Year B
Mark 8:31-38
The Rev. Denise Vaughn
Pick Up the Cross to Follow
Most every Christian sanctuary has as its focal point the cross and though each congregation chooses the way in which it’s particular cross is depicted, depending on its own architectural style tradition and theology, the presence of the cross of Christ across the world marks this place as a Christian worship space. There are other symbols of our faith for example the altar, candles, bibles and the pulpit but the one symbol present across all Christian denominations is the cross of Christ. This is fitting because the defining center of Jesus’ redeeming work points to the cross, a symbol of suffering and death, and without the crucifixion, the victory of God would not have been made visible in and through the resurrection. The cross is the ultimate moment of unconditional love because it focuses the incarnation, Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection of God in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it only seems fitting that we embrace the call to live in Christ so the cross becomes the purpose of our lives. This purpose should lead us to ask “What does it mean to be a faithful follower of Jesus?” Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness asking a similar question of him-self. What does it mean to be Jesus, and during Lent we are lead to ask what does it mean to follow him? Mark in his gospel, sets out to answer this question because before we can understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ, we must understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah. In this conversation today between Jesus and the disciples, Jesus is seeking to give meaning to and clarifying what Messiah meant and what discipleship is all about. He explains what is required of those who follow him. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” For Peter, and the other disciples, his answer was not good news.
He began to teach them that he would be rejected, that he will suffer greatly, and be killed. As we heard, Peter could not understand how and why his Messiah was to experience such humiliation. He believed, as many did with him, that Israel’s Messiah had come for glory, not for suffering. The Messiah would restore the nation to its power and prestige of before the Roman occupation. In Jesus’ day, there were plenty of messianic expectations that involved a traditional king with power and authority. The truth is that the power of the kingdom is the power of love-a love that is willing to die for those around him. Peter didn’t want to hear of suffering and killing unless it applied to the Romans and other unbelievers. Jesus’ response left no doubt that such thinking was at cross purposes with God’s will. “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus said, “For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
We are well aware from reading the gospels that Jesus’ assessment of life was the exact opposite of what the world teaches. Peter’s rebuke reflects the way we humans think and not surprisingly Peter’s vision and version of the Messiah remains alive today. Many would prefer our Savior to talk about happiness rather than repentance and what is required to be made right with God, about comfort rather than discipleship. As long as we are tempted to prefer the idea that God should not bear a cross, or God forbid we should have to suffer as we follow faithfully, we will be forever seeking painless shortcuts to the kingdom. We will try to substitute another way for the way of the cross.
Yet, it seems that only when we make the decision to deny our selfish ways can we follow Christ. All our efforts to make another way are a denial of the one who showed us the way. The path to victory goes through defeat. The journey toward life passes through death. The way to victory is God’s way of power and might, the might that makes all things right and results in a glorious kingdom. For Jesus and any who would be his followers, this is the way. This is true discipleship. What Jesus is calling us to do in taking up the cross is to believe, to follow and become blessings and examples of God’s unconditional love to the world. To live this out, we don’t have to be a stellar example to others. We just try to make life directed to loving God and sacrificing for our faith, as we struggle to witness to the truth in an adulterous and sinful generation.
When we seek to do this we lose our life for Christ’s sake and we discover the purpose of the cross for our lives which is to share the gospel in a way that draws attention. When the cross is our life’s purpose, we are freed from wondering what life is all about. Our direction in life becomes clear: to serve God and love others as Jesus did. This season of Lent is structured to help us remember the journey of Jesus to the cross and to re-remember the call of Jesus to discipleship. In these days, we are lead to contemplate the power of the cross and the power that comes in seeking out our cross. The power of the cross contradicts everything that we imagine that God should be. God reveals God’s self in the weakness of suffering and death which appears as foolishness and weakness to a world that looks for wisdom and strength in its god.
The truth is that God’s mercy is given to sinners, not reserved for the righteous; God’s strength is seen in weakness, not displayed in power; God’s life is disclosed in death. Yet, we also know the rest of the story-the triumph of resurrection glory, ascension, the gifts of the Spirit and a life of following that beings eternity. For Mark’s community, after Jesus ascended, they personally understood these words of Jesus. They understood what it meant to first deny one self and take up the cross; for they were suffering and losing their lives for the gospel. For them, and for all those who have or are being persecuted today for their faith, the message is clear: the way of salvation is through faithful endurance of persecution, not avoidance of it.
Even though we are not undergoing active persecution in the same way as the early Christians did, “denying oneself” still has significance for us because it means removing ourselves from the center of our concerns, giving up power and status in favor of service to others. This is the way to understand what Messiah means as the suffering one who takes up the cross and lays down his life for us. For it is then that we can understand who we are to be, and denying self, we can take up the cross and follow him. We should ponder, as we continue this Lenten journey, not only the cross that adorns our sanctuary and what that means but the picture of Jesus on the road to Jerusalem making his way to the cross, calling all his disciples to take up their own cross and walk with him in paths of love and service.