Second Sunday of Lent Mark 8:31-end Genesis 17:1-7; 15-16

There had just been a wonderful moment, when Jesus had asked the disciples, ‘But you, who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ A moment of enlightenment; of excitement even, when Peter, with the other disciples, finally ‘saw’ who Jesus was. From this high, though, Jesus had to bring them down rather swiftly. As Mark records, Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, etcetera, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Of course, this is not something that would go down easily. Peter won’t have any of it. He can’t imagine that the Messiah, of all people, would have to be treated in this way. He takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. But Jesus turns and looks at him, saying, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ That is quite a rebuff! We might feel sorry for Peter: he got it so right just before and his indignation at Jesus’ words would be totally understandable from a human point of view – but he got it so wrong too! Poor Peter! But Jesus had to teach them, forewarn them, about the purpose and the will of God for his people, so that they got the message right eventually. For the purposes that human beings may have for themselves are not the ones that God has chosen. He has a different plan for them, a plan that ultimately will save them. And so Jesus continues and says, ‘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.’ Now this, again, from a human point of view, is not easy to swallow; probably making it worse! Jesus is clearly not a crowd-pleaser! But then, there is no glory without a cross, is what Jesus is saying. You can’t have Easter Day without Good Friday. The disciples have to learn the ‘upside-down’ way of the Kingdom of God. Not an easy lesson to learn but it is essential. Peter and the others may not have seen Jesus as a military leader, perhaps; rather as a religious one, I expect. But they certainly didn’t see him as a sacrificial lamb, going to his death. It would defy reason! And yet, that is the path that Jesus is taking, as a martyr-Messiah, and, there will be a vindication. For he has also said, he is to rise again in three days. The language Jesus is using may be cryptic and startling, when he rebukes Peter and teaches the true meaning of following the Son of Man. But then Peter, and the other disciples, need to learn what the Church has always had to grapple with, which is the challenge of God’s point of view. God’s Kingdom doesn’t come through the destruction of the world, but rather through the total defeat of the evil in it. And that defeat is to come through the suffering of Jesus, the Messiah himself. Glory will come but not before the cross. And anything that would hinder Jesus from carrying out the work of salvation that he has come to perform in that way, is seen as ‘satanic’, as clear opposition to God’s plan. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he was challenged to use his divine power for selfish purposes, like turning stones into bread. His answer was, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ He successfully thwarted the attack and put his feet resolutely on the way to the cross. Even if Peter said something very good earlier, he is not to deter Jesus from his task.

Now, as we are well into Lent, we may wonder at the journey that Jesus went. It is a time for us to go deeper, in terms of focussing on the Lord and strengthening our relationship with him. Yes, we may want to stop a certain indulgence for a time; it may be good for our health too. But it is also a chance to reset our perception of what it means to be a Christian and our own walk with Jesus. What Jesus is saying is that following him is not a walk in the park. But what glory awaits when the walk is done and we are being welcomed in the very presence of God! What’s more, we have the opportunity to enjoy his presence with us even now. So let us rejoice, and continue our journey of Lent, steadily, faithfully, so that we may also celebrate the wonder of Easter Day even more. Amen.