Full sermon notes for Mark 8:27 – 38

Rev. Dr. Michael H Koplitz

Blog entries:

Exegetical perspective of Mark 8:27 – 38

We have to remember that Mark’s Gospel was written during the Jewish revolt of 66 CE. Therefore
everything that Mark wrote was tainted by the war. There were many messiahs that it come and
gone before Jesus and during the time of Roman oppression was a big question about whether
Jesus was the true Messiah. The reason these questions came up was because of the belief that
the Messiah was going to free Israel from her enemies, reinstate the nation and place a
descendent of David on the throne of Israel. But none of this had happened and so the people
became despondent and confused.

This is the turning point in Mark’s gospel when Jesus will make his final trip into Jerusalem. This
section about who am I clarifies Jesus message for the readers and listeners of the story. Jesus
will also predict his death in this section which could be considered a way of the author of Mark’s
gospel to get people to look at the suffering servant passages for the Messiah instead of the
warlike Messiah.

Picking up ones crosses language that would’ve been added by Mark and not spoken directly by
Jesus. However the symbolism of picking up one cross is that we must accept the burden that
God is placed upon us. If one is going to follow Jesus Christ especially during the war one would
have to be ready to give up one’s life for the sake of the gospel.

Theological Perspective for Mark 8:27 – 38

We reached that point in the Gospel of Mark that the author is trying to tell us that God has entered
the world in the incarnate form of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Even after this passage his disciples
don’t seem to fully understand that Jesus is God in the flesh. In fact, looking at the gospel itself,
is questionable is whether the author really thought Jesus was God in flesh. The Messiah
prophecies never spoke about God returning. In fact, if God were to return then the day of the
Lord events would start to occur which would signify the end of the world. Since the world still
exists it would have been difficult for the author of Mark to say that Jesus is truly God incarnate.
Of course for the Jews living in Judea and the Galilee during the first revolt of 66 CE would have
seemed like the day of the Lord was occurring. However it’s 30 years too late.
So theology tends to point toward the Isaiah passage of the suffering servant. In the suffering
servant passage nothing indicates that it God was going to suffer and die. But God requires a
payment of the debt that was created when sin fell into the world. How is that debt going to be
paid by her mere human? Course answer is it cannot be done and that’s why God himself has to
be incarnated so that he can die the death for us.
God’s justice and mercy is shown to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those
who come to believe in our Savior will receive the benefits of eternal life with God.

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Homiletical perspective of Mark 8:27 - 38
I think this passage brings up a new area to the church: gamification. We have the words of Jesus
telling us what we have to do to be disciples of his. We have the words of Jesus Christ telling us
what will happen if we become good disciples of his. Only look at most churches and see what
they are doing for us to become good disciples. When we look at churches that have memberships
that are double and quadruple the actual number of people I show up on Sunday for worship we
have to ask what game is the church playing. Going under what Jesus said the church is not
playing the game of church.
I equate this to a group of four people sitting down to play the game of Monopoly, at least that’s
what the box says. But when they open the box they actually pull out the game of Life. They sit
around playing the game of Life but when a spectator comes by and says what are you playing
the game of life they immediately rebuke that person is a know we are play monopoly. The same
thing happens in church with a church puts on the façade that it’s playing church but it really is
playing the game of social club. For in a social club it is normal to have a large membership and
only a fraction of the people who actually participate in the meetings and activities of the social
club.
In the church we have a great façade that we use to show people that we are truly playing the
game of church. After all, we have buildings that look beautiful and they have big crosses on the
top of them. We created a room call the sanctuary which is used maybe 55 times a year. There
are even Bibles in the pews. We even sing songs on Sunday that are considered classic church
hymns.
But when you take away the façade the underlying game social club not church. This is one of
the reasons why churches are declining in the United States. We are not playing the game of
church as Jesus described. We are playing the game of social club as the United States culture
has defined it. It is most acceptable, for example, to join a social club or fraternal organization and
never show up. The same thing happens in church but according to Jesus you cannot have a
membership card and to do nothing about your faith. Therefore, you really are not a follower of
Jesus if you are not doing the things that are required to be a disciple of Christ.
High commitment churches, which are the growing churches in the United States, are those that
require discipleship and not membership. These are churches that are not playing the game of
social club and giving the façade of church but rather they are playing the game of church period.
These are churches that require commitment. These are churches that require discipleship.
These are churches that require tithing. These are the true churches of Jesus Christ.
There are some small churches in the United States that are playing the game of church and
expect discipleship and commitment. I happen to be serving one of those churches. But I must
note that these churches are far and few between for if all churches decided that when people
make a commitment to be disciples of Jesus Christ and the church actually enforced the
discipleship, Christianity would be flourishing today.

