Preparing for your Cross Audio mp3 Isaiah 50:4-9
“Every great story happened when someone decided not to give up.” (Loriano Spryte)
The people in life who leave the greatest impact are not those who had the easy road, or who never had failures, but those who steel themselves with grit and determination, face crowds of criticism, do not turn from adversity, but faithfully bear with fortitude their daily, and in so doing leave a beautiful legacy for others.
On this Palm Sunday we begin the last week of our Lenten journey that began with Ash Wednesday and ends with our Lord dying on the cross on Good Friday and buried in the dark tomb. If you recall, our journey this Lenten season has been accompanied by a challenge to turn inward.
We spoke of repentance as a turning inward, because when we look inward we discover there is undone business, stuff that we need to deal with. Sin is lodged in us. We must face it, confess it. We find that we have been entertaining and listening to unhealthy, assaultive thoughts, that are feeding our soul junk, and this junk manifests in our lives, our health, our happiness, our relationships. But repentance, a turning away from sin, becomes the first step of healing.
We also spoke of reconciliation. When we turn inward, we discover that we have been living fragmented lives. We are broken. We lack integration, integrity. We chose sin, and sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go. All these shattered pieces of our lives are scattered about in broken relationships, unrealized dreams, unhappiness with self, which leads to despair and anxiety. We found that within us is the Christ Within who has been calling us back home, so that we might be reconciled to the divine and know happiness.
Finally, we emphasized the importance of silence in this process. Our minds and, thus, our lives are filled with noise, chatter, distractions, and diversions that keep us from hearing the still small voice of God, from resting in God. We are a stream and God is our source, but we block the holy flow of God’s love with the noise, chatter and distractions we allow into our lives.
The healing that attains with repentance and reconciliation leads to salvation. Christ makes us anew. He creates a new thing out of this process of turn inward, because when we turn inward and get quiet, we realize Christ has been knocking on the door of our hearts. He says, open the door and I will come and we will share of meal, a banquet, of redemption, newness, joy and peace like you have never tasted.
In repentance and faith in Christ, we take on the mind of Christ. We become imitators of Christ. His thoughts more and more become our thoughts. We are remade in his likeness. He becomes our prime example. The Christ archetype becomes our model for how we live our lives. Now that sounds kind of sweet at first, but think about it. We become as Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” This Christ who hears the voice of his Father in Heaven, remains obedient to him, is arrested, mocked, beaten, spat upon, scorned and nailed to a cross says to you, “Follow me.”
The Prophet Isaiah in our reading today describes the life of one who lives into the Christ archetype, the one who denies himself and is obedient to the will of God. Isaiah seems to say to us, you want to be a little Christ, as C.S. Lewis called Jesus’ disciples? Then be aware of the daily cross of the one who walks faithfully and obediently with God. It is a life of suffering but also of glory. When we take on Christ, we take on his glory, but it is accompanied by the cross. So Jesus tells his disciples to be ready to suffer. Acts 14:22 says “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven.” So we must be prepared, we must be steeled with grit and determination if we are to take on Christ. We must learn to put on our big boy pants or big girl pants.
Isaiah describes this inner process of steeling ourselves for walk with Christ. The first is this (and wouldn’t you know it, the Christ-like live begins with pausing, turning inward and listening:
Isaiah says in Verses 4-5 “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.
Each day, the Spirit of God pours into our souls with instruction, with good teaching, with grace for the new day. Isaiah listens to this instruction, does not argue, does not bargain with God. He says I do not rebel or turn away from this daily nudging of Christ Within. He does not stand and argue like the little boy who argues with his mother, Linda. You’ve seen the viral YouTube video. “Listen, Linda…” Our place is not to say, “Listen, Lord…” We are to develop a spirit of humility, watchfulness and acceptance. Because, God is not calling us into child’s play. There is a world out there, that if you carry with you the scandal known as the Gospel, if you carry on your lips the great offense known as the Good News, you will bring scorn, rejection and possibly harm to yourself. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…” If you do not appear foolish to those around you, then you are probably not listening to God’s call on your life and are likely being rebellious to God’s work for you. The Christ who walked the Way of Sorrow to the hill of Golgotha and became the fool on the hill, is not playing games. Neither should we.
