This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ. As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.
This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 5, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Mark 10:35-45. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this evening is from the Gospel of Mark, the tenth chapter:
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Thus far the text.
Dear friends in Christ,
Tonight, we are going to work to find out more about John. You see, he is a person of interest in the death of the one we call Jesus the Christ. We know that John was not directly involved, in such a way as, say, murder. He didn’t seek Jesus out to kill Him. Yet, we think we might have a lead as to who is responsible for the death of Jesus. Someone, after all, needs be held accountable.
We have the eyewitness account we have read here. This account is pretty clear to me: John and his brother, James, were seeking power. To me, that sounds like a pretty good motive. They wanted to sit on the right and left of Jesus when He quote-unquote “came into His glory.” And Jesus pretty much flatly denied them.
The Sons of Zebedee, also known as James and John, also called by Jesus the Christ the Sons of Thunder, these men, especially John, are suspicious. They stand accused in the death of Jesus. We need to find out more.
It seems that they were both fishermen, and if they really thought THEY were going to be in power, it seems that they had gotten pretty arrogant during their time with Jesus. To sit on one’s right hand is to have the same power as the other person. It’s said that Jesus sits at the right hand of His Father, meaning that they rule the same, with the same authority. John and James sounded like they couldn’t decide which of who was better than the other, so they decided to split both sides of Jesus, right and left, and they’d just share the power. That’s a big step up to ruling the universe from being simple fishermen.
Moreover, the other apostles around them got upset. Indignant, the Bible says. And then Jesus kinda embarrassed John here, when He says that the Gentiles lord power over another, but the apostles should be imitating Jesus, the servant to all. That’s the way to lead, that’s the way to show true power, He said, when you serve your neighbor.
They must’ve been angry when Jesus denied them. They must’ve been more than a little upset. They must’ve gotten to the point of thinking sinful thoughts, even against Jesus. It sounds like this makes them pretty guilty. I think John was definitely guilty. He definitely was responsible for the death of Jesus. The motive is most assuredly there. But, maybe in his guilt, John and his brother might’ve missed Jesus’ words. In fact, we think they even missed their own words.
You see, they asked to sit at the right and left of Jesus when He comes into His glory. Jesus said they didn’t know what they were asking. Jesus indicated that to get there they would have to go through some type of baptism (we’ll get back to that in a minute). Jesus also said that those positions they were asking for weren’t for Him to grant, and that they’ve already been prepared. But, prepared by whom?
Well, prepared by the Romans, yes, the Romans. The people on Jesus’ right and left when He came into His glory? The two thieves on the cross, crucified by the Romans. I wonder if John was thinking about what Jesus said here when he was watching that crucifixion. He must’ve. He must’ve looked up there and seen what it was that Jesus was talking about. He must’ve remembered this event, and thanked God for it. Thanked God it wasn’t John and James on the crosses next to Jesus. It was a baptism that John didn’t want, and that John would never get, at least not this way.
The baptism which Jesus was talking about is His bloody death. Blood on the cross, blood on His body, blood dripping down, blood washing over everything, blood and water mixed together. This is Jesus’ baptism into death. This is Jesus’ baptism in taking the sins of the world away. This is Jesus’ baptism that He has shared with all His followers.
Now, John, we know John grew to be an old man. He died fairly naturally, he wasn’t martyred like his brother, James, or like his buddies Andrew and Peter and Paul. To fulfill the words of Jesus, John’s baptism came by literally going through the death and resurrection of Christ, with the rest of the apostles. But that’s not the Baptism that has continued, and because of Christ’s baptism of fire, so to speak, the other Baptism that Christ instituted before He ascended into heaven is the baptism that brings that death of Jesus Christ to you. You, like John, are baptized into Jesus’ bloody death and glorious resurrection. You like John, drink of the cup that Jesus gave to his followers, His true blood in, with, and under the wine. You are like John.
And I guess then, if John is a person of interest in the death of Jesus, you might be, too. You see, it was said that Jesus died for sinners. We know John certainly was one. And we know John was baptized. And we know John drank from Jesus’ cup. And we know that you are baptized, and that you drink from Jesus’ cup. So, maybe you’re just as implicated in the death of Jesus as John is. So, I think we need to hold you accountable.
And like John, this Ash Wednesday, you are given into Jesus’ care. You have penitential hearts, my friends. You have repented of your sin, and you have been forgiven. You have the mark of the cross upon your forehead in ash, to remind you that you are just as guilty as John, and for this, in this life you shall die. And yet this guilt has been given up to the cross, and you shall not die eternally, but you shall be raised to new life, life where you no longer need worry about turning back to the dust from whence you came.
It’s true, isn’t it? And for the reason that it has been given to the cross, to confess your guilt would be good. To confess that you had a hand in the death of Jesus is good. If you confess this, the judge has promised to wipe away your sentence. Don’t deny it. Don’t try to hide from it.
I actually have here a letter of pardon from Jesus, as He gave it to John, in John’s first letter. He says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But if we say we have not sinned, we make Jesus a liar, and His Word is not in us.
So, how about it? Is John guilty? Yeah, he is. John is guilty of killing the Christ, for his sins were what drove Jesus to the cross, not because Jesus had to do it, but because Jesus wanted to do it. Jesus wanted to die for John’s sins, even John’s sins against Jesus Himself. And what of you? Are you guilty? Yeah, you are. You are guilty of killing the Christ, for your sins were what drove Jesus to the cross, not because Jesus had to do it, but because Jesus wanted to do it.
Jesus tells us of His love for the world, His love for you. And while this Lenten season we will be investigating a lot of people, Peter, Paul, a Roman soldier, Malchus, Caiaphus, and Judas, the verdict is always the same: guilty. Yet, Jesus has taken away the guilt that is there, for even for their guilt, He has died, just as He died for your guilt. We shall see what they do with their sin, of course, but Jesus still died because of them and for them. Just as He has died for you.
For John, Jesus certainly forgave Him. John was guilty according to his sin for crucifying the Christ. But, hope wasn’t lost, for indeed Jesus even rose from the dead for John’s, and for your, justification. And Jesus restored John, just as He restored Peter. And just as He restores you. John went on in the hope of the Resurrection, the final day when Jesus returns. So do you. John took many punishments for his belief in Christ, including exile, but he returned and he served Christ’s church as bishop in Ephesus, preaching this Jesus, who he was indeed guilty of murdering, and Jesus’ forgiveness for murderers like him all of his days. John, definitely a person of interest because Jesus died and rose to forgive him, just as He died and rose to forgive you. John’s guilty sentence then? Your sentence then? It was given to Jesus. And He has taken it all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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