Lenten Sermon for 22 March 2015

Questioned For Christ – A Question of Authority
Years ago my brother and I were discussing the difference between the business world and the military. Phil had spent seven years in the military before entering the business world so his comments were informed ones. He was lamenting the fact that in the business world you didn’t always know who was in charge simply by looking at them. Unlike the military where each person has stripes on their sleeves or brass on their collars to indicate rank, the business world in general has such markings. Even the type of uniform one wears can indicate the job one holds thus giving you a good idea of the authority a person has. His point in all this was simple, in the military it wasn’t hard to figure out who the boss was. In the business world it wasn’t so simple to find the person in charge simply by looking around.
That being said, we continue our Lenten series tonight with a question of authority. Who’s in charge? Who’s the boss? Who has authority in your life? I would also like to once again ask the question I’ve been asking for the past 4 weeks: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
John was one of the three disciples, along with John’s older brother James and Peter, invited by Jesus into His inner circle. From what we read in the Bible and what we learn from tradition, all three of these followers had very strong personalities. Peter, as you know, was the one who was always willing to speak up first, who was impetuous and aggressive. James and John apparently, were no wallflowers either—Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). In our gospel lesson form this morning we read that the brothers seemed to argue at times about who should be greatest in Jesus’ kingdom, and in this case were asking Jesus if He would allow them to sit on His right and on His left. They even drafted their mother into asking Jesus’ favor on their behalf. (Matthew 20:21 and Mark 10:37) As you can imagine these two positions James and John were requesting were the positions of highest honor and stations that usually came with authority.
Their request was quickly met with a rebuke, a lesson on the meaning of discipleship and a denial of the request. Nevertheless, Christ allowed them to witness such wonders as His transfiguration and His conversation with Moses and Elijah and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. They also accompanied Him on the night of the Passover to His private prayer place in the garden.
In just a few days, on Maundy Thursday, we will explore trials Jesus faced during His passion, the abandonment by the disciples, the depths of Peter’s denial, and the cruel punishment and death of Jesus; but right now we need to examine John’s understanding of Christ’s authority. There is no question that James and John expected Jesus to reign, and that Jesus should exercise authority. They once came storming up to Jesus demanding that He do something about those who were healing in His name, but who were not part of their group (Mark 9:38). Additionally, they offered to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that refused to welcome Jesus. (Luke 9:54) It’s no wonder Jesus called them Sons of Thunder. And Jesus’ foretelling that they would indeed share in Christ’s suffering came true: Jesus said, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. (Mark 10:39b) Within a decade, James was the first to fulfill that prediction.
James was the first disciple to be martyred. He was executed by Herod Agrippa in 44 A.D. This didn’t stop John from being a bold witness in Jerusalem after the resurrection. We read in Acts how John was arrested for preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. (Acts 3-4) Surprisingly, of all the disciples, John is believed to have lived the longest. He was probably the youngest of the original twelve, maybe a teenager, yet he went on to live in exile on the island of Patmos, perhaps well into his 90s. He is credited with writing the gospel that bears his name, three letters, and the book of Revelation. In all these writings we hear the proclamation—all authority belongs to Jesus the Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the Living One. It’s John who records Jesus’ pronouncements of authority: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” “I am the Good Shepherd.” “I am the Door of the sheep.” “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
John is the one who also records Jesus’ claim of kingship before Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” John records the inscription over the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” And it’s John who stresses over and over the importance of absolute allegiance to the Messiah, to lay down your life as Christ laid down His life for us. It’s also John who reminds us that Jesus’ authority is very different than the authority of this world.
John is the Apostle who reminds us that Christ’s authority is based on love, not fear. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” We may observe the law, watch our traffic speed and keep our eyes open for the policeman, but it’s different with our Master Jesus Christ. We honor, respect and obey Him because He first loved us. He is the eternal Son of God, yet He laid aside His majesty and glory to take on human flesh, to suffer death and disgrace so that we might share His glory for all eternity. Paul reminds us in II Corinthians that, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (8:9).
Now Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord, is King of kings and Lord of lords. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. We serve, honor and love Him—not out of a fear of wrath, punishment or judgment—we are His disciples because He first loved us.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.