sermon excerpts: Dealing with the Devil

... The message of taking up the cross was to risk humiliation and ridicule from the world. For the people hearing Mark’s gospel in the time of his writing, it was also encouragement for them that their suffering is not in vain. The first Christians lived in a time of persecution, of being hunted down by the Roman officials and thrown to the lions for entertainment.

Mark is writing this reminder that Christ himself endured betrayal, resisted temptation, and chose to give of himself in service to others for their welfare and benefit. And in this passage of scripture where Jesus’ definitively revealed as the Messiah, the Saviour, the Great One who would set things right for the Jewish people, in the midst of this pivotal moment of understanding and identity, we see that Satan manages to steal the spotlight from Christ.

Now, I can’t say for sure who or what Satan is; we only have our imagined vision of pitchfork-waving, devil dancing in a brimstone kingdom, or a great empty blackness void of all goodness and hope. But I do know that Satan is told to get behind Christ. Yes, ultimately, Satan has to take his place behind Jesus. That he, too, is following, not in the lead. Satan, the tempter, the enemy, is not in control. What a powerful reminder that good will prevail over evil, that resurrection defeats death and that sacrificing from genuine love is the greatest force possible in this existence.

Christ is leader of all, and there’s two ways to be behind Christ: as Satan or as someone taking up the cross. It is interesting to note the verbs in the original Greek New Testament are the exact same when referring to both Satan and a loyal follower. We are called to be followers, which is something that our natural ambition doesn’t do well with.

We see following as inferior, as preparation or putting in time for when we would lead. Like a child playing Follow the Leader, we only follow because we know soon it will be our turn to be the Leader. Someone did a study of the books available for purchase through the Amazon.com bookstore. Books on leadership: 12,600. Books on following: 600. And most of those books are about following your dreams (about being a leader).

We don’t pay a lot of attention to the things we need to do to be a good follower. Support others in the work they do. Trust in the process. Commit to the vision, the direction, the goal of the group. Through this we see that our lives have to be about something else, something other than ourselves, our comfort, our success, our security.

We see the troubled youth in our society drifting along without a sense of purpose or a passion to commit to. So much of their language says, “I don’t know” in the way that also means, “I don’t care.” In the news we see the tragic outcome this rootlessness and restlessness. Although I can’t say that I know much about Kimveer Gill or why he showed up at Dawson College in Montreal with an automatic weapon.

Apparently, unchecked bullying played a large part in his reasons. Revenge is a selfish act of appeasing hurt and harm done. It is an exercise in making us feel better but does little to address the cause of the problem. If people don’t have a sense of worth or value or acceptance in God’s eyes, they become too dependent on human approval, which is fickle and fleeting and unpredictable.

If Jesus is calling us to commit our energy and efforts into something noble and good beyond ourselves, so too, our churches, have to be about something else other than themselves. If the focus is on keeping the building open and the bills paid, the needs of the world remain neglected. This is what Wisdom is teaching us, what God is calling us to, what Christ modelled for us.

How long will we ignore wisdom? When we deal with the devil, we must not do so out of fear or helplessness. With clear vision and willingness to look truthfully at our own responsibilities, to go beyond our self-interest and self-preservation, we can see that Christ is walking ahead of us. So we follow. And we know we are not alone.