Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Mark 8: 31-38 (Common English Bible)
In this reading from Mark’s gospel, Jesus affirms he is the Messiah although he does tell his disciples not to tell anyone. The basic meaning of Messiah is the Anointed One. The three positions of a Messiah are prophet, priest and king. Later Christians would realize that Jesus fits into all three roles.
God created human beings so we could spend eternity with God. To do that, humans must become as much like God as humanly possible. As Jesus said in John 10:34, “Isn’t it written (from Psalm 82:6), “I say, You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus was saying those who follow his teachings have a divine future to look forward to. Now, many Christians believe that heaven is a reward for living a virtuous life. They believe heaven is something you earn. But, they have to learn that life is not about them, it’s about God and all of God’s creation, not only on earth but throughout the universe. And an existence after death is something that is open to many interpretations, but try to imagine a place that is filled with transformed lovely beings. I would say becoming one of them is the most precious experience anyone could have.
Seeking a divine encounter and setting one’s mind on divine things requires obedience to God above all else. In the life of Jesus, it was an existence of teaching, healing, feeding the hungry and bringing reconciliation. The call to divine life is not about walking on water. The Human One (Jesus) indicates that to set one’s mind on the divine and perform the work that must be done, will bring opposition and lead to suffering, rejection and even death. That is what Peter and the other disciples could not understand.
Peter must have made Jesus very angry. Peter had dreams of glory by being a follower of Jesus. And now Jesus crushed those dreams. So Peter unleashed his anger and disappointment upon Jesus, probably using some choice ancient curse words. At the very least I’m sure Peter said something like, “this is NOT what I signed up for!” Jesus’ angry rebuttal to Peter was to call the disciple “satan.” Now Jesus was not literally saying that Peter became Satan, rather Jesus used the term “satan” as it meant, Adversary. Peter had suddenly become an adversary with his negative rhetoric. In Peter’s mind, a real Messiah is not executed, they win!
Jesus uses the image of the cross, something his disciples could immediately understand. Anyone living within the Roman Empire would know its meaning. Someone carrying a cross was on their way to die, condemned by the powers of the world as a threat too dangerous and too disruptive to live. People condemned to death by any empire like Jesus are sentenced because they will not conform to the standards of that empire. We can look at the current Russian Empire and the recent murder no doubt, of Alexey Navalny. His “crime” was opposing a dictator named Putin. And closer to home, the American Empire who wants Julian Assange extradited to the United States to spend the rest of his life in an American gulag for 175 years. His so-called “crime” was exposing American war atrocities in Iraq.
The Cross of Christ continues to shape our understanding of what it means to suffer. There is no persecution of Christians in America, although there is in other nations. So how do we shape our understanding of what it means to suffer on the symbolic crosses before us? At its core, it is to be critical to the ways that keep the world running, as the sinful generation. It is to be like Jesus the Christ was, and therefore live differently. It is to challenge the powers that be, but with meekness and act accordingly to the standards of Jesus.
Peter thought God would match force against force using a heavenly army against Rome that would establish Jesus as the Supreme Ruler. Jesus does match force against force, but with a way his followers never expected. Jesus’ background didn’t match any would-be Messiah. He was born in a dirty stable of questionable birth and dies an infamous death on a cross. The only people at that time who might’ve understood Jesus, besides his disciples, were people like him who reject the norms of society.
Both Abram and Sarai, later named Abraham and Sarah, both rejected the norms of their society. Abram took his wife and left Ur, a place where Abram’s family had lived for generations in security and safety. Most people would not have the courage to take that risk. And even stranger was their desire to have a child. The problem was Abram was 99 years old and Sarai was 90. They were still hoping that God would fulfill the promise 25 years earlier, they would have a son. To show Abram and Sarai God’s promise, Yahweh renames the couple Abraham and Sarah. Abraham means “Exalted Father” and Sarah means “Princess.” Princess in the ancient Hebrew language meant, “kings of people shall come from her” (Genesis 17:16).
When God addresses itself as “El Shaddai” in verse one, this divine name is best translated as, “God, the One of the Mountains” signifying “powerful.” It can also be a reference to Mt. Sinai, where centuries later Moses encountered God on Mt. Sinai. Abraham is told by God he will be the father of many nations and to teach his people justice and walk in God’s footsteps.
In the Hebrew Bible this reading from Genesis chapter 17 is also about covenant making. The word “covenant” means “a promise that builds a lasting relationship.” God called Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 12 and gave them an everlasting promise, that Abraham and Sarah’s descendents will multiply and become a great nation. And God promised them a son, and that too will happen. To seal this covenant, Abraham was circumcised and so would his male descendents. Circumcision wasn’t new to the people of the ancient world, it had long been a traditional rite as a Near Eastern oath ritual.
The entirety of Biblical scripture is full of covenant renewals. Each time Yahweh says, “I am your God. You are my people” that is a covenant. And it was also a covenant when Moses and other prophets joined with their people to remember what God has done for them. When the Apostles retold the story of Jesus in the book of Acts, that too was covenant renewal.
Covenant renewal is vital to Christian discipleship. Tremper Long, a scholar of the Old Testament. wrote, “Faith is a firm conviction in something or someone that will be true to one’s word. Unbelief is also a firm conviction that it will not be true.”
Doubt entertains both possibilities. Abraham and Sarah had their doubts about God’s promises, until Sarah had a son. Peter had his doubts about Jesus until the resurrection. But despite their previous weakness, they never gave up. Christians also struggle with doubt. But we have received promises from God that God never breaks. God is very clear in the Scriptures, that God communicates with love, care and promises to make us whole like the Human One, Jesus the Christ.
If God was able to work the ultimate good from the most horrible tragedy ever, the crucifixion of Jesus, is God not able to work from our relatively smaller struggles and problems? During this holy season of Lent, let us remember our covenant, the God who freed his Son from death into eternal cosmic existence, is never too weak to work the good and healing throughout our difficulties.
AMEN
