Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr John O’Mahony SVD – Divine Word Seminary of Tagaytay
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B
Let us take another look at our Gospel for today and ask ourselves if we feel something is missing. Do I hear someone ask where are the phrases “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah…You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, etc.?” (Many of you may almost know the rest of it by heart). Today there is nothing about that, just the direct answer of Peter “You are the Messiah,” followed by the warning of Jesus not to tell anyone about him. This means that the apostles were to say nothing about Jesus being the Messiah. Nevertheless, I’m sure they could and did say a lot about Jesus to others. Probably they invited many to come and listen to him.
The point here is that this year it is the Gospel according to Mark that is being proclaimed to us, not Matthew’s. In Matthew the writer is giving us important teachings about leadership in the Church, especially the role of Peter. Mark, however, is focusing on the correct understanding of the meaning of Messiah, especially as the Church was undergoing a severe persecution in Rome when he was writing his gospel. That is why he emphasizes the warning of Jesus “not to tell anyone about him.”
Yes indeed, Jesus is the Messiah but Peter still needed a deeper understanding of what that meant so that he would know what he was committing himself to. He probably had in mind the great king David as his model, a military leader who would free the people from Roman oppression and restore the kingdom of Israel. Far from his mind was the image of the Suffering Servant given to us by the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading. This is what Jesus had in mind as he continued his teaching and it explains why his rebuke to Peter was so severe.
Liberating Israel was a legitimate aspiration from the political point of view but Jesus came to proclaim something much more than that, something totally new, a different kind of kingdom. He came to proclaim salvation for all God’s children, oppressed and oppressor alike. It is a message that transcends all borders and is intended for Jew and gentile alike. No walls to keep out foreigners here, the refugees and immigrants are always welcome. This is a message for all ages, to be proclaimed over and over again.
Already during the lifetime of Jesus the implications of this vision of eternal salvation were too threatening to the human structures of control and oppression that his hearers were familiar with. And so he was rejected, just as he had told his disciples. But through the Cross and Resurrection the vision lives on, Jesus is with us still, just as he promised us.
If we wish to follow him in living and proclaiming the saving message of the ultimate triumph of good over evil we will also have to go the way of the Cross. This can mean opposition, rejection, misunderstandings, in some cases even death. We may “lose our life” in the eyes of the world but in Jesus we will save it.
In the end Peter learned his lesson very well. He made his commitment and staked his life on the fidelity of Jesus. He “saved his life,” even as he “lost it.” Are we ready to do the same?
One comment