The Way of the Cross

Rev. Alex Sloter Mark 9:2-9 The Way of the Cross Transfiguration Sunday B (2/14/2021) The Way of the Cross for Peter Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Imagine for a moment that you are the apostle Peter. Jesus called you out of your boat two years ago to come and follow him. And you did. His message was exciting, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” And it really did look like the kingdom of God was close, right around the corner. If anyone could claim to bring the kingdom of God to earth, it’s Jesus. He teaches with authority. The truth rings from every word he speaks. You may not understand what he is saying, but you know that it is true. You’ve watched him cast out demons and heal the sick, even your own mother-in-law. You’ve seen lots of reactions to Jesus, ranging from uncomprehending wonder to skepticism to simmering hostility. And you, you’ve reacted as well. When Jesus asked you, “Who do you think I am?” you responded, “You are the Christ.” That is, the man chosen by God to save God’s people. You believe that Jesus is the Christ, the savior, the king of the coming kingdom. But you aren’t full of wonder tonight. You aren’t full of faith. You are full of doubt, and full of its close cousin, fear. Jesus has taken you, James, and John to the top of a high mountain. Night envelops you. You wrap your arms around yourself for warmth and try to fall asleep, but these words keep you awake, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Ever since Jesus spoke those words, the kingdom of God has seemed very distant. You can’t imagine Jesus hanging from a Roman cross. That is not what a savior is supposed to do. But what really chills you is the thought of you, Peter, hanging from a Roman cross. “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow.” Yesterday, the kingdom of God seemed very close. It was at hand. It was easy to repent and believe the gospel. But on this cold night, it seems very far away, with the spectre of the cross standing between you and it, blocking your entrance to the kingdom of God. The Way of the Cross for Us It is not difficult to imagine that this is how Peter felt the night before the transfiguration. We skipped over it in our lectionary readings, but just a few verses earlier, Jesus revealed that he was going to Jerusalem in order to suffer and die. If that wasn’t shocking enough, Jesus had then told all his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me.” In other words, if a person wants to enter the kingdom of God with Christ, then he must die with Christ. The road to the kingdom is the way of the cross. Frankly, this just makes no sense. The natural reaction to these words should be shock followed quickly by fear. Like Peter, we have heard Jesus’ message, “The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel.” We have also heard accounts of his miracles, his casting out the demon in the synagogue of Capernaum, and his healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. That’s the kind of stuff that makes the kingdom feel close. But you know what doesn’t make the kingdom feel close? Crosses, death, funerals. I will probably never get over the emotional shock of a funeral, and I hope I never do. I remember seeing an open casket at the first funeral I ever attended as a young boy. There was this human body. It should have been walking, talking, eating. It should have been alive, like I was alive. There was a head, a torso, arms and legs, ten fingers and toes. But after we left the graveside, this apparent human was in the ground, and I was off to lunch. I think I realized even then that someday I would be the one left behind at the grave while others went to lunch. Looked at that way, every death is shocking. Is there anything stranger than death? Anything more horrible? Looking into a casket, the kingdom of God feels very far away. Yet Jesus says, “If anyone would enter the kingdom of God with me, then he must take his turn on the cross, in the casket, and die with me.” If those words don’t turn a person away from Christ, I don’t know what will. First, he commands us to repent. That means turning away from the world and its ways toward God and his ways. It means replacing selfishness with sacrifice, greed with generosity, anger with forbearance. It means turning away from self-indulgence to self-control, and ultimately, aligning one’s own will with God’s will. All of this is the intended result of repentance. This in itself is a kind of death, a spiritual death to sin. But here, Jesus seems to say that the reward of discipleship is another kind of death, physical death, taking a turn in the casket. Just crazy. After Peter heard these words, how could he not, how could we not, feel the chill of doubt and fear? The spectre of the cross stands between us and the kingdom of God, blocking our way. The Transfiguration of Christ Peter fell into an uneasy slumber with James and John beside him. Jesus was still at prayer. Not long after Peter fell asleep, he was awakened by the sound of conversation and a radiant light shining through his heavy eyelids. He cracks open one eye, squinting against the sudden brightness. Jesus is standing with two other men, Elijah and Moses. Jesus’ face is radiant as the sun. His garments shine like lightning. Glory, like the glory of the living God envelops him. All three men pause their conversation to stare at Peter. They’ve noticed him stirring. Peter rudely stares back. He can’t help it. His heart is filled with fear as these men stare at him like they expect him to say something. So he blurts out the first thing that enters his mind, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let me build three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” As the words fly from his mouth, darkness shrouds the mountaintop. A cloud descends, and Peter falls on his face. He feels the presence of God all around him. A voice speaks, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The cloud lifts as suddenly as it appeared. Peter looks up, scanning the mountain wildly for other visitors, but he sees Jesus only. Jesus gathers his disciples, and they begin the journey down the mountain. Again, Jesus mentions his death. Again, Peter recalls the command, “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me.” Fear still lingers in his heart. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the Roman cross. Fear of what Jesus’ words might mean for him. But as they reach the bottom of the mountain and turn to journey toward the blood red dawn, Peter also feels the return of faith. The man he follows is the beloved Son of God. The man he follows is filled to the brim with hidden glory. The man he follows is the Christ, the savior, the king of the coming kingdom. Whatever else God’s will may contain for this man, it cannot end on a cross and in a grave. Something more must be coming. So Peter sets his mind to contemplate another saying of Christ, “In three day, I will rise.” Life is on the horizon. The Transfiguration of the Cross We too want to enter the kingdom of God with Christ. But the way that Jesus sets before us is not easy. It is a way blocked by the spectre of the cross. “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me.” A funeral is the last place anyone would expect to find the kingdom of God. Yet, Jesus tells us that a cross, a casket, a funeral is exactly where we need to look if we wish to enter God’s kingdom. That should cause us some fear. But like Peter, we also have faith. Faith in the Christ. Faith in the king of the coming kingdom. Faith that the way of the beloved Son could never end in death. Life is on the horizon. Jesus left the mountaintop and set his face toward Jerusalem. The disciples followed. Sometimes, they were filled with wonder. Sometimes, they were filled with faith. Sometimes, they were filled with fear. But because they followed Jesus all the way, right up to the cross, they saw the end which the Father willed for his beloved Son. Not death, but life. Not a casket, but resurrection. Jesus Christ has transfigured the way of the cross just as surely as he was transfigured on the mountaintop. The path that leads to the kingdom looks like the way of death in the eyes of the world. But the eyes of faith see the way of life. 0 If we look at a wooden box, we see one of two things. If we lay it on the ground, we see a casket. A miniature grave. But if we stand it upright, we see a doorway. For every Christian, the grave, the casket, has become the doorway of heaven, the entry point to God’s kingdom. Not because of anything we have done, but because of everything God has done for us. Christ walked this road before us, and when he reached the end of our journey, he made death the doorway to God’s kingdom. Remember, that you are a beloved Son of God as well. You have been baptized into Christ. So when you hear Christ’s call, “If anyone would come after me,” then take up your cross and follow. The way has been transfigured. The doorway of heaven lies at the end. Life is on the horizon. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. Amen.