TEXT: The Holy Gospel According to Saint Mark 8:27-35
I relish the "radical" nature of the Gospel. It gets right to the "root" of the matter. Our Lord Jesus does not beat around the bush, but moves quickly in these Evangelist narratives to the heart of the matter -- the Way of God versus the ways of men!
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"
Yes, who is Jesus?
Men have pondered this question for many years.
When I was in college, the popular pseudo-intellectual notion was to ponder the liberal agenda through the question - "Who is the historical Jesus?" A movement still exists today trying to figure out through textual critical methodologies in "search of the historical Jesus." Suffice it to say, the "jesus" they portray is an anemic variety of "jesus" unrecognized by men and women of true Faith, the Faith of our Fathers.
The Jesus Saint Mark presents is the Jesus of the Gospel message, the One who is really there and present in our midst, not a "jesus" that has been invented by those who were never eyewitnesses of the Person of Christ who is the Way, the Truth, the Life!
The disciples had their own ideas of who Jesus was, as they had heard others speak of his identity.
28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets."
Today, some call Jesus a "great prophet," "the founder of a new religion," "the great leader of mankind," etc. But, Jesus had the Truth in Mind.
29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
It was Saint Peter, the first Holy Father who answered Jesus' question to the disciples, those who followed him --
"But who do you say that I am?"
"You are the Christ."
Our Lord Jesus asks you and me that same question today!
"But who do you say that I am?"
Is Jesus for you, the Christ? The very Son of God? The Messiah? YOUR Savior and Lord?
"But who do you say that I am?"
With Saint Peter and the other disciples, I answer -- "You are the Christ."
30 And he charged them to tell no one about him.
Strange that he does this, but God always has reasons for these commands. To tell others would be to tell others too quickly. The time would come for the Evangelists to TELL ALL to ALL PEOPLES!
Thus, today, we have the Evangelist Mark's version of the story of the Love of God come down to mankind - the Way of God versus the ways of men!
Here is the difference between God's WAY and our ways!
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Yes, we would establish the Kingdom of God without the Cross and the Crown of Thorns!
We would gladly have no suffering, no pain, no penance. We would have a religion of sweetness and lightheartedness with materialistic goods and foods, which seem to satisfy us.
We ask God - "Lord, why do these terrible things keep happening to me?" This happens to some of us when we are confronted with troubles, and more often than not many find this mantra within their hearts, subtly chanting again and again - "Lord, why do these terrible things keep happening to me?"
It is as though we are somehow exempt from the WAY of God and seek to opt for the ways of man.
Like the friends of Job we speak as though our suffering are ever and always divine and graceless punishments for things we have done wrong - and God is going to "get us!"
Not so, for Jesus spoke plainly of the terrible things that were going to happen to him.
He spoke them to his disciples and Peter, because he tells his friends the TRUTH, the WAY of God that we might have LIFE in Christ!
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
Our Lord Jesus is not satisfied that we should live in ignorance and deceit!
He tells it like it is!
Saint Peter cringes with the words from our Lord as we would surely do so? , "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
God's WAY is not like our ways.
Here is the WAY of God beloved --
34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
That is diametrically opposed to the ways of men.
Men say - Do YOUR own thing... whatever feels good to you and me is good! This is a new hedonism! The post-Christian era, postmodern society we live in PREACHES over and over again - there are few if any absolutes other than the absolutism of the individual's opinion!
This philosophical bias is a LIE!
Jesus says -- "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
Jesus says that the real VOCATION we have from God is this -- "If any man 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; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."
Never mind what are the ways of man. We are called to obey the simple command of Jesus Christ, the command that will surely cost us our lives, everything we have and hold dear. This is the Truth, the Life, the WAY - the radical command of the Gospel. "If any man 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; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."
Who will take up the Cross today and follow Jesus?