Sunday 4th
March
2nd
Sunday of Lent
Psalm 22:23-end
(p554)
Mark 8:31-end
(p1012)
In our gospel reading today, Jesus
makes 2 points.
1st, Jesus says that he must die (vv31-33)
Then, secondly, Jesus says that his followers must die (vv34-end)
Both points need a bit of explaining.
So, first, Jesus says he must die.
V31: “He [that is, Jesus] then began to
teach them [his disciples] that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must
be killed and after three days rise again.”
The “Son of Man” is Jesus’ preferred
way of referring to himself.
Jesus is talking about himself here.
Jesus says he “must” die.
Not that Jesus was forced to die
against his will, but that he had to do it, it was necessary.
There was no other way.
If there was another way, wouldn’t God
have provided it?
God the Father wouldn’t have wanted
his beloved Son to go to the cross unless it was absolutely essential.
If there was another way, wouldn’t
Jesus have taken it?
Jesus was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
as he faced the horrors of the cross.
But Jesus knew that the Scriptures
must be fulfilled.
God’s plan must be carried out.
So why did Jesus have to die?
Why was that God’s plan?
The answer is that Jesus needed to pay
the price of sin.
As Mark says later in his gospel, “The
Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.” (10:45)
Jesus died to set his people free, to
redeem them from slavery to sin.
Jesus died to take the penalty for
sin.
He faced the punishment that should
have been ours.
Jesus must die because God’s justice
must be satisfied.
God is rightly angry at sin and
suffering.
Jesus must die because God is holy.
It wouldn’t be right for God just to
turn a blind eye to sin.
God couldn’t just ignore all the
dreadful things that happen in our world.
Sin had to be dealt with.
Thank God that the Lord Jesus was
willing to go to the cross for you and me.
Of course, Peter didn’t like it!
V32: “He [Jesus] spoke plainly about
this [his death], and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”
In this chapter, Peter has just recognized that Jesus is the Christ, the
Messiah, but still he thinks he can tell him what to do!
Peter seems to think he knows better
than Jesus!
Perhaps sometimes we do too!
Peter seems to want a cross-less
Christianity.
All this talk of Christ’s Kingdom had
sounded good, but Peter hadn’t imagined a crown of thorns.
A crucified king is revolutionary.
The world has never known anything
like a king who chooses to go to the cross.
Jesus, our crucified king, re-writes
all our ideas of power and authority.
Christ crucified is true greatness.
Peter wants to rule with Christ, but is
he willing to suffer with him?
In effect, Peter is trying to stop
Christ being the Christ.
Christ was destined to die.
That was the only way.
That was what the Christ came to do.
Jesus is going to save people by
suffering and dying.
He has come to die.
He was born to die.
This is a bit like the temptation of
Jesus by Satan in the wilderness, which we thought about last week.
There, too, was a temptation to
by-pass suffering – to grasp power and glory, to please himself, to take the
easy option.
Jesus knew he must die and he says so.
That was bad enough, but then it gets
worse for the disciples.
Next, Jesus tells them that they too
must die.
2ndly, Jesus’ followers must die.
V34-35: “Then he [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples
and said:
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for me and for the gospel will save it.””
This isn’t exactly the hard sell, is
it?!
This isn’t how to win friends and
influence people!
This isn’t a promising recruitment
campaign.
You can imagine that the crowds would
leg it when they hear that.
Sachi and Sachi would have advised
Jesus to re-think his publicity pitch.
Today the politicians would have
trialled this stuff on the focus groups and decided it was best to keep quiet
about it.
Jesus’ invitation is to come and die.
(We’re working hard on our
communications and parish magazine and notice sheet and website and posters and
so on at the moment:
How would it be if we put up vv34 and
35?)
Earnest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer,
is said to have placed the following advert in the London newspapers:
MEN WANTED
FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY.
SMALL
WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE
RETURN DOUBTFUL.
HONOUR AND RECOGNITION
IN CASE OF SUCCESS."
Jesus’s offer seems even more
unpromising.
Yet, of course, our following of Jesus
doesn’t depend on our success but on his.
