His Cross, Your Cross

Proper 17

Fr. Tim Nunez

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

This week we’ve got to do a “Previously on Good Shepherd” like they do on TV shows. Those of you streaming this at home can skip ahead a couple of minutes. (Just a moment, I’m buffering.)

Last week we joined Jesus and his disciples at a pagan shrine in Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked them who they say he is. Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus gives Peter a gold star for the day and says that is the rock upon which he will build his Church, and through the Church the Kingdom of God will take shape in the world.

Now Jesus explains to them what being the Messiah actually means. The disciples had their own expectations. At the time, the people of Israel hoped and expected God to do what he had done before, which was send someone – a messiah – to lead them back to faithfulness and eject Rome out of their land.

When Jesus talks about undergoing great suffering at the hands of their own religious and civic leaders, then to be killed, it doesn’t make any sense to them. God is supposed to use the Messiah to lead them to an improbable victory, as he has done in the past. Further, they have all been following Jesus for some time

now. They admire him, they are astounded by him, they love him. They don’t want anything bad to happen to him.

But Jesus must. He must go to Jerusalem. He must suffer. He must die. He must be raised. It’s not that he’s being obedient to orders; rather, he must because his will is fully aligned with his Father’s will. While Peter’s objection is perfectly natural, he is setting his mind on human things; it would distract Jesus from his divine

mission.

Jesus did not come merely to restore Israel’s independence from Rome and chalk up another major victory over the pagans. When Jesus says “get behind me, Satan” to Peter, it is a direct reference to the third temptation that Satan offered, for Jesus to rule over all the kingdoms of the world - if he would simply bow down to Satan. Jesus has come to resolve the fundamental problem of human existence, our sinful nature, and to reconcile us with the Father by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sin.

Then Jesus gives them the harder news. Anyone who wants to follow him must likewise take up their own cross and follow him. When we hear that, the cross is a sign of Jesus’ crucifixion, and also victory over sin and death. It’s a sign of ultimate and infinite life, so we have them everywhere in our sanctuary; we wear

them all the time as a sign of him.  

But they don’t know that yet. For them, the cross is a means of horrible, tortuous, and publicly shameful death. The Romans used it to intimidate, to maximize deterrence from various crimes, including rebels. Even though Jesus says, “and on the third day be raised,” they cannot understand it yet, and won’t until they actually see it.

For now, he’s telling them that his mission is their mission, that just as he is completely aligned with the will of the Father, they must be completely aligned with his will - no matter what that means, no matter where it takes them, even if it means facing a cross themselves.

We are blessed to baptize Ruth and Clara this morning. Ruth is a newborn, and Clara is a bit older. Their parents are on the same mission. Job one is to protect their children: protect from hunger, from danger, from discomfort, including wet and dirty diapers. Protect them from everything and anything so that they can grow.

As they grow, they will gradually take on risk. When they learn to walk, they will fall. They will walk into a table, at least once. Eventually, their parents will hand them car keys. Eventually, they will leave the nest altogether.

Psychologically, one might say taking up their cross could mean faithfully bearing the burdens, hardships, struggles, and challenges in life through which we grow. We don’t know who we are or what we can do unless we try, and we typically find at some points we can do a lot more than we ever thought we could. And to do so while being the best people we can be, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. That works as far as it goes, but it is incomplete.

 It must not be separated from the second half of the sentence, “…and follow me.” This is a subtle nod to his divinity. He doesn’t say, “Obey God.” He says, “Follow me.” Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. His is the name by which we must be saved. He is the ultimate guide and direction.

For example, our environment, the ecology of the oceans, and the health of our whole planet are extremely important. One could make a career of it in science, in advocacy, in politics and so forth. That is a good fight, but it also holds a temptation to distract us from the Lord. This is a constant issue in the Church. Causes, no matter how good, are not the Gospel. We get wrapped up in our opinions and forget that the world and we are dust, and to dust we shall return. This is Peter’s temptation, it is Ecclesiastes’ warning about “all is vanity and striving after the wind.” What would it profit us to gain the whole world if we forfeit our lives in the process? Any other meaning or purpose becomes some form of idolatry - unless it comes under the mantle of following Jesus.

Now think of the environment under the mantle of Christ, of God’s instruction from Genesis that we are stewards of his creation. Love of God and love of neighbor flow from following him. The temporal good takes on eternal value. And following Jesus, we reflect the Kingdom in the process.

AMEN!