The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The theme of honor and dishonor can be traced through all of our Bible readings today. Today let’s explore how God’s Word leads us to a life of honor, and away from dishonor. We should start with a definition. Honor can mean different things to different people. You might be convinced that you are acting with honor, but that doesn’t always prove your actions are right. Honor, like other virtues, can be warped, intentionally or unintentionally. But a definition: the fourth commandment says: “Honor your father and mother.” This commandment gives the definition that to “honor” is to respect and obey. Honor also can refer to a high level of recognition for what someone has done, as when they are “honored” with a reward or medal. Our nation’s highest military award is the “Medal of Honor.” From the Army’s website, it explains the Medal of Honor this way: This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of da...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today in our Gospel reading from Mark chapter 9, there is a strong contrast set up between Jesus teaching His disciples about His coming death on the cross, and His resurrection—and a petty argument the disciples fall into on their journey along the road. The contrast is between the way of humility that Jesus Himself lived, and the way of selfish ambition or self-promotion and rivalry, that the disciples were acting out in their little argument. Like children “caught in the act” of doing something they know is wrong, Jesus called out the disciples, who were arguing with each other about who was the greatest. We don’t know quite how it went down. But we do know from other arguments, that they wanted to gain the highest authority and respect in Jesus’ kingdom. We know how it goes—we’re familiar with how people compete for position, for advantage, for recognition, or for power. In a way, it’s very childish and...

Sermon Outline: 1.       Happens every day in classrooms—teacher is explaining a new word or concept; students don’t understand, but are afraid to ask. Am I the only one? (usually not). Embarrassed? Seem smart as the rest—so stays silent. What happens? Learning gets stuck. As every teacher knows, asking questions is one of the best ways to learn and understand. Every good teacher is a pushover for good questions. Almost every one of them will follow a teachable tangent. Questions are a sign that minds are engaged and curiosity is opened. Clever teacher knows not to be sidetracked by distractions, questions that aren’t serious, or can’t be answered. 2.       We shouldn’t be afraid of asking questions. Encouraged. Dozens of questions just based on our Bible readings today. Some tough material. Each Sunday we read three sections of the Bible, taking us through major portions of the Bible every three years. Many more questions than can...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today in our Gospel reading Jesus contrasts true greatness with the self-promotion of the world. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. James and John were fairly shameless in their request to be granted whatever they wanted…as if Jesus were a genie in a bottle to do their bidding. And what a request! To be the right-hand and left-hand men to Jesus, when He came in His glory. Of course, who was better qualified? They were the go-getters, bold and over-confident in their abilities. They were confident that whatever honor or greatness Jesus would rise to, that they were equal to that ascent. They were fit to share in that honor and glory. Apparently the other ten disciples had less confidence in James and John, than they had in themselves. The ten disciples became indignant or sorely angry when they found out about this request. Was it because they thoug...