March
19, 2000
Mark 8:31-38 (CEV)
Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He
said, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teacher
of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly.
He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise
to life." Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.
Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that.
But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter.
He said to him, "Satan, get away from me! You are thinking
like everyone else and not like God."
Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and
he said: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must
forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow
me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if
you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save
it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy
yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?
"Don't be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful
and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed
of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy
angels."
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1.
First Jesus uses imagery and metaphor to talk about sweep of his
life yet before him. It is recorded that he then went on to explain
clearly what he meant. This explanation, which we don't have here,
was apparently interrupted by Peter telling Jesus that he had
gotten it wrong.
Jesus responds that it is Peter, thinking like everyone else,
who had it turned around. We, like Peter, have a tendency to think
like everyone else of our time. We can see that as we look back
at previous generations. We can project it into our own time.
However, we have a most difficult time getting out of the trap
of thinking like our culture thinks.
A part of the Lenten Journey is doing our best to clarify our
own and each other's thinking about the sweep of life yet before
us.
2.
As we listen to Jesus further responding about thinking like everyone
else we run into the challenge of the good news which turn our
usual thinking upside down. You may remember from Chapter 1 the
cries of "You are beloved," "The time has come!"
and "turn back to God and believe the good news." The
good news has to do with taking up one's cross (mission in life)
and living a life of service. In every time this has to do with
living against the economics and power structure of the day. Can
you imagine what that would mean in the year 2000? To imagine
it is to participate in the Lenten Journey leading to Easter.
3.
So, guess what, we are called to live our life, to bear our cross,
in the midst of unfaithful and sinful people. We are not called
to barricade ourselves in an enclave of purity, Jesus certainly
didn't. We are not called to give allegiance to profit and vote-gathering,
Jesus certainly didn't.
We are called to simply enhance the sense of being GOD's beloved
in ourselves and in others. This very simple action will lead
us to our cross. May this be a goal for your Lenten Journey this
time around.