Proverbs 1:20-33, The Wisdom of Solomon 7:26-8:1, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38

After more than a week of “storm vigil”: preparations, alterations, and evacuations; fear for what might come; ongoing news coverage of storm-ravaged homes and neighborhoods; most tragic loss of life; heart-breaking damage to centuries-old buildings and landscapes, perhaps washed away forever; rain, rain, rain and dizzying wind, we can close our eyes and feel ourselves swirling in that mesmerizing iconic symbol that we dread to see on our weather maps.

So, we ask, why does God allow hurricanes?

I cannot answer that question directly.  No one can for now; someday we will all understand. I can say without reservation that tragedies – whether or not they are “caused” or “allowed” by God – are necessary to our humanity.  What kind of people would we be without crises and tragedies that unite us as creatures of God, events that turn our lives around in mere seconds and cause us to redefine our priorities, events that remind us of our humility in the arms of our loving God?

In the raging floodwaters of Eastern North Carolina at this moment, there are no designations of race or gender or age or social status, or even whether one is human or animal.  There, in that raging floodwater and swirling wind, are thousands who have come for the specific purpose of saving lives and relieving suffering. Without tragedies, I’m not sure we’d ever be so drawn to delve into the depths of our humanity and what really matters.  So, rather than question why tragedies occur, perhaps our time is better spent asking, “What if tragedies didn’t occur?”  “What kind of people would we be?”  And, we’d have to agree that tragedies are necessities to our faith journey.

Our Gospel lesson for today is one of multiple necessities. As we have reaffirmed in our studies over the past weeks, it was necessary that Jesus be recognized and identified as the Messiah– not as a prophetic teacher and flamboyant miracle worker, not just by the audience that surrounded him, but also by all who would come after his time on earth.  Today, it is necessary that we recognize and profess Jesus Christ as the Messiah – God, incarnate in the human person of Jesus Christ, who came to give humanity a clear vision of God’s intended salvation for all creation. As it is for us and as it has always been for God’s fallen creatures, the raging floodwaters and swirling wind make it difficult to understand a God who created us and wants only what is best for us.  It was necessary for Jesus to be born human, to live on earth as we live, to save us and show us the reality of that salvation.

And, as Jesus makes clear to Peter, it was necessary that Jesus be crucified, to die on earth as we die.  Our words in today’s lesson leave out the significant phrase from the original Greek passage in which we read “it is necessary that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering … and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Mark uses dramatic language to describe Jesus’ most stunning rebuke of Peter in response to Peter’s admonition of this statement. Whatever Mark’s purpose, this dramatic language accentuates the importance of the message; it gets our attention; and it arouses our need to understand:  Satan lurks, continuously, relentlessly striving to separate us from God, as he did Peter – to frighten us into selling our souls to him in exchange for shallow and enticing earthly temptations. Satan stands over us, instilling fear that causes us to shut ourselves away in our comfort zones, away from the storms of true discipleship rather than to take the risk of committing our selves to the mission and ministry of launching our boats into the floodwaters and seeking God’s guidance and nurturance through faith in his providence.  Satan offers us the false comfort of secreting away our faith, locking it deep in our hearts out of fear of ridicule or exploitation or death or of the unknown territory into which discipleship might call us.

Thus, Satan rushes into action, possessing Peter with fear and doubt as Jesus “began to teach them that it is necessary that the Son of Man suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be put to death.”  Likely, Peter, paralyzed with fear, never heard the closing “and after three days rise again.

In order for the divine agency of God’s plan to unfold, in order for all earthly creation to be redeemed, it would be necessary for God in the person of Jesus to lose all that was earthly and temporary in order to gain all that is heavenly and eternal.

It is necessary – this is a fact that Satan seeks to keep Peter and all of us who follow Christ from understanding.  Satan seeks to limit God’s message of salvation for all through Jesus Christ by distracting us from our mission of launching our boats into the swirling floodwaters.  Satan holds in front of us the fear of the cost of discipleship.  Satan distorts our comprehension of that that is necessary.

But, Jesus stands between us and Satan.  With nail-scarred hands, Jesus guides our focus to those things that are divine, redeeming us with his body and blood, offering eternal life that well justifies the cost of our discipleship.

It is necessary that we recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah; this is Jesus the Christ who comes to us in the glory of His Father and the holy angels. It was necessary that the Messiah would undergo great suffering, die, and rise again; in so doing, death was overcome, all creation is redeemed, and we receive the promise of everlasting life.  As true disciples, it is necessary that we take up our cross and follow Jesus into whatever floodwaters that might lead.

For, from his earthly death, Jesus rose again, redeeming us through triumph over the human evil that brought about his earthly death, overcoming death itself forever.  And, as Jesus rose again, so shall we rise in eternal life.

I can’t answer the question, “Does God cause hurricanes?” But, I can answer the question, “Does God, through the life of great suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, cause everlasting life?”  That’s a yes; it was necessary.