Be a Winner in God’s Eyes

Robert E. Hall
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

March 8, 2009

Text: Mark 8: 31-38

The more Jesus told them not to tell anyone about his acts of healing, the more they told about him anyway. Even Jesus’ teaching astonished people. People were amazed, perplexed and suspicious. “Who is this man?” they kept asking. The Pharisees and the scribes came from Jerusalem to Galilee to check him out. 

The first disciples (apostles), Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John----all fishermen---had responded to the invitation, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” Matthew (Levi) was recruited. Then, from among others who were following him, Jesus chose Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot: twelve in all.

So here are the apostles, walking with Jesus, his friends and confidants, and many others who were desperately looking for healing, or who were fascinated by Jesus’ teachings. And Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said, “John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus says “But who do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answers for them: “You are the Christ (Messiah, Anointed One).”

Do we know more when we have identified someone by their title? Professor, Attorney, Teacher, Principal, Legislator, Coach, Pastor, Bishop, Peace Officer, Captain, Sergeant: when we hear the titles, we assume certain things about the person. We probably get a mental image.

I was visiting our daughter and family. When I went to church with them their pastor took one look at me and said, “You District Superintendents all look the same.” (That was my appointment before I came to TUMC). I do not think she intended this as a compliment! She had decided what a DS was on the basis of stereotypes.

Apparently, the disciples had assumed certain things about Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus identifies himself as the “son of man.” The “son of man” figure was familiar to all Jews of the time. From their heritage, the hopes and longed for the one spoken of by Daniel in chapter 7. The “Ancient of Days,” would give to the son of man “dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (RSV)

Psalm 2expresses the enduring and absolute power of the son of man/messiah:

“He said to me, ‘You are my son;

   today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

   and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron,

   and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

   be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear,

   with trembling kiss his feet,

or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;

   for his wrath is quickly kindled.”

Instead of requiring others to kiss his feet, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet! (See the Gospel of John!)

But Jesus throws Peter and the disciples a curve! You know what it is. Jesus does not deny that he is Messiah/son of man. But he will suffer, be rejected, be killed-----and rise again. And in language which leaves no doubt, Mark records that Jesus said this straight out, plainly, directly.

This did not compute. You can suppose that they were thinking:

“You don’t set things right by dying, even if you expect to be raised back to life [an idea that was foreign even at that time]. You set things right by leading a revolution, putting us in power in place of those who are oppressing and killing us! The people of God had suffered enough already!”

Peter will not let Jesus’ words go unchallenged. So he does something no respectful student would ever do: Peter “took the son of man/Messiah aside” [grabbed him] and reprimanded him!

“Are you crazy! We have left everything to follow after you, we believe in you, and now you are telling us that you will be defeated?! What kind of son of man are you?”

You see, especially in Mark’s faith portrait, the disciples never quite understand, never really see what God is doing in Jesus, until after death and resurrection. They believe he is Messiah, but they do not see the way Jesus will fill the role. Because Jesus enters the role----and then transforms it.

Jesus’ had rebuked demons; now he rebukes Peter with the harshest words every addressed to anyone. “Out of my sight, Satan! You think as mortals think, not as God thinks.” (REV)

I agree with Lillian Daniel, pastor in Chicago, who says that these words could only be spoken to a friend. (Christian Century, February 24, 2009, page 19))

Maybe in the wilderness this was precisely the debate that Jesus was having with the Great Deceiver. “Surely there is a more effective way to set the world to rights.”

(Lent is the toughest season of the church year. Just about the time of wildflowers blooming, here we are remembering Jesus’ passion and death!)

How was God going to get through to the world? How would God begin to turn the human community around? Save us? How would Jesus live out the greatest commandments: loving God with all his heart and mind and soul and strength and loving his neighbor as himself? 

It would be through a suffering servant Messiah.

How can we make sense of this? I cannot believe that Jesus was offering himself to appease God!

But it is the witness of apostles then and pilgrims ever since that Jesus’ passion and death served God’s saving purpose. Jesus’ cross became not a sign of Jesus’ destruction, but of the salvation God accomplished through him.

Were the powers of evil finally enhausted when they unleashed their fury on him; and thus we are delivered from their grip?

Or was it the case that, when we behold such goodness dying for our sakes, our hearts are finally won over?

I prefer Paul’s words, which leaves the explanation of atonement an open question: “God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself.”

