Expectations and a Cross
Sermon
The View from the Cross
Cycle B Gospel Text Sermons for Lent and Easter
These verses from Mark's gospel are a call to commitment, a call to sacrifice, and a call to give up everything of earthly value in life. To say these are difficult verses is truly an understatement. It is pretty clear that the disciples are not at all ready for what Jesus is saying. They are not ready for Jesus to die and they certainly are not ready to die themselves.
We have to remember that the disciples are confused and frightened. They are still looking for Jesus to do something really spectacular but they are not ready to even contemplate what Jesus seems to be saying. They will understand the kingdom later, after the cross and after the resurrection. It is pretty clear that the disciples could not see what Jesus was talking about because they were looking for the wrong thing. How very human of them!
It may be beginning to dawn on the disciples that Jesus was not going to establish military rule. He was not going to be gathering an army and challenging the military and political establishment. He had not come to establish some sort of earthly messianic kingdom, at least not at that time.
Just a few verses earlier Peter had identified Jesus as the "Christ." However, Jesus himself had not told anyone to assign any title to him. Jesus was much more concerned with his mission than any earthly title, especially since titles seem to assume that the person with the special title is somehow different from everyone else. Jesus wanted to keep his humanity while at the same time helping people see that God had something much more important for him and for all of them to do. From this point on Jesus is traveling headlong into the journey that will take him to the cross, and from now on how his name is used will be determined by how Jesus himself speaks of himself and his ministry.
For example, the opening verse for today, "Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31 NRSV). This expression appeared only twice before in Mark's gospel. In both instances it was used to show the significance of an event for those early followers.
The title "Son of Man," especially suited Jesus' mission in its totality. The phrase is free of any political baggage, thus eliminating any false expectation that he was going to become politically involved in unseating the powers currently in control. At the same time the title is like one of his parables, as it leaves room for more than one definition. It combined all the elements of suffering and glory in a way that no other designation could. It served to combine different elements of who and what he was doing into one simple phrase, "Son of Man."
Our gospel lesson this day presents us with Jesus announcing in unambiguous terms what is going to happen to him in the days and weeks ahead. Lent is such a wonderful reminder of how we ourselves must take the journey with Jesus in order that we might better understand what it is that happened to him and what needs to happen to us today. Much like the disciples who were with him at that time, we also must be reminded of why Jesus came into the world and what it was that happened to change history as we know it.
When Jesus tells his followers what is going to happen, our good friend Peter steps up to the plate and says aloud what everyone else would say had they the courage. Peter in essence tells Jesus what he has said about himself must not be allowed to happen. When he does, he gets a response that could never had been anticipated, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark 8:33 NRSV).
Peter was an unwitting spokesperson for Satan because he was reacting purely from a human point of view. We can't much blame him for that. How else could he react to such a statement from the man he thought would be his knight in shining armor? Peter did not know nor could he have known at this point in time that the way of the cross was God's way and Jesus would never abandon it.
There's the story of a soldier frantically digging in during battle as shells fall all around him. Suddenly his hand feels something metal and he grabs it. It's a silver cross. Another shell explodes and he buries his head in his arms. He feels someone jump in the foxhole with him and he looks over and sees an army chaplain. The soldier thrusts the cross in the chaplain's face and says, "I sure am glad to see you. How do you work this thing?"
In this scripture when Jesus talks about bearing our cross, we could ask the same question: "How do you work this thing?" Peter didn't know how to work or deal with the cross either. It has been said that the only reason Peter ever took his foot out of his mouth was to switch feet; it is here, at Caesarea Philippi, outside of Galilee in the shadow of Ancient Palestine, where Caesar was a god, that Peter discovered that a wandering carpenter from Nazareth, who was heading for a cross, was the Son of God.
There is hardly anything in the entire gospel story, which shows the sheer force of the personality of Jesus, as does this incident. It comes in the very middle of Mark's gospel and that's intentional, because this is the peak moment for Mark. The cross is the very heart of the gospel. A suffering Messiah who would die upon a cross had important implications for those who would follow him.
Jesus does not dance around the fact that if you witness what is going on and what will be going on in the days and weeks ahead and you still want to follow him, then you will have understood why all of this was necessary. So, he stated two requirements that will be needed in order to take up the cross and follow.
On the down side, one must deny self and say no to the ways of the world. Self-denial is not to lie about who you are; rather, it is the denial of "self" in turning away from the idolatry of self-centeredness and all attempts to orient one's life by the dictates of self-interest.
On the up side, although it does not seem to be the up side, one must take up his cross, saying yes to God and moving forward with your cross into the world. Cross carrying was not a common way of communicating something. It was not an established Jewish metaphor. However, the image of a man carrying a cross was a vivid picture of Roman-occupied Palestine. The image of a crossbearer brought to mind the sight of a condemned man who was forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying part of his cross through the city to his place of execution. To do that same thing, to carry the cross, was to publicly demonstrate one's submission and obedience to the authority against which he had previously rebelled.
