Two Ways

The scriptures referred to are Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:21-28.

There is a meme on the internet that says “Hollywood has spent $600 million trying to get Matt Damon home.” They are referring to his roles in Saving Private Ryan, Interstellar, The Martian and now The Odyssey. This last is the movie version of the epic poem about how it takes 10 years for the hero of the Trojan War to make his way back home. The reason given in the film is that by offering the wooden horse as a gift to the citizens of Troy and using the warriors hidden inside to open the gates and let the Greeks sack the city, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, violated Zeus' law. As his son Telemachus puts it, “Zeus' law tells us to treat strangers as we'd be treated because they might be gods in disguise.” This made-up term stands for the real principle of hospitality in the ancient world. It sounds like a mix of the Golden Rule and what it says in Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Of course, in the film the law is given lip-service but not really practiced, much as the Golden Rule, some form of which is found in nearly every religion, is similarly “more honored in the breach than the observance.” (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4)

A principle more in evidence in the ancient world was that of seeking glory. The story of Odysseus' trick with the Trojan horse makes its way to his home long before he does. Rhapsodes, ancient reciters of poetry, perform it for the suitors who have invaded his home to seek the hand of his queen and presumed widow. Odysseus is a legend in his own time. Meanwhile the man himself is facing gods and monsters while also suffering from what we would call today moral injury. This is a form of complex PTSD we see in warriors, first responders and nurses who have to witness, live with or sometimes make decisions that go against their moral values and who they thought themselves to be. But this doesn't stop Odysseus from slaughtering his wife's suitors, who have also violated Zeus' law. This leaves him dishonored for his actions and he goes into exile. This ending wasn't in the poem but it is in the movie and it makes sense in the honor/shame culture of that time. Oh, and I apologize for spoiling the plot of a nearly 3000 year old story.

The Middle Eastern setting of the Bible was also an honor/shame culture supporting hospitality and one in which men sought glory. Winning fame and defeating your enemies was a sure way to gain glory. Which is why what Jesus has to say to his disciples in today's Gospel reading strikes them as just wrong. The popular idea of the Messiah was that of a warrior-king like David, who drove the Philistines out of Israel. The Jewish people of Jesus' day wanted someone who would drive the Romans out. The idea that the Messiah would “suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed” made no sense. David died of old age, having established a secure kingdom and a dynasty. Jesus is saying that he would soon encounter opposition from the religious authorities, suffer and die. But what good was a dead Messiah?

Peter, who had just said that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, takes him aside and tells Jesus he's wrong. He says Jesus doesn't understand his call from God. Which is why Jesus' reply is so harsh: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

I don't know why the NRSVue uses “hindrance” rather than the more literal translation of “stumbling block.” Jesus is saying that Peter, whom he nicknamed the rock, is now a stumbling block, an obstacle to his mission. Which is why he calls him “Satan.” The Hebrew word “Satan” literally means “adversary.” It's more a title than a proper name. Jesus sees in Peter's suggestion an echo of the three temptations he faced in the wilderness. The first two boiled down to using his divine power for himself and his own ends. In the last temptation Jesus is shown all the kingdoms of the world and told they will be his if he just bows down and worships God's adversary. (Matthew 4:1-11) And certainly that would be easier than getting nailed to a cross. Why give up your life? Every other conqueror gained his kingdom or spread his empire by forcing others to give up their lives: both the lives of his own soldiers and the lives of the soldiers on the other side, plus any civilians that get in the way. That is the way of the world. That is how it is done. Jesus is saying “No” to all that.

Jesus was called by God to do something new. Rather than shedding the blood of others to force people to become part of his kingdom, he will let his own blood be shed to found a kingdom where becoming a citizen is voluntary. Rather than establishing a kingdom with borders to guard, Jesus is establishing a kingdom with no borders, a kingdom of God with no limit to its extent...other than in the hearts of those who reject the all-encompassing nature of God's love.

But that bothers some Christians. Acting self-sacrificially as Jesus did seems like a less certain way to establish God's kingdom than just using power. If you use power and the fear of your power, you can more reliably get people to do what you want. But that doesn't change people's hearts. The God who is love wants people to love him and love others. (1 John 4:7-8) You can't accomplish that with fear. As it says in 1 John, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love. We love because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:18-19) As it says in 1 Timothy, “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (1 Timothy 1:7) The Spirit of Christ offers us self-control, not control over others.

And Jesus' way definitely calls for self-control. He says, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” He didn't mean that symbolically either. He knew that doing things his way, the way of disowning yourself, making painful sacrifices and loving and serving others, would put you in direct conflict with those who insist on their own rights, are unwilling to give up anything and do not love others but wish to make others serve them. Some people, including some Christians, see Jesus' way as suicidal. And, in a way, they are right.

