so that the Father looks on us and sees the perfection of His Son. Peter cried, "Mercy on you," to Jesus. But to every baptized child marked with the ash this night, Jesus turns and says: Mercy on you. Mercy on you.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me this evening? 0s

To mark the eighth chapter for our study, 3s

if you're using a few addition, 5s

you'll find that on page 38. 7s

Mark the eighth chapter. 11s

The liturgy appointed for Ash Wednesday 14s

is rich and deep indeed. 17s

It enters us into this holy season of Lent, 23s

this preparatory time, 27s

in which we prepare for the celebration of Easter. 30s

It is a time of reflection of pondering, 35s

of confession. 42s

It interjects into our lives a different rhythm, 46s

a rhythm to embrace 52s

this season. 54s

The service begins with a reference to Psalm 51, 59s

that is David's great confession. 63s

Remember, David has sinned greatly. 67s

He's had adultery with Bathsheba. 70s

He's arranged for the murder of Bathsheba's husband, 74s

and he governs up now for as long as he could 79s

the baby that would grow in Bathsheba. 84s

But God appoints the prophet in the prophet 91s

and David's prophet with sin, 93s

and David has brought to his senses. 97s

He has brought to repentance. 99s

And he writes this incredibly deep Psalm, 103s

Psalm 51. 107s

In the beginning of the service this evening, we start out with, have mercy on me, O God, have mercy. 110s

The curiade during the season of Lent re-enters into the liturgy will sing it for all 123s

of the Sundays in Lent. 130s

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy. 133s

And in our text for tonight there is a cry from mercy. 142s

But how is the cry responded to? 148s

What is the response? 154s

Jesus has healed in Bethesda of a blind man, dramatic, dramatic healing. 158s

And notice verse 27 of our text, Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Cessaria 165s

Philippi. 173s

Jesus now turns north and they go 25 miles. 176s

They go to the villages of Cessaria Philippi that's nestled at the foot of Mount Hermit. 180s

They've left Galilee at this point. 188s

And so that means that the crowds have all dissipated. 191s

And outside of Galilee that means that the constant badgering from the Pharisees is suspended 195s

at least for the time. 203s

And with the trek of 25 miles, it occasions opportunity for conversation. 206s

And we get a ability to hear into the conversation that centers around two questions, two 213s

questions. 222s

Verse 27 again, Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Cessaria Philippi. 225s

And on the way, He asked His disciples, who do people say that I am? 232s

The word there for people is the general term for humans. 240s

So Jesus is not asking His disciples, what is it that the religious people think about 245s

me? 250s

No, He's asking, what about the people that have come and they've heard me teach. 251s

They've seen the miracles. 255s

They've seen these healings. 257s

What about them? 260s

Does He know the answer to the question? 263s

Of course He does. 265s

He asks it to set up the second question that He's going to ask. 267s

And the disciples come with the correct response. 274s

They are spot on. 277s

Verse 28. 280s

And they answered Him, John the Baptist and others Elijah and still others, 282s

one of the prophets. 287s

Mark the sixth chapter here at Antibus thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, resurrected. 291s

There were those that thought He was Elijah. 299s

That's rooted in Malachi the fourth chapter. 302s

And in Jewish tradition there was the belief that before the Messianic kingdom would be 305s

implemented, Jeremiah would show back up again. 310s

And so when Jesus says, who do the people say that I am? 313s

And they come with a response, John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets, 319s

they are exactly correct. 325s

It's exactly the belief that was out there. 327s

It was exactly what was being communicated. 330s

But now after question one, Jesus moves on to question two. 336s

And this is the question. 342s

In fact, it's the question of questions, isn't it? 346s

He asks them, but who do you say that I am? 352s

At this point, at this point, the disciples had been with 365s

Jesus for over two years, two years of being disciple. 371s

In Jesus says, who do you say that I am? 381s

And Peter, of course it would be Peter. 393s

Peter speaking on behalf of the disciples. 399s

Peter answered him, you are the Messiah. 403s

The gospel of Matthew gives us more of the dialogue. 409s

It gives us more of what he said after those words. 413s

In Matthew the 16th chapter, it records that Peter said, you are the Messiah, the son of the 417s

living God. 425s

Exactly. 429s

They had witnessed his divine power, Mark II and Mark IV. 433s

They had come to the realization of the difference between themselves and Jesus, the 444s

difference of their own sinfulness and the perfection of Jesus. 453s

They had witnessed the calming of the storm and knew that the only one who has 460s

control over the sea and the storm is God himself. 468s

And when Peter says, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God, he got it right. 474s

And the old did, because their spokesman, Peter, was speaking for all of them. 490s

But then, verse 30 says, and he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 503s

I don't know that strike you on. 520s

Because what is it that we hear several times in Holy Scripture, we hear the great 524s

commission that we are to go there for and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 530s

them in the name of the Father, Son of the Holy Spirit. 534s

We hear that how our people's supposed to come to faith if they don't hear the message, 537s

for it is the gospel that the Spirit uses to change the heart of people. 542s

We hear the call to go forth and proclaim Christ throughout the New Testament. 549s

And yet the Scripture says, and he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 555s

