Sermon for Cowboy Sunday-Feb 11th 2018

NOTE: As you know I preach without notes. So, this or some form of the following will be preached tomorrow. Or, maybe something entirely different. We will see what God does! Come join us at 9:30am for Cowboy Church and Valentines Sunday!

The Brand of Jesus

Mark 9:1-9

We are all branded.

We serve a master.

And don’t kid yourselves, there are only two masters to serve…

If you think you are only serving yourself… guess which master, you are really serving????

Several times in my life, I have been told I “look different.”

Yeah I know! There’s a joke there someplace, right? But really, people who knew me, said I looked different.

Once, I came home from a 60 mile canoe trip with my scouts… lookin’ all buff… and Carol was impressed!

Or maybe it was my Mom… in any event, with my muscle shirt on and bronzed skin… I looked good.

Another time I was told I looked different… was after a promotion.

I had spent 14 months in a less than healthy work-stress ridden job until an old friend promoted me to a position that started my career in fiber optics.

The stress had been incredible. I had been in conflict with my TWO BOSSES… which made it even more stressful…

They had tried to sabotage my career… so you can imagine that in my thirties… I looked like an old man.

Well, a week or so after the promotion someone stopped me in the factory as I was on my way to Human Resources-Personnel…

They said, “Jim, you look great! What happened?”

Of course, I was leaving a place of no appreciation and conflict, to a place where I was encouraged and affirmed. My new boss was a previous boss in earlier years and we were friends.

So, it is not any wonder, that I looked a lot healthier. And, I loved my new job with a passion.

However, the time I remember most was after I became a Christian.

My friends in high school noticed something ‘different’ about me.

Looking back, it was the “brand of Jesus.”

It was the brand of Jesus. The brand found in Revelation 19:16a in which Jesus Himself has branded on His thigh His own identity.

¹⁶ and Jesus hath upon His garment and upon His thigh the name written, `King of kings, and Lord of lords.'

You see, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, back in December of 1969… things changed.

I was now identifiable.

I was part of a new herd.

And, people noticed.

Mom and Dad noticed because my conversations about my future changed.

My friends noticed. One night, we were practicing for the Junior Class Play.

And, faith came up in the discussion… and I started sharing my conversion.

I was shocked. I had not planned to say anything… but the Spirit was in THAT moment.

In this case, the Spirit made my mouth and heart run ahead of my brain… AND, in this case… that as a GOOD THING!

This newly branded calf (ME), was now telling ‘mavericks’ about Jesus.

Before I continue, for you city-folk, a ‘maverick’ is an unbranded stray… usually a calf.

In any event, I had been branded.

And, I remember one of my friends saying something that seemed so peculiar…

It was peculiar, because of all my friends, I anticipated him to be the biggest skeptic… perhaps even be angry!

He said,” Wow! I’m glad you have found something to believe in... I wish I could find that…”

Or words to that effect.

You see I expected a fight or a debate!

I had many friends compartmentalized throughout the school… FFA, Band, Debate, wrestling, etc., but these were my artsy-fartsy friends. The supposedly ‘great thinker’ friends.

At least they thought they were the ‘great thinkers.’

So, in today’s story, we see Jesus’ getting branded before us!

A brand, that transfigured His body.

It was a gleaming hot brand which demonstrated to the disciples their destiny… when the day comes for our Transfigured Bodies… our Resurrected Bodies… to occupy a New Earth.

So, it came time for Jesus to have His Moses moment.

Perhaps you have had a Moses moment or two in your life similar to mine.

A Moses moment is a meeting with God. It is a moment you remember that transforms or transfigures you in some way.

In today’s story, Jesus takes Peter, James and John on top of a “high” mountain.

It is interesting that ALL the disciples are NOT chosen to go…

Only the disciples called Rock (Peter) and Thunder (James and John-Jesus named “Sons of Thunder”)!

Remember, to watch for ALL the metaphors in the Scriptures…

And remember, just because I point out the metaphors does not mean I do not believe the story is real.

It means that God has eternal riches to mine in every story God shares with us!

Riches beyond the story itself. Riches hidden in the ore of metaphor. It is up to us to mine the riches…

Now back to the mountain…

We don’t know which mountain… there are a lot of guesses.

