Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected, and killed, and after three days rise again. Mark 8:31
Collect. God our Father, you are all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and always ready to forgive. Grant us grace to renounce all evil and to cling to Christ, that in every way we may prove to be your loving sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Romans 4:13-25. The other reading for this the second Sunday in Lent was Genesis 17:1-7 &15-16. It was a struggle to decide which of these two readings to make a brief comment on but it might be helpful to read the Genesis reading in conjunction with the passage from Romans. Paul’s comment in Romans between Law and faith is firmly anchored in God’s covenant with Abraham. God’s promise that Abraham would inherit the world was received long before the Law was given to Moses. The promise was established through a personal encounter with God, as the Genesis record shows, the Lord “El-Shaddai; God Almighty”, appears to Abram. In this encounter he and his wife Sarai received a change of status, Abraham goes from “Exalted Father” to “Father of Many”. Furthermore the covenant promise was gifted not only to these two but to all future generations. The inheritance meant that Abraham and his descendents would honour God by caring for the earth and being fruitful. They were God’s ambassadors’, caring for the world as God himself would. It was not by keeping a set of rules, (which followed much later), but by maintaining a personal relationship with God and being obedient to him. The relationship was not static but was dynamic and ever changing just as our own personal relationships are constantly developing.
The promise from God to be his heirs depends always on faith, a faith that trusts God to be faithful to his promises despite the circumstances. Though it all depends on faith, we do not trust in our faith but in God alone. Even when our faith seems weak and doubts fill us we keep our hope in God. Our hope is not in our strength to believe or anything else. God is faithful and will deliver us and that is why Paul is firmly taking our eyes from ourselves and fixing then only on God, who he is and what he is doing.
Paul then moves on to remind us of the awesome power of God who returned Jesus to life again after he had died for the disobedience of a whole world estranged from God. In his rising we find our righteousness. Not in good deeds, nor in moral living or thinking but in trusting that as Jesus was raised as a new Man so we too are raised in that newness. “ So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Prayer. Most Holy God, we thank and praise you for your majesty and power for in your mercy you sent Jesus to be the Saviour of all humanity. In His sacrifice and faithfulness those who trust and believe in Him are welcomed into your presence. With thankful hearts we worship you and offer to you the praise that is yours by right. In your name every family on earth can rejoice in the blessings that you have poured out through the sacrifice of Jesus. With sincere reverence we bow before you and we will tell of your mercy and grace, that all may know that Jesus Christ in Lord of all. We pray in His Name. Amen
Reading. Mark 8:31-38. In the verses immediately before our passage today, Peter has declared through revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, the long awaited Saviour of God’s people. It is this revelation that prompts Jesus to begin to teach his disciples of what that truly means, namely that Messiah must suffer as the Son of Man and be rejected by the key religious leaders. Jesus uses the familiar Old Testament phrase Son of Man, (which simply means a human being), to emphasis both his humanity as well as his divine calling to fulfil the task as Messiah. Peter cannot comprehend that Messiah must suffer and die and so tries to dissuade Jesus, at which point Jesus names Peter as his Adversary. Having named Jesus as Lord, Peter, no matter how well intentioned, cannot presume to correct Jesus. God does not make mistakes thus to suggest a different way is contrary to God’s will, it is disobedience.
Each of the synoptic Gospels record this exchange between Jesus and Peter but it is interesting to note the differences. In our reading Mark has Jesus look at all the disciples before rebuking Peter. The inference is clear; all the disciples want to disagree with this particular teaching from Jesus. What follows in Mark after the rebuke makes it clearer why the disciples want to reject this aspect of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus calls together the crowd and the disciples to remind them all of the cost of being a true follower of Jesus. In order to be obedient to God Jesus must stand against injustice in all its forms by always viewing things from God’s perspective. Jesus’ obedience to God will bring him into direct conflict with those who work against God and this will always lead to suffering before the final victory can be achieved. Any and every follower of Jesus who walks in obedience will also face the same opposition and this will inevitably lead to suffering. With Mark’s emphasis on suffering it is no wonder that the disciples resisted this teaching of Jesus for they knew the dire consequences of resisting the religious leaders and also the Roman authorities. With that in mind it shows us what a difference the emergence of the resurrected Christ made to them all, for as history records, they did suffer but they also turned the world upside down. We can be thankful for that but the teaching still stands anyone who follows Jesus Christ will have to stand against the forces of ungodliness and this will lead to suffering. No wonder Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote in his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”, “When Christ calls a man; He bids him come and die!”
Prayer. O God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on you. I cannot do this alone. In me there is darkness, but with you there is light. I am lonely, but you do not leave me. I am feeble in heart, but with you is strength. I am restless, but with you is peace. In me is bitterness, but with you is patience. I do not understand your ways, but You know the way for me. Restore me to freedom, Help me to so live now, that I may answer before You and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, may your Name be praised. Amen ( A prayer by Dietrich Bonheoffer)
Collect. O God, Source of eternal life, your Son must go to the cross, and his path is also ours. May we walk by faith with him, wherever it may lead; this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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