The outcome of the adventure of
following Jesus is secure.
Jesus has won eternal life and
everlasting glory for his disciples.
That’s guaranteed.
But those who want an easy,
comfortable life would do well to look elsewhere.
If we’re unwilling to suffer with
Christ, we need not apply.
Honour and recognition for following
Christ are unlikely in this life.
In fact, Jesus told his disciples that
they can expect the world to hate them just as it hated him.
If they crucified Christ, Christians
must be ready for similar treatment.
Dietrich Bonheoffer, the Lutheran
pastor who was hanged by the Nazis for conspiring to assassinate Hitler once
wrote:
“When Christ calls a man,
He bids him come and die.”
Jesus’ invitation is: Come and die.
Jesus said that if we want to follow
him we must take up our cross (v34).
We sometimes say: “We all have our
crosses to bare”.
But sometimes the crosses we think of
can be rather trivial.
When Jesus spoke about crosses, he wasn’t
thinking of a nasty case of bunions, or whatever.
The cross was an odious instrument of
torture and execution.
In Jesus’ day the cross was a shameful
death – deliberately awful so that it would act as a deterrent.
Roman citizens couldn’t be crucified.
Crucifixion was reserved for slaves
and foreigners.
Crucifixion wasn’t even to be
mentioned by civilised Romans:
It would put you off your lunch to
talk about it.
And yet we decorate our churches with
crosses.
Perhaps in a way we’re over-familiar
with the idea of the cross – we miss it’s horror.
Perhaps we’ve domesticated it.
When Jesus says we must take up our
cross, it’s like us saying that we have to go to the gallows, or that we must
all face the electric chair.
In principle, we must be willing to
die for Christ.
Few of us will be called upon to
literally die for Christ.
More often than not, we give our lives
to Christ, and he gives them back again!
But sometimes following Jesus does
mean literal death.
It’s estimated that there were 105
thousand Christian martyrs last year.
In other words, something like 12
people will have died for Christ during this service.
Sometimes following Jesus means giving
stuff up for him.
Jesus was once talking to a rich young
ruler.
Mark’s gospel tells us:
“Jesus looked at him and loved him.
"One thing you lack,"
[Jesus] said.
"Go, sell everything you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
At this the man's face fell.
He went away sad, because he had great
wealth.”
Jesus will tolerate no rivals.
We have to choose.
If the rich young ruler loved his
money more than he loved Jesus, his money had to go.
If Jesus is not Lord of all, he’s not
Lord at all.
Following Jesus always means putting
him first.
Unless Jesus has first place in our
lives, he’ll accept no place at all.
Following Jesus always means what we
might call a death to self.
Jesus says if anyone wants to follow
him he must “deny himself” (v34).
That is, following Jesus is saying
“yes” to Christ, and therefore saying “no” to self when necessary.
It means doing that if we’re literally
facing martyrdom for Christ, but it also means doing that moment by moment, day
by day, in the nitty-gritty of life.
Following Christ means saying “yes” to
Jesus even if I disagree with him, even if my family and friends disagree with
him, even if my society disagrees with him.
Following Jesus means saying “yes” to
him even if that means saying “no” to my comfort, or convenience, or to my
family, or friends, or neighbours, or colleagues, or boss, or teachers.
Self-denial isn’t just for Lent.
And, as I said last week, it isn’t
mainly about giving up booze and chocolates for a few weeks.
Self-denial is a way of life for the
Christian – and it doesn’t mean not enjoying yourself.
But it does mean wanting to please
Jesus above everything else.
It’s loving him more than anything
else.
And so it’s wanting to serve others,
rather than yourself, too.
It’s loving them more than we love
ourselves.
And it’s doing it as joyfully and
uncomplainingly as I can.
Sometimes Mrs Lloyd might ask me to do
something around the house or to help with the kids.
And sometimes I might do it.
But I might do it with an internal
grump.
Or, I have to confess to you, there
may even be a certain amount of frowning and huffing and puffing.
Mrs Lloyd has even sometimes thought
she has detected these hints of reluctance!
Now, that’s not really embracing this
principle of self-denial, is it?
