On Tuesday evenings while the campers and staff are at recreation I make a hot fire, hang a large black kettle over it and make “fish eyes and whale blubber” for everyone. This particular day, when I finished building the fire and had it blazing nice and hot, I stood watching it and waiting for the campers to arrive. As I stood there I slowly began emptying my pockets of all the litter I had picked up that day.
The dialogue in Luke 9:18-27 happened between Jesus and his disciples early in his Galilean ministry. In chapters 6-8 we read that Jesus chose his disciples, delivered the Sermon on the Plain, encountered people with questions and with great needs, displayed power over sickness, death, and nature. In 9:1-2 Jesus gave his disciples power and they engaged in the same ministry, then Jesus fed the 5,000. Immediately following 9:27 Luke recorded the Transfiguration event. Sandwiched between all these displays of power Jesus paused and had a conversation with his disciples. “Disciples? What’s the word on the street? Who do the people say I am?” And then, “Disciples? What’s the word among you? Who do you say I am?” Can you picture impulsive Peter practically bursting to say, “You are the Christ of God!”
Then Jesus told them not to tell anyone and said that he was going to suffer, be rejected, killed, and raised to life. Well, that must have sounded absolutely ridiculous! The messiah was supposed to ride into town and run the enemies of Israel out and restore the kingdom of God as in the days of David; to establish freedom, righteousness, and justice! The word messiah just sparked with HOPE! But these descriptions that Jesus offered were not hopeful! This was not in their understanding of messiah!
But before they could protest Jesus continued with even more ridiculous ideas. “You want to follow me? Give up your own ideas; deny yourself. You want to take up my cause? My cause will be a cross; take up yours as well every day! You want to save your life? Lose it and give up the world.” Crazy. But really, the disciples shouldn’t have been shocked because Jesus had been showing them his agenda all along. “Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God” Lk 8:1. And then empowered them so they had the same kingdom agenda, 9:1, 6! These guys must have been ready to follow Jesus anywhere! But when Jesus paused in the midst of the action, challenged their understanding of his mission and said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” 9:23, he was redefining their understanding of “Christ of God” and his kingdom agenda.
I stood watching the hot fire, waiting for the campers to arrive, slowly emptying my pockets of all the litter I had picked up that day. Without thinking I reached in my back pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper and threw it into the heart of the fire. As it left my hand I saw that it was the $100 bill! I reacted instantly and without thought for my personal safety, I thrust my hand into the flames and down to the coals to rescue a piece of paper that the world says is valuable. I pulled it out and quickly blew out the flames. As I stared at the singed bill I noticed that all the hair on my hand and forearm was gone! The I heard the campers’ voices as they came running to the campfire for the evening snack.
And just that quick, God broke into my understanding. I realized that I am more willing to thrust my arm into the hot flames to rescue money that I am to thrust myself into Christ’s passion to heal a lost and hopeless world. My mind cried out for forgiveness! “Forgive me for trying to make my agenda yours! Forgive me for hesitating and refusing, with all thoughts of my social, economic, and personal safety, to thrust myself into the flames of another person’s pain, sorrow, poverty, oppression, illness, injustice, greed, fear, racism…even into the flames of affluence and comfort—to rescue a human life that God has declared is valuable to HIM!”
The Messiah did come to bring justice, righteousness, peace, and mercy. But he did it on a cross and the resurrection light shines hope to a lost and hurting world. Just as the disciples had to stop and encounter a radical new understanding of the Messiah, so we need to know that the Risen Jesus stands before us now, and every day, and asks, “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
The Kingdom of God arrived in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is perpetuated by the power of the Holy Spirit blowing through us as we embody the passion, compassion, and humility of Jesus and unashamedly go into the flames of the world to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and hurting world.
Who do YOU say that Jesus is?
