People often say “we all have our crosses to bear” and by those words, they are usually referring to the fact that no-one is exempt from suffering in some form.
“Into each life some rain must fall” as they say. Fairy-tales may end with the words “happily ever after” but we need to realise that “happily ever after” is in reality for the hereafter. We all face problems in life from time to time, from sickness of ourselves or loved ones and for many other reasons and of course, how could we be entirely happy when we look at the suffering and injustice in the wider world around us. At the moment living through these difficult times, these things are even more apparent to us perhaps than normally.
There are no short cuts to a “happy ever after” in this life. That doesn’t mean that this aspect of life should overshadow everything else. There is still joy and happiness in this life but we can’t expect to feel that all the time.
But important as all that is, it is not what Jesus is talking about in his words to Peter and the disciples in today’s gospel. Jesus is not talking about the general unhappiness that comes to everyone at times through life, he is talking about the suffering and sacrifices that will come to those who choose to follow him.
His words are a corrective to the over-excitement of Peter. I’m sure the other disciples probably felt the same over-excitement. Today’s conversation follows on from the conversation we read about last week in which Peter recognised that Jesus was the messiah. Jesus confirmed Peter’s insight but he then tried to take the disciples a step further to understand what it means to be God’s messiah and to warn them that the opposition already building against him will lead, in the end, to his death.
Peter’s horror at Jesus’ words shows that this is not the picture of what was going to happen next that he had in his head. Peter, no doubt, had a triumphalist vision of what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah. That vision was in line with the popular imagination of the time. Peter pictured a King David figure, who would restore Israel and then usher in a “happily ever after.”
The prophet Jeremiah could have told him differently. In our Old Testament reading we heard one of Jeremiah’s laments which reflect his struggles with what God has asked him to do. Jeremiah, called as a young man, had to tell his people that their sins were so great that God was going to send a punishment upon them. They would be sent into Exile. It was a message that would bring him persecution and that would be rejected.
The joy Jeremiah initially felt at his call has turned to distress and a feeling of abandonment. Yet he knows that in the end, God will vindicate him. It is a vivid picture of the cost of true service.
In morning prayer last week, the readings focussed on Acts chapter 7, the account of the stoning of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Stephen’s speech illustrates the early churches understanding of the fate of the prophet s in the Old Testament; an understanding which may well have come from Jesus.
Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets are themselves rejected by the generation they are speaking to, even if their message may later be revered and accepted by subsequent generations. The early church saw all of this history of the rejection of God’s messengers as pointing to the ultimate rejection of the Son of God who was put on a cross.
Jesus then is warning his disciples that that they too will face troubles and rejection and some of them will face literal martyrdom if they truly follow him.
Elsewhere, Jesus says that if our following of Him, brings us trouble that actually may be a sign that we actually are following him. “Blessed are you when people revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” So when the troubles come our way that may come from being true to our calling and genuinely serving others whether that is easy, as with friends, or difficult, as with enemies, we should rejoice!
So what are the costs of our discipleship? What are the crosses that we bear through following Jesus? They may be everyday things that come out of our helping with the task of looking after a church or helping to look after each other as the people of God. Sometimes they can just be the boredom of doing seemingly thankless tasks. Someone once said that the test of a vocation is our acceptance of the drudgery it involves! Sometimes, it could be the difficulties that will come our way by trying to reach out with the love of God into our community.
St Paul gives a concrete example of what it means to follow Jesus in the way that we behave. He exhorts his Roman readers to practise a genuine love which is more than just words; a love, moreover, which is more than the world expects and which even extends to forgiving enemies. The whole of this reading could be summed up with the words “overcome evil with good” which is what Jesus did on the cross. All these are difficult teachings to follow and remind us how hard it can be to follow Jesus.
So we are called to be realistic about the cost of discipleship but that should not put us off. There are deep, deep rewards to discipleship too though they come to us unsought. Sometimes the most difficult things in life are also the most rewarding. If we are really passionate about a cause we will not let the cost put us off.
If we look back to the days when the pandemic we are going through was at its height earlier in the year, among the most exposed to danger for obvious reasons were doctors, nurses and those working in the medical profession. It’s very touching then that that experience has not put off young people putting themselves forward in record numbers for medical careers.
If a course of action matters to us enough we will accept the sacrifices which may accompany it. Whatever sacrifices we accept for Jesus are as nothing compared with the sacrifices he has made for us. Christ’s sacrifices show us that we are a cause that is very, very dear to him. Amen.