Mount Tabor is the traditional site by legend in the Church… but I would venture this is MOST LIKELY NOT the site…

Remember, in telling stories, Jesus’ (God) likes to surround us with metaphors, inside the true stories…

The fact the Bible indicates it’s a “high” mountain seems to be an unnecessary redundancy unless it had some meaning…

I personally think the Transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon for several reasons:

·       It is the highest mountain top in Israel-Syria (Northern Israeli Border)

·       It is near Caesarea-Philippi where the previous Biblical events took place as indicated in Matthew and Luke. Not to be confused with all the other Caesarea’s in the area.

·       Mount Hermon is EMBLEMATIC (symbolic) of Mount Sinai where the Ten Commandments were given… Emblematic of Moses going to a high place to meet with God. Although one controversial Israeli scholar thinks Mount Hermon and Mount Sinai are the same… interesting. However, this goes to show you how much we DON’T KNOW!

·       The word Hermon means ‘sacred’ in Hebrew.

·       Mount Hermon could have been the mountain Satan took Jesus to in an attempt, to tempt Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world. Why? Because it overlooks the valleys of former Amorite-Canaanite Baal temples and the legendary home of the Greek god Pan. In other words, past and present Kingdoms. A site very important in Greek and Roman history! It would seem poetic to be here!

·       Mount Hermon was a resting spot for the Roman Army in 67 AD before its invasion of Galilee and eventual destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. This has huge symbolic meaning…

·       Mount Hermon looks like a snow-capped mountain. Not a mountain that appears to be a rocky-desert incline.

·       Finally, Mount Hermon could be the original
Mount Zion. The Mount Zion that was meant to be… but that’s another story which I don’t have time to chase down this week.

·       Just to add a little confusion… It could also have been Mount Nebo (In Jordan to the East of Israel)…

·       Mount Nebo is the mountain Moses climbed to view the Promised Land before God buried him.

·       And, Mount Nebo sits west of what is called the “Hill of Elijah” and the Temple site in Israel. The Hill of Elijah, also called the “Hill of Hermon” (ironically) is the legendary place where Elijah ascended into Heaven. It is located north of the Dead Sea. It is also the legendary place where John baptized Jesus.

I personally lean towards Mount Hermon at this point in my thinking.

In any event, while on this “high” mountain top… guess what happens… they have a “mountain-top” experience!

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Where do you think the term “mountain top experience” expression comes from… if not the Bible?

So here is the story in parallel with Exodus 34:29-35…

Jesus feeds the 4000, heals the blind man and teaches the people that He will soon come into His Kingdom… see Mark 8…

And Jesus said to the Disciples and gathered crowd, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

I believe Jesus is speaking of the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD and yes, I believe this was Jesus “Kingdom of God coming in power.”

Just in case you missed that… Jesus returned to earth in judgment in 70 AD in what historians call the first Jewish-Roman War. Don’t be confused. Jesus has many comings throughout the Bible, Old and New. And, Jesus will come again someday to make ALL THINGS NEW… like us and planet earth.

Now back to the story… Jesus is tired and needs to be rejuvenated.

Jesus often retired to the mountains for His devotional life.

However, rather than being alone Jesus asks three of His disciples: Peter, James and John to ascend a high mountain with Him…

However, Jesus left the crowds and the rest of the disciples at the foot of the mountain.

1300-1600 years before Moses ascended a high mountain called Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God.

Moses ascension up Mount Sinai is recorded in Exodus 19.

Now the “mountain experience” comparison between Moses and Jesus are not identical… but they were certainly meant to be compared…

In both “mountain top” experiences, God is giving and recognizing the authority of His servant: Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.

However, Moses and Elijah are deferred to when God defers to His Son… (Mark 9)

⁷ And there came a cloud overshadowing them, and there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, `This is My Son -- the Beloved, hear ye him… ⁸ and suddenly, having looked around, they saw no one any more, but Jesus only with themselves.

So, In Exodus 19 the Israelites camp at the base of the mountain. Just like those who gathered earlier for Jesus teaching. By the way, they must have camped.

God speaks to Moses from the mountain and tells Him to come on up!

