The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark, the 8th Chapter
Then Jesus began to teach the disciples 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.”
Do you remember mimeograph machines? The smell? How many of you did badly on algebra tests because you were high on mimeograph fumes? For those from that era, the word “mimeograph” immediately connects with exactly what it was. For others, not from that time, the word “mimeograph” has no connection with anything at all! Mark’s Gospel (not originally printed on a mimeograph machine, by the way) uses a lot of language long separated from it’s original meaning. Because of that, over time, some of the words and phrases have taken on new meanings that neither Mark nor Jesus ever intended.
One of those is the idea that God must demand suffering as “satisfaction” for humanity’s sin. That didn't originate with either Mark or Jesus. It was an idea, created in the middle ages, because it seemed to make sense in that time. Back then an insulted knight would throw down their gauntlet and “demand satisfaction!” Human sin began to be seen as an offense to God’s honor and therefore God must “demand satisfaction” through suffering. It made sense to the knights. It’s just not what either Jesus or Mark meant.
Jesus’ prediction that he would suffer, was not about God demanding suffering in payment for our sin. That prediction was simply an acknowledgement that if Jesus was going to follow God’s call and confront the exploitive, violent powers of Rome… that was going to inevitably lead to his suffering. He was planning to take on an Empire! Taking on empires always hurts… a lot.
Another thing that’s gotten lost over the years, like kids knowing how to use a rotary phone, is what Jesus meant when he talked about "elders, chief priests and scribes". Some now read that as Jesus attacking Judaism. But for Mark, “elders, chief priests and scribes” was code for Roman collaborators. Jesus never had an issue with Judaism. He was Jewish after all! But he had serious issues with folks who championed their religion one minute and then in the next minute, used Roman violence and corruption to make a themselves very rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and most vulnerable… something opposed over and over again in their religion.
And then there’s Satan! As confusing to many, as texting with thumbs is to me, Satan is that red guy with horns and a pitchfork, right? Well, in reality, that idea of a personalized character with the proper name of “Satan” didn’t show up for well over a thousand years after Jesus was around. In Jesus’ day, “a satan” was a job, NOT a red guy with horns. A satan was someone who administered a test of morals and character. When you came to a place in your life where you needed to choose which way to go… someone would inevitably offer you the choice. Would you choose to go God’s way or a different way? This week, Peter gave the test… Peter played the satan... and the test was HOW would Jesus be the Son of God. Would Jesus confront the powers of the Roman Empire and their collaborators in God’s way... in other words, directly but non-violently, confronting their injustice and corruption and calling them, like the prophets before him, to return to God’s way of living? OR would Jesus do it another way? You see, Peter and almost the entire population of Israel at the time, thought the Messiah would usher in God’s Kingdom a different way… they would raise an army… fight a holy war… defeat the Romans, throw Herod off the throne and rule with strength and might like King David did back in the glory days! He'd make Israel great again! But going to Jerusalem unarmed, without an army? That'll just get you killed.
The test Peter administered to Jesus all those years ago is the same test we are being given today. Like Jesus, we too are being called to usher in God’s Kingdom… to work at changing the world. Now like then, suffering happens today for those who work for God’s Kingdom, not because God demands satisfaction for our sins, but because confronting violence, injustice, racism, sexism and all the other isms that make up the brokenness of our status quo world, will run us directly into very angry people and seemingly immovable systems who do NOT want their world to change.
Today, just like back then, there are people who hide behind the words and images of their religion, but who have set aside the principles of that religion to cozy up to those in power. They do twists and bend principles in a way that a sideshow contortionist would envy, simply to justify collaborating with those in power… even though those in power embrace the same sort of violence, corruption, and immorality that the law, the prophets and Jesus opposed all those years ago.
This, like other times in history, is a time of testing. The test, as it always does, has two parts. A part that asks us what sort of world we want to work for, and a part that asks us HOW we will work to create that world? Will we work toward the Kingdom of God… a world where everyone has enough… enough food, shelter, health care, safety, dignity and purpose… or will we work for a world where only the strongest survive? Will we do that work the Jesus Way… through compassion, sacrifice, direct, but non-violent confrontation, caring for the least, the last and the lost along the way? Or will we look to use might to make the world right, using stronger armies, greater force, and spiraling violence believing the ends justify any means we might use along the way? These were the questions back then for Jesus and these are the questions for you and me today. How will we answer? Our test begins… now. Amen.
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