Jeremiah
15:15-21
15 O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not
take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. 16 Your words were
found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my
heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in
the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I
sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a
deceitful brook, like waters that fail. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord: If you
turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter
what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is
they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. 20 And I will make
you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but
they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem
you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Romans
12:9-21
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one
another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the
Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with
those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one
another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be
wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for
what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends
on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave
room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will
repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will
heap burning coals on their heads." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
Matthew
16:21-28
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands
of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third
day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying,
"God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he
turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block
to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human
things." 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my
followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their
life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the
whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their
life? 27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of
his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I
tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see
the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
O Father, light up the small duties of this day’s life:
May they shine with the beauty of your countenance
May we believe that glory can dwell in the commonest task of every day.
(St. Augustine, 354-430)
Then Jesus told his
disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.
·
Peter’s quick comments
gets him in trouble again. He says “This should never happen to you!” and Jesus
responds with a quick “Get behind me, Satan!” I
don’t think any of us would like to hear those words addressed to us. They
sound like a condemnation followed by a dismissal.
·
There is more to it than
that. Jesus says “Get behind me” and not “Go away!” There is a difference,
believe it or not. He did not tell Peter to go away; he reminded him of something
very important, something Peter had acknowledged a short time before: “You are
the Messiah, the Son of God!” He reminded Peter that Peter was his disciple as
well as his friend.
·
The proper place of a
disciple is that of a follower. Jesus, using some serious language, reminds
Peter that his real place is the place of disciple, a follower… behind Jesus. Peter probably did
not realize the cost of Jesus’ own ministry or of his own discipleship. He was
being reminded of the role of a disciple by his teacher. We might find the
wording rather strange, to hear Peter called “Satan.” Maybe it was said in
anger or in momentary exasperation. Whatever the case, Jesus is saying what he
said before: “Follow me!”
·
Peter objected to the
talk of suffering and of the eventual execution of Jesus on a cross. Many
people object to such talk today, saying it is a sign of an old-fashioned faith
that preached suffering and pain. I think we’d all like to have a discipleship
that costs us little, pains us little, inconveniences us only a little. That
might be pleasant and more to our liking, but that is definitely not the following of the
Crucified One, for his path leads to Calvary and to the Cross. That is
inescapable.
·
Jesus is not calling us
to follow him anywhere he himself was not willing to go. We are invited and
called to follow him where he leads… and that will take us to the cross. What
that would mean to each of us might vary. It does mean something more than bearing
small pains, itching mosquito bites, and other minor annoyances with some kind
of patience… as “my cross to bear.” It might not require our lives or our
fortunes (such as they are), or our honour. It will however require much of
each of us.
·
To follow Jesus to the
Cross (and beyond) means to change our attitudes and our way of thinking. We
can’t think as if nothing matters but our own will and our own comfort. The
requirement of love of God and love of neighbor and the real presence of the
Kingdom of God in our lives will cost us something and it may cost us plenty.
Who knows what that will be? I can’t even speak of that for myself.
·
The meaning and the
power of the Cross of Christ is one thing we must carry for our whole lives. At
its base, it means that salvation comes through the Cross and grace… not by our
own power, deeds, personal holiness, or morality and righteousness. The cross
means that what Jesus has done for us is pure, undeserved gift… and that might be harder to embrace
or “carry” than any personal pain, annoyance, or whatever we call the crosses
we believe we are carrying.
·
It is important to
remember that in taking up our cross, Jesus promised to be with us always, even
to the end of the age as the end of Matthew’s Gospel tells us. That
promise is fully in force here because Jesus has been where he is leading us
and where he has led his disciples through-out history. It may be that the
cross carries us in all we do
for the sake of the Kingdom and in the strength of God’s grace.
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
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