Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2008 : February 10, 2008

Theme: Crossroads - Traveling with Our Savior from Galilee to Judea

Church year occasion: Lent 1

This sermon was part of the midweek Lenten series for 2008, but it was preached on the first Sunday in Lent because the Ash Wednesday service was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Can you name some places where you would love to go? Perhaps Paris (especially as we are approaching Valentine's Day)? A Caribbean island? Disneyland? Hawaii? How about some places that aren't on a map? The Publisher's Clearinghouse house where you pick up your check for millions of dollars? Maybe Grandma's and Grandpa's house?

Now think of the opposite. Have you ever dreaded going somewhere? Maybe it was the dentist office to get a tooth filled. Maybe you dreaded going to school on the day of a big exam. Maybe you dread going to the in-laws' house. When we have to go to such places, we look for every excuse in the book not to go. There might be two snowflakes in the air, so you say, "Well, we better not chance it by driving in this weather." Or, "What a coincidence, Honey, my sock drawer needs to be rearranged again!" To which your spouse replies, "Strange how that happens every time we're supposed to go to my mother's house." To which you reply, "Yeah, weird, huh?"

While a trip to the dentist, the classroom, or your mother-in-law's may all be less than inviting, what if you knew the time and place you were going to die? What if you had 100% guaranteed information that, as soon as you pull into the driveway after church today, you will die -- would you go home? Would you eagerly jump in the car after church and beat the traffic, saying, "I can't wait to get there"? Probably not. More than likely, you'd book a room at the Holiday Inn and call the moving company to go in and start packing up your things. You would avoid even getting close to your home again.

Today, as we begin our journey with Jesus on his crossroads, we find ourselves on the longest geographical route we'll travel over the next six weeks. We're on the road from the northern region of Galilee to the southern region of Judea. This 75-mile trek would provide ample time for reflection for Jesus and his disciples. But what's most amazing about this trek is that they were on it at all. Jesus knew that this road would lead him to the cross. In a sense, this road could be marked "One Way." He knew he was going to Judea to die. Yet, he went. As we travel this crossroad with Jesus, we'll see him as a leader, as a teacher, and most important, we'll see him as the Savior. So let's lace up our sandals and join the disciples and Jesus on this long crossroad traveling from Galilee to Judea.

First we see Jesus as a leader. How would you define a leader? Someone once said, "A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune." Can't that be said of Jesus in this case? In regard to his human nature, what Jesus was facing must have been overwhelming. Down the road, he could see the Roman hammer driving a nail through his flesh. In the distance, he could feel the spit of mockers oozing down his cheeks. He could hear his friends betraying and denying him. This was the music playing in Jesus' future -- yet he faced it head-on. Our lesson says, "Jesus [was] leading the way." He wasn't just part of a pilgrim crowd heading to celebrate the Passover. He wasn't being dragged along for the ride. He was out in front, urging, "C'mon, let's go. C'mon, Peter. C'mon, Philip. We have to reach the next town before dark. Let's go, guys."

While Jesus was determined to push forward to get to Judea, the emotions of his companions were quite different. How does our lesson describe the disciples' attitude? It says they were "astonished" as they walked with Jesus. They were dumbfounded perhaps because they knew Jerusalem was the hotbed for Jesus' enemies. They couldn't understand why Jesus would be so eager to head into enemy territory. They couldn't figure it out, and you can bet the disciples were talking privately along the road, discussing why Jesus was pushing forward with such determination. How does Mark describe the other pilgrims who followed Jesus? "[They] were afraid." There must have been an eerie feeling that hovered over them. Something clued them in that a momentous, perhaps tragic, event was looming.

Now let's ask, what would we have been thinking if we had been on that road to Judea? Or, better yet, what emotions do we experience now as we walk the difficult roads of our faith-life? All too often we mimic the crowd or disciples, don't we? We fear what lies ahead. We wonder how we're ever going to get through a difficult situation. We doubt God's presence in a time of turmoil. We doubt his wisdom. But then, out of the blue, we see Jesus leading. Through his Word, we see his love shining through. Through his Word, we see him grabbing us by the hand, picking us up from the dirt of despair. We hear him say, "C'mon, let's go. I'll be with you. Follow me. I'll lead." Indeed, when we find ourselves on our own crossroads -- crossroads that are far less dangerous than the one Jesus traveled -- we still see him leading. We see Christ as our leader.

