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The Time Has Come #9 - Key Questions

"The time has come", yes, and not only for the Kingdom of God, but FINALLY, for another blog post. I know it's been a while. Was it just me, or did November actually take 2 MONTHS?? 🤪🤪

To explain, first of all, Mike was here from Oct. 25-31. Then, literally HOURS later, my parents came over to stay. The theory was that it would only be for a week or so. Just until the plumbing/sewer issues could be repaired at their place. Fast forward to last Monday, December 7. They were STILL HERE!! The plumbing is done; but now the city is dragging their feet on the sewer pipe. And now winter is setting in, and the ground is frozen. The only reason my parents have gone up to my uncle's place is that someone in my building reported on me for having them here!!* Meanwhile, my daughter Carissa is pushing my parents' landlord to get them into a hotel until the work is done. (Which they SHOULD have done in the first place) So anyway, here we are. I took the last week to just relax and breathe in the return of my freedom. (If you knew what I went through having my parents here, you wouldn't blame me for a millisecond) Let's just say a 400 sq. ft., one bedroom apartment is NOT ideal for 3 adults. Of course, at the same time, Mike has been frustrated at not being able to come over because our most reliable ride these days only goes back and forth on the weekend, and that's to go over to Brattleboro. So, when he brings Mike, it's for the whole week. There are multiple reasons this would not have been feasible during my parents' stay. (Even just overnight) At this point, we really don't expect to see each other until January. Prayers appreciated for my parents, and for Mike's fortitude during this time. (Not that he would ever cheat, just that he gets more peaceful sleep when he can be near me. And he's generally happier although still battling depression.) Prayer also that he can find a good Therapist soon.

As far as I can tell, Andrea and Matt continue to do decently. She only had me over once in the past month, so I'm basing this on her FB posts, or lack thereof, in recent days. From what I've seen, her latest post was about a week ago, and described her consistent battle of multi-tasking between taking care of Matt and being on the phone with doctor's offices/homecare companies/insurance people. Between herself, her cousin who lives with them, and the healthcare aides, there's a lot of coverage, but it still doesn't give her much of a break. Continued prayers for them, and for Matt's healing. Oh, but the good news in all of this is that Matt was HOME FOR THANKSGIVING!! This was the first time since his series of strokes 3 years ago!! Praise God!!

Meanwhile, I haven't spoken to Jeremy by phone in all this time, either. He's tried to call a couple of times, but I've had to put him aside for a while. As Andrea would say, "I just don't have the band-width to deal with him right now". My ex-boyfriend recently got back from meeting his gf of 5 years in the Philippines. Now, in looking to get her here, it's going to take at least a year for him to save up the money for her visa. At our Family Christmas Party on the 7th, I was talking to one of my cousins and his wife about this. They went through the same process about 5 years ago, so they know first-hand what it takes. It took about 7 months for them, and that was only because my cousin had the money up front!! And not only do you have to pay for the visa; but if necessary, you also have to pay for housing while you wait. Considering that Sharon lives 3 hrs. from Davao City, which is near the southern part, she would have to pay for lodging in Manila, which is in the northern part. When Bernadette and her daughter were waiting, they rented an Airbnb. I'm not sure what may be available for Sharon. Pray for God's timing and provision on this. And pray for Jeremy's attitude towards Western Women. I thought his meeting Sharon would cure him of it, because it would be less of an obsession; but it's still there, just as strong as ever.*

Oh, and before I forget, my granddaughter Brandi had her first Dance Recital yesterday!! She was in 2 groups, and did a great job in both. One was Modern Dance, where they were in fitted gold outfits with flowy, but slitted skirts. The song was about helping others. The other was more like a Hip-Hop style where they were in green sweatshirts, gray sweatpants, and green and white fuzzy winter hats. They were dancing to the song, "I'm the Grinch".

Hey, how about some Bible stuff now?? LOL -- Almost ready, I promise!! (nearly and hour later, for me anyway) But first, my Message Intro bit...

Taking my cue from the sermon title this time, as well as from Pastor Matt's opening story, the issue of questions in general came to mind. I'm sure we've all heard things like, "There are no stupid questions.", or "The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask.", right?? Permit me to disagree.

I have actually come up with several categories of "stupid questions", and even have examples from two of them.

First of all, there's the one that has already been answered, had you been paying attention. Secondly, there's the one that will be answered by the end of the talk. (You were TOLD to wait!!) Thirdly, there's a type I've seen on Quora recently where they don't even include all the information NECESSARY for anyone to answer. For example, someone may ask, "What are some other verses that are commonly misinterpreted in the Bible??" Uuuummmm... other than WHAT verses?? They haven't GIVEN any. And finally, there's the one where the answer is LITERALLY staring you in the face!! Let me tell you a little story...

