TEXT: MARK 1:21-28#2990EPIPHANY 4
THEME: "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US, JESUS OF NAZARETH?" 1. A THOUGHT
THAT BRINGS DISCOMFORT TO SONE. 11. A THOUGHT THAT BRINGS GREAT
COMFORT TO OTHERS.Phoenix — 1/28/18
My dear fellow redeemed,
I look forward to every Sunday because on that day I have the opportunity to gather with you in our church and worship our awesome and gracious Triune God, plus as your called pastor, I have the privilege of sharing with you the truths of God's soul-saving Word and His precious life-giving sacraments. For me, every Sunday is special, but next Sunday is the one Sunday in the whole year that I really look forward to more than any other because next Sunday, of course, is....Super Bowl Sunday! I really look forward to that day, you see, it's the one day in the whole year that my wife gives me her credit card and tells me to go hogwild out at Cabella's or one of the malls, while she parks herself on the couch with her eyes glued to the TV watching the big game, surrounded by bags of potato chips and Cheetos, a pan of brownies at hef side, and a six-pack of diet Dr. Pepper close at hand. What a day! Do any of you other husbands look forward to this Sunday like I do? And for the same reasons? Kind of neat, isn't it!
One question that I'm sure my wife will ask our kids and grandkids next Sunday —and maybe even me — is the question that will also be asked by many others, and that is, "Who do you think is going to win the big game? Who will be the champ in Super Bowl LII? Will it be the New England Patriots? Or will it be the Philadelphia Eagles?" Personally, I don't know, and I'm not even going to hazard a guess in answer to that question. I do think, however, that today there's another question we really ought to address — one that is infinitely more important than any speculation as to who's going to win Super Bowl LII. It's the question which is being asked here in our Gospel Lesson for this morning, and that is, "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US, JESUS OF NAZARETH?" we will see that this is 1. A THOUGHT THAT BRINGS DISCO+ORT TO SOME. And then it's also 11. A THOUGHT THAT BRINGS GREAT COMFORT TO OTHERS. 1.
First, let's see how being in the presence of Jesus is A THOUGHT THAT BRINGS DISCOMFORT TO SOME. Our lesson for today doesn't take place in a billion-dollar football stadium up in the frozen tundra Minnesota on a Sunday afternoon, but rather in a humble synagogue in the land of Palestine on a Saturday Sabbath day. The scene described here sounds almost like something straight out of that spooky TV show called The X-Files. Jesus and His first disciples were in the town of Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Day He went into the local synagogue and began to teach. "The people were amazed at His teaching," St. Mark tells us, "because He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law," v.22. That's not surprising because, after all, Jesus is the Son of God — the One who does håve authority over everyone and everything. And then it happened. While Jesus was teaching the people God's Word, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit suddenly cried out and said, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!" v.24. Jesus made that man feel very uneasy...very unsettled. ...or rather the demon that possessed him was uneasy and unsettled. That demon didn't feel at all comfortable in the presence of Jesus because it knew that Jesus had indeed come to destroy him, as God had promised way back in the Garden ofEden.
And then an amazing thing happened. " 'Be quiet!' Jesus said sternly. 'Come out of him!'" v.25. And like a scene from The X-Files, the evil spirit shook that man violently and came out of him with a shriek. "The people were all so amazed," we are told, "that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching — and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him,'" v.27. Those people didn't really know what to
do with Jesus either —what to make of Him. They were also a bit unsettled by His presence. ...just as we might be too if our Lord were to suddenly appear to us visibly and spend some time with us. "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?" we might also find ourselves asking if He were to suddenly pop in on us as we went about our everyday activities. "Jesus sometimes makes me nervous," said a lady named Joy Jordan-Lake in an article in the Christian Century magazine. tJust imagine inviting the Man home for lunch," she said. "Would you impress Him more with a menu featuring Maine lobster — an edible version of pouring expensive perfume on His feet? Or would you fare better," she asked, "slapping some peanut butter and jelly on your supermarket's cheapest bread and telling Him that you're going to use the money you saved in not serving Him the lobster to buy some groceries for a homeless person on the street?"
"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?" That's the question of the day, and be honest, my friends, would you feel comfortable with Jesus as a guest if He were to suddenly appear in your home? Or would His visible presence also bring you a bit of discomfort? Would you maybe feel a tad uneasy as Jesus looked around your home and saw all "the things and stuff' you have? All of the luxuries and conveniences that are really nice to have, but that you could get along perfectly well without? Especially when there are so many genuine needs that are crying out for help in the world around us and even in the church where we worship? Would you feel a bit uncomfortable to have Jesus analyze your priorities on the basis of what He sees in your home? And what about your activities? What if He asked you what you're doing the help the poor? Or how often you have visited someone who is hospitalized, homebound, or in a nursing home? Or whether you reach out in love to comfort someone you know is hurting? Would you feel a bit of discomfort as He explored that part ofyour daily life?
