17 Pentecost, Proper 19
15 Sep 2024
According to the internet site Biblebreathe, Jesus walked 3125 miles during his ministry. The folks who calculated that must have been looking at Mark’s Gospel. Jesus was always on the move. That is a little under 1000 miles per year, assuming his ministry was 3.5 years. My fitness watch says I walked 1300 miles in the last year, which came as a surprise. I didn’t realize I had walked that far! Jesus, however, lived on the road much of the time. He apparently would walk a long distance, stay for a bit, and then move on. That is the problem. Jesus won’t stay still. You wonder what it was that kept folks coming when he just wouldn’t stay still.
Yet isn’t that the point? His ministry was not static; what he asked of his disciples was that they, too, not stay still. Many of the wisdom teacher of his time, and of our own, often remain static, fixed to a place, and disciples come to them. Not so Jesus. He was the quintessential itinerant preacher. And he invites us to go with him.
Mark tells us in no uncertain terms that the disciples were not the brightest flames. But they followed, some all 3000 miles and in the end most died a martyr’s death. Thomas perhaps said it best in John’s Gospel. Towards the end of his ministry Jesus decides he must return to Judea to raise Lazurus. He is in great danger and would likely die, but blessed Thomas decides that following Jesus and the Way is far more important than his own life and says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” And they went, despite the danger.
We, too, are on a journey with Jesus. It may not involve an immanent risk to our lives, but it is not easy, and it may not be safe. You have, however, made the decision to walk with Jesus. That walk is not just to and from a church building, but in a willingness to learn and grow and take risks. Today Peter, who had just confessed he knew the identity of Jesus, gets the most basic lesson of who the Messiah is and what it means to be one of his followers. When we confess we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, it is the beginning of our journey and not the end. We are not saved by those words, but by our faith and, as the epistle writer James points out, our deeds. In fact, our words can do great damage.
Jesus’ words today were a huge surprise for the disciples. Wouldn’t you rather go on a journey to a beautiful beach with gorgeous sunsets or some other place where you find your bliss than follow a man who is to be crucified and die a horrible death? What kind of salvation is that? Yet this is THE question all of us must answer for ourselves.
Bonhoeffer’s phrase “cheap grace” spoke of taking on the external trappings of believe, but none of the practices that Jesus taught. Nazis and other fascists claimed to be Christian, but they perverted the faith to obtain power and, as we know from Germany, Italy, and Spain, it was an excuse to destroy. Beware of anyone who claims to be a Christian Nationalist. The two words do not go together.
The journey as a Christian is very circuitous. Sorry if you wanted I 80 from Davenport to Omaha. You get something more like old US 6. You go slowly, you wind your way between stops, and you see towns and countryside. Jesus wants us to take our time, to learn. Being a Christian is never, ever a statement of superiority; it is a lifelong commitment to a journey of learning. For those of us who call ourselves Christian, we must learn to love in a way that is self-giving, not self-serving. What could be more self-giving than Jesus’ statement that the Messiah would die for the world? We must understand that our own journey will involve giving up for others. We must learn to have joy. Even in the face of what he knew was coming, Jesus experienced joy. Joy in communicating with his Father; joy in being with his friends and followers. Joy is that deep seated understanding that God is with you and cares for you and all of creation and that nothing can break that bond. Early Christians went to their deaths still experiencing that joy. We must learn to have hope, which is not thinking that everything will have a happy ending. No matter what, people die and disasters happen, but hope allows us to see what is to come for us and for the world.
Journey means we are willing to look beyond our small place and the few people we know. My own journey did not start in earnest until I was in my 30’s. Before that I had my beliefs, I participated in liturgy and practiced social justice, but I was running on a treadmill. When I started to take a hard look at the Gospels and engage in meaningful study and contemplation, I realized that I was just beginning. For me, becoming an Episcopalian gave me the insight that there is no certainty, there is no endpoint. I entered into a journey with Christ and my life is certainly more interesting for doing so. But that is not the kind of statement that draws someone to become a follower. What does so is the community that will embrace you and anyone who wants to be part of it. It is a community where people care for one another and live in the knowledge and love of Jesus. That community, which is not in one place or time, is what saved me.
I remain on a journey, and I love it. I have worn out numerous shoes and over time have learned that I have to change what I wear and how I walk because I try to do it my way and not God’s.
I invite you all to go on the journey with Jesus and with one another. I can tell you it will not be easy, but you will fall in love with Jesus and experience true hope and joy.
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