Light of Life!!! Psalm 26:1-8; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16.21-28 Rev. Tiare L. Mathison, Pastor & Soul-Tender
The scandal of the cross. This is how Christian theology notes the unholy instrument of death, symbolic of the deepest act of love ever. It is very hard to gaze upon the cross for very long. It’s what makes emboldened Peter, the newly minted rock of the church, pull Jesus aside and say, “No! No! God forbid it!” And then sink like a stone thrown in the water when Jesus calls him ‘Satan’ and commands he get behind Him, the space where true disciples remain. It is easier to celebrate the loving Christ then the suffering Christ. Blood sacrifices are not our normal milieu in the 21st century. But Sanitized forgiveness does not challenge one to take the bet, that Jesus is really the Messiah, to lose their life to follow Him, rather, offers up what Dietrich Bonhoeffer claims as ‘cheap grace’.
Jesus foretells His death in a very particular way, to help His disciples understand the eternal message of God’s great love and forgiveness. He will suffer at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders. As Dale Bruner suggests for our modern parlance, the senior pastors and presbytery execs. He will be killed by the Romans. Jews & Gentiles—we all make Jesus suffer. But the good news of the gospel? His death is FOR US! For all of us, any who are willing to receive the gift of eternal life through faith. God is not stuck in death, no. Jesus proclaims His resurrection - the 3rd day. Light of Life!!!
Jesus leans into His initial choice of resistance to Satan’s temptations back in chapter 4. Remember the taunts? Turn stones into bread, I know you are hungry! Jump! I’ll give you the world! It is the way of the world TO AVOID SUFFERING, to succeed, to win, to will the power of the self. The call of discipleship is the opposite: self-denial, to give up ourselves as lords. It is to let Jesus rule our lives. Take note: Jesus doesn’t say, follow my teachings, rather, follow Me. Matthew, writing in 85AD, believes Jesus is alive to be followed, not just a dead man’s words. It is this sustained loyalty to the resurrected Christ that scaffolds our daily living. Light of Life!!!
This is the scandal: Scripture says Jesus' suffering & death in some profound sense was prepared by God and agreed to by Jesus. The Greek word ‘dei’ comes out of apocalyptic literature and indicates a Divine necessity or in our modern English, ‘the will of God’. These acts, hold salvific significance. A ransom for many, language borrowed from the redemption of slaves. Christus Victor, the Savior who defeats Satan and evil in the world. Moral Exemplor, the superior model of human. 3 major ways Jesus’ death on the cross has been explained throughout Christian history. Isaiah 53 comes into play here: “The Lord has laid upon Him the guilt of us all” the whole, entire world.
So then, this question: What is our response? We are called to be the Beloved Community. It is not our own goodness that makes it possible, rather the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ on the cross. Our distinctions, the practices that shape and form us, are laid out in Romans 12: *genuine love for one another *hate evil, hold tight to good *show honor to all *serve the Lord *bless those who persecute you *love with mutual affection *rejoice in hope *patient in suffering *Persevere in prayer *contribute to the saints *offer hospitality to strangers The hallmarks of the church are signals of who is Lord of our lives. This resurrected life is rooted in the called out-ness of the church, we are to be in constant tension with the world. The real temptation, the Satans of our day if you will, is to conform, at least just a bit, to the domination system built into every structure of our lives. We name it patriarchy, after the original Roman Empire. Still, the infection of our world and the root causes of racism and white supremacy. Domination is the frame.
But Jesus empowers us to confront this system and tear it apart, with our love, mutual forbearance, and a particular kind of hospitality. Eleazar Fernandez, a commentator in Feasting On The Word, says this: quote “Hospitality is a distinctive mark of the church. Justification by faith is the article by which the church stands or falls, hospitality is the practice...acted as charity, we offer crumbs from our table. Acted as justice, we offer a seat at the table...” unquote. With voice and vote I add. The measurement of a successful church in the early 21st century is the 3 B’s : building, budget and bodies. I don’t hear Jesus saying this, do you? We are to throw off the shackles of success and deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. It is not out of the world but boldly entering into the world, renewed by the crucified and risen Christ through the Holy Spirit. Every day of our lives. It is acts of defiance against the machinery of death - we are to seek justice for all, for all, and in our moment, racial justice for Black People particularly. For they have suffered the most of anyone in our country. We are not to cave in to indifference or acquiescence so readily available. No! We are to be active, outward facing, filled with love and outrage against evil. Like John Lewis says, “go cause good trouble.” The kind of trouble that disturbs people, makes people mad, challenges peoples thinking.
We are to hate what is evil! Says it right there in Romans; white supremacy is evil, lets be honest. And I as a white woman have to confess I have benefited from it. And I promise by the faith I have been given in the resurrected Christ, to do everything in my power to erode the empire. I invite all of you to make this same pledge. In this way, we move into the Light of Life! It is more complicated to act during this pandemic, when we are not even allowed to gather, for fear of spreading disease. The Internet has a plethora of possibilities for reading, study, joining, supporting. We have to trigger our imaginations to think beyond what we see in front of us, to dream of what is possible, not only practical. This is what Black People have been teaching us for centuries with their tenacity! It is to root ourselves in a theory of change. Freedom is coming. The cross is empty. Jesus rose from the dead and re-enchanted the universe. May redemption come for the whole world. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Light of Life!!! Amen