17
PENTECOST, PROPER XIX - B - 18
MARK 8. 27-38
“Going
My Way” is the title of one my favorite movies. It was released in 1944 in
black and white of course. It starred Barry Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. Some of
you may recall having seen it.
It
is the story of a young priest played by Bing Crosby who has been assigned as
the assistant to the aged pastor Barry Fitzgerald in a crumbling down parish
church that is on the verge of being closed by the bishop.
Crosby’s
character is a late vocation priest who led a colorful life of sports, song and
romance prior to accepting his call to the priesthood. He uses his talent of
song to revitalize the parish by establishing a boy’s choir.
The
choir helps to raise funds for the repair of the church. Their efforts are
successful. In one scene, Crosby, accompanied by the choir, sings the title
song, “Going My Way.”
In
today’s gospel, following Simon Peter’s confession of Jesus as being God’s
Messiah, Jesus reveals “His Way,” that being one of sacrifice and service that
will lead to his death on the cross. In doing so, Jesus presents a warning to
all who would choose to go His way that to follow him is to live a life of
self-denial and service.
This
is Christ’s first prediction of His Passion and it sends shock waves through
the hearts and minds of his disciples. Peter did not totally comprehend what
Jesus was saying. He reacts for all of them when he says “God forbid!” Christ
rebukes Peter after having turned to see the look on his disciples faces; a
look of surprise and uncertainty after Peter dared to rebuke Jesus.
Satan
has gotten a hold of Peter for the moment and darkened his thinking. His
comment threatens the faith of all of the disciples. Jesus quickly puts Peter
in his place. Your feet are made of clay Peter, you are not thinking as God
thinks but like a man whose feet are firmly planted in this world. So get
behind me.
Then
comes a second shocking statement: “If any want to become my followers,” Jesus
tells all of them, “let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me.”
The
first prediction of Christ’s Passion and the challenge of the cross that comes
with it is a warning to his followers that this is how he understands his
vocation and destiny as Israel’s Messiah, and that they must be prepared to
follow his way. Jesus’ words came as a surprise to all who heard him for what
he said about his destiny did not fit with their agenda.
Peter’s
confession of Jesus being Messiah meant he saw him as the true king of Israel,
the final heir to David’s throne. The disciples were not expecting a divine
redeemer; they were looking and longing for a king. And they thought that they
had found one.
A
messiah announcing God’s kingdom was a challenge to Rome itself. The concept of
a suffering messiah was a challenge to Jewish expectations for it stood in
complete contrast to their idea of the messiah they hoped God would send to
defeat Rome and re-establish Israel as a great nation.
The
true nature of Christ’s Messiahship, however, was the Mystery of the Passion.
The cross was a symbol of Roman cruelty and death. Jews shuttered at the very
idea of crucifixion. Nobody survived the cross. What could Jesus possibly mean?
The
cross indeed leads to death, but not in the sense, the disciples were thinking.
Rather the cross leads to death of self and death of self leads to new life in
Him who is Resurrection and Life. That is the paradox of the cross.
To
go Jesus’ way is to go the way of the cross. The cross is the way to
discipleship and the key to the kingdom. The very idea became a stumbling block
to the Jews of Jesus’ day. It remains a sticking point for many would-be
followers of Jesus today who prefer the fruits of Easter without the cost of
Good Friday.
Jesus’
death on the cross is the point at which God’s kingdom, coming on earth as it
already is in heaven, did and continues to challenge and overturn all normal
human assumptions about power and glory, about what is really important in life
and in the world.
Peter’s
reaction is thinking like a mere mortal, not looking at things from God’s point
of view. This is a challenge to all of us, as the church in every generation
struggles not only to think but to live from God’s point of view in a world
where such things are still considered madness. Where unfortunately in addition
the world we live in today is one in which Christianity is under a constant
attack.
Taking
up our own cross symbolizes our suffering with Christ. We practice self-denial
for the sake of the Love of God and the gospel. The central paradox of
Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal;
but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are
unimaginable.
This
passage makes it clear that following Jesus is the only way to go. However, it
is not an easy way to go. As Christ had no easy victory over the forces that
opposed him, neither will we who strive to follow in his steps especially in
today’s climate.
As
Satan did not want Christ to fulfill his mission and save mankind through his
suffering and death, neither does he want any of us to life our life in the
imitation of Christ.
The
Christian life is not all about joy, peace, and love. It is about going His Way
and not your way or my way. To go the way of Jesus is to walk the way of the
cross; to live no longer for ourselves but to him who died and rose again. It
means learning to live a life of sacrifice and service for the sake of the Love
of God and the gospel.
However,
before we can do that we must answer for ourselves the question Jesus posed to
his disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” The answer to that question given by
Peter in today’s gospel defines Christianity. The answer we give defines us not
only in the eyes of the world, but more importantly in the eyes of God.
AMEN+
No comments:
Post a Comment