2 nd Sunday in Lent

1. 2nd Sunday in Lent • Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 • Mark 8:31-38

2. 2nd Sunday in Lent • 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.“ 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. • 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

3. 2nd Sunday in Lent • 15 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. • 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

4. Genesis 17:1-7, [gap] 15-16 • Walk before me; be blameless. V. 1 • I will make a covenant between me and you; and make you exceedingly numerous (God’s good news for Abraham’s bad situation) v. 2 • You will be the ancestor of a multitude of nations v. 4 MywgNwmh b)l Mhrb) • Abram becomes Abraham to mark his new status v. 5 • Exceedingly fruitful, nations from you, and kings v. 6

5. Filling the gap: The God Promise • Everlasting covenant with you and your offspring v. 7 • I will be God to you and to your offspring v. 7 • The land as a perpetual holding v. 8 • The Exodus from Egypt Exod 6:6-7 • God’s dwelling in the tabernacle Exod 29:43-44 • The gospel is God’s good news for our bad situations • Every male to be circumcised—a sign of the covenant vv. 9-11 • Includes the slave born in your house • And the slave bought from a foreigner vv. 12-13 • Sarai becomes Sarah to mark her new status v. 15 • A child • Nations • Kings and queens of peoples shall come from her v. 16

6. Life after the covenant promise • Can a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a child? V. 17 • Yes! I will establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac and his offspring v. 19, 21 • Oh, that Ishmael might live in your sight v. 18 • I will bless Ishmael and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous v. 20 • Father of twelve princes • Great nation

7. Mark 8:27-30 • Caesarea Philippi • Who am I? What do people say? • John the Baptist • Elijah • One of the prophets • You are the Messiah/Christ! • A rebuke (ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς)Don’t tell anyone! • Inappropriate time • They don’t understand the mission

8. Mark 8:31-38 • It is necessary (δεῖ) for the Son of Humanity to suffer, be rejected by the religious leaders, be killed, and rise. V. 31 Redefining “Christ.” See also 9:30-50; 10:32-45. • Peter began to rebuke him (ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ)v. 32 • So Jesus rebuked Peter (ἐπετίμησεν Πέτρῳ): Get behind me, Satan • You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. V. 33 “human things” = assertion of power, salvation without the cross

9. A double message • Jesus is the messiah, but • His destiny is to die.

10. Not setting one’s mind on divine things • Can a man at 100 and a women at 90 have a child? • Oh that Ishmael might live in your sight! • A child via Hagar ch 16 • Passing one’s wife off as one’s sister ch 12 and 20 • Going the way of the cross • How does this translate into our own lives and into the lives of those who hear us?

11. Gethsemane • 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. • 36 He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." (Mark 14:35-36 ) • Prayer is an opening up of ourselves to what God wills, not an exercise in forcing God to do our will.

12. Discipleship—not for apostles only • 1. “Deny oneself” • 2. “Take up the cross”—how do we understand or preach this? Mark wrote to followers who faced persecution. • 3. “Follow” v. 34 • Those who want to save their lives lose them • Those who lose their life for my sake or the sake of the gospel will save it v. 35 • Might gain the whole world but forfeit their life v. 36 • Those who are ashamed of me and my words, of them the Son of Humanity will also be ashamed v. 38

13. Consequences for readers of the Passion predictions • If anyone wants to be most important, that person will be least of all and servant of all. 9:35 • Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be most important will be everyone’s slave. 10:43-45

14. Life in the wake of the everlasting covenant • The arrival of the power of the kingdom in the person of Jesus awakens faith and makes faith possible. • When all the characters in the story have failed to proclaim the good news about Jesus, the readers of the Gospel of Mark themselves will complete the Gospel by proclaiming with courage. In Jesus’ absence, they will live as Jesus lived, with faith and courage, until Jesus returns.

15. Living and Dying for others • Jesus’ courage to live for others in the face of his coming execution liberates others from the grip of self-preservation in order that they too might live for others, even in the face of loss or persecution. • Story from a Nazi concentration camp (Rhoads, The Challenge of Diversity, 73-74)

16. People are self-oriented and self-serving • Save their lives (8:35), acquire the world (8:36); be great (9:35); lord it over others (10:42-44) • In their fearful quest to acquire power and status, the disciples harm others and generate dissension. • The disciples have bought into the values of the culture.