Matthew 16:21-28
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them
deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? 27 “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Conversation
What does Messiah or Christ mean? Anointed for what?
At one moment Peter pleases Jesus…then moments later Jesus calls him Satan…adversary…why? Stumbling block?
What are human things? What are divine things?
What does it mean to take up ones cross?
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Those who want to save their lives will lose it.
Sermon
“Those who want to save their life will lose it.”
Today, Jesus is very critical of Peter calling him Satan and describing him as a stumbling block…who only thinks about human things…not about divine things.
In our Bible study group this past week we struggled for a quite a while… trying to adequate describe setting our minds on divine things and following Jesus. We find ourselves quickly resorting to our old Sunday School answers… We say; following Jesus is being holy or having faith in Jesus or God…or is believing that Jesus died for us…or sharing with the less fortunate. We say; “Divine followers are holy and attend church regularly …who pray often…and who avoid sinful places or people… and instead spend time with good Christian people like ourselves.” We are quick with responses about what it means to set our minds on divine things and follow Jesus. We do these things to show Jesus that we appreciate his sacrifice.
Our Bible study group had an even more difficult time trying to figure out why Jesus was so angry with Peter and with the human things that Jesus was talking about. When we hear the Good Friday passion story about Jesus death on the cross…with Peter…we too want to cry out, “God forbid it…this cannot be happening.” We are angry with the chief priests and scribes who cause his suffering and death… If only they had listened to him and followed him…it would not have happened. What comforts us about his death is that we have been assured that it happened for us… to save us from our sins… None of us like it that Jesus was going toJerusalem to die… we wish God’s saving act could have been done differently.
When considering the gospel reading for today…our discussions about human things, divine things, and following Jesus…though our suggestions are close to what we have been taught…do not quite hit the mark. Finally after a new word came into the discussion…the word “selfish”. Selfish is the word we equated with human things. It is the human thing to first care about ourselves… rather than caring about others. When setting his mind on human things…even though he does not want Jesus to die… Peter does it for selfish reasons. First he does not want his friend to die…for me a perfectly good sentiment…we all don’t want our friend or family to die. Another selfish reason that may give us more understanding about Peter…is found in the cultural understanding for the word Messiah. In the Hebrew tradition the Messiah is the Anointed One…or the one anointed to be king in the land. And of course anyone close to the king would benefit. And the idea that the anointed who is on the verge becoming king…will die…is unthinkable for some one who is close. (It is similar to the people who remain close to Gadhafi in modernLibya.)
That brings us to the word describing divine things… We used the word which is opposite to selfish…unselfish. In a completely unselfish way continues going to Jerusalem… knowing that the road is taking him to the cross. Knowing that the established leaders are angered by his by his questioning… and by the way people are flocking to hear his message of forgiveness… Jesus unselfishly continues on his way to the cross. Knowing that people in power are seeking his death…unselfishly Jesus pushes on…to his destiny. And when Jesus gets there he unselfishly picks up his cross and walks up the hill to Golgotha. In the great divine thing… Jesus the Son of God…the Anointed One unselfishly dies to free us…and releases us from our fears and our humanly things.
Then Jesus challenges us to set our minds on divine things. He says; If any want to become his followers… we must also take up our cross and follow him. We are challenged to abandoned our selfish ways and become completely unselfish. We are challenged to unselfishly care about other people as much as Jesus cares… to the point of loosing our lives as followers of Jesus… The divine things…this teaching and this challenge of Jesus… is the hardest thing Jesus calls us to do.
This week as I watched the news…with all the news about Jack Layton and the news about the winners of 40 million dollars…another story in particular bares quite a resemblance to the challenge Jesus sets for us…who wish to become his followers. It is about a Canadian born Libyan. He was a young man close to the age of Jesus…when he died… He unselfishly walked into a situation which he could have avoided… His parents wanted him to remain inCanada. I preface the story by expressive my passivism. I read from this week’s news article:
Edmonton-born Nader Benrewin left his information-technology job in Ottawa in March to join the Libyan uprising against Gadhafi and his forces. Benrewin had originally gone to Libya to share his information-technology expertise in blocking surveillance of mobile networks that could threaten the rebels in Benghazi. Initially, the purpose of the visit was not to be a fighter or join the freedom fighters.
He was always a peaceful man and had never carried a gun in his life. So he decision to remain in Libya and assist the rebels beyond information-technology matters was a hard one, and one which his family opposed.
Sadly, his death came just a few hours before the liberation of Tripoli, which is very difficult because he could have lived to see the glory and the happiness of the people he fought for and liberated, but it’s also difficult on his family because he contacted his mother a few hours before [he died] and said, ‘I’ll be home for dinner. Please prepare something nice for me and my friends’. (Edited from the CBC World News Aug 22/2011)
Other news stories from past months… may even more closely resemble Jesus’ story… As Jesus enters the gate and makes his way to the temple in the center of Jerusalem…in many countries crowds armed with only flags… unselfishly put their lives on the line… gathering in city squares protesting against their abusive government regimes. Many have unselfishly died and more will…in attempts to bring positive changes. They could have stayed at home trying to avoid the police, or become supporters of the regime trying to reap the benefits of being close. But they have chosen to speak out against the oppression. We who live in peace find it hard to imagine how people could risk everything to change oppressive regimes. But to us Jesus speaks once again; “What will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?”
So today let us rejoice that Jesus chose unselfish divine things… Let us give up our selfish human things… and set our minds on unselfish divine things. Let us deny ourselves and with willing hearts pick up our cross and follow Jesus… Let us save out live by giving them up for his sake. Thanks be to God. Amen
Out of the Wilderness 