Matthew 16:21-28 moves from a focus upon Jesus and his vocation to his demands for disciples. Jesus has just congratulated Peter for his recognition that Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Moreover, Jesus' language has intimated authority and privilege: Peter the Rock provides the church's foundation, he receives the keys to the realm of heaven and his earthly authority carries heavenly significance. But now Jesus begins a process of reinterpreting what being the Messiah really means -- and what following that Messiah entails for the disciples. If Peter cannot bear the revelation of Jesus' coming suffering (16:22), how will he respond when the focus shifts to disciples whose fate mimics that of Jesus?
Some people hardly need to hear this news. Moment by moment, many of us are constantly mindful that we fall far short of Jesus' standard. By contrast, our culture needs the reminder. The prosperity gospel holds greater sway than many of us want to admit. According to a 2006 Time magazine poll, 17 percent of Americans claim allegiance to the movement, while 61 percent agree that God wants us to be prosperous. Maybe our preaching doesn't draw folks who think that way. Then again, we find all sorts of surprising attitudes in our congregations, don't we?
Whatever the threat posed by the prosperity gospel, a more insidious assumption definitely lurks among us: that God wants us to be happy. Countless praise choruses celebrate how much Jesus loves us, how much we love Jesus and how great God is. Self-help books pack the inventories of Christian bookstores. This happiness assumption has sunk so deeply into our collective psyche that even the words of Jesus can hardly challenge it. Are we even capable of hearing that God might call us to radical sacrifice, even to danger? Can Jesus' words get past our ears?
Some people hardly need to hear this news. Moment by moment, many of us are constantly mindful that we fall far short of Jesus' standard. By contrast, our culture needs the reminder. The prosperity gospel holds greater sway than many of us want to admit. According to a 2006 Time magazine poll, 17 percent of Americans claim allegiance to the movement, while 61 percent agree that God wants us to be prosperous. Maybe our preaching doesn't draw folks who think that way. Then again, we find all sorts of surprising attitudes in our congregations, don't we?
Whatever the threat posed by the prosperity gospel, a more insidious assumption definitely lurks among us: that God wants us to be happy. Countless praise choruses celebrate how much Jesus loves us, how much we love Jesus and how great God is. Self-help books pack the inventories of Christian bookstores. This happiness assumption has sunk so deeply into our collective psyche that even the words of Jesus can hardly challenge it. Are we even capable of hearing that God might call us to radical sacrifice, even to danger? Can Jesus' words get past our ears?
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