It happened around 15 years ago now. I'm pretty sure Rich and I were divorced by this time; but I was still living there for nearly 2 years after. Anyway, our friend Stephanie, to whom Rich has since been engaged, twice*, has the habit of running out of gas in her own driveway. (Or ours, in this case) She has 2 girls. The older one was about 7 years old at that time. It was a sunny day, and Steph was pouring gas into her car after Carissa had walked to and from the nearest pumping station. Rebecca and I were sitting on the wood that surrounded the tree at the front of our driveway and the neighbor to our left. The sun was SHINING THROUGH the container, and Rebecca asked, "Mommy, is there still any gas in the container??" (there was) Her mother simply looked at her and said, "Really, Rebecca??". 🤪🤪 Now do you believe there are no stupid questions??

Our message today deals with THE question... the most IMPORTANT ONE.

(JWs, SDAs, non-messianic Jews, and others who don't believe in the Divinity of Jesus are going to want to pay special attention here)

Our text today is from the Gospel of Mark -- let's all look at it together, shall we??

Mark 8:27-33

New International Version

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

³¹He 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. ³²He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

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As indicated above, Pastor Matt's opening thoughts were about questions. He spoke about how some people ask great questions while others may ask "not so great" ones. Now, for starters, you need to know that Matt and his wife, Heidi, both come from Michigan. IDK which comes from which part, but they grew up on opposite sides of the state and met in college. After they had been dating a while, Matt was ready to propose. The plan had originally been for him to visit her. The weather had other ideas. He called her and arranged to meet midway somewhere. Having arrived first, Matt conspired with the restaurant owner to tuck the proposal note into the menu. When Heidi arrived and started looking to see what she wanted, she was turning to every. single. page. EXCEPT the one where the note was!! Finally, he urged her to look there. The rest, as they say, is history. 😆❤️

The truth is, some questions, like Matt's that day, change everything. Of course, the event of their engagement mostly only changed things for them. The question we're looking at today, or really, the answer to that question, changed history. Jesus asked His Disciples, "Who do people say I am??". Then He asked THE BIG ONE. "Who do YOU say I am??". This conversation followed closely on the heels of Jesus having healed a blind man. Jesus had been performing miracles for a good while at this point, and He wanted to get a sense of how people perceived Him. (As the kids might say, "What's the tea??")

The first thing we need to pay attention to here is that they had LEFT one village to head for the next. This meant fewer people to hear the conversation because the Time had not yet come to fully confront the powers of Religion and Empire. He asked basically, what do you see based on what I've done?? Pastor Matt brought out the point here that we generally see things in stages. Whether it's a baby whose sight is just developing, or an adult who is waking up in a dark room. First, there is just light and shadow, but as our vision focuses in, we are able to distinguish objects, then finally the colors of those objects. Or, in the case of seeing off in the distance, we see the colors first, then the details of the trees, or buildings in our view. In any case, our vision becomes clear to what we are looking at. What Jesus offered was a bigger picture of the Kingdom of God than they were expecting, and therefore were not yet seeing clearly.

The truth was/is that Jesus IS the Christ, the Messiah, the ONE Who has come to make all things new. There are several Scriptures that speak to this point, although Pastor Matt didn't mention most of them. They include, but are not limited to: Isaiah 43:19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Revelation 21:5.

At this point, Pastor Matt showed a map of the area around Caesarea Philippi. You can see it in the images below. You will note that it is near Mt. Hermon*, on the northern border. This region was known for pagan worship at Caesar's Temple. This is the source of the Jordan River, a previously unfamiliar location to many in the group.

In verse 27, we come promptly to the point. Or rather Jesus does. "Who do people say I am??" Followed by, "Who do YOU say I am??" (emphasis mine, although clearly indicated by Jesus) Of course, as we may expect, Peter answers. Not only for himself, but for the Twelve.

Verse 29 Has Jesus' 2nd question; and Peter's answer of "Messiah". As you may know, the word "messiah" means "anointed one". The Promised Rescuer of the Old Testament. Everything hinges on this truth.

In verse 30, we find that Jesus didn't want everyone to know yet. Those closest to Him had a unique perspective not available to others at that time. Like I mentioned earlier, it was not yet time for the direct "assault", if you will, on the powers of Religion and Empire. That would come when He went to Jerusalem. Here, we simply see Peter feeling confident in what he knew of Jesus, and of the Scriptures.

