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“CrossRoads” Lenten Series - #1

February 6, 2008

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran church

Sioux Falls, SD

Rev. Norman F. Seeger

Mark 10:32-34

³² They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

Mark 10:32-34

Crossroad #1 – From Galilee to Judea – Jesus is…

A Leader… A Teacher… A Savior

Dear faithful followers of Jesus, our Savior,

Do we dread the dentist’s office, anticipating pain? Do I dread a doctor’s diagnosis of aches I can no longer ignore? Do you dread a big test at school or a difficult meeting at work? Does dread drive us to search for & easily accept every possible excuse to stay away from unpleasant situations?

While we might not eagerly anticipate a trip to the doctor or dentist, to work or to school, what if we knew the time & place we were going to die? What if you knew you would die as soon as you step into your house tonight? Would you go home? Would I jump into my car after services saying, “I can’t wait to get home”? I doubt it. I suspect we might go to a motel or spend the night at a friend’s house. I imagine we could call a moving company to pack our possessions & help us relocate without ever having to step into that house where we were sure we would die.

As we begin our Lenten journey with Jesus tonight, we are on a road stretching from the northern region of Galilee to the southern region of Judea. This 75-mile trek will offer Jesus & his disciples plenty of time for reflection & conversation, but what is most amazing is they are heading to Jerusalem, heading south on a road Jesus knows will lead him to his cross, a road we might mark “One Way.” Jesus knows he is going to Judea to die. Yet, he goes willingly, without delay or detour. Jesus goes to Jerusalem in Judea as a leader, as a teacher. Most importantly, Jesus goes as our Savior. So, let’s lace up our sandals to join the disciples following Jesus.

What makes Jesus a leader? Someone said, “A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn’t like the tune.” Humanly, what Jesus is facing must be overwhelming. Down the road, he can see Roman hammers driving nails through his hands & feet. Off in the distance, he can feel the spit of mockers oozing down his cheeks, can hear his friends betraying & denying him. This is the music playing in Jesus’ future — yet he faces it head-on. Notice, “Jesus [was] leading the way.” Jesus is not just part of a pilgrim crowd heading south to celebrate the Passover. He is not being dragged along for the ride. Jesus is out in front, calling a cadence, setting the pace for Peter, Philip & other apostles.

While Jesus pushes forward toward Judea, others hesitantly drag their heels. “The disciples are astonished,” a bit dumbfounded, Mark reports, because they know Jerusalem is a hotbed for Jesus’ enemies. Why is he so eagerly leading them into enemy territory? Why not stay in Capernaum’s more comfortable confines or in any other city in Galilee? Unable to understand Jesus’ determined pace, disciples are undoubtedly talking with one another as they walk this road with Jesus wondering what will happen in Judea. An eerie sense some momentous, possibly tragic event is unfolding apparently fills all the Passover pilgrims following Jesus to Jerusalem, for Mark tells us “those who followed were afraid.”

Doubt? Fear? What would we be feeling on this road to Judea? What emotions do we experience as we walk difficult roads in our life of faith today? All too often we mimic the crowd or disciples, don’t we? We fear an uncertain future. We wonder how we may possibly endure difficult situations. We doubt God’s presence in times of turmoil. We question God’s wisdom. Suddenly, we see Jesus leading us through his Word. We see Jesus’ love shining through his Word. We see Jesus grabbing our hand, lifting us out of the dirt of despair. We hear Jesus saying, “Come, I will be with you. Follow me. I will lead.” When we come to crossroads in our own life — crossroads far less dangerous than the one Jesus traveled — I pray we see; I pray we follow Jesus as our leader.

A good leader, of course, does more than just be out front, cheering & serving as an example in the face of adversity. A good leader takes time to explain his actions to his followers, equipping them to face similar adversity in the future. On this road from Galilee to Judea, Jesus teaches, as well as leads. “Again, Jesus takes the Twelve aside & tells them what is going to happen to him.” “Again…” for at least the fifth time, Jesus tells his disciples about his upcoming suffering & death. Obviously, Jesus is a patient teacher. He might rightly bang his head against a wall, frustrated as students sometimes seem to be blind to what he so plainly presents. After Jesus teaches, “the first shall be last,” his disciples quickly argue about who is the greatest among them. Hours after witnessing miracles proving Jesus’ power as our Creator, his disciples fear their lives will be lost on a stormy sea. So easily Jesus could disgustedly throw up his hands & give up on this group, but he patiently teaches them time & time again. On a final trip to Judea, Jesus pulls them aside for one more lesson, one more review before they will face a major test of their faith.

