August 28, 2011

What was the mission of Jesus? It was to die on the cross to forgive our sins. It was to rise on the third day to give us eternal life. This was God's plan of Salvation. When Jesus revealed this plan to his disciples, it came as a shock to them. First because they did not want their beloved teacher to die, and second because they could not understand how the death of Jesus could be the road to salvation. I wonder if Peter thought that Jesus might be crazy, or misguided. Or maybe Peter wanted to protect Jesus. Peter probably thought that since Jesus is the Messiah-Savior, that Jesus would go to Jerusalem, make the elders and the chief priests and the scribes suffer, perhaps kill them as enemies of God, and then on the third day a new glorious country of Israel would be established. And Peter was probably thinking of his own personal safety, too. If Jesus is killed as a rebel leader, then the disciples would be arrested and killed also.

But that was not the plan of God. God knew that killing the enemy was no way to save those whom he loved. God knew that making the enemy suffer was not way to bring relief and peace to those who were suffering because of their belief and righteousness in God. Making others suffer was the work of the devil. If Peter tried to stop Jesus, then Peter was doing the work of devil. And so Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Jesus did not say, "Get out of my way." He did not say, "Go away." He said, "Get behind me." That is the proper place for a follower to be. "Take up your cross and follow me," Jesus said. Following the ways of this world will not get you eternal life. Being rich in this world will not give you treasure in heaven. Jesus said, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? Jesus is coming in his kingdom. But his throne will be a cross. His crown will be of thorns. And yet on the third day the glory of his Father will be announced by the angels: "He is risen." Alleluia! Peter was a follower of Christ, but yet he sometimes made big mistakes. He tried to walk on water, he tried to prevent (noisy) people with serious problems from bothering Jesus, he denied his Lord, he tried to prevent Jesus from doing the work of the Messiah. And so Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan!" But Peter was not alone. The other disciples felt the same way. Modern disciples often feel the same way, too. There are times when you and I become a hindrance to Christ. We do not try to prevent Jesus from dying on the cross, like Peter did, but we hinder Christ from bringing that salvation to others. Or we hinder the Holy Spirit from bring that salvation. We make it difficult for the salvation of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus to come to ourselves even as well as to others. We stand in the way. We stand in the way of people who want to come to Jesus.

There are many ways that we stand in the way of Jesus. We do not have time this morning to count all the ways. Let's just list a few of them. # When we do not teach our children about Jesus. # When we do not share our faith. # When our behavior becomes a scandal so that people disrespect Jesus, God, or the Church. # When we hit people over the head with the Law of God but do not offer them the Gospel of forgiveness. # When we speak only of the love of God and do not demand discipleship and faithfulness. # When the Sunday sermon is too hard to understand and so the Law and Gospel of Jesus Christ is not communicated, that we are justified by faith through the grace of God, is not communicated. # When we do not feel the need to be saved. # When we hinder the Holy Spirit to enter our own hearts.

Jesus did not say, "Get out of my way," he said, "Get behind me." He meant, "I will show you the way. I am the way." To be behind Jesus is to be safe. When we follow Jesus, we can live as baptized Christians. In sports, sometimes there is a game plan where someone will run interference for someone else. The opponents are blocked in order to make way for the person carrying the football who runs behind him. When we are following Jesus, he blocks Satan so that we can make progress. You know the expression "ladies first." But there are times when proper etiquette says that the man goes first. For example, when getting on a crowded bus or trying to make way through a crowd of people. The gentleman goes first and the lady follows safely in the space created behind him. Jesus goes first. He prepares the way for us. He went into death and opened the grave so that we can follow safely behind him.

Let's get behind him. 1. Let's follow Jesus. 2. Let's support his work and encourage those who follow Jesus in their lives.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church 1

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