Biblical, Convinced, and Wrong! (Lent 2B)

The story in Mark 8:31-38 fascinates me because the disciples were, in one sense, so right, yet they were so wrong.  What we often forget is that there was good reason for the disciples to expect the Messiah to take over the throne of David immediately, to rescue their nation from the Romans, and to become the ruler of the world.  He would not be divine, as such, but he would be divinely anointed.  If Jesus was the Messiah, they would be standing next to power.

And what was wrong with that?  Shouldn’t patriots want to be involved in freeing their country from foreign rule, unjust taxation, and foreign rule?

Though there is debate on the background of the use of “son of man”  as a title for Jesus, I tend to suspect it comes from Daniel 7:13-14:

¹³I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.  (WEB)

So here is their quite Biblical view of who the Messiah would be and what he would do.  And Jesus is telling them that they have got it wrong.  He’s telling them to give up on one whole set of proof texts and take hold of another.  Why?  Because they knew from being with him that he must be the Messiah, the anointed one.  He, in his person, would reveal God to them, and therefore God’s plans and what the real future would be like.  And it wouldn’t be pretty or easy.

Now consider this:  How truly convinced must those disciples have been that they didn’t just say, “Well, I guess you’re really not the one.  I didn’t sign up for this, and I don’t think that’s what the Bible says.”  No!  They stuck around and let Jesus convince them.  While they ran in fear at the crucifixion, they came back, confused, yes, but ready to hear the new message–“He is risen!”

We often focus on the negative, how slow the disciples were to believe, and how cowardly they were during the trial and the crucifixion.  I have to confess that I’m pretty sure I would have been slower and more cowardly than the twelve.  If I had been a disciple, I’m not sure how bad the story would have gotten, but it would have been pretty bad.

Consider this:  When you’re convinced of something what does it take to change your mind?  Are you too quick, blown about by every wind, or are you stuck in concrete when you really should be flexible?