Who Is This Jesus?

The sermon opens by explaining the concept of honor in Mediterranean society during Jesus' time, where honor was a critical social element that could be either inherited or acquired through extraordinary actions such as miracles, effective argument, and transformative teaching. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus, born into a socially lowly family (the son of a carpenter), had to acquire honor through the miracles he performed in the early chapters of the Gospel of Mark. This cultural context helps explain why large crowds began following him from different regions of Palestine.

The first event the sermon analyzes is the increase of Jesus' honor, as described in verses 7-8 of Mark 3. Crowds from three different groups—Jews from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem; mixed people from Idumea; and Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon—came to Jesus because they heard about what he had done. The sermon relates this to the modern cultural context of America, where various opinions about Jesus' identity exist, from those who believe he was a historical figure to those who doubt his divinity. The sermon emphasizes that although the crowds knew about Jesus, they did not truly know him, and only through repentance and placing faith in him could a person establish a personal relationship with him.

The second event is the need for a platform (verses 9-10), when Jesus asks his disciples to prepare a boat to avoid being crushed by the crowd. The sermon explains that the sick people were desperately seeking to touch Jesus because his reputation had been spread through the gossip network of that society. The sermon then poses the question: where is the gossip network about Jesus in our modern society today? The sermon argues that although Jesus still performs miracles and heals, the gossip network about him is not working effectively in many cases, partly due to the sin of silence among believers. The sermon uses a personal example of going door-to-door sharing the Gospel, including the story of Gloria, a 68-year-old widow who committed her life to Jesus after the pastor shared the story of the sinful woman from Luke 7.

The third event is the recognition of Jesus' identity and authority by unclean spirits (verses 11-12). The sermon explains that these spirits, upon seeing Jesus, fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God!" The sermon argues that these spirits recognized the difference between Jesus' holiness and their own sinful nature. However, Jesus commanded them to be silent, a practice called the "secrecy motif" in the cultural context of that time. The sermon applies this to the modern context by asking whether Jesus' authority and identity are being recognized in believers' lives. The sermon emphasizes that when believers accepted Jesus, they acknowledged his authority over their lives, but do they truly carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) by going, being, and making disciples? The sermon concludes by emphasizing that believers must not only know about Jesus but truly follow him, declare his identity, and take steps of obedience such as baptism and commitment to God's mission.