Movable Stone, Portable House

The Venerable Joan Clark

Matthew 16:21-28

How adaptable are you?
In today’s culture and time, this is a key question not just for individuals, but for businesses too! Are you able to adapt to our culture’s changing landscape? To calamities that come your way? To unplanned events and surprises? Are you able to adapt, to change?

When a hurricane hit Roger Hammett’s home, he had to evacuate, taking with him only some personal items. When he returned home days later, his home was gone, essentially washed away with the tide. Within a day, Roger had bought a “portable home” –the newest trend today. Unlike simple mobile homes, portable homes can look like a cabin, or a cottage, or a lodge, or like anything you want. Roger situated his portable home several miles from his home until he could begin to rebuild.

Roger has an adaptable personality. He takes change in stride. He’s a problem solver, not a lamenter. When tragedy strikes, Roger is always ready to take the next step. His home, and his ideas about what his life needs to look like, can change, and Roger will still be happy. He has little need to control his environment or his outcomes. He simply “goes with the flow.”

Roger is not the norm.

Most of us have a bit more trouble adapting. To want to control our lives is a human characteristic. To have strong opinions, to want things the way we want them, to be devastated when things change without our consent –this is part of the human spirit.

In today’s scripture, we again encounter the feisty Simon Peter. If you remember, last week, we read that Jesus bestowed the name Peter (stone or rock) on his disciple Simon, because he knew that his rock-solid faith, determined, headstrong character, and opinionated, sometimes boisterous ways could serve Peter well in leading the way for a new movement, a new church of disciples.

But in today’s scripture, immediately following that one, already we see that Peter’s personality can be both a blessing and a curse! Metaphorically, he can be a foundational stone, or a stumbling stone, depending upon his ability to…… you got it…..adapt!

To adapt, to follow, and to be willing to be second.

Sounds easy, right?  But it’s not. It wasn’t for Peter. And it’s not for us either. But hey, no one is perfect. Nobody with a rock-solid will is also perfectly adaptable all the time. The kind of strength of character, faith, and leadership that is Peter’s forte can also be his downfall, if he isn’t careful. Jesus doesn’t want to kill his spirit. But he does need Peter to temper his urges to be right all the time, to be first, to be leading when it comes to following Jesus.

Leadership is great, until you are out in front of Jesus instead of behind him where we all belong. And that’s exactly what Jesus says to Peter!

“Get behind me tempter!” Or more accurately, “Get behind me, or you’ll make me stumble and foil the whole mission!” Jesus says, “You are a stone that could make me stumble, for you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.” “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”

In other words, to follow Jesus means we put our own assumptions, opinions, ideas, and desires aside, and pay respect to Jesus and where he wants to lead us.

That’s hard to do!  Very hard to do!

Peter means well. And no doubt, he’s feeling very proud and powerful indeed, as Jesus has just complimented him and called him the “rock” upon which foundation the movement will be built!  Jesus has shown favour to Peter’s tenaciousness and leadership. And Peter is ready to take the reins and assert himself and his opinions about how Jesus’ mission should unfold, or not. Now, Jesus must teach Peter that a true disciple must first follow, before he can lead. A true disciple must be dedicated not to his own journey, path, agenda, but to Jesus’ mission in the world, even when it feels unreasonable, hard, or tedious.

Paul is telling us in or Romans reading from the Message to
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

How adaptable are you?

How easy is it for you to put aside your own wants, desires, opinions, agendas, preferences, control in order to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in a direction that you may not want to go? How easy is it for you to defer to God’s mission in the world, to love the people God wants you to love? To serve the communities God wants you to serve? To favor the people God wants to reach rather than serving your own preferences and wants?

“Get behind me!” says Jesus. For that is where every disciple belongs.

This is the phrase Jesus shouted to the impetuous Peter, when he tried to argue with him regarding what the future would hold for the Master Rabbi. And it’s the same phrase that Jesus shouts at every one of us when we try to control God’s mission and direction and make it our own.

Like Peter, our stubbornness and confidence, while an asset in some ways, can also be a detriment, a “stumbling stone” when we become immovable and fixed in our ways instead of adaptable to God’s design.

Jesus’ metaphor is perfect. Think of a stone embedded in a pathway that cannot be moved. If you are walking on that path, you can easily trip over it, because it is stubbornly and immovably in your way. A stone that is immovable can become a stumbling stone to Jesus. We can literally get in Jesus’ way, as He tries to heal and help those in the world that we may be trying to label, ignore, dispute, or disdain. In Peter’s case, he did not want Jesus to have to die in order to fulfill God’s mission. Peter was a thinker, and he thought, there must be a better alternative, another way. Peter let his audacity get in the way of his obedience to Jesus. He let his certainty and his desire to be “right” get in the way of his ability to adapt and follow Jesus, to be second instead of first.

Often, Jesus asks us to do things, go places, be with people that we have no interest in. In fact, most of the time, we truly believe, we have better ideas of how Jesus’ mission could be accomplished, with as little sweat on our brows as possible. But that’s not what Jesus asks of us.

Jesus asks us to be a movable stone, a portable house, an adaptable disciple, strong in spirit, but obedient to Jesus’ leadership.

Think for a moment what that could mean for you and your church? What it could mean for you in your life? What it could mean in your relationships?

Can you say no to yourself, and yes to Jesus?

How adaptable are you?