Pastor Pat Edwards 11/12/2006
Grace Baptist Church in Bountiful, Utah

Dave Rowe is currently going through an experience many of us are familiar with and it’s not pleasant. Several times a week he goes to the physical therapist for therapy on his shoulder. He told me Thursday that when he’s just doing the normal activities of life he doesn’t have any pain in his recently-operated-on shoulder. It’s only when he goes to therapy and exercises that he has pain. If Homer Simpson had been in the room with us I’m sure he would have asked Dave why he was doing such a dumb thing. Why would anyone deliberately pay someone a lot of money, or even a small amount of money, to cause them pain?

Maybe one or two of you think like Homer Simpson but most of us know the answer to why people go through painful exercises with physical therapists. The limited and temporary physical pain keeps the suffering from becoming permanent and getting a whole lot worse. But do we also think that’s true in the spiritual world as well?

15"But what about you?" (Jesus) asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16

Once the disciples understand who Jesus is he starts telling them the plan. Peter who probably represents the thinking of the group, rebukes Jesus. For whatever reason Peter believes Jesus’ suffering and death are unnecessary. One reason may be that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," the guy who has got it all. There’s a common belief that with enough power, wealth or prestige a person can avoid suffering in almost all its forms. So it’s foolish for Jesus to submit to suffering and death when he has the power to prevent it. Another factor at work might be an ancient form of the power of positive thinking? Peter may be telling Jesus to stop being so negative, to stop looking at the obstacles and instead look at the possibilities.

But Jesus will have none of that. He forcefully tells Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." We can imagine Peter’s shock when Jesus responds like this to what was intended as a helpful rebuke. Jesus drives right to the heart of the matter, this is worldly thinking and the prince of this world is Satan. Peter must reject the demonic lies that are such a large part of this fallen world and listen to what Jesus says.

The lies in the biblical world of two thousand years ago have not disappeared, have they? There is still the belief that with enough wealth or power or prestige people should be able to avoid suffering. Even though Americans have some of the best medical care in the world you wouldn’t know it by listening to us. Complaints about doctors and hospitals and medications and expense are as frequent as complaints about the weather. We find it hard to understand why the pain can’t be relieved, why the function can’t be restored, why the illness can’t be cured.

Can you hear what I’m saying? Too many people believe that with enough wealth or power or prestige we should be able to avoid suffering. And it covers all areas of life. We ought to be able to control the economy so jobs aren’t lost and people put out of work. We ought to be able to control our borders so terrorists aren’t a threat or illegal immigrants don’t take our jobs. The list of difficult things we think money and power and influence can remedy is almost endless.

For many Christians this belief also carries over into the kingdom of God. Only instead of relying on wealth, power and prestige we rely on distorted views of prayer and faith. Many misguided Christian ministries tell us with enough prayer and faith we don’t have to be sick, we don’t have to live life without the good things we want. And if we find ourselves suffering or in need it’s because something is wrong with us. They rebuke us like Peter rebuked Jesus. "Stop thinking negatively and start thinking positively. Just believe and Jesus will take away your suffering; he will heal you, he will remove the hardship. You can experience heaven on earth with enough faith."

But is that the way it really works? Let’s go back to the text and hear the rest of what Jesus says to Peter and the disciples. 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

These words only make sense to the disciples if they know and accept who Jesus is. Here is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" who turns water into wine, who feeds five thousand with a few loaves and fishes, who raises the dead, who quiets the wind and calms the sea, telling them they each have to take up a cross and sacrifice their lives to follow him. You don’t walk away from suffering and death - in fact, you embrace it. They must have asked, "Why? Why don’t you just use all your knowledge and power to take control and set things right? No one would ever have to be sick or hungry or oppressed or persecuted ever again if you would just use your power."

The answer to their question is that knowledge and power won’t set things right. Escaping suffering and death doesn’t make things all better. What will make things all better is a humble man who takes the punishment of others, who gives his life to save others. What makes things all better is learning to live and love with and like Jesus. Jesus has told them his purpose and goal will bring him to suffering and death but also to resurrection on the third day. We don’t know if they aren’t hearing what he said about resurrection on the third day or if that’s just not enough to justify the suffering. But regardless of the reason Peter rebukes Jesus for accepting suffering and death.

Initially Jesus chastised Peter but now he holds out words of challenge but more importantly, words of hope. "You can come with me, you can deny yourself, take up your cross, lose this present life for me but in doing all those things, find real life and when I return in my Father’s glory, an eternal reward."

But it has to be done his way. If Peter and the other disciples truly believe he is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," then they really have no choice and even if they did they wouldn’t want it because the good news is they can live in the presence of God forever as his beloved children and that’s worth any price they have to pay. The questions we have to ask ourselves are, "Do we believe the same thing? Do we believe the way to eternal life and joy travels through suffering and death?" If someone showed up at my door and told me I’d won the Utah Lottery I wouldn’t believe them - primarily because Utah doesn’t have a lottery. But let’s say it does and a couple of nicely dressed people show up on my doorstep and tell me I’ve won millions of dollars. I wouldn’t jump for joy and start screaming, first because I can’t jump and screaming makes me instantly hoarse but primarily because how do I know this isn’t a prank or that I’m not on Candid Camera? I would insist on verifiable evidence. I might contact a TV station or newspaper to see if the winner had been announced. I might even call Paul Murphy and ask him if the Attorney General could verify my win. The point is that for me to believe someone, especially about big issues, I have to know them and trust them. And most of you have the same criteria.

I was talking with Jim Gunnuscio this week and he shared about a Christian who is struggling with this very issue - is Jesus "the Christ, the Son of the living God" and does following him require taking up our cross and denying our life? Can we trust the words of Jesus? This Christian has a loved one who is terminally ill and he is wrestling with questions we sometimes take for granted until trouble comes: Does God really exist? Does God involve himself in our lives? Does God really love us? Why does God allow suffering? This man’s experience is not a unique one, suffering and death have a way of drawing us close to God or driving us away. No one remains unchanged in the face of such difficulties. But the reality is that the journey with Jesus has a cross at the start, a cross that brings death to the way of life we’ve known, the way of life that kills the spirit. The cross kills the killer, the cross crucifies the life that kills the spirit and in doing so it gives our spirit eternal life. Going through that process involves suffering on every level but reward is beyond measure.

This promise from Jesus, this hope, gives us the same certainty Jesus had. The apostle Paul grasped this truth and declared, The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Rom 8.16-18

Not every Christian undergoes physical therapy but every Christian undergoes spiritual therapy. The Lord knows we need stretching and twisting and exercise to achieve all we’re capable of as his children. So I’m going to ask you to make a conscious effort to be aware of at least one act of spiritual therapy the "Great Therapist" puts you through this week. Find out the lesson he’s trying to teach you or the behavior he’s trying to change. It might be to bless you or he might be using you to bless others - remember he went to the cross for us. Once you’ve discovered the purpose of your spiritual therapy take time to thank the Lord that you’ve been considered worthy to share all things with him - even his suffering and death.