But there is more to being a good leader than just being out in front, cheering and serving as an example in the face of adversity, like a general leading his troops into a very difficult battle. A good leader will also take the time to explain his actions to his followers, thus equipping them to face similar adversity in the future. On the crossroad from Galilee to Judea, we see Jesus doing just that. We see Jesus as a teacher.

Our lesson continues, "Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him." The key word here is "again". This is at least the fifth time that Jesus has told his disciples about his upcoming suffering and death. Perhaps there were other times that are not recorded for us in the pages of Scripture. But what's the big deal that again and again we hear Jesus telling this to his followers? It shows his patience. As a teacher, Jesus had every right to bang his head against the wall, frustrated that his pupils just didn't seem to get it at times. In one instance he says that the first shall be last, but soon afterward we see the disciples arguing about who is the greatest among them. In one scene the disciples witness a Jesus feed over 5000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple small fish, and a few hours later they completely forget about Jesus' power and are scared for their lives when a storm comes up on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus so easily could have thrown his hands up in disgust and given up on this group. But he didn't. Rather, time and time again he patiently taught them. And here, on his final trip to Judea, even as he was going to his death, he pulls them aside for one more lesson.

This leads to another point about Christ as a teacher -- look at the subject matter he taught his pupils. He didn't just share the flashy news about himself. He didn't just wow them with his miracles. He shared the truth -- the whole truth -- even the parts they maybe didn't want to hear. He didn't gloss over the hard-to-swallow teachings. In fact, he called special attention to them. He said, "We are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him."

If you're a disciple walking this road, what's going on in your head, having heard this? No wonder they were "astonished"! How could their leader escort them into this hornets' nest? Why was he doing this? Should they stop him? Valid questions. Questions that only a masterful teacher could answer. Why do you think Jesus made sure he told his disciples what would happen to him? To show he was God and knew all things. To show he was in control. To show this was and had always been part of the plan God had laid out from eternity. What comfort that would give the disciples! And trust that they could face anything else as well.

But Jesus wasn't just teaching his disciples. He was teaching us the same lesson. So often we fail to "get it." He invites, "Come to me with your problems," and we seek so many other solutions first. He soothingly says, "You're forgiven," and we beat ourselves up over our sins. He instructs, "Let my Word be your guide," and we choose alternate paths. Yet he's patient with us. Again and again he pulls us aside and speaks to us through his Word. He is the master Teacher. But not only is he our leader, not only is he our teacher, most importantly, he's our Savior.

Jesus drives home this point with a concise little sentence to end the conversation with his disciples. Jesus declares, "Three days later [I] will rise." Some of you might be avid fans of Harry Potter. The last book has already come out, but it hasn't been made into a movie yet, so only the biggest Harry Potter fan knows if Harry lives through book seven or not. Before the book came out, that's all Harry Potter fans could talk about. He was growing stronger himself as he went through the books and as he grew up. But each book became a little darker, so many thought that he might not live through it. It's the opposite with Jesus. The closer he gets to Jerusalem, the weaker he looks. Where before he could just walk through a crowd because his time had not yet come, now he will be going into the heart of enemy territory, but he won't walk through the crowd. The crowd will capture him. The crowd will torture him. The crowd would kill him. And when we see all hope gone, even as his disciples did, suddenly Jesus fulfills his promise -- he rises from the dead. He's alive! Not only is he alive, but he is victorious.

Unfortunately, the disciples at this time didn't comprehend Jesus' prediction that he would be victorious. Luke's gospel reports, "The disciples did not understand any of this." (Luke 18:34) They were probably caught thinking about the battles Jesus would seem to be losing. But in the end, they would learn to appreciate the weight of these words. They would learn that these words were more than an empty hope that Jesus held out to them. They would learn these words proved his victory over his enemies, and prove him as their Savior.

And that's what we do today as well. As we begin the Lenten season and travel these crossroads with Jesus, our minds can be consumed about all the jabs that our Savior took. During Lent we reflect on how our sins were jabs that landed on him. Now certainly, it's healthy for us to understand the seriousness of our sin. But it's only healthy if we understand that Jesus not only absorbed the jabs, he fought back and won. He conquered our sins. He knocked out our sins. He saved us from our sins. Remember that as we travel these crossroads. Remember that these roads which lead to the agony of the cross merge into another road that takes us to the empty tomb and the glory of eternal life. May our Lenten journey, therefore, be a blessing to us as we see Jesus as our leader, our teacher, and our Savior. Amen.