Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16                                                                                           Carol A. Solovitz

Psalm 22.22-30                                                                                                      Lent 2B

Romans 4.13-25                                                                                                    March 12, 2006

Mark 8.31-38

 

Suffering in the Kingdom

 

 

            “Life is difficult.”  With these words M. Scott Peck begins his classic book The Road Less Traveled. At the time he wrote that book, Peck was following Buddhist teachings. When he followed up 25 years later with Further along the Road Less Traveled, Peck was a Christian.  However, he still believed and taught that “Life is difficult.” Not everyone wants to hear such statements. We don’t want life to be difficult. We want the road to be smooth and the journey swift and easy. 

Peter was like that. He could not stand to hear Jesus tell the disciples that “the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed…”  Peter was so distraught at this news that he did not hear the last part of Jesus’ teachings, “...and after three days rise again.” No, he heard nothing after Jesus talked about undergoing great suffering.

After all, Peter had just seen Jesus feed thousands of people with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish. He had just witnessed Jesus outwit the Pharisees with his wise deflection of their demand for a sign from heaven.  Before they left Bethsaida for Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had cured a blind man by putting saliva on his eyes and by laying his hands on the man.  “Everything is great in the kingdom of God,” thought Peter. “Life is going to be smooth sailing from here on out. I’m glad I’m on the same side as Jesus.”

Then Jesus told them about great suffering and rejection and death. Peter went to him, took him aside and said, “Jesus, we have to talk.”  The Bible says that he began to rebuke Jesus, after which Jesus began to rebuke Peter. “Rebuke” is a word used when Jesus commanded the storm to stop, ordered the demons to depart and told his disciples to stay silent. Here, Peter and Jesus rebuke one another. The issue is who is in charge. Jesus even calls Peter “Satan”, telling him, “Get behind me.”  Peter has behaved like the master, and Jesus tells him to get back in his place – that of a disciple.

As we hear Jesus say, “Get behind me, Satan,” we think of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. There the devil offered to take away all hunger and discomfort and powerlessness. All Jesus had to do was fall down and worship Satan. Instead, Jesus chose the harder way and remained faithful to his Father in heaven.

Peter thought the kingdom of God would be without pain. His rebuke was another temptation to Jesus – and to us. Lamar Williamson, Jr., says that all of us are “tempted to think that God’s anointed can avoid suffering, rejection and death and that God’s rule means power without pain and glory without humiliation.” That is what Peter and the other followers of Jesus would expect of the Messiah’s reign. Peter had just confessed that he believed Jesus was the Christ. But Jesus was saying that the Christ would experience the worst that we can imagine, and that God’s kingdom means suffering and death.  Peter didn’t want to hear that.

Of course, we modern-day disciples don’t want to hear that, either. We don’t want to hear about crosses and sacrifice. We want to hear about God’s love and blessings. The good news is that we do have those, too. However, we humans lost the Garden of Eden, and our lives will not be without hardship. It is hard to imagine that Jesus, Son of God, also had a difficult life. We quote John 3:16, “For God so loved that world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.” And don’t forget John 3:17, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Note those two words “gave” and “saved”. In the midst of the good news of our salvation is the reality that it comes because someone gave his life for us.

On a recent airing of “Speaking of Faith,” I heard a Buddhist say that the Kingdom of God must include suffering. For it is only by suffering that we can grow in faith. Without mud, a lotus flower will not thrive and bloom. Without struggles, we become self-centered, serve no one and never blossom into what God made us to be.  Makes sense, doesn’t it? 

God does not make it any easier for us because we believe in Jesus. Jesus himself said, “God sends the sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” [Matthew 5.45] Bad things still happen to good people. Yet God does give us a way to endure and survive the suffering that invades the Kingdom. That way is Jesus. Through Jesus, we are empowered to bear the crosses of others and be bearers of his Gospel. After all, that is what it means to be called Christians, his apostles.

Let us pray:  We dread your cross, O Jesus. It is an emblem of suffering and shame. Yet we love it because it lets us know how much we are loved. Empower us with such love as yours, in your holy name, AMEN.