Pastoral perspective of Mark 8:27 – 38

This perspective is something that you will have to answer for yourself therefore I’m going to give
you five questions to ponder.
1. Who Jesus to you?
2. What does his commands mean to you?

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3. Why are you following Him?
4. Would you take the bullet for him (by evangelizing)?
5. Would you fall on the sword for Him?

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 Something for the Refrigerator for the Week Starting Sunday, September 13, 2015
Rev. Dr. Michael H Koplitz

Mark 8:27-38

A 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he
asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
B 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of
the prophets." [the answer]
A’ 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
B’ Peter answered, "You are the Messiah." [the answer]
30
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

A 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed
and after three days rise again. 1
B 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him.
33
B’ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get
behind me, Satan!" he said.
A’ "You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

A 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to
be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 2
B 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for
me and for the gospel will save it.
B’ 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or
what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
A’ 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the
holy angels." 3

Contemplation question: are you ready to give up everything if called to do so in the name of
Jesus Christ?

Commentary: this passage of Scripture is displayed for you and it’s chiastic form. You can see
the flow of Jesus discussion with his disciples and with Peter. When Jesus tells his disciples
that he will have to die on the cross at the hands of man he is attempting to turn the opinion of
his disciples to the true meaning of what the Messiah was coming to earth to do. The main
idea about the Messiah was that he would come and restore the kingdom of Israel sit upon the
throne of David. This comes from the promise God made to David that someone from his line

1
This is a foreshadowing of what was going to happen. After this conversation Mark’s Gospel enters Passion Week.
2
“take up their cross and follow me” is a Mark adaptation to Jesus’ call to discipleship. This can be seen as a
foreshadowing literary device used to let Jesus’ followers during the 66 CE revolt what was going to happen to them
and Jesus will be there to receive them. Dying for Jesus was expected and considered almost “sacred.”
3
Verse 38 is an antithesis of verse 34 which can be used in chiasms.

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would always sit on the throne of Israel. But that is not the messianic solution that Jesus was
here to do.

It is not until after Jesus death and resurrection at the church realized that Jesus came as the
suffering servant as told to us by Isaiah the prophet, which can be found in the book of Isaiah
chapters 51 through 55.

When we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we are either baptized or
confirmed in the church essentially we are giving up our old life to gain a new life with Jesus in
that we follow the gospel and we go out and spread the word. For the early church becoming a
member meant selling all of your possessions and placing the money at the feet of the apostles.
Take a look at the Book of Acts to learn more about how the early church work. So the initiation
rite was not only baptism but joining the Christian community in full communion that is sharing
everything.

Today we don’t expect people to sell all their possessions and give the money to the church. It
would be interesting to consider what would happen to Christianity if these original ideas of the
church were enforced. If you want to become Mormon today they do require that 50% of
everything you own is given to the church. Even with this requirement the Mormon church is
growing. Perhaps it’s because when you make such a financial commitment you are truly a
believer.

God judges how much we value Jesus’ sacrifice by how much we are willing to give to the work
of the gospel without being asked to do so. God will see how many of us do truly tithe and how
willingly we want to do that. For many of us in today’s economy just tithing is picking up our
cross because we have to live in a different lifestyle for you to do such a thing.

Jesus does give us the reward for becoming a faithful disciple. He’s actually doing it by giving
us the antithesis of it. Being a good disciple means we will not have to forfeit our soul to the
ways of evil but rather God will be inviting us to join him in heaven.