Jesus calls us to an ungrudging “yes”
to others and “no” to self.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a lie in
on a Sunday morning and to have the whole day to yourself?
But if we want to follow Jesus, we
cannot please ourselves: we’ll come to church whether we like it or not!
It would be nice to keep all our money
for ourselves.
But the Bible teaches the principle of
giving 10% of my income to the church.
And no doubt you could think our
countless other examples.
It’s worth stopping to realise that
being a Christian isn’t automatic.
Jesus’ words here imply that following
him requires a choice, a decision, a commitment.
Jesus asks, will you come after me?
Will you?
Will you deliberately go Jesus’ way?
It’s unlikely that we’ll just drift in
to following Jesus.
So Jesus’ call to discipleship is a
radical one.
It affects everything.
Being a Christian is not meant to be
something peripheral to our lives.
Remember Jesus says we need to be
willing to die for him and the gospel.
Coming to church when we’ve got
nothing better on isn’t what it’s all about.
If we sing in the choir or ring the
bells simply as a hobby, we mustn’t kid ourselves that means we’re are
following Jesus.
Being British or middle class or
coming to church or taking communion doesn’t make you a Christian.
It’s no good being baptised unless you
continue in the faith you were baptised into.
Jesus is clear and upfront with people
about the cost of discipleship.
And we should be too.
Jesus said: "No-one who puts his
hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of
God." (Luke 9:62)
He says: "If anyone comes to me
and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers
and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
Jesus isn’t speaking literally here.
He doesn’t mean it’s your duty to hate
your parents.
He’s saying that we have to prefer him
to anything else if we have to choose.
All our time and resources must in
principle be at Jesus’ disposal.
We cannot say to Jesus “take my life”,
but not that bit!
Jesus sets the terms and conditions
for his followers.
Jesus said:
"No-one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to
the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and Money.”
(Matthew 6)
And, in fact, you cannot serve God and
anything else.
Vv36 & 37 ask us great questions.
V36: “What good is it for a man to gain
the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
Or in the words of the Authorized Version:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? “
37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Charlemagne, Charles the Great, the King
of the Franks, the first Holy Roman Emperor, died in A.D. 814 at the age of 72.
It’s said that he was buried in a
vault in a Cathedral in splendid style:
dressed in imperial purple, seated on
a throne, a crown on his head, a sceptre in his hand, and a sword by his side.
Many years later, when Charlemagne’s
tomb was opened, there the skeletal Emperor still sat, on his throne.
He had a Bible open on his lap and his
bony finger pointed to a verse:
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
That word “soul” means life or self.
Your soul is who you are, you, your
very self.
Christians speak of the immortality of
the soul.
You are destined for immortality – to live
for ever.
Let’s draw up a profit and loss
account for a moment.
You can imagine whatever you like in
the profit column.
Riches, a national lottery win, a
great inheritance
Your life-savings
Your pension plan
Your secure, comfortable retirement
A lovely home
Perhaps several homes: a flat in town,
a place in the country, a holiday retreat.
A rewarding job, promotions
Power, influence
Respect
Reputation, recognition
Fame
Intellectual achievement, academic
awards
Honours – a knighthood or a peerage
Family
Friends
Love
And then in the loss column just one
item:
Your soul, your life, yourself, you.
What is everything else compared to
that?
If you lose your soul, your profit and
loss account is in infinite deficit.
The Apostle Paul once said:
“whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the
sake of Christ.
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to
the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have
lost all things.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
(Philippians 3)
If any of those things in the profit
column lead us to forfeit our souls then they’re worse than useless.
Jesus once told a story about a
successful businessman.
The businessman was a prosperous
farmer.
Indeed, he was so successful, he had a
problem.
His fields were so productive that he
had nowhere to store his crops.
(A good problem to have!)
So the man said to himself:
`[I know,] This is what I'll do.
I will tear down my barns and build
bigger ones, and there I’ll store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for
many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'
20 "But God said to him,`You fool!
This very night your life [or soul] will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
Jesus said: 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who
stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God."
It’s stupid to forget about God, death
and judgement.
Jesus warned:
"Watch out!
