The Great Disruption: The Disruption of Control

And we might even confess, Jesus, you are lord, which means you're the leader of our lives. You get to call all the shots. That's what we mean when we say lord. But somewhere along the way, we still assume that we get to shape what that lordship looks like. We want Jesus in the kitchen of our lives, but we wanna hold on to the recipe and how it unfolds. [00:30:51] (26 seconds)  #JesusCallsTheShots

Peter's confession about Jesus was correct, but his posture towards Jesus was wrong. His confession was correct, but his posture was wrong. He had moved from standing beside Jesus or maybe behind Jesus to someone who's standing in front of Jesus. So Jesus offers a simple correction, get behind me. See, that language is positional. The place of a disciple is not in front of the teacher. It's behind, following the path wherever the teacher goes, not standing in front trying to steer the direction of the master. [00:42:20] (47 seconds)  #FollowBehindJesus

The temptation is to assume that recognizing what is wrong is the same thing as participating in what God is doing to make things right. Recognizing what is wrong is not the same as participating with God and making things right. In recent years, an entire generation genre of media has emerged that feeds this instinct by exposing hypocrisy, by exposing corruption through satire and commentary. It's called late night comedy show. [00:45:48] (33 seconds)  #MoreThanCommentary

But Jesus does not simply call people to recognize injustice. He calls them to take up the cross. The kingdom of God does not advance. The kingdom of God does does not become more visible. It does not is not more made more tangible through commentary, even witty commentary. It comes through costly love, through lives that are been shaped by sacrifice and obedience to Christ wherever he leads. [00:46:56] (34 seconds)  #CostlyLoveOverCommentary

Jesus concludes this conversation with a statement that overturns our instincts. He says, whoever wishes to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake, and Mark's gospel adds for the sake of my kingdom, will find it or save it. If you wanna save your life, you're gonna lose it. But if you lose it for me and for my kingdom, you're going to save it and you're gonna find it. [00:47:53] (24 seconds)  #LoseToFindLife

But discipleship is not inviting Jesus into our plans or our certainty. It's following him wherever he leads. Jesus' words to Peter are not just a rebuke. They are an invitation. It's not get behind me with shame and pushing Peter away. It's an invitation. Will you get behind me, or are you gonna keep trying to walk in front of me? They're putting Peter back in his place. The place of a disciple, the place of a Christ follower is not in front of Jesus. [00:49:49] (39 seconds)  #FollowWhereHeLeads

Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, still others Jeremiah and one of the other prophets. These are all respectable answers that place Jesus among the great figures of Israel's history, but they all share something in common. They allow people to celebrate Jesus without actually submitting to him. Now it remains possible even today to declare and admire Jesus without actually following him. He can be treated as a wise teacher, an inspirational leader, a compassionate healer, someone who advocates for the vulnerable and the marginalized. [00:33:40] (41 seconds)  #AdmireVsFollow

He he declares the right things about Jesus. He know he sees it before anyone else. He would be the model disciple pointing the way to Jesus. But Matthew doesn't end the story there as we know because recognizing Jesus is not the same thing as following him. Recognizing Jesus is not the same thing as following him. The very next moment, we discover Peter who has just correctly identified the Messiah still has no idea what kind of Messiah Jesus actually is. [00:37:50] (32 seconds)  #RecognitionIsntDiscipleship

Recognizing what is wrong is not the same as participating with God and making things right. In recent years, an entire generation genre of media has emerged that feeds this instinct by exposing hypocrisy, by exposing corruption through satire and commentary. It's called late night comedy show. [00:46:12] (20 seconds)

Jesus does not simply call people to recognize injustice. He calls them to take up the cross. The kingdom of God does not advance. The kingdom of God does does not become more visible. It does not is not more made more tangible through commentary, even witty commentary. It comes through costly love, through lives that are been shaped by sacrifice and obedience to Christ wherever he leads. [00:47:10] (33 seconds)