It is time to line up children! Do those words bring back memories for you? Your class has just completed a task and now you get to go to lunch, or recess, or to music class. Whenever there was a transition or a need to move all the children-everyone would line up. Sometimes the teacher chose a leader and sometimes it was survival of the fittest as all the children jockeyed and maneuvered for a good place in line. And where was that? Well I would say for most children it is being the front of the line or as close to the leader as possible. So much so, some children have been known to push to get next to a friend or the leader. From a very early age we like to lead, and we like to be upfront. When I was volunteering in Cooper’s preschool, back in the day, I enjoyed watching the bluebirds line up and then play follow the leader to the next class. During one transition from gym to story time at the YMCA we passed through the basketball courts and the children would often explore a new path-following the lines of the court, hoping those following them would take their unique path. Sometimes it worked, and all stayed in formation around the corners and other times each person marched to a different drummer. Sometimes we don’t want to follow the leader venturing out on their own.
Today we heard the first of three times Jesus tells his disciples about his upcoming death. “For the Son of man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.” As a believing Christian, I cling to the last phrase, but for Peter, his trusted companion, he heard the tortuous end of his Lord. He could not make sense out of Jesus’ words, for he believed him to be the Messiah, the one to save his people, the one to usher in the kingdom of God. Jesus knew how hard this news would be to hear, so he repeated it. The suffering and tragic death of Jesus is not only foretold once, but three times. And after each telling Jesus gives a lesson on discipleship- what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The first one, the one we read today, “Take up your cross and follow me.” Then Jesus tells them again and they start arguing about who is the greatest, and Jesus tells them the first must be last and the last must be first (9:30-37). Finally, the disciples argue about who will sit at the right hand of God (10:32-45). First among you must be a slave to all. Very clearly our calling is to take up our cross and follow Jesus, but the next two lessons are a response from the disciples’ ego and pride. Will I be the greatest? Where will I sit in heaven? Fear does that to people. Once Jesus tells of this suffering and death, the disciples start to think of themselves. But Jesus turns it into a teachable moment. Christ is revealing the truth about himself, his suffering and death but everyone seems to be worried about themselves.
It was completely unacceptable for Jesus to be killed. Hence Peter’s response. Now we do not know what he said, but we know it was not good when Jesus says, “Get behind me Satan.” Peter’s human fear was coming out; his leader could not die. Yet in the Greek, “behind me” turns up quite often. It means “Depart behind me.” In contrast, when Jesus called his disciples, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people, it literally means “Come behind me.” Jesus calls us to come behind him, follow behind him and take up our cross.
Here is the great challenge of our faith, to take up our cross and follow. But follow behind me, come behind Jesus, even depart behind me creates a new image. It takes me back to those times pushing our way into the line to get right next to the leader; to be close to the leader. Then I saw a wonderful image, if you or I truly were right behind Jesus, so close that we could touch him, so close we could follow behind him. Could it be that our Savior and Lord could be right in front of you, with you walking in step, and then the cross, Jesus’ cross right behind. You have maneuvered your way right behind the leader, the cross resting on both of your shoulders. What an amazing image: Christ in front of you close enough to touch, and the cross of Christ directly behind you so that you could remain in step with the Lord.
This is a stretch, we could never carry the cross of Christ and we are not asked to. For Christ carried his cross so that our burden of sin, guilt and pain would be lifted from you. So that we could know the transforming love of God and share that love with the world, be reconciled with God. But the image of us sandwiched between Christ and the cross starts to explore just how close you are to following behind Christ. I wonder, do you keep Christ within earshot so that you can wander where you want and yell for help when a trial comes? (sometimes we call that praying.) Or maybe you follow in the general direction for a while on Sunday and can’t seem to find him in the middle of the week. None of us follow Jesus perfectly and that is OK. What I am wondering with you today is how close are you willing to get?
Are you willing to work to move up the line and get closer to the leader, closer to Jesus?
Do you desire to follow behind, right behind, Jesus and give your life completely over to his care?
Jesus said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” But what is your cross? Your cross might be a burden you bear, a part of yourself that needs to die so that you might live in faith, or a purpose for your life. The cross is a symbol of Christ’s death but historically is was a Roman form of humiliation and execution. Dying on the cross was excruciating. Why would we want to take up a cross? The answer comes from Jesus, “Those who want to save their lives will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”
According to tradition Telemachus did just that. He was a fourth century monk, ascetic monk, who dedicated his life to prayer and meditation. But he left his isolated monastic life to serve God’s people. As a hermit, he had no means, so he begged his way to Rome. By this time, Rome had become a Christian city with people flocking to church rather than the pagan temples. But one tradition lingered- the fights of the gladiators. No longer were Christians thrown to the lions; but those captured in war still had to fight to the death in the great coliseum. Telemachus witnessed the gladiators preparing to fight and was appalled. People Christ had died for were killing each other to amuse the allegedly Christian populace. Telemachus interrupted the games by stepping into the arena floor where the fighting was going on, still dressed as a hermit. The crowd did not like the interruption, so they threw stones at him. Soon Telemachus lay dead.
Suddenly the crowd was silent and shocked a holy man had been be killed and they all left, one by one. The games ended never to happen again. Three days later, by decree, the Emperor banned the games. The death of this one man stopped the senseless killing of many. In losing his life many more gained life (orthodoxwiki.org/Telemachus). My prayer is the recent death of 17 students and teachers will end the death of 100’s more.
Charles Barclay wrote, “God gave us life to spend and not to keep. If we live carefully, always thinking first of our own profits, ease, comfort and security, if our sole aim is to make life as long and as trouble-free as possible, if we will make no effort except for ourselves, we are losing life all the time. But if we spend life for others, if we forfeit…. time and wealth and comfort in our desires to do something for Jesus and for the people for whom Jesus died, we are winning life all the time (Mark p. 205).
During the season of Lent as we approach the cross, let us not be like the disciples who let their pride get in the way of service, let us not think only of ourselves and our needs, let us rather see how closely we can follow behind Christ carrying our cross, always mindful that Christ is bearing our burdens as we go. Amen.