Now Jesus was a healer and a rabbi and a prophet. And many have been blessed by leaving the influence of Jesus at that. But the witness of the apostles is that “Jesus is more than one who helps and heals and welcomes.” (Joseph D. Small, page 72 in Feasting on the Word, Lent B)

And the disciples learn very quickly “that there is more to being a disciple than watching him heal and hearing him teach.” (Paul Shupe, Feasting on the Word, page 70)

For we see that after Jesus lays out his version of Messiahship, he lays out his version of discipleship.

We know these words by heart, but this does not make them more palatable. “Take up your cross and follow me.”

We wear crosses now as jewelry and we decorate our homes with them. But for first century Jews, the cross was an object of horror. Torture and death on a cross was a Roman invention, meant to make emphatic the futility of rebellion. In 6 AD, more than 2000 insurrectionists were crucified.

So for Jesus to use the word “cross” was another way of saying to them suffering and humiliating death.

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”

“Those who wish to be followers of Jesus must conform their lives to his, denying themselves, being prepared to lose their lives, taking up the cross.” (Walter Bruggemann, source lost))

Not suffering or self-denial as ends in themselves, or to work off our sins. (We are saved by grace, not works!) But obedient and sacrificial service for Jesus and the gospel’s sake. And Jesus is being quite honest: There is unavoidable suffering that comes to followers in the course of being or proclaiming the Good News.

Cross-bearing for some means being persecuted and even martyred. It happens every day somewhere on the globe.

And for others, maybe us, it is often not heroic but simple daily sacrifice of time, energy and resources for the Gospel’s sake:

Answering calls to serve in ways which build up the body of Christ;

With healing words and touch, relieving needless human suffering;

Helping someone in a quandary aim their lives in a new direction;

Identifying for someone the gifts they have and ways they can use them to God’s glory.

It means to testify unashamedly to the risen crucified Lord Jesus Christ; (All under the rubric of love, not condemnation!)

Standing up for those who cannot advocate for themselves;

Putting on bandages, pour on oil;

And to do these kinds of things in spite of opposition or ridicule, or persecution, or even threat of death-----

This is the cross-bearing life; this is the requirement for following this Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Self-denial is not to hate your life; nor is it to deny yourself the necessities of life; nor is it to be resigned to suffering abuse or neglect from others who would lord it over you.

Self-denial is joyful (?) obedience out of love for God and the neighbor in God. It is, in the prayer of Teresa of Avila, to say, “Lord, let me be doing that which you want me to do.”

The wisdom of the world too often tells us:

We are perishing! Therefore, focus on survival, protection, status, power, fear, anxiety.

The wisdom of the cross is:

We are being saved!

Yes, there is struggle, yes there is sacrifice, but we will not be lost; we are accompanied by the Lord of life for this life and the sequel!

“When one ultimately counts on God for life [security, peace], one can dare to risk life for others…..Faith is the opposite [not of doubt] of fear…..” “If we can see revealed in this executed man, Jesus, the embodiment of God’s idea of true greatness, then we will have seen the world upside down….” “Jesus is the opposite of self-oriented; he is God-centered for others.” (Rhoads, Interpretation, October, 1963)

Cross-bearing is God’s agape love loving others through us. (Tony Campolo). Our love is mostly eros and philia, but when Christ dwells in us, God’s love transforms our love into self-sacrificing love.

Jesus spoke these words to the first disciples and to others standing around. Did they all jump in? No. Some were ready to answer yes and follow and others would do so at a distance. And would be drawn closer---or not----in time. For we are free to say yes or no.

Paradox of discipleship: seeming contradiction. We find our lives by giving our lives in the name and spirit of Jesus the Messiah.

Philip Yancey wrote:

Interviewed stars: NFL greats, authors, TV personalities. He said that these idols were a miserable a group of people as he had ever met: more troubled, more broken marriages, tormented psyches, incurable self-doubts.

He also interviewed relief workers, teachers, translators, others who, at great sacrifice, brought hope to people.

He writes: “I was prepared to honor them and uphold them as inspiring examples; but I was not prepared to envy them. They work for low pay, long hours, no applause. But in the process of losing [expending] their lives, they have found them.” (Source lost)

We are not all called to such jobs as these. But within our work and family and play and ministries of justice and mercy, we can all know the joy of living under the reign of God as Jesus taught it.

This planet is being redeemed. Jesus inaugurated the reign of God in re-claiming and renewing the earth.

Will you follow Jesus, not as observer of what he does, but as partner in this redemption work, even now?