Patiently Jesus appropriately teaches subjects designed for his pupils. Jesus does not share flashy news about himself, does not just wow people with miracles. Jesus shares the truth — the whole truth — even truth his disciples might not like to hear. Jesus does not gloss over hard-to-swallow teachings, but calls special attention to them, beginning his prediction here with an attention-getting, “Listen up!” “Listen up!” Jesus says, “We are going up to Jerusalem. I, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests & teachers of the law. They will condemn me to death & will hand me over to the Gentiles, who will mock me, spit on me, flog me & kill me.”

What are Jesus’ disciples thinking? His news is undoubtedly difficult to face. They have faith in Jesus as their spiritual Messiah, yet they wrestle with people’s common hope for Jesus to be their political Messiah. Talk about their leader being humiliated & killed dashes hopes for political power. Is this why they are “astonished” their leader will guide them into a hornets’ nest? “Why is he doing this?” “Should we stop him?” Valid questions master teacher must answer. Jesus knows, in the long run, his seemingly gloomy prediction will comfort his disciples, so he does not hide the truth from them. A great teacher, Jesus knows -- months later – his disciples could recall this conversation & understand how Jesus was always in control. When they see everything Jesus predicted happen during holy week, disciples can comfortingly know Jesus’ suffering & death are all part of God’s plan.

With disciples Jesus is teaching on this road toward Jerusalem, we are also Jesus’ pupils. Like Peter, we too often fail to “get it.” Jesus invites us, “Come to me with your problems,” yet we sometimes seek other solutions first. Jesus soothingly assures us, “You are forgiven,” but we beat ourselves up over our sins. Jesus instructs, “Let my Word be your guide,” yet we choose to walk alternate paths. Fortunately, Jesus is also patient with us. Again & again he pulls us aside & speaks to us through his Word. Understand, the message may not always be what we want to hear. I do not always want to hear about the seriousness of my sin. I may not want to hear about difficult times we might expect as Jesus’ followers. We may cringe when our Lord’s law pierces our heart, but in the end, our masterful teacher knows what we need to hear. Our Lord’s law, ultimately, is for our good because it paves the way for Jesus to teach us the most important truth -- the truth he taught his disciples on this road to his cross. Not only is he our leader; our teacher, most importantly, Jesus is our Savior, a point driven home in a concise sentence ending his conversation.

As if describing a boxing match, Jesus piles one verb upon another, like a boxer taking one little jab after another. He is mocked; he is spit upon; he is flogged – jab, jab, jab, KO – he is killed. Jesus falls to the canvas of the tomb, seemingly knocked out for good. But, with the referee about to slam down his hand for the final count & declare him defeated, Jesus pops up from the canvas to delivers a knockout himself. Jesus declares, “Three days later [I] will rise.”

Unfortunately, Luke tells us, “The disciples did not understand any of this,” unable at this time to comprehend Jesus’ prediction he will deliver the knockout punch. They probably think of the jabs their leader is about to take, but, in the end, they will learn to appreciate Jesus’ words as more than empty hope held out to them. They will hear his words prove his victory over his enemies. Looking back on his words, they will see Jesus as their Savior, which is what we would do as well.

During the Lenten season, traveling his crossroads with Jesus, our minds could be consumed with all the jabs our Savior received. In Lent, we remember how our sins were jabbing Jesus. Now, it is certainly healthy to understand the seriousness of our sins, but only if we understand Jesus not only absorbed the jabs, but fought back & won. Jesus conquered our sins, knocked out our sins, Jesus saved us from our sins. Traveling these roads to Christ’s cross, remember roads leading to the agony of the cross merge into another road taking us to Jesus’ empty tomb & the glory of eternal life.

As we travel with Jesus through Lent’s darkness, I pray we will be led to see in Jesus the light of heaven. I pray we will see Jesus as our leader, as our teacher & especially as our Savior!

Amen.