Memorial United Methodist Church

Memorial United Methodist Church
White Plains, New York 10605

Rebuking Our Way to Relationship

A Sermon by Joe Agne, Pastor
Based on Mark 8:27-38
September 13, 2009 (Not edited or proofread)

Mark 8:27-37  (The Message)

 27Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”

28”Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’”

9He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”

30-32Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.

32-33But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”

34-37Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

38”If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

Jesus and Peter -- A Rebuking Relationship

Many of us think that Jesus was always mild – one who would never angrily confront another. We think the same of his disciples then and we wonder if we are to be the same. Then along comes this passage. Jesus and his friends are not a bunch of laid back guys, saying, “Hey, Dude,” to each other and to people they meet. Let’s rehearse this passage:

Jesus is looking for some feedback about his ministry. Are people getting it? He sends Peter and some of the others to do a focus group. They are ready to report and tell Jesus who people think he is. “Jesus, some think you are just like John, the Baptist.” This is Jesus’ cousin. He might have been the leader of the movement before Jesus came along. The king had beheaded John the Baptism. “Jesus, some people think you are Elijah.” This is very complimentary as Elijah was one of the most respected persons. “Jesus, some think you are a prophet.” Jesus doesn’t seem to accept these answers. They don’t match with his self-understanding. He asks Peter, “Then who do you say that I am?” “You are the Christ. You are the Messiah,” says Peter.

These are pretty good answers, except they are wrong. It still does fit how Jesus understands himself. Jesus doesn’t call himself by these names – Christ or Messiah. Jesus says, “I am the Son of Man – the Human One.” This has meaning. It is from apocalyptic literature like in the Book of Daniel. The Son of Man is different from the Messiah, who was expected to come as a King and military leader and lead the people to a military victory over their oppressors. The Messiah would be like King David. He would be politically victorious over the Roman government. The Palestinians would be free to form their own state. The Son of Man – the Human One -- was different. He would struggle non-violently, suffer great indignation, and be found guilty by both the political and religious leaders. They would kill him. He would die but then rise again and the nonviolent movement would continue on to challenge all kinds of oppression everywhere. In time, the Palestinians would be free and so would all oppressed persons.

Peter is very upset. You can imagine him thinking. “I left my job for this? I left my family for this? I left my community for this?” He doesn’t just speak his disagreement. It says, “he grabs Jesus.” You can see him grab him and he protests. You can almost hear him say I didn’t come out here for this junk. Jesus is upset too. He says to Peter, one of his closest friends, “Get out of the way.” “You are Satan.” “You have no idea how God works.” Do you know what Peter just did? Peter rebuked Jesus. And what did Jesus do to Peter. He rebuked him right back. It looks like not much “active listening” is going on here. But there is. They hear each other. Peter doesn’t like what he hears. The future is going to be different than he thought and he is protesting. Jesus doesn’t like what he hears. This one of his best disciples and he doesn’t get it. Then he says some of the most important words in scripture:

You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Jesus and Us – A Rebuking Relationship

In order to understand what is going one here you have to understand the Biblical concept of kenosis. Kenosis is the act of emptying oneself and acknowledging that one is empty. It has to do with acknowledging that we don’t know everything and that we fill ourselves with some things that don’t really fulfill us. What are some of the things with which we fill ourselves? Activities. Things. Attachments. Achievements. Food. Sex. Liquor. Drugs. Degrees. All kinds of addictions. Jesus is saying to let go of these things. The irony of these is that we can be stuffed and still feel empty. As he asks, “What good is it to get everything you want and lose your self, your real self. He wonders why to we trade our souls for these being-stuffers. He says lose this self. Make room in your life for love, for commitment, for covenant, for giving and receiving, for relationship. Paul, a later follower of Jesus, would say to lose your old self and gain your new self.

A lot of the things we fill our lives with are ways we think will cushion our suffering and make it not quite so difficult. We live with a very strong myth that it is possible to live without suffering. To maintain this demonic myth we fill our lives with things that don’t really nourish us. They are ways of running from suffering and not addressing suffering. Jesus says to embrace suffering. Put our arms around suffering. Acknowledge it. Be honest about it. Don’t live our lives trying to avoid it or pretending it doesn’t exist or numbing ourselves against it. He means for us to do this with ourselves, with others and with the world. Empty ourselves of the stuff that doesn’t nourish us and each other.

Jesus is rebuking Peter because he doesn’t get this. Peter is rebuking Jesus because he doesn’t yet understand this. We are a lot like Peter. We are often not sure that Jesus knows what he is talking about. Jesus stayed in relationship with Peter, until he got it. Jesus does the same with us. So it is OK to rebuke Jesus (“Jesus, what in the world are you talking about? I don’t understand.”). Be ready to have Jesus return the compliment and rebuke us (“Why are you giving up your soul? What are you gaining when you do this?). In this kind of engagement we can move toward a relationship that nourishes. We can gain our lives. We can find ourselves. It is risky – yet worth doing.