Following in the Footsteps of Jesus up to Jerusalem

A Lenten Pilgrimage of Hope

The following reflections are offered as an accompaniment to the short video clips we have produced for our Lenten journey this year for those who want a more in-depth meditation on each stage of this journey!

Lent 1 – “The Call within the Call”

Matthew 16: 24-28 – Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.  Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

We begin our Pilgrimage of Hope in the far north of Israel in the region of Caesarea Philippi (present day Banias) where after three years of following him, Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem where he must suffer many things at the hands of the Jewish leaders, and be killed, and be raised the third day. This is too much for Peter to bear after his great confession that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the living God, and he begins to rebuke Jesus, saying, “Far it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

Jesus recognises the voice of his archenemy, Satan, in Peter’s rebuke and responds accordingly as he is suggesting a similar temptation to the one that Satan used in the Judean wilderness three years earlier when he offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth if he fell down and worshipped him. This is the pernicious offer of glory without suffering, and a crown without the cross! Jesus immediately recognises this as a hindrance and stumbling block to his calling as both the Messiah and the Suffering Servant of Yahweh, and says to Peter, “Get behind me Satan!”.

Peter is rebuked for setting his mind on human things rather than the things of God, and Jesus proceeds to issue a very challenging call to his disciples based on the imperative if anyone would come after me, which is recorded in the passage above. This is effectively a call within the call which they had already received three years earlier to come and follow Jesus! They had readily responded to this call by leaving their fishing nets, tax booths (and other occupations), families, and lands and following him.

Now, as Jesus begins to set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, this call is restated with the costly conditions of self-denial and embracing the cross of suffering to the point of losing their lives to gain them. Their response to this call to follow their Master is far less appealing to them than the initial call, and as they somewhat reluctantly followed him on the road up to Jerusalem, Jesus had to keep reminding them of his imminent sufferings, death, and resurrection, and the cost of following after him as his disciples.

Questions/actions:

1. As you begin your own Lenten journey towards the week of Christ’s passion and resurrection, how do you feel about the call to self-denial and sharing in the sufferings of Christ? Are you like Peter setting your mind on your own self-preservation, or the things of God?
2. Remembering that this is a journey in the company of other pilgrims of hope, is there someone who can accompany and encourage you on along the way? How can you also be an encouragement to them?
3. We are also accompanied by the Spirit of Christ on this journey to strengthen and encourage us in our times of weakness. It will be good to keep a journal of your own pilgrimage and to record the things that you learn along the way as a disciple of Christ.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, as we begin this Lenten journey of hope and transformation, give us a mind of humility and grace, and the strength and courage to deny our selfish desires and take up our cross and to follow after you on your road to the place of your suffering, death and resurrection. Please fill us with your joy and peace in following you so that we might overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus your suffering Servant we pray, Amen!