Program

Sermon Outline (loosely followed)

I.        Transfiguration

a.       Elijah, Moses, Jesus

b.      Making tents

c.       Beloved Son

II.     The Way to Jerusalem

a.       Argument of James and John

b.      Bartimaeus

III.   Jerusalem

a.       Triumphal Entry

b.      Curse of the fig tree

c.       Cleansing the temple

d.      Teaching

e.       Anointing at Bethany

f.        Passover

g.       Betrayal

h.       Arrest

i.         Trial

j.        Crucifixion

IV.  What is the meaning of Jesus death?

a.       Atonement

b.      Tragedy

c.       Ransom

1.      To whom is one ransomed?

2.      From what is one ransomed?

V.     Irony

Irony tells a truth, but suggests that it is not the whole truth and that the whole truth is something entirely unexpected and unsaid.

a.       Humor

1.      Witness
Witnesses are told not to witness, yet the story is being told.

2.      Disciples
The exemplars for following Jesus are bumblers and fools.

b.      Tragedy of crucifixion
Irony takes a dark turn in the Passion narrative of Mark.  Jesus’ kingship, sonship, and Messiahship are correctly named by his opponents, but they use these titles as accusations.  And so the Messiah is crucified.  Mark’s story is being told to people who know the story and his original audience may have contained people who knew Jesus and participated in his ministry while he was alive.  So they know the truth and they know the irony.  They know the grief and disappointment of losing their beloved, their savior.  And yet they continue on.

VI.  Suffering
Because they know the story, because they continue on, they know the crucifixion is not the end.  They face persecution, but they know their suffering is not the end.  The whole truth is something entirely unexpected.  This is not the end.