Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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For college students across the country, its time for Spring Break. But before they're free to go and relax, there's mid-term exams that must be taken. You've got to show that you've actually learned something this far along.

For the disciples enrolled in Jesus' traveling seminary, it was time for their mid-term exam. First question, "who do people say that I am?" They answer, "some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others say one of the prophets."

I have sometimes wondered we might answer that question if it were asked of us today. "Who do people say I am?" Some say, "a spiritual person who helps them tap into their own spiritual energy." Others say, "a great example for the way we should all live." Some say, "a crutch. Useful to have around just in case you need something to lean on."

But of course that's what they're saying. It's certainly not you all in here are saying. What about you? "Who do you say that I am?" "And Peter answered him, 'You are the Christ.'" Peter got it right, and we sure hope that the other 11 in the class gave the same answer, and I hope you do too.

This is why it's better to follow a historic liturgy rather than saying whatever comes to mind. The Divine Service puts the right words into our mouth so that we may answer rightly when asked, "But who do you say that I am?" And all together we say, "O Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world."

Jesus gave His students no Spring Break at all. He moved right from the mid-term exams to the next lesson. And the next lesson dealt with what it means to be "the Christ." (So Peter, go and do likewise. Skip your Spring Break and go to Camden, N.J., and learn what it means that Jesus is the Christ).

"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed; and after three days rise again." Jesus says that this "MUST" happen to the Son of Man. That little word "MUST" means that there's no getting around it. It's not that Jesus asked for this. This is divine necessity. From the beginning we knew it MUST to go like this. "He will crush your head and you will bruise His heel." (Gen.3:15).

Why? Why must Jesus suffer, be rejected and killed? Because God said so, that's why. But why did God say so? Because this is the way God deals with our suffering, rejection and death. He puts it all onto Jesus. Your suffering becomes His suffering. Your rejection becomes His rejection. Your death is why He MUST die.

We can see this pretty well in that encounter between Jesus and a man named Saul in the book of Acts. As Saul is riding out from Jerusalem to Damascus to administer suffering, rejection and death to the Christians there, Jesus knocks him off his high horse and says, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Their suffering, rejection and death is His persecution.

The words, "suffer," "rejected," and "killed" go off like roadside bombs. And the blast makes us deaf. And we never do hear the words, "and after three days rise again." And so we miss the outcome of His suffering, rejection and death.

"Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him." This did not agree with Peter's expectations of the Christ. Even though there was not complete agreement on who Jesus was, the common expectation was that when the Christ came He would come to establish an earthly kingdom. When the Christ comes, He will sit on the throne of David and His rule will reestablish the nation to its glory days. Not suffering, rejection and killing but peace, prosperity and victory. The stock market will rebound, pensions will be raised resurrected, the deficit will disappear, Iran will beat its nuclear warheads into plowshares and the Hezbollah will eat straw with the Jews.

The disciples had some of the same false hopes and expectations of the Christ as everyone had. Just because they followed Jesus didn't mean they weren't susceptible to false ideas. They too read Joel Olsteen and watched Oprah.

"Turning and seeing the disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of man." If this sounds like Jesus is being overly harsh on Peter, then try to understand that it is Satan who is behind every temptation to convince Jesus to avoid the suffering, rejection and death of the cross.

When Jesus was in the desert those 40 days being tempted by the devil, the temptations were all focused on one goal, persuade Jesus to avoid the cross and all of the suffering and rejection involved in it. "No need to suffer hunger Jesus, just turn these stones into bread and be happy." "No need to face rejection Jesus, just bow down to me, and all of my friends will be your friends." "No need to go to the cross and die Jesus, just let your own angels catch you in their arms and carry your away from this ugly world of suffering and death."

If Satan can tempt Jesus to avoid the cross and all of His suffering, rejection and death for our suffering, rejection and death, then we are all still in our sins and the doors to the kingdom of heaven remain shut tight and everyone passes through the doors of hell and Satan's kingdom comes to us all. He MUST drink this cup of suffering and death, for only by His suffering and death are our sins atoned for and are we reconciled to God. We have been justified by his blood and in no other way and for no other reason. While we were still sinners and enemies of God, and not before, we were saved from the wrath of God by Christ crucified because God made Him who knew no sin be suffering, rejection and death for us.

There was something wrong in the disciples thinking that needed to be straightened out. And not only theirs, but those who said that Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets too. And by all means, we should count our selves in this crowd too. "And he called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."

So, just what does Jesus mean when He says that if we would be His disciples, we must deny ourselves take up our cross? What does it mean to loose one's life in order to save it? We need to put this into concrete terms so that we can actually put into practice and do it. Does it mean that there are certain things we should sell and learn to do without? Should we sell our SUV for a Hybrid, or our big house for something smaller. Or in light of the present economy, should we do just opposite and, even though we really don't need anything, buy something for the sake of the economy. The least we can do is sign up to do a meal for the homeless shelter. It's not much but at least I'm doing something.

Isn't this just the way that we process all this talk about self-denial and dying to self? We hear Jesus say what He must do for our salvation, and we immediately begin to think about things that we must do too. Jesus has done His part now we need to do our part. The way we hear it, Jesus is saying, if you want to be my disciples, you've got to do your part. You've got to suffer a little too.

One of the problems we have when it comes to applying the Scriptures to ourselves is that we're always translating what Jesus says He must do into something that we must do. But the truth of the matter is, there is nothing for us to do in our salvation. Absolutely nothing. Jesus has done it all. But we really want to do something, anything, even if it's just a tiny bit.

When it comes following Christ and faithful discipleship, there is nothing is harder for us to accept than the fact that everything has been taken out of our hands. We do not get to do our part and by our doing, feel as if we've made our contribution and maintained a bit of self-esteem. This is what Paul is getting at when he says, 'while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." (Romans 5:8,10). We have nothing at all to offer except what is sin and enmity toward God.

So Jesus MUST do it all. He MUST suffer many things, be rejected by man, crucified, die and be buried and on the 3rd day rise again. And because He has done all of this, you have been reconciled to God; you have been saved, the doors to the Kingdom of heaven have been opened unto you.

So, when Jesus says, 'take up your cross,' we should paint a picture in our mind of our old sinful self that wants to do our part and contribute our bit, picture all of our self-righteousness nailed to the cross and left to die. And quit trying to raise that old self up to life again.

For this is the death that Jesus died on the cross for you. His death is your death. And by His rising to life on the 3rd day, He has raised you up and given you a whole new life. A new life that looks not to what you must do for your salvation but which looks only to Jesus and trusts that He has done it all.

Paul understood what it means to take up your cross and deny yourself. As Paul looked back on his life and thought about how proud of himself he was for all of his religious fervor and his work for the Lord, it makes him sick. "I count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ…" (Phil.3:8-9).

It profits you nothing to add something to what Jesus the Christ has done. To try to do so means you loose it all. There is nothing that you have to give in exchange for your life. Jesus has given His life in exchange for yours, and that is enough.

Amazingly, it is as we believe this and deny ourselves and put our own ego to death, and put all our trust and confidence in Jesus the Christ for our salvation that we suddenly realize that we're free now to make all kinds of sacrifices out of pure love for my neighbor to the glory and praise of God. A right understanding of what it means that Jesus is the Christ gives new meaning to what He teaches us. "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul" now means that since Jesus has purchased and won me, not with gold or silver but with His holy and precious blood, my life is pure profit that cannot be lost. I'm free to share it freely.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 at 11:39 am and is filed under Audio Sermons, Sermons - Lutheran - LCMS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.