Proper 19B, September 13, 2015, St. Stephen’s
Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38
The scene in today’s gospel reading is the pivot point of Mark's gospel. Up to this point Jesus is seen as a rabbi, a healer, and a miracle worker who attracts crowds wherever he goes. The deaf hear, the lame walk, the blind see, the dumb speak, and Jesus looks like the answer to everybody's prayers. But now everything’s about to change. This is, in some ways, a new beginning. Prior to this, the emphasis has been on Jesus' authority and power. But now Jesus turns his face towards Jerusalem and starts the journey to death on the cross. This is the start of his voluntary walk on the path of self-sacrifice - and the disciples have to decide if they’re going to follow him, or not. It’s fun to follow the wonder-worker. But following the suffering Son of Man… well, that’s another matter! So Jesus’ question “who do you say I am?” is one every Christian has to answer for ourselves. Because who we understand Jesus to be shapes who we become as a person of faith.
Mark could hardly make the point more strongly that it is possible to have the words and the devotion and yet to miss what Jesus is about. Mark is doing theology here - making us think about our faith. Peter had the normal expectations of his time associated with the Messiah. A Messiah was understood as the one who would save Israel, a royal figure, a ‘king of the Jews’ like David. As a figure of hope, the messiah is not a figure of failure, but of success and power.
So Peter got it right when he said Jesus was the messiah but he also got it wrong. We see that when he rejects Jesus’ assertion that he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and then rise again. Yes, Jesus is the Messiah, but not the kind of Messiah Peter was expecting or hoping for. This is a messiah who is caring, vulnerable and loving rather than simply ‘almighty’. Jesus as Messiah doesn’t use power in the way Peter is expecting. Jesus subverts the norms of greatness and power.
So those of us who are disciples of Jesus need to continually reflect on, articulate, and live out who Jesus is to us. If we have chosen to follow Christ - then why? Who is he to us? Who are we ‘becoming’ as we live into his identity that resides within us? We all have some sort of answer to the question of who Jesus is; we all have some ‘images’ of him. Jesus is Messiah, savior, teacher, friend, prophet, Prince of Peace, Lord. But we also all have different ways of interpreting what those things mean for us. Some of them are ways we learned as children in Sunday school or reflections of popular culture we’ve unconsciously applied to Jesus. Images which aren’t necessarily helpful, but which we don’t have any replacement for because we haven’t examined the matter much.
If we’ve been going to church for a while we can probably state the truth that others have told us but unless we wrestle with the answers for ourselves and aren’t just saying the words, it has no power for us. It has no ability to influence our life. Even those of us who wrestle with the question regularly find it difficult, because Jesus is just too complex to be reduced to a simple rational explanation. Although I think that for most of us, the biggest issue isn’t that we’ve listened to Jesus and found him incomprehensible; it’s that we’ve listened and found him too damned difficult. Our problem is that, like Peter, we don't really want to believe that the life of discipleship should have to involve sacrifice or suffering. We imagine there must be more sensible and less costly ways of finding God's will and purpose in our lives. As a result, we can become complacent about the church and about our faith. In spite of all that Christ said and did to show the way, we have a difficult time truly being a disciple, because Jesus challenges our rational ideas and our ego.
For example, what does it mean to deny oneself - to say "No" to yourself? Jesus says losing your life is the way to find it! Which is, if you think about it, an extraordinary statement and one that has been and continues to be misused. Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean we should abandon self-care, but rather that we work to abandon our preoccupation with building and maintaining our self at the expense of others. The sad truth is that for most of us the main thing blocking our growth as Christians is the lure of a comfortable, affluent life. We’re constantly bombarded with pressure to want more and more comfort, security, influence, status - for ourselves and our loved ones. Our culture simply doesn’t promote the concept of true sacrifice or self-giving. Sacrifice doesn’t mean giving away what you really don’t need. Or choosing the good and getting rid of the bad. Sacrifice implies determining what things are of utmost value - which values take precedence over all the other valuable things in your life - and then deciding which other good things you’re willing to give up to promote that value. So perhaps the question we should ask ourselves is, "What things of value have I given up for the sake of following Christ?" "What am I willing to give in order to promote the love and caring that God calls me to?"
You and I need to make a choice. Who is the Jesus we follow and where are we willing to follow him to? And conversely, where are we insisting on going our own way? How open are we to Christ's teachings, and how firmly do we hold onto our own ideas and desires? Here in our community of faith are we willing to support one another to live a life of giving and self-sacrifice – and to resist secular ‘gods’ of affluence and temptation to greed? As Williamson writes: "The cross Jesus invites his hearers to take up refers not to the burdens life imposes from without but rather to painful, redemptive action voluntarily undertaken for others.” (Mark, Interpretation Commentary) The good news is that perfection is not the required standard, but only the willingness to follow Jesus. One day at a time. One small act of sacrifice and giving at a time, as we grow into our identity as disciples of Jesus. So who is Jesus for you? And where are you willing to follow him to?