In one way, this moment was a crisis for Jesus. Whatever the disciples might be thinking, he knew for certain that an inescapable cross lay ahead. The problem confronting Jesus was this: With the cross looming, had he had any effect at all on the disciples in the world at that time? Had he achieved anything? Had anyone discovered who he really was? If he had lived, taught, and moved amongst these men for three years and no one had glimpsed the Spirit of God upon him, then all his work had gone for nothing. There was only one way he could leave a message with people and that was to write it on someone's heart.
The truth is that those who follow Jesus must take up the cross, their own cross, not Jesus' cross. It does not mean suffering as Jesus did or being crucified as Jesus was. Rather, it means accepting the consequences of following Jesus without reservation for Jesus' sake and the gospel. For some this includes physical suffering and even death, as history has demonstrated.
When you look at the reading for today and put it into historical context, you can better understand why Jesus asked the question of his disciples earlier (v. 27) what people were saying about him. His disciples shared with him the popular rumors and reports. And having shared what people were saying about him, Jesus then asked them, "Who do you say that I am?" This is personal; it is very personal.
Suddenly, Peter realized what he had always known deep down in his heart. This was the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God. With that answer Jesus knew that he had affected people and made clear who he was.
There is another question we must answer, for no sooner had Peter made this incredible proclamation than Jesus told him he must tell no one. Why? Why could they tell no one who Jesus was? First and foremost, Jesus had to teach Peter and the others what being Messiah would mean both present and future. Because Jesus knew that his role as Messiah was not at all what had been anticipated by so many for so long.
Throughout their existence the Jews never lost sight of the fact that they were God's chosen people. They always regarded the greatest days in their history as the days of King David, and they dreamed of a day when another king of David's line, a king who would once again make them great in righteousness and in power, would arise.
Biblical history is clear that this dreamed-of greatness would never come about naturally through the passage of time. The harsh reality was that they came under Assyrian rule and Babylonian rule and Persian rule and Greek rule and Roman rule. They began to believe that it wasn't likely that someone would simply rise up and make everything turn out the way they had always dreamed.
These are just a few of the reasons why Jesus used such penetrating rhetorical questions to show the supreme value of understanding how difficult the journey would be, but also that at the end of the journey was a new way of living, a new life that was eternal. Knowing that the journey would be long and hard Jesus says to them in verse 36, "For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?" The answer is nothing, because having "gained the whole world" they have in the end irrevocably lost eternal life with God, with nothing to compensate for it.
The gospel for this Second Sunday in Lent, reminds us all that in the end those who follow Jesus, those who "take up one's cross," may fall short on their commitment at times. They have at least discovered that losing one's life in this age is a small price to preserve eternal life in the age to come. We must decide whether we want to come and be with our Savior, or whether we want to save our lives in the world, we cannot have it both ways. The cross means dying to this world and embracing the world to come. On this the Second Sunday in Lent, the question that all of us must ask is, "Which is it?" Amen.
We have to remember that the disciples are confused and frightened. They are still looking for Jesus to do something really spectacular but they are not ready to even contemplate what Jesus seems to be saying. They will understand the kingdom later, after the cross and after the resurrection. It is pretty clear that the disciples could not see what Jesus was talking about because they were looking for the wrong thing. How very human of them!
It may be beginning to dawn on the disciples that Jesus was not going to establish military rule. He was not going to be gathering an army and challenging the military and political establishment. He had not come to establish some sort of earthly messianic kingdom, at least not at that time.
Just a few verses earlier Peter had identified Jesus as the "Christ." However, Jesus himself had not told anyone to assign any title to him. Jesus was much more concerned with his mission than any earthly title, especially since titles seem to assume that the person with the special title is somehow different from everyone else. Jesus wanted to keep his humanity while at the same time helping people see that God had something much more important for him and for all of them to do. From this point on Jesus is traveling headlong into the journey that will take him to the cross, and from now on how his name is used will be determined by how Jesus himself speaks of himself and his ministry.
For example, the opening verse for today, "Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31 NRSV). This expression appeared only twice before in Mark's gospel. In both instances it was used to show the significance of an event for those early followers.
The title "Son of Man," especially suited Jesus' mission in its totality. The phrase is free of any political baggage, thus eliminating any false expectation that he was going to become politically involved in unseating the powers currently in control. At the same time the title is like one of his parables, as it leaves room for more than one definition. It combined all the elements of suffering and glory in a way that no other designation could. It served to combine different elements of who and what he was doing into one simple phrase, "Son of Man."
Our gospel lesson this day presents us with Jesus announcing in unambiguous terms what is going to happen to him in the days and weeks ahead. Lent is such a wonderful reminder of how we ourselves must take the journey with Jesus in order that we might better understand what it is that happened to him and what needs to happen to us today. Much like the disciples who were with him at that time, we also must be reminded of why Jesus came into the world and what it was that happened to change history as we know it.
When Jesus tells his followers what is going to happen, our good friend Peter steps up to the plate and says aloud what everyone else would say had they the courage. Peter in essence tells Jesus what he has said about himself must not be allowed to happen. When he does, he gets a response that could never had been anticipated, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark 8:33 NRSV).
