Matthew 16:21-28 - September 3, 2023

Last week, the disciples - and especially Peter - got it. They really got it. At least for that moment. 

Jesus is a prophet, but more than a prophet. He’s the Messiah! But Peter quickly goes from hero to stumbling block in just a few verses. However, before we rush to judgment on this apparent back-track, there are a couple of things to note.

First, Matthew says in our lesson for today, “from that time on,” indicating that Peter’s rebuke of Jesus’ Messiah-ship comes later than we may think; it probably didn’t happen immediately. We don’t know how long, but the phrasing makes it seem like it may have been at least a little while. 

As such, there was a stretch of time that Peter and the other disciples got to wrap their minds around Jesus as the Messiah - or their version of the Messiah, to be more accurate. In their minds, the promised Messiah was to be a descendant of King David, who like David, would be a military commander and would lead the Israelites to glory and power again. 

These ideas of who and what the Messiah was to be were cemented in the disciples’ heads. The disciples had embraced an image of a triumphant, powerful Messiah, which resonated with prevailing human expectations. And so, the second thing to point out is how unexpected and almost anti-Messiah-like Jesus’ words here are. 

The unexpectedness of Jesus' words shattered the disciples’ preconceived notions. Can you imagine God's chosen Messiah enduring suffering? The Son of God achieving triumph not through military might but through vulnerability? It’s simply too much, too hard to take in, too impossible to entertain. The idea the Messiah would suffer, let alone be killed, was unimaginable. 

So, Peter had to speak up. “God forbid it!” Peter was on an emotional roller coaster - triumph, glory, power to dashed expectations, crushed hopes, and a future thrown into disarray… it was all being undone because of a Messiah who would give up his life at the very moment he should be seizing the leadership of Israel.

Peter is surprised, and he speaks for all the disciples. 

But as shocked as Peter was, I think we’re about as equally un-shocked. We aren’t surprised by Jesus’ revelation; in fact, we’re pretty OK with it. Look what Jesus did for me! 

We come to church with bright stained glass, and many of us wear jewelry crosses which are quite pretty and refined. We easily talk about suffering and crucifixion, perhaps dressing it up, glossing over it, or taking what happened to Jesus for granted. 

Sometimes I wish that we had more of a sense of Peter’s scandal and outrage over a Messiah who dies, some measure of shock and awe at just how far God will go in Jesus to show us we are loved. Yes, Peter is wrong for rejecting how Jesus is to be the Messiah, but sometimes I feel we go too far by accepting it without at least a little bit of astonishment and wonder. 

Which makes the second part of our lesson all that much harder for us to follow. 

For us, to take up a cross is pure metaphor. No one really expects to die in the process of following Jesus. But sometimes even to deny ourselves seems too much to ask. 

But Jesus doesn’t beckon us toward metaphor; he calls us toward action, action like him. We are called to bear certain crosses and lose hold of our lifestyle - if not our life - so that we may find it.

So, how do we do that? How can we lose our life to find it?

The answer really hinges on what we define as “life.” 

See, the disciples’ view of the Messiah and our culture and world with views on what defines success is what Martin Luther would call a theology of glory. The theology of glory seeks to find God's presence and power in earthly success, human wisdom, and outward signs of prosperity. It focuses on seeking a God who provides immediate answers, blessings, and worldly achievements. “Life” in this way of thinking is all about quantifiable things - I can count that I have more of this or that than you do. 

But this isn’t what Jesus is talking about at all. Instead, he looks to the cross, he goes to the cross. It’s what Luther called, conveniently for us, Theology of the Cross. The theology of the cross emphasizes the idea that a true understanding of God is found in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, where God's love and redemption are revealed through suffering and sacrifice. God's power is often hidden in weakness and suffering, and the path to salvation involves embracing the paradox of the cross - that suffering and self-sacrifice are transformative and redemptive. You can’t count that kind of stuff. It’s more along the lines of love, grace, and forgiveness.

That, Jesus says, is where life is found. Life isn’t quantifiable; it is quality defined by relationships, love, and faith. Sacrifice for the sake of others brings life; service to our neighbors brings life; giving away what you have so others may have enough to live brings life. 

As you love others, you experience love. As you forgive others, you experience forgiveness. As you give life, you find life. 

In this light, perhaps "taking up your cross" and "losing your life" aren't mandates but rather invitations to live as Jesus did and still does. Sharing ourselves, participating in love, offering forgiveness - these are the avenues to abundant life. Or to say it in the theme of the theology of the cross, a life rooted in sacrificial love is truly the way to finding the life Jesus gives. 

That is what Jesus showed us in his life. Love, grace, forgiveness, even his own death on the cross - the surprise is that it brings us life. Abundant life. Eternal life. 

This is still what Jesus does for us now. Love in welcoming us. Grace in baptismal waters. Forgiveness in a meal. All of it brings us life. Abundant life. Eternal life. 

This is what Jesus promises is yet to come. His death indeed led to rising again, and the love, grace, and forgiveness God gives ensure that we, too, will rise. 

Because even in the midst of unexpected Messiahs and upsidedown ways to live, the surprising word of hope is there. Setting our minds on human things keeps us limited; setting our minds on the Divine helps us see the incomprehensible power of God to change the world through the cross and empty tomb.

Jesus shows us the way to life. Those who take up the cross live in the hope of the resurrection. Resurrection enables us to focus on sharing who we are so that we find true life - in forgiveness, in grace, in serving, in love. 

Bearing a cross, giving of ourselves… it doesn't make much sense until you try it. And even then, it still might not make much sense - it’ll just change your life abundantly.