Good Morning Friends,
Ok, Jesus’ comments to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” must have really burned. Jesus had enticed Peter to follow, but not yet to lead. The stakes were getting higher and Peter needed to know that the conquering King of Creation’s rule was not to be born out of a violent revolution. Sure, Peter had answered correctly when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” but Peter did not yet grasp the full meaning of the Messiah Jesus just yet. Peter’s path, in the context of today’s lectionary text, would have gained the world and lost souls, it would have been as Jeremiah wrote about. But there was another path, not expected, and it was to change the whole dynamic of our faith. It is about living sacrifices that transform us in the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is about the hard work of facing hatred and anger with love. So, we too need to renew our thinking. We need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We need to consider what we would sacrifice to have peace and then realize that Jesus has already provided the way of peace. So, Is Our Focus Set On Those Things Of Heaven Or Of Hell…Those Things Fair Or Unfair?
Scripture: 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. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 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.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 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? “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. 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.”
Matthew 16: 21-28 (NRSV)
O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
Jeremiah 20:7-9 (NRSV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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 is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s scripture reminds me of the story of Faust and this debate on the human condition and people gaining the world and losing their souls. It is about our choices and what we are willing to give up for what we want, but it moreover is about wanting the right things achieved in the right ways. It is so very relevant for the times in which we live. You see, sacrifice can be a foreign and strange thing to us. When looking at sacrifice, it is helpful to keep in mind that there is purpose and truth in the richness of its imagery. Sacrifices were important and instrumental to the worship life of believers in the Old Testament. At the time of the patriarchs, the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, people offered sacrifices to thank God for blessings or to participate in a fellowship meal with God and a covenant people. Sacrifices also focused on atonement and were offered to cover up for the sins of the people. Animals would have to die, and their blood would need to be shed. Imagine having to kill and sacrifice an animal for something that you did against God’s Commandments. That would certainly make you look at things differently, and even your actions, and their consequences. Sacrifices were often done at the tent of the tabernacle and later were done in the temple. Picture the combination of a church, slaughterhouse, and open-air kitchen all put together, and that is what it would have been like. Picture the sight and smell of animals in God’s house, the bleating of animals, the smell of bread and cooking meat, and the commotion of people coming in and going out, buying and selling. Picture the sight of blood, and lots of blood. Furthermore, the sacrifices that were given to God were supposed to be animals that were pure and without blemish. They had to be healthy and strong, not the runts of the liter or the ones that would die from poor health. God wanted the best and deserved the best. Sacrifices were to be offered to God alone, and the Israelites got into deep trouble when they offered them to other gods besides the Lord. Now Paul uses the term living sacrifice, in today’s text from Romans, which seems to be an oxymoron, but in fact is really about grace and mercy and love. You see, Jesus died to cover and atone for our sin though an act of love. It is because of the mercies of God, which stem from Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice for us, that we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices. It is through this lens we are to love. This is not done for God’s mercy but rather in response to God’s mercy. So, it is not about how much we will sacrifice but how much we will love that is the real issue. It is not so much about our leadership but more so our willingness to surrender to God and to be of service to the King as we get behind him walking in Jesus’ footsteps.
And So, the reality is that one of the reasons why so many people reject Jesus is because they feel that God is unjust. They feel as if God has done nothing to fix the problems in this world, or in their own lives or in the lives of loved ones. They feel that it is all God’s fault and that they could do a better job in making things right if they were in control. I think Peter may have felt that way from time to time.
Thankfully God chastens those he has chosen. Even with the tough love we see administered to Peter in today’s text. The thing is that life is not always fair but there is a God who is good and has made us an offer to give us a new heart…a resurrected heart. Yes friends, there is a moral code….one of love and relationships and we are not in control of them and ultimately that is fair because our control might well stifle the Holy Spirit and that does no one any good. What Jesus explains in today’s text is that there are sins of commission but also sins of omission and of our disposition. We are brought to the reality that we cannot legislate love. Friends, if we have love, good things will come to life. If we do not accept the offer of love our lives will be miserable. So, put down your animosity and shame and pick up your cross…. follow Jesus and love. We have no right to complain about life being unfair when Jesus was treated so unfairly and still gave his life so we might live. Thankfully part of us knows that God’s way is better. Of course, it is easy to get into focusing on how sour the grapes are. Sometimes we fight the wrong fight instead of the good one. We desire to fight our way to freedom even if it kills us. And certainly, God may have a better outcome for us and yet we still complain, deny God and grieve the Spirit. Thankfully like Peter we might just learn that the sorrow of our sin can only be cured by love.
Pray we realize that we are changed by the love of grace not the law. Pray we realize that our sinfulness and the law’s inability to save us leaves us with only one option for salvation. Pray we clean up our anger and realize that the New Covenant is an offer we are not to refuse, for it is the one that God offers. Pray that we reconcile with God and reconcile with others. Pray we realize that life may not always be fair, but that God has a way of redeeming the situation by helping us focus on those things that are good. Pray therefore that the peace of God that passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Pray we repent, receive forgiveness and the share the love we have received. Pray God restore in us a spirit of hope so that we do not give up when life seems unfair. Pray we open our hearts to a changed approach to help us stay positive. Pray we focus on the good growth while advocating for a loving justice. Pray we always allow the Spirit of Jesus to lead us. Pray we admit that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. Pray we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment for our own personal sins. Pray we have received forgiveness too. Pray we realize that for that to happen requires some sacrifices on our part too. Pray we guard our thoughts and think on things that honor God. Pray we give up the idea that our way is the best way. Pray we give up control of our life and follow God’s plan not our own. Pray we are living examples of a sacrifice for sin. Pray we realize that Jesus sacrificed everything for us in order that we might have life. Pray we love in a way that pleases God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 