Follow The Leader

September 12, 2021

Hope Lutheran Church

Rev. Mary Erickson

Isaiah 50:4-9a; Mark 8:27-38

Follow the Leader

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Vacations often involve long road trips. Those journeys can be filled with road games to pass the time. There’s I Spy and 20 Questions and one of my faves, the License Plate Game. Long road trips also provide an opportunity for conversation.

I don’t know if Jesus and his disciples played silly games while they were journeying from place to place, but we do know they engaged in conversations, even deep, profound ones. We hear one of their discussions in our reading for today.

Jesus wants to know what people think about him. What are the disciples hearing? Who do people think Jesus is? Lots of opinions are rolling around. People definitely see Jesus as someone of importance and significance.

Then Jesus makes it more personal. “Well, how about you all? Who do YOU think I am?” Peter is the only one brave enough to say anything. “You’re the Messiah, Jesus.” It’s a whopping claim. Peter believes Jesus is the promised Son of David, heir to the throne of Israel.

And then Jesus makes the big reveal about himself. He basically tells his disciples how he understands himself. He’s the Suffering Servant described by the prophet Isaiah. This holy servant will be the one to bring God’s justice to the earth. But he will also be despised. As Isaiah said, “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard.” This servant, though righteous, is a man of sorrows. But through bearing the infirmities of the world, he will bring the healing of heaven.

There may be adoring crowds now, thronging to see and touch Jesus, people hanging on his every word. But that will change. Jesus will be rejected and condemned. He’ll face tremendous suffering, even death. And then, he’ll defy death itself. He’ll rise from the dead.

Very soon the thrust of Jesus’ earthly ministry will shift. It’ll tack away from the preaching and healing he’s performed in Galilee. He’ll move towards his ultimate destiny in Jerusalem. But that destiny isn’t a royal throne like Peter imagines. It’s a cross on the edge of town.

This news just doesn’t compute with Peter. Jesus’ big reveal can’t possibly be true. Jesus is the Messiah! His future leads to victory, not death! Peter has seen Jesus’ power over nature. He’s seen Jesus heal the infirm, even raise the dead! He’s heard Jesus’ authoritative and profound preaching.

Peter pulls Jesus aside. He wants to redirect him. “No, Jesus! God forbid!” Peter thinks Jesus has had a slip in judgement. He thinks that he knows better than Jesus. Peter is going to LEAD Jesus back into the right direction.

Jesus responds with very strong words. “Get behind me, Satan!” Don’t be in front of me, don’t try to lead me. Get behind me, and follow me!

We all find ourselves on a journey. This long and winding path leads from birth to death. As people of faith, we look to our savior for direction. But just like Peter, there are times we’d prefer to take Jesus by the shoulders and steer him into a different direction.

When we follow Jesus, we align our identity with him. We follow his example. So if his journey takes him to a cross, that means our journey will include a cross as well. But we bridle at that thought. We would prefer to modify a theology of the cross into a theology of success. Rather than denying ourselves, we’d sooner build up personal security. Instead of focusing on service to others, I’d prefer comfort for myself.

But do we tell Jesus what’s right, or do we listen to him? Do we direct Jesus in the way we want to go, or do we follow him?

Jesus grounded his destiny to the divine, not the human. He centered his identity as our Suffering Servant. His mission was in giving himself away. He gave his healing powers, he shared his godly wisdom, and he poured out his life – all for our sake. His great desire was to bring divine healing, to make us whole. And because he gave himself wholly to the cross, I have received new life. My identity has been reborn.

Peter himself would come to see, too. Reluctantly, Peter followed Jesus to Jerusalem. And although he stumbled along the way, even to denying Jesus, he witnessed the divine glory of that Easter morning. He saw with his own eyes a new reality so astounding that Peter himself was transformed to his core.

Jesus calls us to this cross-centered life, too. What is the shape of our cross? It will look differently for each one of us. But they all are directed by the divine love which first claimed us and our savior who poured out himself for our sake. And in giving ourselves away in love and service, we’ll discover our true meaning purpose.