Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

Clouds and strong, high winds

James and John were the sons of the Galilean fisherman Zebedee and the disciples whom Jesus nicknamed the “sons of thunder.” They were there with Peter on that holy mountain when the Lord was transfigured and glowing in radiant glory. Now, it was Peter who at that time piped up and said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here; let’s stay and have a three-tent campout!” But it was James and John who never seemed to have left that glorious mountaintop, and they wanted to keep a bit of it for themselves.

Christ is on record three times to have said specifically to His disciples what was about to happen to Him once they arrived to Jerusalem. He was about to be handed over to the religious authorities; He would suffer, die and be raised to life again-everything we confess together in the creed. But these disciples, judging by their attitude, seem to have paid no attention to what He said. The benefits of having the kingdom of God inaugurated, a new age begun right here on earth seemed to them to be so close that they could just taste it. And so, to get the head start over all the other disciples, they got in first dibs to rule over this kingdom right alongside the Son of God. These common fishermen-turned traveling preachers not only wanted to ride shotgun, they were pushing for the driver’s seat. “Teacher,” they said, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

For Peter on the mountain of transfiguration, it was enough for the Father’s voice to speak from heaven: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” For James and John, and as Matthew points out, for their mother who was in on it as well, Jesus had to pull them out of their delusion Himself. He said, “You do not know what you are asking.” This is not going to be the same glorious mountaintop experience that you had before. The hill that Jesus and the disciples were ascending this time was leading them to Jerusalem. Instead of gleaming white garments, the sudden appearance of prophets from the past, and a thundering voice from heaven, there will be in a few days’ time nothing but darkness, desertion and the pain-inflected cries of the Son hanging forsaken on the cross.

The disciples would know soon enough that they would share in the fate of their master. The mocking, spitting, stoning, and of course, rejection, would be fired in their direction, too. For it is the lot of every Christian, not just the preachers, not just the “active, spiritually on-fire ones,” but everyone who is born into God’s kingdom through Baptism and is therefore His adopted child will suffer persecution of one sort or another. At Baptism, every newborn Christian makes three bitter enemies against whom the fight will never cease in this life: those enemies are the devil, the world, and the person’s own sinful flesh. Contention, strife, struggle and persecution are certainly not glorious-looking things, but these very things are the glory of Jesus as you see Him nailed to the cross.

Many Bible verses are widely misquoted every now and then, but I think one that is in the top five these days would be “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” This passage is not really about climbing every mountain and overcoming

every obstacle with smashing success, but it is rather, with the help of the insulted, whipped, slandered and crucified Jesus, you will be able to face all these same kinds of treatment whenever they come your way. Look it up in Philippians 4 and see for yourself what Paul means in that part of his letter.

I wish I could tell you that life gets automatically easier once you’ve been baptized. But I would then be misleading you. The cross that you are asked to bear will not be an impressive one like the cross here up front or some little pretty piece of jewelry that may be around your neck. You will probably have a bitter cup of pain and suffering to drink before you attend the final victory feast. The glory of Jesus that you receive in this life right now could make things uncomfortable at home, at work and at school. You will not be basking in the radiant sunshine of the mountaintop but slogging through the bogged-down valley of darkness below. And the devil will certainly be there, reminding you of how good things used to be without the cross; that slavery in Egypt is really better than the tough wilderness road to the promised land; how living as a Christian these days, making tough decisions that could really hurt, is not the way you want to go. Do you warn that friend or family member of yours who sees nothing wrong with growing marijuana or experimenting with homosexuality? Do you fear that you’ll lose that boyfriend or girlfriend if you don’t move in together? Do you look at the ever-increasing bills and yearn for a little more of the successes of others?

Do not fear. The One who gives you the suffering of your cross is the same Lord Jesus who already went through the cross’s pain for you. The One who baptizes you in your fiery trials was soaked wet in His own blood to pay for your sins. The One who sets His painful cup upon your lips has already drained from that cup the wine of God’s angry wrath against all your offenses. For it was in order to ransom you that Christ gave up His life. On the hill of the cross, He suffered, He was mocked, spit upon and flogged. In this kind of hidden, crucified glory He died to give you the glory of the mount of transfiguration and even more. The blood that once poured out of His holy wounds now fills the cup that brings you the blessing of life and forgiveness mixed in with the burden of suffering.

He who poured out His blood outside Jerusalem now pours you out as an offering for each other. You are not to concern yourself about earthly things like James and John clamoring to be the boss or how to get your way over others, but instead you are free to give up your life for the benefit of your fellow baptized citizens of heaven, even if that results in a disadvantage to you. It’s an amazing feeling, true freedom, in fact, when you have sacrificed like that, but when you think of it later, the sacrifice didn’t seem like that much at all. God says you are not your own, you were bought with a price with no requirements left for you to fulfill, and yet it is your joy to sacrifice yourself and put your neighbors and their needs first, ahead of yours.

Your opportunity starts right here—you could see someone sitting near you whom you don’t know and introduce yourself. Chances are pretty good for that when you come for our Easter services in a couple of weeks. Speak to your friends and those whom you happen to meet about the joys of forgiveness that you receive through God’s

gifts. Whatever you do, don’t think that your Christian good works can only happen on this actual piece of land, and only one or two days a week. Your neighbor is out there, too, in need of your forgiveness, your helping hand, no matter how small and insignificant the need and they constantly need your prayers as well. This is who you are and what you were born to do as a disciple of Jesus, a baptized member of God’s royal priesthood.

For your Lord Jesus came not to be served but to serve. But you, on the other hand, are different. You’re here today for both. First you are served the rich forgiveness, life and salvation that is found in His living Word, His sin-cleansing water, His sacrificed Body and Blood. Your master drops down low—He wanted to give Himself to you— so that you might be lifted up in your everyday burdens. Then He gives you away as a gift—not that you may lord it over somebody else because of your freedom from hell—but in order that you may live out the gift of forgiveness, and put it into practice.

The mountaintops may come and go, and the valleys may seem long and hard as you walk through them, but your Lord, your shepherd, has already destroyed the shadow of death and you will fear no evil. God deals with you not in power and control, like James and John the sons of thunder once imagined, but in weakness and forgiveness. The faithless people, the spiritual Gentiles, worry themselves about who’s the greatest, who will get ahead. But because your Master became the least to be your Savior, thanks be to God, it is not so with you.

In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Purple Altar Parament

Readings:
Jer. 31:31–34 a new covenent…My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts
Ps. 119:9–16 Your word have I hidden in my heart
Heb. 5:1–10 a priest forever
Mark 10:32–45 whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.