Jesus says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Most of the apostles will die for spreading the good news of Jesus. Emperors will have them beheaded or crucified. They will be killed by the sword (Acts 12:2). They will be stoned to death. Early Christians were interrogated, tortured and executed if they didn't renounce Jesus. Nero had Christians set on fire as torches to light his garden. Decius targeted bishops and clergy for arrest, torture and execution. Diocletian also had Bibles burned and churches destroyed. But instead of wiping out Christianity, the good news of Jesus spread.

Why? Because of the part of Jesus' statement that the disciples were ignoring here. They were so shocked by his statement that he would suffer and die that they didn't hear or couldn't wrap their heads around what else he said: that he would “on the third day be raised.” Without that part, his statement of how they must deny themselves and take up their cross makes no sense. Martyrs may be admired for their moral stand but few will emulate them. Because dead is dead.

But not with Jesus. Every Gospel tells us Jesus raised the dead. There was Jairus' daughter, there was the son of the widow of Nain, there was Lazarus. (Matthew 9:18-25; Mark 5:22-42; Luke 7:11-15; 8:41-56; John 11:1-44) And when Jesus rose again, all of a sudden his teachings made sense. Turning the other cheek, loving your enemies, giving to any who ask without expecting repayment, and not worrying about food, drink or clothing make no sense if this is the only life you get. (Matthew 5:39; 6:25; Luke 6: 35-36) In that case, you should grab for all the gusto you can get. And grab someone else's gusto because if there's no afterlife, there are no eternal consequences to what you do. Jesus' ethics only make sense if there is an afterlife and a just but merciful God who “will repay everyone for what has been done.”

There are consequences in this life as well. As Jesus says, “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” Many a person has worked all their life for the rewards of this world and then found at the end that they squandered their time and shortchanged their families and friends for stuff that is ultimately hollow, for titles and plaques and monuments to themselves that no one else will care about. How does he who dies with the most toys win anything other than the same hole in the dirt as everyone else? And if there is a life beyond this one, that person will have lost more than their earthly toys. They will have lost the life that truly is life—eternal life with God. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

There will be rewards in this life as well, but their value will not show up on a balance sheet. One will be peace. As Paul puts it, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) In times of turmoil, such peace of mind is invaluable. Being in Christ means there is peace between us and God, between us and others and peace with ourselves. The struggle to be what we are not, to fill the hole in our life with things whose shiny newness will fade, and to try to find a meaning to our existence will be resolved.

Peace, “shalom” in Hebrew, means not merely the absence of conflict but also fullness of health and well-being. Having a sense of purpose in life is a vital part of mental and spiritual health. Serving God and your fellow human beings with the gifts, talents and skills you have brings a well-being which empty and aimless pursuits do not bestow.

Having a supportive community of fellow Christians who “love one another with mutual affection” is a blessing many are missing in today's epidemic of loneliness. People are slowly realizing that humans were not meant to interact with one another primarily through screens. We are embodied creatures with different lived experiences and we need to be in contact with others so we can share our joys, our sorrows, our perspectives, our wisdom and our uniqueness. We need to find others to whom we can say, “You, too? I thought I was the only one who felt like that.” We also need to encounter folks whose experiences are so different from ours that it widens our view of the world and expands our understanding and compassion for other people. The neighborhood church is fast becoming the only place where folks can get to know people from different races, cultures, social strata and points of view.

That's what we see in our passage from Romans. One major difference between Jesus and Paul is that Jesus was the innovator and author of our faith and Paul was the person setting up, managing and helping satellite communities of Christians live as the collective body of Christ. Jesus set out the principles and Paul was working out how to implement them practically in the wider world. And we can see how Paul is spelling out how Christ's self-sacrificial love is expressed in different circumstances. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, live peaceably with all.” Paul knew firsthand that Christians would run into opposition but they were not to go looking for it. If they suffered they were not to seek revenge but leave it to God. “Instead, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.'” He is quoting Proverbs 25:21-22. It's a tough saying to interpret but in view of Paul's saying not to repay evil with evil, and other ancient texts of the time, I take the coals to be a symbol of the burning shame that will come upon a person for acting so badly towards someone who only does them good.

In the end of the film, even if Odysseus does feel bad about how he treated the Trojans, he does not change how he acts. He slays a room full of his enemies. He is still a man of war. And yet he sees that this will lead to the decline and fall of Greek civilization. We love to tell his tale but the wise do not emulate him. Wise people do emulate Jesus. Though Jesus' way defies worldly wisdom, people know deep down that healing is better than harming, mercy is better than vengeance, forgiveness is better than feuding and loving is better than hate.