Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 12:1-12.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 12:1-12.
Bobby: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles and my colleague is Lindsey Blair. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark twelve, verses one through twelve.
Lindsey: Jonah said that the light of resurrection only comes after a journey into darkness. But if you missed the sermon or need help remembering, you’re in the right place because it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Bobby: Jonah began by saying that if healing and wholeness is something you're interested in, you will have to face the darkness. And this will mean facing the most difficult darkness of all: the one inside each of us. Jesus begins to unpack this by telling a story of a vineyard owner. For some 300 years to this point, this issue of "absentee landlords" was particularly volatile in Jewish culture. It was a hot-button political issue. So Jesus goes from indicting the temple to telling a story about one of his culture's most volatile social/political issues. By that time, the common belief was that living on the land equated possession. So, if they lived on the farm long enough, it just became theirs. The problem was focused on the landlord, who wasn't there. They thought the problem was with the policy and the law. The problem was out there.
Lindsey: But it turns out that Jesus is not indicting landlords in this story, but wicked tenant farmers who decide to kill the heir to the estate. The indictment is clear: those who had been entrusted with the land have abused it. They have committed egregious acts of violence against God himself and they will face judgment. Jesus invitation is to face their darkness so they can find healing. He's trying to show them the problem isn't with the landlord, and it's not with the vineyard. The problem is with the hearts of those living in the land. Those who don't listen, who don't share, who don't trust, who don't love. The problem is in here.
Bobby: So start where we have the MOST influence, ourselves.
You know how little you can make your spouse change, or your parents change, or your friends change. You are the person you have the most influence over in your whole life, and one can face your darkness for you. And because Jesus faced our darkness for us, he can now go through our darkness WITH US.
Lindsey: We do not journey into night alone. So the question for each of us is first: What is the darkness in me I am trying to avoid? And when Jesus walks into our darkness with us, he also leads us out. So next we ask, “How is Jesus inviting me to respond?” Listen to him. Let him lead you.
Bobby: This Sunday, we will continue our series Journey Into The Night from the Gospel of Mark. And in Bible Fellowship we’ll continue discussing the first epistle of John. Join us, and bring a friend.