Hills & Valleys

3rd Sunday of Lent                March 3, 2024

6th in the Gospel of Mark 8:27-10:52

The disciples went to college last time we visited the Gospel of Mark -- and they didn’t excel with the curriculum, but they’ve been admitted to graduate school by the grace of God…truly.

This portion of the Gospel has two main structural features. It outlines a series of conversations and encounters some of which are affirming and positive and some which are confusing and difficult, so there’s a movement of highs and lows, insights and befuddlement.

The other feature of this portion resides in the paradoxes within Jesus’ teaching and repeating evidence of the disciples’ difficulties in comprehending Jesus’ mission. 

Upon leaving Bethsaida where he healed the man who was blind Jesus and his disciples head for the villages in Caesarea Philippi. On their way, Jesus asks his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” They report that people think he may be John the Baptist or Elijah (come back from the dead) or one of the prophets. 

Then he asks them “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter immediately answers “You are the Christ.” Whereupon Jesus tells his disciples not to share this identity with anyone. It’s at this point in their relationship that Jesus announces that he is going to suffer and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes; that he will be killed but that after three days he will rise again. 

It is certainly good news to them that he is the Christ, but it is certainly not good news that he’s going to die. I’m not sure they take in the last bit of good news that he will rise again, which is born out later. Jesus is telling them that suffering is essential to the fulfillment of his mission. 

Peter draws Jesus aside and rebukes him for saying this. Jesus responds with a rebuke of Peter by telling him he speaks as would Satan, explaining that denying the necessity of this sacrifice, he is not aligning with God’s interests. 

It is here that Jesus calls the multitude to gather in with his disciples and gives them the hard teaching that if anyone wants to follow him, they must deny their own interests, “to take up one’s cross.” In other words, following Jesus mean following him all the way. To save one’s life (or soul), one must lose it but in losing it for Jesus’ sake and for the sake of the Good News, one will save their life (their soul). Jesus is not calling us to actually, physical die on a cross. 

I’m reading Silence and Honey Cakes by Rowan Williams (former archbishop of Canterbury) and in this small book he highlights the teachings and wisdom of the very early Christian fathers and mothers who sequestered themselves in the desert to pursue their life with God. He points out that our modern adage “follow your heart” is contrary to the teachings of Christ and would have been an anathema to the early Christians. Jesus is not calling us to ‘follow our heart’; Jesus is calling us to follow God’s heart and in doing so, be transformed--led into holiness--into a God imbued life. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:  I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20) Taking up our cross leads us not to death, but to life. 

On the heels of this teaching, Jesus takes three of his disciples apart to the mountain where they witness his transfiguration; they see him in the company of Elijah and Moses, and hear a Voice declare, “This is My beloved Son, listen to him!” Now that’s an elevated experience even though it is also terrifying. It’s important to notice that this episode also speaks to Jesus’ identity.  Mark has reported a progression of identity: Elijah or John the Baptist, the Christ, now comes a Divine declaration, My Son. 

Jesus and these three disciples leave this glorious epiphany, descend down the mountain only to confront a tense and difficult situation. A man has come to the remaining disciples telling them to heal his demon-possessed son. They can’t do it. When Jesus comes to the situation the man says to Jesus “If You can do anything, have pity and help us.” Jesus responds “If You can!” All things are possible to him who believes.”  The man the prays “I do believe; help my unbelief.” And Jesus does; he heals the boy, but his disciples are perplexed as to why they couldn’t.

En route to Capernaum Jesus again told his disciples he was going to be killed but that he would rise in three days’ time. They still did not understand and were afraid to ask him to explain. When they get to their destination, Jesus asks his disciples what they were talking about on the journey. They didn’t want to answer him but he knew they’d been discussing which of them was the greatest. So he sits them down and tells them point blank “If anyone wants to be first, let them be the last of all and servant of all.

He picks up a child to help them understand -- if you receive, embrace, attend and care for one such as this child in my name, you are receiving Me--and not just me, but also the One who sent me. He then moves on to teach them that even those who are not among his immediate group of disciples can receive Him by doing acts of service in His name. And they were to beware of causing someone else to stumble--of hindering them from receiving Jesus. 