As we continue reading through this passage, we find that in verses 31-32, Jesus spoke plainly about His impending death. Verse 33 shows Jesus' rebuke of Peter's response; and His statement that Peter was still focused on human concerns and not on God's. While Peter was right about Who Jesus was/is, he was wrong about the purpose. The Jews had been waiting for someone who would stand up for them against the Roman Empire, freeing them from human oppression. Jesus came to free all of humanity from the powers of sin and death. To use the earlier analogy, Peter's view of the trees was not yet clear. He had the right title for Jesus, just the wrong result.

While there are numerous passages throughout the Old Testament which point to Jesus as Messiah, the one Pastor Matt focused on was Isaiah 53:1-12. This tells us that Jesus' purpose was to suffer for man's sin and health. It was not about man's power and control. The Messiah was intended as a sin offering, reconciling man to God, not to free us from the oppression of men's manipulation of power.

Today, Jesus brings the same question to us in order to expose our personal weaknesses and idols. Who do WE say He is?? Not the opinions of others, but for ourselves. Some may say He's a Prophet, or a Good Man. But that not enough. (Besides which, it demeans Jesus' Sacrifice)* If we don't believe that He is Savior and Messiah, bringing us into a New Family with belonging and purpose, then we lack a clear vision of the truth.

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes:

Not only are we "technically" not allowed to have visitors for more than 14 days in 12 months' time, but neither is my uncle. That being said, I've had guests here FAR more than that before, and still will... (Sometimes, the rules simply don't fit what's right, or necessary. And that's not my problem.)
Jeremy has experienced rejection of one type or another basically his whole life. Due to mild cerebral palsy, caused by a birth complication, he's always been a bit behind, mentally speaking. As a result of both emotional and physical abuse, he's developed Ritual Based OCD, which is, of course, awkward. Not only this, but due to a sense of uncertainty about the accuracy of his thoughts (stemming from having been called "stupid", "idiot", "space cadet", etc..) , it becomes clear that his intelligence lies rather more heavily in Book Learning than in Common Sense. Anyway, it takes a person of rare character and patience to deal with him. In his struggle to maintain romantic relationships, he has come to resent most every woman in North America. Except me. He is well aware that I treated him better than anyone else in his entire life up to that point. But the fact that he's STILL resentful for the rejection of others continues to be a problem both for him and for me, as I'm pretty much the only one he can vent to about these things. Even from a distance half way across the country, it can be exhausting at times. (I know, that was a lot, but once in a while I just feel a need to explain for those who are newer to the page)
Rich and I had first known Stephanie through a nearby neighbor. She was dating him at the time, and was pregnant with Rebecca. Later, she had her second daughter with another man in the neighborhood. Eventually, Rich started visiting her more often, especially after her mother had passed. Anyway, after Rich and I had been divorced for a while, they got engaged. Then they broke up and he dated someone else for several months or so. By the time Rich and I had been divorced for nearly 2 years, they had gotten back together, and she and the girls ended up moving in. I was forced to move out about 2 months later, partly due to lease renewal. They are still together and living in Maine. For now, at least. In talking to Carissa the other day, she mentioned that they won't last more than the time it takes for her younger daughter to graduate. They live in the house Rich's father built when he was growing up. (They passed on in 2020 and 22) Many of the items in the eaves closets are his mother's rooster collection. Let's just say that's something you DO NOT try to mess with!!
Although it's not included here, the definition of "Hermon" was "sacred", or "consecrated". This would have lent to the significance of location in relation to what Jesus was asking.
If Jesus were NOT claiming to be God, then why would the Jewish Leadership have wanted to kill him?? That's what they accused Him of, after all. The idea of claiming to be Messiah, or even Son of God literally EQUATED to declaring Himself Divine. How so many miss this truth is simply beyond me. This is exactly why finding the FULL CONTEXT of Scripture is so vitally important. Without it, you're going to get things wrong. And you can't just rely on others who you feel may be "more qualified". We find in 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul's instruction to "study to show yourself approved...". This is not only meant for those who plan to be Ministers. As seen by Jesus' words in Matthew 5:16, to "let your light so shine before men...", and the Great Commission in chapter 28, it is the responsibility of EVERY BELIEVER to share the Gospel. Therefore, we need to study in order to also follow Peter's directive as found in 1 Peter 3:15. "In season and out, be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.".
Don't forget to check out the "Diving In with Matt and Joe" Podcast for more!!

Music -- Never any rights, I promise!!