“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?” (Matthew 16:26)
Poor Peter.
In last week’s gospel reading from the RCL
(Matthew 16:13-20) he was certainly the Man. He was the hero who got the
revelation from God about who Jesus is—“the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
(v. 16). Jesus lavished some pretty cool praise on him for getting that one on
the nose, but in this week’s gospel lesson (Matt. 16:21-28) Jesus is chewing
Peter’s butt for misinterpreting his own
revelation. Peter just doesn’t get this whole suffering servant thing. I can’t
say that I blame him. It’s not an obvious concept to most people these days
either.
Back up in verse 20 Jesus orders the
disciples not to tell anyone that he’s the Messiah. Why he’s keeping it a
secret is any Bible reader’s guess, but I’m thinking the most obvious reason is
this: folks just don’t get it.
All of the pious Jews who have such high
hopes for Jesus as the Son of David are ready to put on their red “Make Israel
Great Again” baseball caps and kick out those corrupt, tax-and-spend Romans and
restore the glory of the long-passed Davidic Kingdom. You know—the good ol’
days when everyone felt pretty peachy about their nation. Then they can enjoy their
freedoms and proudly lord it over the Canaanites and the Samaritans. To them,
the Kingdom of God means power, victory over their enemies, and pride in their
exclusive identity. To Jesus, however, it means love through sacrifice and
humble trust in God’s righteousness, love, and goodness.
If you go into any old-fashioned Christian
church—not one of these mega churches with the movie screens and the sixty
piece praise bands, but an old-fashioned Protestant or Catholic church—you won’t
see the image of a victorious general on horseback or a picture of the guy who
just hit the Powerball. Pride, victory, wealth, and acclamation are not places
where we find God. You’ll see instead the image of a man dying on a cross, because
the true love and fullness of God only comes to us when we have put aside all
of our human vanities and desires.
Now, as someone not living in an occupied nation, I don’t see that there’s
anything particularly wrong with freedom or pride of identity. These things
become particularly valuable when they’ve been taken away from you. But before
they can bring you joy, you’re first going to have to find yourself in helpless
dependence on the love of and mercy of God. Peter and the others might’ve been
willing to die so that their people would triumph, yet what good is victory
without love?
What does “triumph” mean to you?
Recognition? More money? A more prominent job or place in society? The
gratitude of your kids or their success? A Phillies World Series Pennant (Good
luck with that last one!)? If you don’t know the peace of God without those
things, you won’t know God’s peace should you ever achieve what you think you desire.
I’ll say one thing for dear Simon Peter in
this gospel story—he sure does love Jesus and he wants to protect him (v. 23).
Later, he’ll even promise to stand by Jesus until death (Matt. 26:35, although we
know he didn’t make good on that promise!). I’m not so sure, however, that
Jesus really needs our protection or our defense. Lots of folks get their
boxers wedged up their cracks these days because of the increasing
secularization of our society. They’re pretty miffed because saying “Merry
Christmas” may not be politically correct, or because there isn’t prayer in
public school, or because we can’t send Bibles to our troops serving in Muslim
countries. Personally, I don’t see any of this as a threat to Jesus. Jesus
endured being stripped naked, publically beaten to a pulp, and nailed to a cross.
He was openly ridiculed as he hung there to die.
And yet he rose and lives in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus doesn’t need us to protect or defend
him. Jesus wants us to listen, love, serve, and obey him. He wants us to give
up our cultural vanity so we can be free to experience the joy of his love for
us, and find that love by serving others.
God bless you, my friends. Thanks again
for reading.
P.S.
I don’t think there’s a lot of partisan politics or denominational wrangling
going on in Houston, Texas right now. There are literally hundreds of thousands
of people left homeless by Tropical Storm Harvey, and things that might’ve
seemed really important a week ago don’t seem to matter today. Today we look to
Jesus on the cross giving himself away for people he has never physically met,
and asking us to do a little giving of our own. Here’s how:
The Gulf Coast Synod
Disaster Fund will be used for
helping congregations and their people get back on their feet so they can serve
their neighborhoods.
·
Give online at https://gulfcoastsynod.org/about/donate/.
Click the donate button and give to “Hurricane Harvey.”
·
Mail your donation to:
Gulf Coast Synod Disaster Fund / 12941 North Freeway, Suite 210 / Houston,
Texas 77060 (Memo: Hurricane Harvey)
Lutheran Disaster
Response is a highly
reputable ELCA organization that supports case management primarily, through
local providers like Lutheran Social Services. They give by need and not by
creed. Learn more about giving to LDR at http://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response/
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