He goes further telling them that if there’s something their [our] own life that keeps them [us] from full devotion--causes them [us] to fall away they should cast that stumbling block out. He gets graphic here to show the gravity of stumbling: if it’s your hand, cut it off, if it’s your foot, cut it off, if it’s your eye, cast it out. If it’s our possessions -- like the rich young man of chapter 10; or our attitudes or prejudices; or, as we talked about last time: our traditions. If anything keeps us from relinquishing ourselves totally to God, we are losing our life--the true and full life God intends us to live. Jesus is building, re-explaining in a different way, what he means by taking up one’s cross. 

This is why, in Chapter 10 when the disciples hinder children from approaching him he rebukes them. He repeats his earlier lesson: “Do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these, and anyone with a child-like heart. If you, yourself, are not child-like in your openness to God, you are not abiding in the kingdom of God, (10:15).

Enter the wealthy young man asking what he should do to inherit eternal life. “Sell all you possess and come and follow Me.” The man turns away, grieved. His wealth hindered him. So Jesus explains to his disciples that it’s really hard for those who are wealthy. This was a shocking statement because their theology was that wealth was a measure of God’s pleasure with you. God blessed the obedient with wealth. The disciples were astonished. “Who can be saved?” they ask.  It is God who saves--people cannot earn salvation; salvation is not transactional. Many who think they’ll be first (or the greatest) in the Kingdom of God will actually be last (or least). That’s why we are warned about making judgments about the state of another’s soul. 

These were hard and very unexpected teachings for those of Jesus’ day. It was a lot to absorb. I dare say it’s the same for us.  

Heading now to Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples what to expect when they get there. He will be betrayed and he will suffer and die. But he also repeats in “three days He will rise again.” (10:34) 

It is so telling, is it not, that in the very next verse of Mark’s Gospel we learn that two of his disciples, the brothers, James and John approach Jesus asking him for the greatest, most high-ranking seats on his immediate right and left “when he come in his glory.” This causes indignation among the other disciples (likely because each of them would like to be so seated). So Jesus sits them down and circles back around to his earlier teachings: whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for may.” (10:43-45)

How many times and ways does it take for them -- for us -- to comprehend and fully accept what Jesus and the Gospel, the Good News, the Kingdom of God is about.

We’ve been introduced to one example of someone seeking Jesus (the wealthy young man) and now we meet another example of someone seeking Jesus (Blind Bartimaeus).  It is Blind Bartimaeus who demonstrates all of what Jesus has been saying.

He’s the least of the least, a blind man, sitting on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, begging for alms. His only possession a cloak and this cloak was his shelter from the weather his shield from the sun by day, his blanket in the cold of night. It also hid and protected the money he collected from passersby. Now he hears Jesus is coming his way. He’s heard about Jesus and so he shouts “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Even when people around him tell him to be quiet, he keeps crying “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus hears his plea and calls him to come. And what does this man do? He casts aside his cloak, jumps up and rushes to Jesus. “What do you want Me to do for you?” “My master, I want to regain my sight!” He demonstrates so much trust in Jesus he leaves everything behind. “Go your way; your faith has saved you--has made you well.” Immediately Bartimaeus sees and immediately he follows Jesus. Bartimaeus has moved from death to life. 

My friends, we might wish the path of the Christian life and our own spiritual journey was a smooth one with easy ascent, but it is not, is it? It is sometimes perplexing, the way not always crystal clear and it asks hard things of us: to take on a life and way of being that is not in concert with our appetites and aspirations or those of our culture. It calls for sacrifice, humility (before others and before God), a commitment to surrender to and trust in God. These do not come easily for us. But as Jesus says, it is God who makes this way possible. And as we’ve seen how Jesus perseveres with his disciples, so it is Jesus perseveres with us. What falls to us is to keep following moment by moment with humble teachable heart in hand.

This way---this hilled and valleyed journey---leads to Life!

L Quanstrom