Peter was an unwitting spokesperson for Satan because he was reacting purely from a human point of view. We can't much blame him for that. How else could he react to such a statement from the man he thought would be his knight in shining armor? Peter did not know nor could he have known at this point in time that the way of the cross was God's way and Jesus would never abandon it.
There's the story of a soldier frantically digging in during battle as shells fall all around him. Suddenly his hand feels something metal and he grabs it. It's a silver cross. Another shell explodes and he buries his head in his arms. He feels someone jump in the foxhole with him and he looks over and sees an army chaplain. The soldier thrusts the cross in the chaplain's face and says, "I sure am glad to see you. How do you work this thing?"
In this scripture when Jesus talks about bearing our cross, we could ask the same question: "How do you work this thing?" Peter didn't know how to work or deal with the cross either. It has been said that the only reason Peter ever took his foot out of his mouth was to switch feet; it is here, at Caesarea Philippi, outside of Galilee in the shadow of Ancient Palestine, where Caesar was a god, that Peter discovered that a wandering carpenter from Nazareth, who was heading for a cross, was the Son of God.
There is hardly anything in the entire gospel story, which shows the sheer force of the personality of Jesus, as does this incident. It comes in the very middle of Mark's gospel and that's intentional, because this is the peak moment for Mark. The cross is the very heart of the gospel. A suffering Messiah who would die upon a cross had important implications for those who would follow him.
Jesus does not dance around the fact that if you witness what is going on and what will be going on in the days and weeks ahead and you still want to follow him, then you will have understood why all of this was necessary. So, he stated two requirements that will be needed in order to take up the cross and follow.
On the down side, one must deny self and say no to the ways of the world. Self-denial is not to lie about who you are; rather, it is the denial of "self" in turning away from the idolatry of self-centeredness and all attempts to orient one's life by the dictates of self-interest.
On the up side, although it does not seem to be the up side, one must take up his cross, saying yes to God and moving forward with your cross into the world. Cross carrying was not a common way of communicating something. It was not an established Jewish metaphor. However, the image of a man carrying a cross was a vivid picture of Roman-occupied Palestine. The image of a crossbearer brought to mind the sight of a condemned man who was forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying part of his cross through the city to his place of execution. To do that same thing, to carry the cross, was to publicly demonstrate one's submission and obedience to the authority against which he had previously rebelled.
In one way, this moment was a crisis for Jesus. Whatever the disciples might be thinking, he knew for certain that an inescapable cross lay ahead. The problem confronting Jesus was this: With the cross looming, had he had any effect at all on the disciples in the world at that time? Had he achieved anything? Had anyone discovered who he really was? If he had lived, taught, and moved amongst these men for three years and no one had glimpsed the Spirit of God upon him, then all his work had gone for nothing. There was only one way he could leave a message with people and that was to write it on someone's heart.
The truth is that those who follow Jesus must take up the cross, their own cross, not Jesus' cross. It does not mean suffering as Jesus did or being crucified as Jesus was. Rather, it means accepting the consequences of following Jesus without reservation for Jesus' sake and the gospel. For some this includes physical suffering and even death, as history has demonstrated.
When you look at the reading for today and put it into historical context, you can better understand why Jesus asked the question of his disciples earlier (v. 27) what people were saying about him. His disciples shared with him the popular rumors and reports. And having shared what people were saying about him, Jesus then asked them, "Who do you say that I am?" This is personal; it is very personal.
Suddenly, Peter realized what he had always known deep down in his heart. This was the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God. With that answer Jesus knew that he had affected people and made clear who he was.
There is another question we must answer, for no sooner had Peter made this incredible proclamation than Jesus told him he must tell no one. Why? Why could they tell no one who Jesus was? First and foremost, Jesus had to teach Peter and the others what being Messiah would mean both present and future. Because Jesus knew that his role as Messiah was not at all what had been anticipated by so many for so long.
Throughout their existence the Jews never lost sight of the fact that they were God's chosen people. They always regarded the greatest days in their history as the days of King David, and they dreamed of a day when another king of David's line, a king who would once again make them great in righteousness and in power, would arise.
Biblical history is clear that this dreamed-of greatness would never come about naturally through the passage of time. The harsh reality was that they came under Assyrian rule and Babylonian rule and Persian rule and Greek rule and Roman rule. They began to believe that it wasn't likely that someone would simply rise up and make everything turn out the way they had always dreamed.
These are just a few of the reasons why Jesus used such penetrating rhetorical questions to show the supreme value of understanding how difficult the journey would be, but also that at the end of the journey was a new way of living, a new life that was eternal. Knowing that the journey would be long and hard Jesus says to them in verse 36, "For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?" The answer is nothing, because having "gained the whole world" they have in the end irrevocably lost eternal life with God, with nothing to compensate for it.
The gospel for this Second Sunday in Lent, reminds us all that in the end those who follow Jesus, those who "take up one's cross," may fall short on their commitment at times. They have at least discovered that losing one's life in this age is a small price to preserve eternal life in the age to come. We must decide whether we want to come and be with our Savior, or whether we want to save our lives in the world, we cannot have it both ways. The cross means dying to this world and embracing the world to come. On this the Second Sunday in Lent, the question that all of us must ask is, "Which is it?" Amen.