In like fashion, Jesus must have heard the voice of God calling Him to the mountain…

Remember, Jesus can only do that which God directs… as described in John 5:19…

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

I don’t want to get off on a ‘rabbit trail’ but this is a very important part of who Jesus is… even though Jesus is God, while on earth, He can do nothing without God… Jesus is human… and divine.

POINT: GOD in Jesus made Himself vulnerable to US!

Some people minimize Jesus’ humanity.

If they can do that, “then Jesus didn’t really suffer all that much… because He was God.”

Always remember Jesus’ humanity, that He lived in this world just like you and me... and Jesus HUMANITY is just as important as His Divinity!

Similarly, Moses goes up to the top of the mountain and gets the literal ground rules for their upcoming discussion whereby God gives the Ten Commandments to Moses.

Remember, the purpose of Moses’ trip to the top of the mountains was to get the WORD of God.

In Jesus’ trip, Jesus IS the WORD of God and no tablets are needed to be taken. (See John 1… the logos)

Only the testimony of Peter (Rock), James and John (Sons of Thunder.)

Now Moses finishes His discussion and tells Moses to return down the mountain and get Aaron.

God loves to have witnesses and hence the need for Peter, James and John.

God also instructs Moses to confirm the “no coming up the mountain rules” with the Israelites.

Then God instructs Moses to return.

The Israelites could see the glory of God descending upon Mount Sinai with Thunder and Lighting.

Hence, the metaphoric need for Jesus to take the Sons of Thunder with Him up the mountain.

James would go on and thunder through his life on earth in defense of Jesus until about 44 AD in which James, the son of Zebedee becomes the second ‘recorded’ martyr of the Church in Acts12:1-3…

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

And, James is the only Apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the Bible. Talk about your thundering through life.

It is said Jesus changed the named of James and John to Boanerges. In short, this name means a “thundering preacher!” (That is not the literal, but the contextual ay it would have been understood.)

However, the study of the etymology of the word ‘boanerges’ is fascinating.

By the way, if you were wondering, Deacon Stephen was the first ‘recorded’ martyr of the Church in Acts 7:54-60 around 34 AD.

Now back to John the son of Zebedee. John would one day teach about the “light” in His Gospel of Love. We find this in John 8:12…

Other than only one reference in Matthew 5:14, only John, of the four Gospel writers makes “The Light of the World” a dominant theme in his Gospel.

Therefore, Peter represents the Rock tablets that were given, and James and John served in the roll of Aaron… as Aarons name suggests as Jesus future, “Orators of lofty mountain thought.” Which mirrors back to “Sons of Thunder.”

Now we proceed to “what happens next?”

Moses is on the mountain; God’s cloud of presence has already descended.

God the invites Moses into His presence…

In the Transfiguration of Jesus, on the other hand, Moses and Elijah show up… Peter goes nuts with excitement and THEN God’s glory surrounds them.

What the disciples failed to perceive is indicated by Peter’s suggestion to build an altar for each: Moses, Elijah and Jesus…

This suggestion indicates that Peter forgets that Jesus is God! Sometimes the light comes on a little slow for all the disciples.

THEY ARE NOT EQUIVALENTS! Jesus is God!

So. this is the reason the cloud (God) comes down to affirm and confirm WHO JESUS IS!

Jesus has already given them the invitation to be a part of Kingdom life.

Now let’s go back to verse 2.

Here is something rather interesting. Jesus’ faced, and garments glowed

. ² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

In Matthew 17:2 we also see Jesus’ face glowed…

There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

What is interesting is that Moses faced also glowed, but evidently not His garments.

This makes Miss Carol feel better. She is worried that when Jesus returns and renews the earth we will all be naked again!

So, relax Carol. You will have a glistening robe!

This robe of course is Christs righteousness which believers will one day put on…

It is a reminder that we are saved not by our own righteousness, but by Christ’s righteousness.

And, as our memory verse indicates… we will see the brand of Jesus… with new incorruptible bodies… a brand that is realized not only in the heart… but with a new glorified body… and evidently clothes!

A body similar to the body Jesus had while on earth.

A tangible body that can go through doors, a body which is not subject to time and space… a body that can touch and BE TOUCHED.

It is my prayer that you are part of the herd this morning.

May God Add His Blessing to the Reading and Teaching of His WORD!

Amen!