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Mark 8:27-38

1. Taking the Bullet

① I.T. department worse fear & why?
② 1990 Warner Lambert Lititz it happened
③ Accountants don't understand what IT people do
④ First meeting with new Director of Accounting & I.T.; former accounting manager: he
said "NOT taking any bullets for you guys"
⑤ Our reaction: "we don't take bullets for him"

2. Falling on the Sword

① Not taking bullets means policies that don't benefit the department
② 1st lesson of Management 101 - is to protect your staff.
③ So while reading the Gospels, Jesus does and says a lot of great stuff
④ But then came the bullets & Jesus took each one
⑤ Then the ultimate: "He fell on his sword" for the message

3. Sacrifice
① Jesus sacrificed himself to bring us the message
② Message: God's love, mercy and grace is intended for all; sin is forgive by God
③ Jesus is the Messiah - he brought me back to God

4. Unpacking the human experience: Who is Jesus?

① Who Jesus to you?
② What does his commands mean to you?
③ Why are you following Him?
④ Would you take the bullet for him (by evangelizing)?

⑤ Would you fall on the sword for Him?

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 Transcript of the Sermon Summary for Mark 8:27-38 for Sunday September 13, 2015
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Mike Koplitz here with you and
I am pastor of Bethany church in beautiful Felton Pennsylvania bringing you a sermon
summary for Sunday, September 13, 2015. The passage we are working with his Mark
8:27 – 38. If you haven’t read the Scripture you might want to go back and do that. if you
haven't viewed the Vlogs or read the blogs I've written about this passage you may want
to do so. Bear in mind this is only a summary and will hopefully entice you to come see
us. Again, we are at 41 High St. Felton, Pennsylvania. Worship is at 8:45 AM traditional
11 AM contemporary. We have an education hour between.

Let me tell you a little bit about what it means to take the bullet and what happened in
Warner-Lambert. When I worked there in the 90s we were given a new director boss. This
new boss said “I don't take the bullet for you.” We will also talk about falling on the sword.
Management 101, when I took my class, I was told you must protect your staff that's the
most important thing you can do. I was reading the Gospels in the mid-90s about Jesus.
He really does a lot of great and a lot of great things but he also took the bullet when he
had to.

He also made the ultimate sacrifice of falling on the sword, thus sacrifice himself gave up
his life to bring us a message and what that message is all about is one of the traditions
prophesies of the Messiah. The Messiah would bring people back to God in my case I
had left God, long ago, and it's through Jesus that I came back to know God. People will
be impacted when asking questions about who Jesus is to you.

What you think of his command? Why do you follow Him? Would you take the bullet for
him by evangelizing (going out to tell people about Jesus) and finally would you fall on
the sword for Jesus fell on the sword for you would you fall on the sword for Him?
Interesting questions that will we explore on Sunday. We will try to get you thinking about
why you follow Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit do its work. Mike Koplitz here, pastor
of Bethany church in beautiful downtown Felton inviting you down to 41 High St., Sunday
8:45 at 11 AM God bless you for listening to this sermon summary for Mark 8:27 38 which
will be delivered on Sunday, September 13, 2015. You have a blessed day.

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LINKS:

http://koplitz.one
Lots of material about Hebraic studies in Christianity

http://revdrmichaelkoplitz.wordpress.com
BLOG on Mark 8:27-38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbrhgOvDIk&feature=youtu.be
VLOG of the Exegetical Perspective of Mark 8:27-38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-rwrGH6AI&feature=youtu.be
VLOG of the Theological perspective of Mark 8:27-38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqskq_dDfVc&feature=youtu.be
VLOG of the Homiletical perspective of Mark 8:27-38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZhB0hLBE4c&feature=youtu.be
VLOG of the Pastoral perspective of Mark 8:27-38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGJiHhDgGXo&feature=youtu.be
Sermon Summary of Mark 8:27-38

https://versal.com/c/uhvrzv
Versal course

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