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The Cost of Being a Christian

The Rev. Thomas W. Simmons

My how things change!  In one breath Jesus is commending Peter, giving him a new name, a new mission and the keys to heaven.  And in the next breath Jesus is rebuking Peter as though he were Satan himself.

Poor Peter!  It's like he's on a roller coaster. He's up one day then down the next - or in this story up one MINUTE and down the next. It seems he's often in that situation. One minute he's walking on water, the next minute he's drowning.  I guess its part of his personality - some people are just like that. 

Peter really stands out in the Gospels.  He's full of zeal and big ideas and big talk. He's impatient and can't keep a secret - but he'll do anything for you.   He wears his feelings right out there in your face - but you always know where you stand.  He puts his foot in his mouth a lot - but he is brave to a fault and you can always count on him in a fight.  

I guess you could say Peter is a guy's guy.  He's a great model of the Christian life for men who wonder if the church is a place for women and children and sissies. He shows that it’s not. I love having him as our patron saint here at St. Peter's.

And I'll bet Jesus loved having a guy like Peter in his crew.  Peter's zeal and willingness and forthrightness were very appealing to Jesus. Jesus saw great potential in Peter, and knew that with a little work he'd be able to make him a very powerful advocate for the Gospel.  He'd be the Rock.

But Peter still has a lot to learn.  For instance, he has yet to realize that his zeal can be dangerous when it’s wedded to bad ideas, because ideas have consequences. 

And there are a lot of bad ideas in the world - and in our own heads - like the one Peter had regarding the Messiah. Peter bought into the politically correct ideology of the day that Messiah was a political force that would liberate Israel from Roman oppression and elevate her to worldwide dominance. 

This was a very appealing idea, especially to Peter who would get at least a cabinet level post in the new government, maybe even Veep. Peter's thoughts of the Messiah were mixed up with political ambitions and were primarily focused, as Jesus said, "on human things."

But Jesus calls us to a different mindset. He insists that we give priority to "divine things." He scolds Peter for having a world view that is more informed by conventional wisdom than by God's wisdom. 

Paul says the same thing in our Epistle reading. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God." What Peter needs is a little "renewing of his mind."

Most of us are just like Peter.  We've partially grasped the truth about Jesus. We've gotten a lot of the important stuff down, but we still have some silly notions, some bad ideas and maybe even some dangerous beliefs mixed in.  That's something we need to give some serious attention, because ideas have consequences. And bad ideas can have some very serious consequences.

That's what Peter discovered.  Jesus told them "that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering…and be killed and on the third day be raised."

But this sets off alarm bells in Peter's head. "…Be killed…?" That's not how it's supposed to end!  Thinking that Messiah was coming to conquer and rule, not suffer and serve - ole Pete zealously resists God's plan as Jesus revealed it. In typical fashion, Peter opens his mouth…and inserts his foot. "Hold it Lord!  This must NEVER happen to you!"

Notice that Peter doesn't even hear Jesus' promise that he will emerge victorious from death when he is "raised on the third day. " Peter's too busy trying to protect Jesus, and his own plans for messianic glory.

But Jesus gets his attention real quick, doesn't he? He rebukes Peter and actually lumps him in with Satan. What's Jesus talking about?  Well, the last time we saw Satan in Matthew's Gospel he was tempting Jesus out in the desert.  In each temptation Satan offered Jesus a shortcut to glory.  "Hey you're the MESSIAH, you don't need to be hungry out here! Turn these stones into bread."

Then from a mountaintop Satan said, "See all these nations?  They can be YOURS with one little gesture. Just bow down to me."  Then from the top of the Temple Satan showed Jesus how to really impress the people of Israel.  "Throw yourself down there and when the angels escort you to the ground, ALL the people will believe in you."

Satan offered Jesus the glory of Messianic rule without the suffering of the cross. And now Peter is advocating the same thing: a cross-free kingdom.  Jesus rightly responds, "Get behind me, Satan!"

Jesus knows his mission. He knows he'll sit at the right hand of the Father above all rule and authority and every name that is named in heaven and on earth. But he also knows that it will only be AFTER he has suffered for us, faced death, been separated from God and descended into hell. He knows that when he has obediently endured death he will rise again, victorious, having forgiven sin, defeated death and harrowed hell itself.

FIRST it's the cross, THEN the glory.  That's the point he drives home to his disciples. "If anyone wants to become my follower, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." 

Jesus applies this lesson to all of us who might be tempted to be cross-free Christians, embracing the benefits of serving God without the sacrifice. It's interesting how we tend to romanticize the cross, turning what was a very efficient implement of humiliation, torture and death it into pretty jewelry and ornaments made of precious metal. But this means of bloody execution is the core symbol of the Christian life.

"Take up your cross."  Not a very catchy ad slogan is it?  But it has proved strangely compelling nonetheless.  It has captured the imagination of billions of people over twenty centuries. And here we are today. We are Christians, seeking, in one degree or another, to be disciples of Jesus. 

The message for us is quite simple.  To be a Christian we must be Christ-like.  That means we must deny ourselves and take up our cross, like he did. We must give ourselves wholly to God, as Paul says in Romans, and as I say every Sunday at the Offertory: "Offer your body a living sacrifice." 

Throw yourself down and surrender. Take the Nestea plunge, entrust yourself to God. Take a stage dive, holding nothing back.  It's like the Red Hot Chili Peppers song from the mid-90s,  "Give it away, give it away, give it away now." This is what we mean when we talk about "sacrificial giving."  Think of it as a 100% tithe. 

Jesus demands all that you are and all that you Have and all that you will be, 100% of it with nothing held back. God simply wants to have his rightful place in your life as numero uno. HE IS GOD AFTER ALL! 

That's what Jesus means by "deny yourself." Put aside everything - even our life - that competes with God for our loyalty. Jesus set the example in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before his crucifixion, "Not my will but your will be done."

I remember the first time I said that. I was 18 years old.  I had been struggling with God for several months, surrendering by degrees to his will, giving up this, giving up that, but always holding something back: my girlfriend.   I became a disciple of Jesus when I replied to God, "OK you can even have Monica." At that point I was willing to give it all away to have God alone.   At that point I became a follower of Jesus.

So where are you in your discipleship? We are all in our unique place with God and moving at our own pace.  But Jesus' call is the same for each every one of us .  "If any of you want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow…".  AMEN