“The famous if’s”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, February 25, 2024 Mark 8:31-38 (Forward, p. 27) CEV p. 1038

The conjunction ‘if’ is one of the most important pieces of grammar in the English language. It denotes cause and effects, consequences of a particular action or utterance. As my dad used to famously say when someone tried to use ‘if’ as an excuse, “Well, if the dog hadn’t stopped to sniff the bush, it would have caught the rabbit.” In other words, the dog made that decision—and so have you—so don’t try to weasel your way out of it.

Today’s passage has a whole slew of ‘if’s, but not all of them are matters of cause and effect, though some are:

a) If you want to be my disciple, one of my followers:

-then you must forget yourself, deny yourself.

This doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself, but thinking of

yourself less. In other words, being more focused on Jesus and His will for you and all of humankind.

-As the Message says, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat.’

-you must take up your cross. Two things here:

-when the Cross of Christ, God’s will, crosses our wills

we must choose His will. This invariably means some

sort of discomfort at best, perhaps worse.

-when we chose the Cross, it is a one-way street, a

forever decision. In the ancient world, no one ever

returned alive after having taken up his or her cross. We must be prepared to give all, to sacrifice ourselves, our comfort, our own personal agendas for Him and His kingdom.

-you must follow me, imitate me, be like me.

We must rely upon Him. Self-help will do us no good, no

Good at all.

b) If you want to save your life, yourself, your soul,

-then you will lose it.

Playing safe and being unwilling, unable to risk anything for God and His kingdom will get you nowhere. In fact, it will

result in your losing what is most important in life, your own

true self.

c) But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, the Gospel,

-then you will save it

Self-sacrifice is the only way to true life and eternity.

d) If you own the whole world and all its trinkets, gain everything you ever wanted,

-then what will you gain if you lose your own soul in the bargain?

-how often this is true of people who devote their entire lives

to their work or to a hobby!

e) If you deny me, are ashamed of me in front of fickle, unfaithful, and unfocused friends,

-then the Son of Man, Jesus, will be ashamed of you when He

returns in glory.

-so, what is the end-cost of the glory, the affection, the approval

of the world, if we lose out on Jesus’ approval”. Is it worth it?

These are some rather mighty ‘if’s’, some actions that have far -reaching consequences or outcomes, some things that are well-worth our consideration, both now and forever—some things that are well-worth examining this Lenten season.

Forward notes: “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (verse 35).

“We live in a time of truth-telling in our culture and society. The Episcopal Church’s history with racial justice in our church and the larger society, our involvement in indigenous residential boarding schools, and our culture of silence and acceptance around power differentials and harassment are receiving a reckoning. We are finally talking about these things openly, just like Jesus was talking about truth openly.

“When Peter rebukes Jesus, Jesus immediately understand that it is the dark forces and principalities—the structural, cultural, and institutional systems—that are trying to prevent him from speaking truth out loud. It is not his friend. Jesus tells Peter that he must lose his life in the culture to gain his life in Christ.

“When we speak truth against these systems, we lose our lives for the sake of the gospel. We fade away, and the gospel ascends. Then we rest in the abundant grace of God and the love of our brother Jesus.”

Moving Forward: “What truth-telling needs to be told in your community? Are you the truth-teller or part of the system—or both?”

A concluding note: I’m not sure that truth-telling has really become the name of the game these days. Half-truths, made-up truths, distortions of the truth, fake news, and propaganda of various sorts have often taken over both the political landscape and social media. Furthermore, they have increasingly been propagated, used and disseminated by highly politicized and partisan parties. It is hard to know just what the truth is anymore.

Our author speaks of ‘structural, cultural, and institutional systems’ and suggests that they are ‘dark forces and principalities’. Here, I would suggest, it is important to name them, to name these ‘dark forces and principalities’. Jesus referred to them as Satan, and I think He was spot on. Satan, literally ‘the adversary’, works against all that is good and holy, all that God desires for the world. And certainly, he works against all that is healthy and life-giving in our world and in our lives. The famous French philosopher Jacques Ellul once suggested that there is the potential for the demonic in almost every institutional and I think he’s right. Our systems, regardless of their origins, history, and present function, can be far too easily misused and used to our detriment. And right in there, making

abundant use of them, is our old enemy and adversary, Satan. It is best not to forget this.