* Deny yourself?
* Give up control?
* Take up your cross?
* Embrace suffering?
* Follow who?
* To save your life you
must lose it?
* What would I trade my
soul for?
Tough questions in what
are some of the most impactful verses we've come across as of yet. Absolutely
life-changing and challenging, as well as life-affirming and inspiring.
With the five verses in
this section, I've chosen to include two translations for your reading
pleasure from the New Revised Standard
Version and The Message. Why?
Because one of these versions may touch your heart and/or mind in a way that
the other may not.
In listening to both
translations, some first impressions by members of the study group follow:
* Norma (referring to the NRSV) -- "Why do I have to die? That's
what I asked myself when I was younger. Losing (verse 35) meant dying. I still find
this version troubling."
* Joe (in general) --
"This is a very blunt, honest delivery made by Jesus. You are challenged
to do what he says in this world and not want for the next."
* Marc -- "When sharing
this, Jesus was focused on his disciples. And what needed to happen to be a disciple."
* Pedro -- (also referring
to the NRSV) -- "At 22
years-old, it was impossible for me (deny myself, take up my cross). How do I
die? Later in life, I realized I receive grace. I need the Spirit to help me,
to follow Jesus. Without the Spirit, I can't follow."
We have an advantage at
this point in the gospel. We know how the story ends -- the death and
resurrection of Jesus (as Jesus shared previously to his disciples). But that
ending is incomprehensible to the disciples and will certainly be to anyone
else. With this knowledge, separate it -- to be in the moment -- right there
with Jesus and these people who want to follow him. Let that flavor your
thinking as we move forward.
Deny Yourself
To deny yourself, that can
be a really difficult task. That is saying "no" to what I want and
"yes" to what Christ wants. Those can be two totally opposing views; a
huge struggle can ensue. And what exactly does Christ want? That takes prayer
and intentional thought; that takes being open to God; that takes allowing the
Spirit to lead us. Who has time for that?!? Maybe that's what Christ wants. Hmmm.
Jesus is in the
Driver's Seat
In these verses, does Jesus
ask his followers to guide or protect him? Nope. He tells them if they'll
follow him, he'll lead. The mark of a great leader is one who asks nothing of
us that he himself isn't willing to face.
The Cross
The NRSV uses "the cross" but The Message skips it entirely. I can understand why. Does "the
cross" really mean anything relevant or meaningful to anyone today? Nevertheless,
"the cross" meant something -- terrifyingly so -- to those over 2,000
years ago. "The cross" related to Rome and what was a gut-wrenchingly
daily occurrence (crucifixion) from the oppressor. Walking along the road, observers saw what
"the cross" meant -- humiliation and excruciating death. They
couldn't miss it; they couldn't avoid it.
Saving versus Losing
Jesus brings up the
subject of saving versus losing, and what it means in the grand scheme of life
eternal versus life temporary.
At this juncture, Brenda *
made us ponder a great point. How many self-help books do you see in a
bookstore -- the one in your neighborhood or the virtual one on the internet?
As she said, "A plethora." Now,… how many books do we see on
self-sacrifice?
Gene * shared, 'It's so
easy to get caught up in the "me." Do I drive the right car? Am I
wearing the right clothes? Am I being seen with the right people?" To
which Norma * replied, "We shouldn't make these things primary in our
life." To which I'm sure we might all agree. But… how often do we do it?
How easy is it to get caught up in the "me" as Gene stated? Very
easy, especially here in Hollywood.
Yet it's never enough.
Never, ever, ever enough. One can spend their entire life spinning their
wheels -- successful or not -- in the pursuit of Position, Power and Possession.
How many times have you found the pursuit of the 3 P's to eventually be hollow
and empty? How many times have you found ultimate, lasting satisfaction in any
of the 3 P's?
If "saving your
life" seems too extreme for you, then try this. Substitute different words
in place of "life." How about time,… money,… energy,… love,…? Doing
this may cause a shift in how you perceive Jesus' words. Personally, I find the
use of "love" extremely powerful.
Forfeit/Gain
Jesus follows-up with…
forfeiting our lives just to gain the whole world. Consider these questions:
* If we put little to no
effort into thinking of others and their needs, what does that say about us?
* What does that say about
our life?
* Is it a life worth
living?
* Who am I saving by
living?
As Brenda * honed in on
this verse, she said, 'How provocative this is! "What good would it do to
get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade
your soul for?" What Jesus is sharing is the real "Silver Linings
Playbook."'
Adulterous/Sinful
Generation
With verse 38, Jesus mentions
"this adulterous and sinful generation." "Adultery, as in the
Hebrew Bible, is a stand-in for sin generally, especially the sin of
idolatry." [i]
With these words, where were Jesus and the crowd? In the most idolatrous of
places -- the Sanctuary of Pan. Point made!
In closing this post,
these five verses and the impact of what Jesus shared have reverberated throughout
centuries. How so? Because of the courage and wherewithal of Jesus and those
who followed him, because of what he told those around him in this moment at
the foot of Mount Hermon, the Good News continued and continues. Those who had
power wanted to crush Jesus. If he were eliminated, they thought the same would
hold true for his ministry; thereby retaining their own power.
Who would believe there
would be a future for the Good News with the death of Jesus?
Here's my challenge to you
as we approach Holy Week. Intentionally set aside time to reflect and meditate
on sections of each of these verses. For example of sections:
* "If any want to
become my followers"
* "Let them deny
themselves"
* "Take up their
cross"
* "You're not in the
driver's seat; I am."
* "Don't run from
suffering; embrace it."
You may truly be surprised
by doing this. See what happens. See what happens not only for yourself but for
others.
NEXT
Let's stay in the clouds!
No comments:
Post a Comment