Second Presbyterian Church

"Who Is This?
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
September 26, 2004

Upcoming Events

Worship Schedule

Sermons

About the Church

• Accessibility to the Church

• Directions to the Church

• History of the Church

Church Staff

Groups & Organizations

• Boy Scouts of America - Troop 175

• Choirs

• Presbyterian Women

• SPY (Second Presbyterian Youth)

Committees

• Building & Grounds

• Church Growth

• Congregational Care & Fellowship

• Education & Nurture

• Finance

• Office & Personnel

• Stewardship

• Witness & Service

• Worship & Celebration

Ad Hoc Committees

• Architectural - Engineering

• Building Fund

Presbyterian Internet Sites of Interest

Virginia Links

• Virginia Cities

Web Site Statistics

Site Map

Second Presbyterian Church Homepage

Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2004 » Sermons for September 2004 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#30 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Isaiah 49: 1-6
• Luke 9: 1-9

Chapter 9 is a very important chapter in Luke's Gospel. And we have just begun. It begins with empowering the twelve disciples (including Judas Iscariot), recording Herod's reaction - the basis of the point of this sermon, the feeding of the 5,000, Peter's confession, the transfiguration, some teachings, and the intentional movement of Jesus (and the Gospel of Luke) toward Jerusalem and the crucifixion.

As we journey through Luke we encounter certain themes. "Just who is Jesus" is one of these major themes. We will encounter it again in just two weeks when we examine Peter's Confession that Jesus is the Christ.

Yet already this question about just who is Jesus has occurred five (5) times, which included Herod asking the question. In Luke 5: 21 we have Scribes and Pharisees asking, "Who is this who speaks 'blasphemies?'" Obviously their impressions were slanted against Jesus.

In Luke 7:19 John the Baptist sent disciples to ask Jesus the "who" question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" John the Baptist wanted to make sure that he was still on track.

In Luke 7: 49 when Jesus was a guest of Simon, the Pharisee, they question was raised, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

In Luke 8: 25, after Jesus had calmed the storm, his disciples ask among themselves, "Who then is this that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

Luke is letting us know that Jesus is not just a great prophet. He is more than the great prophets; he is even greater than Elijah! And in our lesson, Herod, the Tetrarch of the region, heard all about what Jesus was doing, what his disciples were doing. He heard all the rumors about how John the Baptist was raised from the dead, or that one of the prophets of old had returned. Now, according to Luke Herod doesn't fall for the John-the Baptist-has-come-back-from-the-dead theory. "John, I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?" (Note how Mark's Gospel treats this differently Mark 6: 14-16. He has Herod significantly spooked, but Luke doesn't). A quick word needs to be said about two "foreshadowings" here. One, these verses foreshadow the verses, a little later, when Jesus asked his disciples about whom do people think he, Jesus, was. It foreshadows the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Messiah of God, the Christ of God.

The second foreshadowing was Herod. He wanted to meet Jesus. He wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle. As Christians we know where Herod finally met Jesus, after He had been arrested and sent to Pilate. The tragedy of it all was that Herod got his wish fulfilled, but he never grasped Who Jesus was. He never got the point.

Who do we think Jesus is? Who do you believe Jesus is? Did you realize that this is a "hot" topic in churches and "theological" circles today? Even in the Presbyterian Church (USA) we are debating just who is Jesus of Nazareth?

During the time of Jesus people were wondering if He were John the Baptist or a great Prophet? Even now, we are debating whether Jesus is the Son of God, or was he just another great prophet, or teacher.

What is bringing the question to the fore today is the concern about, how Christians are supposed to relate to neighbors who belong to one of the other great religions in our world. Are we supposed to convert them? Are we supposed to drive them out of our country, since they don't fit our neat compartments of the way all people are suppose to fit? Is it all right to love non-Christians? Are we being disloyal to Jesus Christ if we don't try to talk them out of their life-long religions and convince them to become Christians?

Some are saying, because Jesus is the only Messiah, then we are supposed to work at convincing these "pagans" that their religion is wrong and ours is right. We are supposed to walk right up to them and ask them, "Are you saved? Did you realize that you are going to go to hell if you do not profess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?"

I personally find that approach offensive, condescending and unloving. It takes our belief in Jesus Christ as the ONLY LORD and SAVIOR and makes it an arrogant stance that we are superior, better persons. It actually causes many well intentioned Christians to behave and relate to non-Christians in a way that does not even come close to demonstrating the love that Jesus Christ has for all people, even non-Christians!

The other approach is to come to the conclusion that since we are "Christians" and there are other different religions, then ALL RELIGIONS MUST BE EQUALLY VALID! Adherents to this approach say that Jesus was a great prophet and teacher who taught us how we are to love one another and to be a peaceful people. They postulate that Jesus was no more, no less than Mohammed, the prophet of Allah. They postulate that Jesus was no more, no less than Buddha, or some other great religious leader/founder. This approach suggests that God does not really care about which faith you belong, as long as you are a good, law-abiding citizen and faithful to your particular faith, then you are on your way to heaven.

The problem with this view is that it cuts out the very heart of the Christian faith! Part of the essentials of our Christian faith is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah; He is the Son of God; He died on the cross for our sins; and God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. From heaven he prays and intercedes for us.

If we accept the view that all religions are valid then we must give up Jesus as THE Messiah and assign him the role of A messiah along with all the other "valid messiahs." It means we must reject the view that Jesus is THE Son of God and that there are other sons of God who have been avenues of salvation for other people. It means that we cannot accept that Jesus died on the cross to redeem sinners and was raised from the dead. It means that we believe that Jesus didn't have to die for anybody and therefore he didn't have to be raised from the dead.

That is too much to give up. So, what are we to do? Luke is a surprisingly ecumenical Gospel. Although all four Gospels make it clear that Jesus' Redemption is for all peoples, not just the Hebrews, Luke places a very strong emphasis upon this universal salvation for all who receive the Good News of Jesus the Messiah.

I believe the answer is surprisingly simple. As Christians we are to acknowledge our beliefs about Jesus as the Messiah, risen from the dead. And as Christians we are to acknowledge that God loves our neighbors who happen to adhere to other religions. We are to offer them hospitality. We are to treat them with the respect they deserve! And we are to pray for them. We are to pray for the Holy Spirit to use our lives to demonstrate to these neighbors just how loving and caring our Lord and Savior is. This is done by Christ's command to love our neighbor as ourselves. The story of the Good Samaritan (Chapter 10) will illustrate further this point. We are to pray for these people. Not that these "poor souls" will come to their senses. That kind of prayer is just an expression of our arrogant sense of superiority. Instead, we are to pray to God that if it be His will, to offer us an opportunity to share with that person our faith in Jesus Christ. We are to humbly pray for the other person to invite us to share our faith, because our example of expressing God's unconditional love has made an impression upon them.

I can think of nothing more exciting than to be provided an opportunity to share the Love of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ with a curios non-believer. The fact remains, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of our Lord is for all people, not just for us. Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.