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
(Luke 12)
Life is about far more than stuff.
Your soul is infinitely more important
than your stuff.
And Jesus says you’re a fool if you
forget that.
As Jesus implies, there is nothing we
could give in exchange for our soul.
The biggest ever lottery-win in the UK
is 113 million pounds.
That’s a pittance compared to the
value of your soul.
The Richest Man in the world is 72
year old Mexican, Carlos Slim.
His net worth is 74 billion US
dollars.
But he could never buy his soul.
Your immortal soul is of infinite
value.
What is the value of your soul?
Not less than the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the blood of God.
God the Eternal Son gave his infinitely
precious life for all who will trust in him.
You will live forever, enjoying God’s
blessing or under his curse and judgement.
There’s nothing more important than
having peace with God and knowing that your eternal destiny is secure.
What will happen to your soul?
(I’m sorry to be a bit serious and
intense.
(And I hope you don’t think it’s
morbid, but
Really: if you’re not sure about what
will happen to you when you die, that ought to be the first thing you sort out
after this service.
Come and speak to me.
Even your Sunday lunch is less
important than that, isn’t it?
What will it profit a man if he has a
lovely roast dinner and a pleasant afternoon, and yet forfeits his soul?
I like to tell you what might be said
at your funeral.
I think you ought to know.
The Vicar might say words from the
Bible:
“We brought nothing into the world,
and we take nothing out.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken
away.”
You can’t take it with you.
There are no pockets in a shroud.
v38: Jesus says, “If anyone is ashamed
of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man
will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy
angels."
What Jesus thinks of you matters
infinitely more than what anyone else thinks of you.
That great final day when Jesus comes
again to judge the world matters more than any other day.
If we follow Christ, we may be scorned
for now, but we will enjoy glory for ever.
If we are ashamed of Christ now, we
might have popularity for a while, but we will be ashamed for ever.
It’s easy for me to say all this.
It’s harder for me to act like that’s
true!
We all want to be liked, of course.
But that’s not most the important
thing.
We cannot follow Jesus and live just
to please other people.
Discipleship means following Jesus,
which means going the way Jesus went, which was the way of the cross.
If we care more about our comfort, or
ease, or reputation we won’t follow Christ.
If we care more about family and friends
than Christ, we won’t follow him.
This can be very hard.
Maybe you have a husband or wife whose
not a committed Christian.
That can be very difficult.
Great love and wisdom needed in that
sort of situation.
Think of Muslim converts to
Christianity, who sometimes have to choose between their family and Christ.
Sometimes people’s lives are in danger
when they turn to Christ.
Following Jesus might cost you
everything.
Not following Jesus will cost you more than everything.
You might forfeit your very soul.
Jesus calls us to come and die.
But that is the only way to real life, to eternal
life.
Jesus said: v35: "whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save
it."
Jim Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador.
On 8th January 1956, he, and his 4 fellow
missionaries, were killed by 10 native warriors.
Years earlier, Elliott had written in his journal:
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain
that which he cannot lose."
Of course, death and the cross are not
the whole story.
Three days later, Jesus said, he would
rise again (v31).
Jesus will come again in his Father’s
glory with the holy angels (v38).
Suffering leads to glory.
In the topsy-turvy Kingdom of God, the
way up is down.
He who exalts himself will be humbled,
but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
That was the pattern for Jesus too:
Philippians 2 says:
“Christ, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very
nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
to death--even death on a cross!
9
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is
above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Without the cross, there’s no crown.
Jesus came to die.
And he calls us to come and die.
Will we follow him?
Foolish as it might seem, we’d be
fools not to.
* * *
V37 – “this adulterous and sinful
generation”
Christian morality seems pretty
outdated and unacceptable to many today.
Perhaps it has often been like that in
the history of the church.
It seems like that was so in Jesus’
day.
* * *
Our Psalm spoke of how God will
vindicate his Messiah.
Yes, the Messiah will suffer terribly,
but in the end he’ll triumph.
God will exalt him.
All the ends of the earth and the
families of the nations will bow down to the LORD.
All who go down to the dust will kneel
before him.
Posterity will serve him.
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