Your Cross - His Cross

Original sermon given on The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 30, 2026 written and delivered by Pastor Jeff Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Watch the sermon live.

View fullsize

“Your Cross - His Cross”

Matthew 16.13-20

Your Cross - His Cross

In the name of the living God and his risen Christ. Amen.

“From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…” (Matthew 16.21). Because Peter has just named him “Messiah” (remember last week?), the Lord must now explain what kind of “messiah” he would be — and he even rebukes Peter for getting it wrong. “Get behind me Satan!” Yeah, that’s not the best thing to hear from Jesus! The term “messiah” literally means “anointed one.” Or we might say, “set apart for God’s purposes.” It’s where we get the title “Christ” from, and every Christ-ian bears this name.

There were other “anointed ones” — even in the Bible, but this Christ would be different… so different. Not anointed by God for one nation, but for all people. Not anointed to bring political freedom or to break the yoke of human bondage, but for liberation over sin. Not to defeat earthly enemies or to promote earthly agendas, but to engage in combat with death itself. The path for this messiah, this “Anointed of God” would go through — could only go through the cross — an instrument of seeming defeat and shame — the lowest place you could go. And this Messiah would emerge victorious over the worst, for you and me.

The cross is inescapable for us too. Jesus promises this. Not that we live like theological “Eeyores,” moping and complaining, joyless and cynical in this world. No, but we do realize that there is a cross for the Christian too. If the Lord’s got one, so do the servants.

Our cross means we don’t just conform to what our old sinful selves want us to do. We repent, turn back to God, discipline the body, say “no” and curb and curve ourselves away from sin. It’s called a “cross” because it’s hard.

It means also that we don’t just buy into whatever the world says. Rather, we live discerning lives, guarding out thoughts and motives solely by the word of God. Also hard!

It means also that resistance will come. We are not of this world. The baptized are marked with the sign of the cross. We belong ultimately to Jesus and not to anyone or anything else. This is hard because it means the path of the Christian is not an easy path. Persecution may come. But it also means that we have an inheritance — an eternal kingdom which cannot be taken from us, no matter what happens in life… or death.

At the close of this morning’s gospel, Jesus says the most remarkable, even confusing thing. In apocalyptic language, he speaks of “the son of man” coming with the angels in judgement. And then he further promises that some of his followers would not taste death before they see him coming in his kingdom.

This appears very confusing for us because these disciples have clearly already died, and yet the return of Christ has not occurred yet. Admittedly there’s several ways to interpret this. Jesus’ words “some will not taste death before they see [him] coming in his kingdom” could refer to his Transfiguration, which is coming up immediately in the next chapter. Peter, James, and John see Christ on the mountain top in his full divine glory. Jesus words could also refer to Pentecost, when the kingdom comes within the believers as they bear the gospel throughout the world. I think it’s best to think about “the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” as Christ’s death and resurrection, which his disciples would witness. Christ will come again, one day in glory on the last day; but his kingdom was initiated as he wore that crown of thorns at Golgotha, and as he came out of that tomb on Easter morn. And what a kingdom it is that we inherit — one of grace to believe the gospel and live lives according to it. Our king wears a crown of thorns; he carries a cross; his glory begins at Golgotha for us.

This morning we witness confirmands and new members of First Saint Paul’s giving testimony to this kingdom — that the cross of Jesus has forgiven their sins; that his resurrection assures eternal life; that his word and sacraments continually feed and forgive, replenish and renew. And these brothers — Dylan, Paul, Gabriel, and August — also renew their baptismal vows to take up the cross and follow him.

But the good news is not really about the following, is it? It’s about who we follow. Jesus has gone before us. He knows the way. He knows when the bumps will come, he knows where the rough places are, and he knows how long it will take to reach the summit. The gospel is that we are following him. He goes there first. He suffers the temptations first and knows what we need to fight them. He suffered humiliation first and will give us the words to say. He went through death first and even knows the way through the valley of the shadow. He has even reached glory before us and goes to prepare a place for us.

In Lutheran theological jargon we call this the “theology of the cross.” What we really mean is that we can’t find God apart from the cross; and we can’t live Christian lives apart from it either.

May the cross of this Jesus, Messiah, bring us comfort and peace knowing he is for us, no matter what comes. And may we joyfully follow, no matter what comes.

Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.

Image Source: Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://act.library.vanderbilt.edu/artworks/56514 [retrieved August 31, 2026]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Get_Thee_Behind_Me_Satan_(R%C3%A9tire-toi_Satan)_-_James_Tissot.jpg.