Troubling Words

Matthew 16:12-26

One of the events I do with my confirmation class each year is that we talk about persecution. I mean, we talk about the gospel lesson that we read today; about being willing to die for the faith. I take the members of the class back in time to the first and second century A.D. So, this morning I'm going to take you all back to the year 177 A.D. The place is the arena at Lyons, a major city of the Roman Empire. It is festival time, a time of celebration for the "decent" citizens of the town and of the leaders of the government. And the people have filled the arena in that city to see the popular sport that consisted of killing criminals, runaway slaves, and Christians.

A letter that has survived through the centuries, written from a Christian church of that time and place describes the event. The language of the letter almost sounds like the words of a local sports broadcaster:

"The governor had the blessed ones form a procession for the enjoyment of the crowd . . . Maturus, then Santus, Blandina, and Attalus were led to face the lions in the amphitheater. . . the virgin Blandina, after the whips, after the lions, after the iron chair, was at last thrown into a basket and presented to a bull. For a time, the animal tossed her, but she had now lost any sense of what was happening, thanks to her hope, her steadfast faith and her close communion with Christ."

The emperor, Claudius, was so hooked on violence that he ordered his soldiers to turn the faces of the mauled, mutilated, dying Christians in his direction, so he could enjoy their final moments of agony. The people in the stadium roared even louder as the Christians' body parts were taken out. They roared even louder than the lions! And, remember, the people of Lyons who were there in the stadium, enjoying this event, were not the rabble, low-class of the day. Rather, they were the "good," "respectable," wealthy, law abiding citizens of the Roman Empire.

How often do we think we have risen above this kind of thing in our own modern day! How often do we tell ourselves that we would never do this to people, today, or enjoy watching such things! But, maybe we should think again!

Chances are pretty good that most of us spend some portion of our time in front of a TV set. How many of us don't like sitting there with some popcorn, a cola, a nice soft pillow, and a bag of chips? And as we sit there watching TV we can see more violence in three hours than the people of Lions ever dreamed of. I was entertainment for them, and it is for us, as well. How about the new cop shows with the cameras following the police around? Or, how about those movies we see at the theaters where whole cities get blown up?

Today, experts estimate that by the end of elementary school the average American child will see 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence. In real life, during the past decades, there has been a 55% increase in the number of juveniles arrested for murder. More teens die today from violence than from disease.

So, if we think culture has improved a whole lot over the time of the Romans, we really ought to think again!

Today's gospel lesson acknowledges the painful reality that we live in and are a part of a violent people.

After Jesus proclaimed that he was the Messiah, we should remember that he then predicted that he would be violently killed by the Romans. Hearing this news horrified Peter. And it still churns our stomachs to think about it. I believe that it is easier for us post-Easter Christians to read the predictions of Jesus' death than to have been one of Jesus' disciples and hear about it coming.

I always look forward to Easter time – the lilies, the white cloths, and so on. But I have a great distaste for Good Friday or Black Friday. Each year Ed and other helpers bring down the ugly, splintery, wooden cross and place it in the chancel of the church. It is really ugly and we drape a black cloth over and around it. Not many of you show up on this important day, but you come on Easter. Good Friday is not fun. No one likes to talk about the ugly death of Jesus. We like to skip over it. No one wants to talk about the crucifixion. Instead, we would rather dwell on the good things about being a Christian, like heaven, and the kingdom of God being established in this world. Just look at the Republican and Democratic celebrations that took place in the last few weeks and days: They weren't times of looking at the bad, but clearly shouted, "Let the good times roll!"

We sit in our pews to be entertained and want to feel good. I'm sorry I can't make you feel good today, because I don't. For this gospel lesson grinds my gears. It makes me sick and angry. How could they kill Jesus? But then how could they kill Christians? But, then, how can we kill and hurt each other, today, and enjoy watching such things on television?

Really, how sick are we? We like to dress the crucifixion up. We want to gloss over that old ugly wooden cross. For example, take a look at the jewelry we wear as crosses! I mean, we don't usually wear small, ugly, wooden crosses around our necks. Instead, we wear 14 k gold crosses, or 18 k gold crosses, or 24 k gold crosses, or 10 k gold crosses, or yellow gold crosses, or white gold crosses, crosses of various sizes, crosses with diamonds or rubies or sapphires, copper crosses, brass crosses, sterling silver crosses, or Black Hill gold crosses. Funny, though, that we don't wear the old rugged wooded crosses.

Today, I got out my ugly cross. It's called a fairy stone. I don't like it, much, and I don't wear it because it reminds me of the ugly death of Jesus and the death of the early Christians in the arenas. And it reminds me that because of my faith in Christ I may also be asked to die an ugly death, as well.

The fairy stone cross is a natural growth event. I mean, the cross grows wild in the Virginia hills. The legend goes that on the day that Christ died, the little fairies began to cry. As their tears fell to earth, God turned each one into a cross to remind people that Jesus, his only Son, died on the cross for us. So, even today, you can go to the hills of Virginia and find them growing wild on the ground. Today, I wear one to remind me that Jesus died for me, and for you, as well.

I am reminded of the words spoken by Father Daniel Berrigan in the 1970's: "If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood!"

Today, we baptized two people – a baby girl and a young woman. In essence they put their hearts and souls on the cross. They are saying they are willing to die for their faith. But, then, of course, I hope and pray they will never have to.

But when we become Christians, Jesus calls us away from our old identities, our old selves. When we become Christians we undergo a character change. By practicing the faith, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. Jesus calls us to become members of a new family, part of a new reality – the body of Christ. This Christ-Body- Community lives according to a new set of shared standards and values that develops a Christian character in each one of us. Living out these values of love and caring builds up our character more strongly every day. It is only through the strength of this Christian character that any one of us can hope to successfully carry a cross for Jesus.

Through Christ and our baptism into Christ, we are empowered to "live a new life". When Christ enters our lives, we experience the deepest character change of our lives, changes on can never have without Jesus.

Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me. These are pretty ugly words. "Whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it and whosoever saves his life will lose it." This is pretty heavy stuff to say to someone, especially when these words were first said 2,000 years ago.

But the times are still the same. We can watch and let the violence go on or we can turn the television set off and go out and make it a better world by loving and caring for each other, to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. To love and care for the needy of the world and make it a better place.

Amen.