March 16, 2003

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church
March 16, 2003

Pr. Jens Dale

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching his disciples. An important issue was "Who is Jesus?" Right before our text we find out that there were several opinions of Jesus. He was regarded as a new John the Baptist, others saw him as an Elijah or another prophet. But you, who do you say that I am? Jesus asked his disciples. It was as if he after a long period of teaching would have them take an exam.

You are the Messiah, Peter said, and he passed the test. By that, the disciples were graduated to the next class. Sometimes it may be confusing to begin on a more advanced curriculum. It might feel like old truths are doubted and one may feel ignorant and stupid. At least, that’s what Peter experienced as Jesus started to talk about his suffering, death, and that he would rise again. Three times Jesus repeated this lesson. It’s easy to remember where in the gospel of Mark these things are written: 8:31, 9:31, and 10:33. But three repetitions were not enough for Peter. To him, the thought that Jesus would die was totally foreign. It was shocking, threatening, blasphemous, and just meaningless. Peter took Jesus aside and expressed his points of view. Master, this must not happen to you. You are the Messiah. But by saying that, Peter revealed that he had not understood anything of what kind of Messiah Jesus wanted to be.

Was it really Satan who spoke through Peter? Would it be possible that the disciple who just had confessed the faith in Jesus all of a sudden turn out to be a spokesman for the evil one?

Now I know only in part, Paul says in 1 Cor. 13:12. And here Peter really talked about the part he did not understand: Why Jesus would have to go the way of suffering.

If Jesus had been a populist he would have met the expectations of the masses. He might have continued by healing the sick, casting out demons, giving bread to the hungry and filling the cups of joy as he did in Caanaa. But the line-up of sick and sorry people would have been endless. Jesus would never have been able to dam up the river of human suffering if he had followed the advice of Peter. Of course, he had a fantastic ministry to the people who met him there and then. But Jesus was appointed for a greater mission. It was a task that was not limited to a certain group of people in some place at some time. Jesus was supposed to extinguish the source of human suffering.

You who know the story of The Lord of the Rings know that Frodo’s task is to destroy the ring that represents the source of evil. On his way to do this, there is a lot of temptation to turn away from his task. And there are a lot of battles along the way. That’s how it was for Jesus as well. The words of Peter, that Jesus should save himself from suffering, was exactly a temptation from Satan to give up his mission. At that time, Peter did not have a broad overview of the situation. He had no idea that the cross towards which Jesus went, would be the decisive victory over Satan and all his evil forces. He didn’t see that Jesus would become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He didn’t understand that the death of one would give life to many. Peter was provincial. Jesus was universal. Jesus went towards suffering and death. That was God’s plan for the salvation of the human race.

Some months ago we had a Christmas tree here at Mindekirken. We sang beautiful songs about the child in the manger, the Son of God who came to become one of us and to fully share our conditions. During Lent, the Christmas tree stands stripped of its branches. It has been transformed into a cross, and witnesses that the same lips that sang the praise of the baby Jesus, also can give the order to kill. What else do we use the cross for? Peter speaks with such a double tongue, from his mouth came both the confession and the temptation of Satan. Jesus never denied that we humans can be sources of both good and evil. You who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children Matt. 7:11

We have a president in this country who confesses his faith in Jesus. But that’s no guarantee that his orders to the American Forces facing Iraq is the will of God. War is one of the biggest moral dilemmas we may ever face. Today, many doubt if a war against Iraq might be considered a just war. Would a war be a lesser evil than what it’s supposed to overcome? Who is speaking the truth? That’s the critical question in a time of a countdown to war.

The cross is revealing. It witnesses against us humans, as the simple primitive disgusting tool for slowly killing another human being. The cross is the symbol of the power of the strongest, but not necessarily of the most right. It symbolizes our human inability to live in reconciliation with each other.

Why did Jesus have to go the way of the cross? Why did he have to be nailed up as a helpless victim of the evil-doing of others? And why has the cross become the symbol of love, first and foremost? That’s the secret of the cross: that God won over evil with good, that Christ prayed: Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing. The tragedy was turned to into triumph when Jesus died with the words: It is finished.

During Lent, we meditate on Jesus’ way of suffering for our sake. We consider what he alone was able to do. And when Jesus talks about what is worth more than the whole world to a human, it’s the grace of the cross he speaks about. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Romans 5:20

At the same time, we are called to follow him, to take up our cross every day. That’s to live the life of baptism. Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism, into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life Romans 6:4

As Christ lived in service for others, we are called to love God and our neighbors as ourselves.

Glory be to God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716