Weighing the Way
A sermon on things getting real and the cost of following the Way
Mark 8:27–9:8
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “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, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. ~Mark 8:27–9:8 NRSV
You know those moments when things “get real”? Like when you’re on a log flume ride and just as you round a gentle curve that you think must be the tail end of the ride, you suddenly find yourself plummeting down a drop so steep you’re convinced you’re going to capsize? Or when you’ve been cruising along in a class and all of a sudden you realize that the 20 page term paper that counts as most of your grade is due next week? You know, those moments when situations escalate or stakes suddenly get higher?
That’s where we find ourselves in Mark’s gospel. Up to this point, Jesus has been traveling around preaching, healing, and even casting out some demons in order to teach what the gospel writer calls “the Way”. Now, at the end of chapter 8, Mark tells us Jesus is “on the way”. He’s beginning his journey to Jerusalem. And we know what will happen when he arrives there. In terms of Jesus’ ministry, this story marks the beginning of the end. For Jesus, things are getting real, and he knows that he’s running out of time to make sure that his followers are prepared to continue to live out his mission without him.
Jesus gets down to business. He asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They rattle off the speculations that many people have had about Jesus. “People say you are a prophet, Elijah, John the Baptist.” Then Jesus asks the question underneath the question: “Who do you say that I am?” We shouldn’t be surprised that impulsive Peter is the first to blurt out an answer. “You are the Messiah.”
Peter’s right. Or at least he’s half right. Jesus responds by telling his followers that the Son of Man will suffer, be rejected, get killed, and then rise again three days later. You see, Peter knows that Jesus is the Messiah, but he has the wrong idea of what the messiah is. Like many first century Jews, Peter and the rest of the disciples expect the long-awaited messiah to vindicate Israel from her enemies and restore the nation to a place of prominence and flourishing. Jesus is telling is disciples, “I am the messiah, but you’ve got the wrong idea of what I’m going to do. The messiah is going to suffer and get murdered.”
Well, this news is too much for Peter absorb, and he rebukes Jesus. Not only is what Jesus saying the exact opposite of Peter’s deepest hope for his people, but it hasn’t been long since the disciples discovered John the Baptist’s decapitated body. Of course, he has a visceral reaction to hearing that Jesus will be executed by the state.
When Peter scolds Jesus, Jesus rebukes him with that famous line, “Get behind me, Satan.” Things are getting real, and Jesus needs his disciples to understand. He needs them to envision the big picture. He needs them to weigh the cost of following the Way. Because they are on their way to Jerusalem.
Then Jesus issues a second call to discipleship. The first time he called his disciples, the invitation was, “Follow me.” Leave behind the comforts, securities, and privileges that you hold in life, and follow Jesus and his ways. This time Jesus announces, “If you want to be my followers, you must deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow me.” Essentially, Jesus makes clear the consequences of answering that first call.
Now some of us might cringe a bit hearing this second call to discipleship. Over the years, some of these words have been twisted and used in damaging ways by Christians. We women are often told to deny ourselves, to sacrifice our own desires, dreams, and goals for the sake of others, usually for our family. We are sometimes told that God only calls men to do important work, so the most important work we have is to pray for the men in our lives.
LGBTQ Christians are often told that in order to stay in a right relationship with God, they must deny their sexuality or gender identity. Through the Trevor Project, Casey is working hard to ban the dangerous practice of conversion therapy, which tortures people into believing that they must deny who they are in order to be loved by God and the Christians in their lives.
Let me be very clear: God will never call someone to deny their true self. In fact, great Christian thinkers from CS Lewis to Henri Nouwen to Thomas Merton all expound upon the idea that when we find our true self, we find Christ, and when we find Christ, we find our true self. If these wise men are correct, then it’s impossible to both follow Jesus and deny who we inherently are at the same time.
I think what Jesus means when he says that his followers must deny themselves is that we are to know ourselves and love ourselves but not see ourselves as the center of the universe. When we envision God’s big picture, we realize that we are part of a great, giant community of humanity. We can see beyond what’s good for us and those close to us. If we follow the ways of Jesus, sometimes we’re going to have to give up what benefits us and our small community for the sake of the larger community. That’s denying the self.