And so, next, Isaiah says in verse 6, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Jesus’ message is counter-cultural, an offense to the world, and a threat to the proud and the powerful. When is the last time someone beat you – even with only a verbal smack down – because you chose the way of Christ instead of the way of the world? Only the beards of those who speak against power are plucked. Have you ever been embarrassed for Christ’s sake?
Many years ago, I was in a friend’s wedding, and I was invited to the bachelor party the night before. These were good guys, Christians in upbringing, so I was surprised (though maybe I should not have been) that late in the evening, the leader of the party told everyone to get in the car that they had a surprise. When we pulled out of the hotel parking lot, I asked where we were going. He said to the strip club. Oh, great, I replied. Oh, great, what do I do now, was what I was thinking. So we drove through town and finally arrived at a strip club. I knew that this was not the right thing to do, but I felt an intense peer pressure like I’d never felt. I prayed quietly, Lord, help me out of this. What do you want me to do? The car stopped, the doors opened, and the guys started getting out. It was soon apparent that I was not moving. The leader of the party looked at me. What an awkward moment. I said, I think I’ll stay in the car. It was longest hour of my life waiting for those guys to return back to the car. But to this day I do not regret staying in the car and refusing to be party to the dehumanizing of those ladies inside that club. Even though today I am sure when I am not around that I am in the butt of a pretty good story that those fellows tell about the dweeb who stayed in the car that night.
But, that’s okay. Isaiah 50:7 says, Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.”
Man, if you will listen to the Lord
each morning, not be rebellious or turn your back on him, he will lead you to
some places in your life and say to you, here is where you are called to
witness at this moment. Here is where I
want you to take a stand at this juncture.
Here and now is where I need you
to be a fool for me, just as I was a fool on that hill, dying for your sins, so
that you might have eternal life and know the full joy and peace of life even
today.
And Isaiah says, when the Lord calls me each morning to deny
myself and pick up my cross, “Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I
know I will not be put to shame. 8 He
who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges
against me? Let us face each other! Who
is my accuser? Let him confront me!”
I think of those fickle crowds in Jerusalem who cheered Jesus as he rode into the holy city and who only a few days later were shouting crucify him, crucify him. The Lord stood there with his face set like flint and never said a mumblin’ word. And you think, why didn’t Jesus say something? Why didn’t this innocent man defend himself? And you hear the words of Isaiah, “It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.”
This morning and the next day and the next, if you will listen, the Lord will call you in the morning. It will be subtle knock upon your heart. The Lord will be calling you to the task at hand for the day, for the cross to bear today. Resolve that your response will be like the prophet: “I have not been rebellious; I have not turned away.” Maybe it’s a difficult relative you are to contend with, maybe a nasty coworker, maybe a dilemma at school you are faced with, maybe an opportunity to serve as a witness to Christ but an opportunity that comes at a risk and may cause you to look foolish. Offer your back to those who beat you, your cheek to those who pull your beard, set your face like flint, and know the sovereign Lord helps me, and I know I will not be put to shame.
“Every great story happened when someone decided not to give up.” On this passion Sunday, take a close look at the face of Jesus. As he rides into Jerusalem, not on a emperor’s mighty stallion but an embarrassing little donkey. As he stands before Pilate and the crowds jeer him. As he stands before the soldiers who strip him down, buffet him and spit on him. As he walks the way of sorrow to the cross and the people mock him and laugh at him. The greatest story ever told happened because the Son of Man prepared himself for this moment. He listened each morning to the divine voice and was obedient to the Father’s call upon his life. He set his face like flint, not turning away from difficulty. He knew that God was his help, that he would not be disgraced, that his vindication is near.
For this reason, and this is the good news and the bad news, depending on what you choose for the day, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: but if we deny him, he will also deny us.”
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