Solving For “X”

Algebra was my favorite math class. Spatially I did not have the gift to imagine shapes in Geometry. Trigonometry never quite agreed with my brain. Algebra though—that was my sweet spot! Theoretical enough to excite my inquisitive nature and straightforward enough not to make my head hurt. I still recall the strange pleasure of solving for “X” on some particularly difficult questions in the pressure moment of a final exam. You may be thinking this guy is a nerd—and while you are quite correct—we need a little bit of algebra to understand today’s Gospel lesson. Stick with me, I promise I will make it easier—and maybe even a little more fun—than math class.

Let’s start with something easy. 2 + X = 4. To solve this one we try to isolate the X to one side of the equation, so we do this by subtracting 2 from both sides. In this case we discover that X = 2. You probably did not need any algebraic training to tell you that that 2 + 2 = 4. Still it is a useful skill when we happen upon a problem like today’s Gospel. It seems we have the end of an answer, but we are missing a component that leads us to that answer. To put it into algebraic language: Jesus + Suffering = X. To discover the answer we actually have to link back to last week’s Gospel lesson.

In the previous text, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you all say that I am?” Peter boldly replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Ding! Ding! Ding! Peter got it right, at least in that moment he did. As we turn the page over to today’s story, which picks up soon after Peter’s affirmation, we find that this disciple is taking Jesus aside saying, “God forbid [you undergo suffering or death]! This must never happen to you.” Jesus recoiled at his disciple like a venomous viper, “Get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Why such anger Jesus? What gives? The answer lies in our algebra problem.

Jesus + Suffering = X. The X is already on one side of the equation by itself, but what Peter was trying to do was remove the suffering from Jesus. What may in fact be missing from the equation is not just what the “X” stands for, but also the other elements of what lay ahead of Jesus. Jesus not only was to undergo suffering, but also death and eventually after three days resurrection. Jesus + Suffering + Death + Resurrection = X. Peter actually already solved the problem for us last week. “X” equals Messiah. The trouble is that what Peter wanted to do was not find the missing figure, but rather do away with all that would lead to Jesus’ Messiahship.

Earlier this week when our staff read this lesson together, our financial administrator astutely pointed out that Peter gets a bad rap in this story. Peter really just wanted what he thought was best for his teacher. If things had been different, if those in the world at the time—human beings obsessed with power, pleasure, and privilege; people not unlike us—if those in the world had accepted Jesus, his teachings, and his identity as the Son of God Peter’s desire would not have conflicted with Jesus’ mission!

This makes me wonder, “Could God have done things differently?” Of course, this is God we are talking about here! And yet, this is not what happened. Humans and particularly the powers of the day—religious, political, social, and otherwise—did not accept Jesus’ identity. And so, God’s plan of salvation could not be so easily achieved. Jesus could not just heal, feed, and teach things like, “God loves you. And if God loves you, you are now free to love God and one another.” Instead, the way Jesus lived into his true identity—redeemer of the world—lead down a different path.

For God to show that God truly loves us human beings no matter what something else, some other variable, had to arise. This variable was so shocking that even the person who saw Jesus’ true identity—Peter who knew the answer—could not handle it. The most audacious, most profound, and most clear sign of God’s love came in what Jesus pointed to in today’s Gospel lesson—the Cross.

The Cross was not merely a sign of God’s love for us, it was not only an example of God’s love for us, it was not just some act that God did for us, nor is it some magical device we use to escape all our problems today. No, the Cross is something different. The Cross was, is, and will be the only way. Now, before you shut off and think all I am saying is we are bad and we need God to save us—which is true, but not the whole truth—let me say more.

The Cross is not only about us. It is not just something we flawed human beings did to Jesus and others long ago. This was the way that God chose to love us beyond all else. Jesus willingly faced this betrayal, suffering, and loss. And so, when our lives are so difficult, when we are in the midst of suffering, when we taste pain, feel loss, and inhale death with every breath we do not do this alone. Jesus was crucified once for all, but in so many ways Jesus still chooses to be on the Cross.

Jesus is on the Cross with those suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Jesus is on the Cross with all those who are facing hatred based upon their color, creed, sexual orientation, gender, or any other attribute. Jesus is on the Cross with all those who suffer from chronic pain, addiction, abuse, violence, or those who suffer for the sake of conscious. Jesus is on the Cross with all those who care for those in need. Jesus is on the Cross with those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the highest virtues and values of our species. Jesus is on the Cross with the outcasts, the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. Jesus is on the Cross with any and all who suffer.

We may believe that the dilemma set forth last week and this week in Matthew’s Gospel account revolves around the identity of Jesus. We may with the disciples ask, “Is he the Messiah? What type of Messiah is he? What does all this mean?” But this is not the only problem we face. It is not only about Jesus being the Messiah, but also how we respond to this truth.

As Jesus walks with all those who suffer, he invites us to do the same. If we want to save our lives, we will lose them for Christ Jesus’ sake. To do this we must take up our crosses to walk with him—going to the places where all those who suffer reside. Jesus goes ahead of us to the Cross. There he shows us what ultimate love looks like. For us to truly live we must lose our lives by doing like him and bearing our crosses as we follow him.