Then too, there are some other things Jesus might address if He dropped by at your place. He might want to know, for example, what kind of TV programs you watch, and how much time you spend on your smart-phone or computer compared to what you spend studying His Word, where He Himself also "teaches you with authority" just like He did those people in Capernaum. How would you feel about that? He might also ask you about your views on abortion, gay marriage, the current "Dreamers" issue, immigration, or even... .Mormons and Muslims. Would He be pleased with what you shared with Him? Or would you be a bit uncomfortable to tell Him how you really feel? These are all interesting "what ifs," aren't they? But guess what, my friends? The truth is, they are not "what ifs" at all. That's the way it really is! Jesus is with you. ...every minute of every day. ...in your home or wherever you are. As the plaque that used to hang in my parents' home said: "Jesus is the unseen Host at every meal, the silent Listener to every conversation, the careful Observer of every activity." If you always remember this, you will also strive to live accordingly, and then you won't feel any discomfort at the thought of this. 11.
"What do you want With us, Jesus of Nazareth?" This is what that demon-possessed" man in Capernaum asked of our Savior, and in His response to that man Jesus has shown what He wants for all of us. And THE THOUGHT OF WHAT HE WANTS FOR US DOES BRING US GREAT COMFORT. To put it very simply, He hasn't come "to destroy us." No, Jesus wants for us what He did for that demon-possessed man and for the people in that synagogue, and that is, He wants to set us free from enemies that grieve us and to guide us safely thru life with His teachings. And Jesus does have the power and ability to do this. "Be quiet!" He said to the demon that possessed the man. "Come out of him!" He commanded....and that evil spirit was powerless to resist. It had to obey "the Holy One of God," the Son of God Himself. This is extremely comforting for us to hear and to know because, you see, what Jesus did for that man, He has also done for you and me. "Since the children haveflesh and blood, " the Bible says, "(Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by thefearofdeath '
That's you, my friends. That's me. That's all of us. We have been redeemed and set free from Satan's power by the precious blood of Jesus. That demon from hell is no longer in control of our life — he no longer has any claim on us. Our Lord Jesus is "the Holy One of God" true God Himself— and He has absolute power over every enemy that threatens us — the One who has the ability to deliver us from anything that enslaves us or endangers us. This is the confidence we Christians have, and this is what brings us great comfort as we live in this sinful world where there are so many things that can harm us physically and spiritually, temporally and eternally. Dr. Diane Komp shares an experience she had concerning this. She's a pediatric oncologist who specializes in treating children suffering from cancer. Thru the testimony of a 13-year-old girl she was treating, Diane has moved from being an agnostic to being a devout follower of Jesus. When Dr. Komp first started treating this young girl, she referred to the teen's cancer as "the Big C," and she explained everything she would use to battle this frightening disease chemotherapy, radiation, things like that. When she had finished, the teenager said, "Thank you, Dr. Komp. But for me as a Christian," she said, "the Big C is not cancer — the Big C is Christ. He's the One who really has the answers to my problem, and you and your treatments may simply be part of His answer."
And that young lady is right, my friends. For us, the Big C in life is Christ — "the Holy One of God" . ...our loving and compassionate Savior. He's the One who gained our eternal salvation by living a holy life as our Substitute and by suffering the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross of Calvary, and He's also the One who has the answers for everything that challenges us as we journey thru life here on earth to our eternal home in heaven. Not only has He delivered us from the diabolical and deadly devil himself, but He can also deliver us from those "lesser demons" that often seize our hearts and ü-y to control our lives — the ones called "Fear and Worry, Anxiety and Despair, Pet Sins or Addiction." "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, " Jesus says when those "demons" have us in their clutches$ "and I will give you rest. " 'Call on me in the day of trouble, " He tells us, "and I will deliver you. " These are His gracious promises, my friends, and if ever you doubt that He can actually do this, go back again to that synagogue in Capernaum. "The Holy One of God" you see there hasn't changed with the passing of time over the centuries, and He never will. He's still the almighty God and our loving Savior, and He always will be.
All of which brings us back to the question of the day, namely, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?" Maybe the best answer to that question is the one that comes from our Lord Himself when He says of you and me and everyone else who trusts in Him as their Savior, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. " This is what Jesus of Nazareth wants with you, my friends. He wants you to have "life to the full." He alone is the only key that will unlock the door to a life of peace and contentment as you live in this troublesome world. He alöne has the power to say to whatever "demon" may plague you, "Come out!" and to all the fears that so often unsettle you, "Be quiet!", and they obey His voice. "Come to me," says the Holy One of God, "and you will enjoy life to the full. Call on me," He says, "and I'll never disappoint you. ...not in this life nor in the one that is to come." Do this, my friends. Do this, and you will indeed see what Jesus of Nazareth wants with you He wants to give you the free gift of "life to the full," both here in time and for all of eternity. Trust Him.