Because it is too early. 565s

It is too early. 568s

Their message isn't complete yet. 571s

The cross and the empty tomb have to come so that the message is full and accurate and complete 575s

in the depth of the good news. 590s

That's why. 597s

Right after he says, and he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him, that's why it says, 599s

then he began to teach them that the Son of man must undergo great suffering and be rejected 606s

by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. 613s

They understood that Jesus was God. 622s

They understood it. 627s

What they needed to learn was his mission. 630s

They understood he was God in the flesh. 637s

But now they needed to learn. 641s

Why God came in the flesh? 644s

They needed to learn the plan of redemption and so Jesus right after he says, 647s

then now don't tell anybody. 658s

He starts to teach. 661s

And what does he teach? 663s

He teaches the mission. 665s

And the last part of verse 32, 671s

and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 677s

Ponder that for a moment. 690s

They understand exactly who they're talking to. 693s

God in the flesh. 702s

And yet Peter feels it necessary to take God aside and explain to him. 706s

He rebukes God. 720s

And the Matthew account gives us the dialogue of the rebukes. 730s

What Peter said was translated in the NRSV, 737s

God forbid it, Lord, this must never happen to you. 743s

But let's get more literal than that. 748s

Because in the Greek, what the literal thing that he said was, 751s

is he turned to Jesus and he said, 756s

mercy on you. 760s

Mercy on you. 762s

It was a cry for mercy that the father would stop this. 764s

That Jesus wouldn't suffer and die. 772s

Peter turns to the Lord and says, 776s

mercy on you. 780s

And the cry for mercy is rebuked. 790s

Look at verse 33. 806s

But turning and looking at his disciples, 811s

he rebuked Peter and said, 813s

get behind me Satan. 815s

For you are setting your minds not on divine things, 818s

but on human things. 821s

Notice there that he looks at all the disciples. 825s

He dresses him down and he dresses him down right in front of the disciples. 828s

It's that important. 835s

He looks at all the disciples and then he boars in on Peter. 838s

And he calls Peter, 842s

Satan for what Peter wants to happen. 845s

In Luke 4th chapter, 853s

there's a man who has a evil spirit and the scripture says 857s

that Jesus rebuked him. 861s

In Mark 9th chapter, 865s

there's a boy who is convulsing and the scripture tells us 867s

that he was convulsing because he had an unclean spirit 871s

that was causing that to occur in his body. 875s

And the scripture says that Jesus rebuked him. 880s

In Matthew 19th chapter, 884s

they're bringing children to Jesus. 888s

So he might lay his hands on them and pray, 891s

but the disciples don't think that's really a good idea. 894s

Why bother Jesus with kids here? 898s

He's much too busy for this. 901s

But Jesus turns and rebukes his disciples for that. 903s

Jesus is no stranger to rebuking at all. 908s

And Jesus turns to Peter in front of all of the disciples and says, 913s

get behind me, Satan, 918s

for you are setting your mind not on divine things, 921s

but on human things. 925s

And the cry. 931s

Former sea is rebuked. 934s

In a few minutes, 945s

we will receive the ashes upon our foreheads. 947s

That Mark of the Ash has several different dimensions to it. 956s

It is an intentional and liturgical action 962s

to remind us of our frailty, 967s

to remind us of our mortality, 970s

to remind us that God is just in the fact that there is death in the world, 973s

because God said to our very first parents, 983s

you eat of the forbidden fruit and you die. 987s

And we are no different than our parents. 992s

We carry that sin in us and we manifest it. 996s

We are sinners from the moment that life begins at conception. 1002s

We're sinners. 1007s

Scripture says ever since we are conceived. 1009s

That word comes to us and we are reminded of the fact 1015s

that as Scripture says, our time this side of heaven is but a, 1020s

but a whisp is the word that Scripture uses. 1026s

When you compare it to all of eternity, 1031s

the time that we breathe this side of heaven is such a short period of time. 1033s

And we are all mortal. 1041s

And if the Lord continues to Terry, 1044s

we will all one day die. 1046s

And that ash reminds us of our frailty and our mortality. 1050s

When that ash is placed upon us, 1060s

it reminds us that we are called each and every day to repent of our sins. 1063s

That this season of which we begin tonight is that special time 1071s

in the life of the church, in which we enter into that time of confession. 1076s

We are reminded that an ancient day when there was no soul, 1086s

people would use ash to cleanse themselves. 1092s

And so when the sign of the cross is made upon our forehead in the ash, 1097s

it reminds us that through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1103s

we are cleansed of our sin. 1109s

And when we go home tonight before we lay our head on the pillow, 1114s

and we wash off the ash from our forehead, 1118s

we may it remind us of the waters of baptism that have splashed us, 1122s

and may we rest secure and calm and peaceful. 1128s

The ash so many dimensions to it. 1138s

And it reminds us that it reminds us of that divine must, 1143s

that Jesus taught his disciples, 1151s

that he must go to the cross, 1156s

that he must be raised from the dead. 1160s

Because if that didn't occur, 1168s

then what would have occurred is our eternal condemnation. 1173s

Our eternal separation from God in the reality of hell. 1182s

But God rescues us from our ways, 1190s

and Jesus redeems us on the cross, 1194s

and his blood is shed, 1198s

and the wrath for sin falls upon the sun, 1200s

and not us, 1204s

and the perfect spotless lamb of God goes to the cross in our place, 1205s

so that when God looks upon us, 1213s

he sees the perfection of Christ, 1216s

the second member of the Triune God, one God, three persons. 1222s

When Jesus taught, 1231s

when He taught those disciples that knew He was God, 1235s

but didn't get the mission yet, 1239s

when He began to teach about the mission, 1242s

and Peter cried out, 1247s

mercy on you, mercy on you. 1251s

But you see baptized child, 1259s

claimed in the waters and soon to be marked with the ash. 1263s

You see, Jesus turns to you and says, 1269s

mercy on you, mercy on you. 1283s