Luke 9:18-27
You know the drill. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s one of many places you can find it:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A18-27&version=NLT
We find Jesus and his disciples here spending some time away from the crowds. Jesus wanted to pray, to catch up with his father, sharing what was on his heart and listening for what God wanted him to know. Prayer, like any real conversation, is always easier away from the crowd. His disciples were around, but Jesus and the Father were having a private conversation. We rarely learn the content of those conversations and today is no exception.
As we know, there were plenty of rumours flying around about Jesus. Even Herod was curious. So Jesus asked his disciples what they had been hearing on the street. Speculation varied, but it seemed to focus on him being one of the great prophets of the past who had come back to life. These are weird guesses to my mind. Why wouldn’t they assume he was someone new? Were powerful, miracle working people a thing of the past in Israel like they seem to be these days?
Anyways, Jesus is curious. “Ok, but who do you think I am?”
Peter has it figured out, “You are the Messiah God has been promising for centuries.”
Well, he sort of has it figured out. When Matthew tells this story, Jesus affirms Peter for recognizing the truth. In every account he tells his disciples to keep this to themselves. And he explains why. The promised deliverer of Israel is not going to do what people expect him to do. They have been hearing “deliverer” and are expecting a military hero vanquishing the Roman empire and establishing the empire of God with Israel as his headquarters. But, Jesus warns them, deliverance is going to be simultaneously much more comprehensive and much less aggressive than they expect. He explains what so many prophecies promised. The deliverer would suffer, be rejected by the most respected members of his nation, and be killed.
And on the third day – he would come back to life.
The kingdom is coming. In fact, he promises, some of the disciples gathered there will actually glimpse it in their lifetimes. And those who choose to follow Jesus will be a part of it. The prophecies that told them to expect the Messiah described his kingdom in breathtaking strokes. Spectacular beauty, harmony between people and animals, the elimination of war, grief, pain and need. The kingdom of God will be the satisfaction of every desire God put in the human heart. But getting there will be a tough road. If the ruler of the kingdom is going to suffer to win it, his followers can expect trouble too. It will be a grind, like carrying around a cross, the instrument of public, painful execution day in and day out.
And it is entirely worth it. If you had everything this world had to offer, wealth, influence and honour, but missed the kingdom, your life would be worthless and wasted. Nothing compares to it. Nothing. Jesus tells his listeners to pursue the kingdom with everything they are and have. If they are mocked, proudly bear it. If they are ostracised or threatened, even if they lose their life, it will be infinitely worth it. Don’t be distracted by the pale prizes or angry oppression this world promises. Shamelessly and selflessly follow Jesus all the way to his eternal kingdom.
There’s a lot going on in this passage. We realize that at least some of Jesus’ disciples have made the connection between him and the promised Messiah. We also understand that the Messiah wasn’t going to behave the way people were expecting. I’m also noticing that Jesus was already completely aware of how this was going to end. He already knew that the religious leaders were going to fully turn on him and have him executed, and that he would be raised back to life.
What captures my attention is the way he expresses himself when he is explaining it. He isn’t apologizing or asking for sympathy. He is explaining that things have to happen this way. He was clear that this was all part of the divine plan. Jesus was never, for a second, a victim. What he suffered – if you haven’t read this before, it’s coming – was horrific. But he knew it was coming and he orchestrated events to make sure it happened exactly to plan.
When God has a purpose to accomplish, not only will it happen, but those he chooses to involve in his purposes can participate with confidence and fearlessness. Awful things do happen, but God never lets his people suffer pointlessly. Not gonna lie. This is a heavy thought. I’m not instinctively excited about the idea that something God has planned for my life could feel pretty miserable. But there’s a verse many of us have read in Romans that promises that God will use everything for the good of those who love him.
Like most people, my life has had its highlights and its seriously stormy days. Here’s what fifty plus years of living has taught me. That verse in Romans is true. It’s a promise. And the Bible overtly states that God always keeps his promises. In fact, I’ve gotten to the point that, when life suddenly slides sideways and I am not liking where it’s going, I can sometimes get this sense of expectation. Sometimes is the key word here. But sometimes I remember some of the times before, when God suddenly created something beautiful and joyful out of total chaos. I remember how he used something I absolutely hated to bring some good that made it all entirely worth it. Sometimes I remember what he promised. And instead of only feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, I also feel a bit of anticipation. I find myself wondering what God is up to. Because I know he is only ever up to good, even miserable circumstances can be a tiny bit exciting.
A little more being real before I wrap up: Sometimes eternity, heaven, the life that finally begins when this one ends, seems a bit surreal and distant. But we get glimpses like this one that promise us that it’s going to be incomprehensibly good. We get snapshot descriptions of that life in some of the prophetic books of the Bible. And we get parables where it is described as something so precious it is worth everything we have. I have my days where I really wonder how this (whatever my this is that day) could be worth it. I have those days. But I have seen God take the darkest worst things life has thrown at me and make me so thankful they happened. If he can take the ugly that this life is full of and make something beautiful, I am seriously excited to see what he can make of a world we haven’t destroyed.
