The Church belongs to no nation: Sept 15

 Year B, Pentecost 17                                                Mark 8:27-38                                                                                                      

Who do people say that I am?  Compared to most questions that Jesus asks his disciples (or anyone for that matter), that was a fairly easy one.  The disciples were quick to chime in on who other people said he was. They had probably been dying to tell him what people were saying, “Some people think you are John the Baptist—back from the dead! Others think you are Elijah who never actually died, so that seems like a better possibility.  Or you know, you could be any prophet, maybe a brand new prophet.”  

Of course Jesus knew all the rumors—so then came the real question, “Who do you say that I am?”  This time only one person chimed in—Peter. Remember, this was kind of Peter’s thing.  He was eager and earnest, the first one to raise his hand, but not always the first person to think through his answer.  He answered, “You are the Messiah.”  Now, we are used to that title for Jesus.  It just kind of rolls off the tongue for us, but this was a bit of a wild card response at this point in the Gospel of Mark.  While Jesus has healed people, fed thousands and put some religious leaders in their place, calling him the Messiah was a leap.

            The Jewish concept of the Messiah was multifaceted and complex, as we can see from our reading in Isaiah.  But for the sake of a 12 minute sermon, I will provide a broad generalization. The Messiah was expected (by most) to be a strong political leader who would oversee a significant change in the world order.  At the time, many Jews thought that the Messiah would help them overthrow Rome who was occupying Israel at the time.  However, what we see time and  time again from Jesus, was a resistance toward any kind of political leadership.  In the Gospel of John, the author explicitly says that they tried to take him by force to make him king and he slipped away. He didn’t want to be a political leader. He wanted to save people, but not that way.  He would not do anything by force. Thus Peter declaring him to be the Messiah probably surprised the other disciples.

            Peter, even with his tendency to stick his foot in his mouth and speak before thinking—saw something in Jesus that many others didn’t.  He saw this man was more than just a miracle worker or a prophet.  He was someone who would change the world.  We see a slightly different version of this story in the Gospel of Matthew.  In that version, Jesus praised Peter for this revelation and told him that he would be the rock on which he built his church, which makes this next interaction with Peter that much more bizarre. 

            As soon as Peter confirmed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus started talking about how the Son of Man would have to suffer, be rejected, be killed and then on the 3^rd day rise again.  At this point, Peter took him to the side and rebuked him.  Rebuke is a strong word, especially in Mark. Typically, it is demons who are rebuked.  So right after Peter is commended for recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, he is rebuking that Messiah because he doesn’t like what he’s hearing.  In turn, Jesus tells him, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

            Since we rarely talk about Satan in the Episcopal Church, I want to stop here for a moment.  When we hear the term Satan, it’s easy to get distracted by that visual of the man in the red suit with horns and a tail.  Instead, let’s focus on what Satan does in the Gospels.  Satan tempts.  Satan is an adversary.  Here Jesus is not telling Peter that he is the prince of darkness and the epitome of all that is evil.  He’s telling him that he’s tempting him and contradicting him. 

While Peter seemed to get the right answer about who Jesus was when he declared him to be the Messiah, he didn’t quite understand the distinction between the kind of Messiah Jesus was and the Messiah most people expected and wanted.  He wanted the powerful Messiah who would crush the enemy and lead his people to victory.  He didn’t want the suffering messiah, the one who is killed by the very people he is supposed to defeat. 

While Jesus understood that this was his path and had accepted it, I doubt that was what he wanted.  We know this because later in the Gospel, Jesus begged God to “take this cup away” from him.  He didn’t want to be crucified. Jesus was not one to take the easy way, but I imagine he would have been open to an easier way if that had been God’s will.  That’s why he was so angry at Peter, because Peter was trying to tell him, there was another way, a way where he could be the powerful messiah who did not have to suffer.

            That is what most leaders want.  They want power, but without the suffering or sacrificing. One of the buzz words (or phrases) that we have been hearing a lot about recently is Christian Nationalism.  Frankly, I am not sure that a lot of people know what they mean when they say it and I fear it’s been weaponized in ways that are not helpful.  I personally can’t separate my faith from who I am when I am talking about politics or voting.  I think there should be a place for our faith in our nation. What concerns me is when people act like Christianity should have a place of privilege in our nation. It did for a very long time…but here’s why I have a problem with those who want to bring that privilege place back.  Our Christian faith is not supposed to be about power and privilege. Our Messiah was killed on a cross by the people in power. 

            Jesus said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” Does that sound like Jesus was trying to create a faith for powerful and important people? Christianity was built on death, loss and sacrificial love.  When Jesus was killed by the Romans, they thought he was a failure.  Even after he rose again, he didn’t hold a massive rally where he announced his victory and celebrated.  He appeared to a small group of disciples and empowered them to spread the Gospel message. 

            Does that mean we should pretend that our faith isn’t important?  Does that mean we should compartmentalize our faith or make it so tepid that it can’t possibly have a place in this nation and world? Of course not.  Our faith. Our God---is everything.  But the power of our faith is not in prestige or dominance.  It’s in the lives that it can change, the love that can be shared, the transformation it can bring.  That question that Jesus asked his disciples is the same question we must ask ourselves today.  Who is Jesus to you? We get so bent out of shape on how others are misrepresenting Jesus, we forget to consider who he is to us and what we are doing to help others know this Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior who we believe in.

            I hear outside tour guides sometimes describe Christ Church as “the nation’s church” and I don’t really feel comfortable with that.  This is God’s Church.  We are in God’s church.  It belongs to no nation. We belong to God.