Over time, I think we’ve also changed the meaning of Jesus’ call to take up your cross. We’ve naturally done this so that the teaching fits into the world in which we live. Today, we tend to spiritualize the concept. For us, taking up your cross might mean giving up a lucrative corporate job to run a non-profit ministry, enduring a painful sickness, or standing up for the gospel even if it means losing friendships or your reputation.
What we tend to lose sight of is the fact that, as Jesus and his followers traveled, they at times would come across literal crosses. From those crosses would hang bodies of dead or dying Jewish people, mostly Jews who dared to protest Rome’s oppression of Jewish people. Crosses were tools of execution that the dominant power used to keep those they lorded over in their place. It’s no coincidence that Black liberation theologian James Cone wrote a book entitled The Cross and the Lynching Tree. They served the same function. In a time when many Jewish nationalists were calling people to take up their swords, Jesus says that those who follow him should take up their cross instead.
Jesus goes on to say that those who want to save themselves will lose their lives but those who lose their lives for Jesus’ sake (or take up their cross) will be liberated. He asks, “What profit is there for you to gain the whole world and lose yourself in the process?” Jesus knows his followers will be tempted to take easier paths. He wants them to think through the cost of each. He wants them to weigh the cost of following the Way.
Peter “saves himself” when he denies Jesus. He escapes the risks of being exposed as one of Jesus’ followers, but at what cost? When he realizes what he’s done, Peter breaks down and sobs. Judas, who feels betrayed that Jesus isn’t starting a revolution, sells his rabbi out for money, but at what cost? According to Matthew’s gospel, Judas tries to give the money back to the chief priests and then takes his own life in despair.
As things get real for Jesus, he wants his disciples to know that following in his ways is more important than having the right answers about who he is, and he makes sure they know that following him leads to the cross.
After diving deep into the nitty-gritty and warning his disciples about the risks of following him, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain where they witness something incredible. Jesus transfigures before their eyes becoming radiant and iridescent. Moses and Elijah appear and have a secret conversation with Jesus as Peter, James, and John observe in amazement.
Once again, Peter means well but puts his foot in his mouth. He interrupts the exchange between the heroes of their faith to tell Jesus that he thinks the disciples should build a tabernacle to commemorate the holy event that’s transpiring. In essence, he wants to Instagram what’s happening instead of truly experiencing it.
For the second time in Mark’s gospel, God speaks. God begins by uttering the same words God spoke at Jesus’ baptism. “This is my Son, the beloved.” Then God adds, “Listen to him!”
By having Jesus, Moses (who represents the Law), and Elijah (who represents the prophets) together, God is showing Jesus’ closest disciples that everything happening through the Divine’s beloved son is part of the big, grand story of God and God’s deep love for humanity. God tells them to stop with the distractions and superfluous stuff and to listen to Jesus. Listen to everything he’s just told them, and listen to everything he will tell them from here on out. Things are getting real.
On Wednesday, we enter into the season of Lent. We begin to journey with Jesus to the cross. During Lent, we recommit ourselves to following the ways Jesus. We weigh the cost of following the Way. We remember that doing so will come with a cost. We can’t continue to center ourselves. We must be willing to upset the status quo. It’s risky business.
But the Transfiguration reminds us that, if we choose to walk the path of Jesus, we don’t walk it alone. We go in community. That community goes as far back as Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. It includes Peter, Mary, and the hemorrhaging woman who dared to touch Jesus’ cloak. There’s St. Francis and St. Clare. Sojourner Truth, Harriett Tubman, William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In this beloved community, walks Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, and Oscar Romero. Among our fellow travelers are leaders like James Cone, Phyllis Tickle, and Rachel Held Evans. Alongside us walk the ordinary saints in our lives, the people who have loved us deeply and shown us how to follow the Way. And we have one another.
Following the Way is not always easy. Sometimes it’s downright hard. But it’s a path that enables us to become fully ourselves. It’s the Way to love. And we do not take the journey alone.
