Mark 8: 31-36
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. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “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.For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
Jesus asks the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answers, "You are the Messiah." Yet, as Jesus begins to change the paradigm of what Messiah means, i.e. not a political and military leader but a suffering servant who models love of God and neighbor, Peter confronts Jesus.
Now, the disciples are often described in less than flattering ways in the Bible. Still, as I like to say, these are the dudes who churches are named after, so perhaps that should give us some sense of comfort in the midst of our uncertainty and doubts of faith. And Peter's misunderstanding here is one that we often fall into ourselves.
At the heart of our faith is the great narrative that Jesus brings new life out of death. The divine promise is that pain, anxiety, and shame do not have the final word in our lives. Instead, these moments in our lives are fertile ground for Jesus to work healing, peace, and new life, to change the paradigm of faith and belief in our lives. In the life of Jesus this is modeled in his passion -- the crucifixion and the resurrection. It is, then, the defining characteristic of our faith.
The cross is necessary in our lives, and friends, the cross will come, make no mistake. Yet, as Jesus carried his cross, he will help us carry our own. And as he turned the cross from a symbol of struggle and death into a symbol of love and new life, he will do the same with the crosses you bear.
Jesus of the cross and empty tomb, give us strength to bear our crosses in the confidence of your redeeming presence. Amen.
Jesus asks the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answers, "You are the Messiah." Yet, as Jesus begins to change the paradigm of what Messiah means, i.e. not a political and military leader but a suffering servant who models love of God and neighbor, Peter confronts Jesus.
Now, the disciples are often described in less than flattering ways in the Bible. Still, as I like to say, these are the dudes who churches are named after, so perhaps that should give us some sense of comfort in the midst of our uncertainty and doubts of faith. And Peter's misunderstanding here is one that we often fall into ourselves.
At the heart of our faith is the great narrative that Jesus brings new life out of death. The divine promise is that pain, anxiety, and shame do not have the final word in our lives. Instead, these moments in our lives are fertile ground for Jesus to work healing, peace, and new life, to change the paradigm of faith and belief in our lives. In the life of Jesus this is modeled in his passion -- the crucifixion and the resurrection. It is, then, the defining characteristic of our faith.
The cross is necessary in our lives, and friends, the cross will come, make no mistake. Yet, as Jesus carried his cross, he will help us carry our own. And as he turned the cross from a symbol of struggle and death into a symbol of love and new life, he will do the same with the crosses you bear.
Jesus of the cross and empty tomb, give us strength to bear our crosses in the confidence of your redeeming presence. Amen.
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