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Journey to Sacrifice
On the radio this week, I heard an interview with Donavan Campbell, a former marine who at 24 years old, was in charge of a platoon of 40 Marines fighting in Iraq. Throughout the interview I was so moved by his reflection, his thoughtfulness, and his dedication to the most honorable path possible. In the midst of horrible devastation and war, he was determined to take the high road.
Early in the interview, he spoke of the paradox between the long-term mission of the war, which was to protect the Iraqi people and stabilize the country, and the actions that Marines had to take when violence confronted them. Sometimes, in order to secure long-term success, he and his Marines had to take actions that put themselves in danger. About halfway through the interview, the show’s host asked Mr. Campbell to describe the events on the day that one of his men was killed in action. Before he answered the question, he put his friend’s loss in the context of his understanding of sacrifice.
In the midst of chaos, in the midst of uncertainty, this young Marine was so convinced of the necessity of sacrifice to stay true to a mission larger than himself, to protect the lives of others whom he would never meet, that he was willing to sacrifice his own life, and to put in harm’s way to men under his command. He didn’t have a death wish, he didn’t want to die. But he knew that if he lost his life, he would not lose his honor, he would not lose his commitment to a bigger goal. On a journey to sacrifice, he would fulfill the purpose of his life, even if he lost it.
In his own way, he was sharing an example of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel lesson today. Like most of the passages this Lent, this is a difficult passage for us to hear. We like our Jesus meek and mild, the Jesus who welcomes little children, who makes blind men see and heals elderly women. The next few weeks, however, we see the challenging side of Jesus – the one who turns over tables in the temple, who talks constantly about his need to die for God’s sake, and who, today, calls his closest follower “Satan” and tells the crowds gathered around him that they must be willing to sacrifice their own lives, to take up their own crosses, if they want to follow him.
A superficial reading of this passage, and of much of the Gospels, it seems like following Jesus is akin to a death wish. The Message version of the Bible puts it very clearly: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
But we don’t want to go the way of the cross. In Jesus’ day, the cross was the Roman advertising logo for the supremacy of Caesar. The cross only meant death, it only meant destruction, and it only meant annihilation. The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant. The messiah they expected to lead them was powerful, victorious and a winner, not a crucified, rejected, beaten criminal. To take up a cross, the sacrifice their life, to follow Jesus meant focusing on a grander purpose, one not based in personal glory but in emptying oneself for others.
During season of Lent, we, too, are looking at a grander purpose and these words of Jesus force us to confront our own discipleship through the lens of sacrifice, of giving up not the extras but our very lives, to stay true to God’s higher purpose not only for our own selves but for the sake of the world. Jesus’ challenge in the Gospel today calls us to offer ourselves fully and completely to his service. There are no part-time followers, Jesus is saying. You’re either all the way with me or you might as well stay home.
The Rev. Wiley Stevens told the story of how a few years ago; a large department store tried marketing a doll in the form of the baby Jesus. The advertisements described it as being "washable, cuddly, and unbreakable," and it was neatly packaged in straw, satin, and plastic. To complete the package, the manufacturer added biblical text appropriate to the baby Jesus. To the department store executives, it looked like a sure-fire winner, a real moneymaker. But they were wrong. It didn't sell. In a last-ditch effort to get rid of these dolls, one of the store managers placed a huge sign in one of the store windows. It read:
Jesus Christ
Marked down 50%
Get him while you can.
How often do we approach our own walk with Jesus like this – we’re halfway in and feel like we’re getting a good deal. We’re willing to take a relationship with Jesus part of the way but we aren’t willing to pay full price, especially if that full price means sacrificing our entire lives to him, turning over all that we are – our skills, our talents, our families, our thoughts, our feelings, our bank accounts, our hearts – to his control and not to ours.
What does it mean to follow Jesus, to be a Disciple of Jesus, a follower of Christ? Do we have to give up every thing we love to do so?
· Become a monk or nun, take a vow of poverty, forgo marriage, pledge obedience to others
· Sell our homes, quit our jobs, and become a missionary, moving to the inner city or to a far away country
· Become Super Christian: read only the Bible, only have friends who go to church, wear plain clothes, eat locusts and wild honey?
Some people are called to give do these things – that may be the cross that Jesus has given them to pick up and carry as his followers. But God did not create us as one-dimensional people, all of whom look the same way. However, being a follower of Jesus does require hard choices and an honest and intense look at our lives, our priorities, our decisions. What part of our lives do we need to lose in order to save our souls? Another way of asking that question is, what is keeping you back from being a fully-devoted follower of Jesus? What do you need to sacrifice so you can take up the cross of selflessness and answer Jesus when he says, Come, follow me?
What do we need to put aside? Do you need to sacrifice your ego? Self-centeredness? Hurt? Envy? Anger? Pride? Busyness?