Mark 8, 27-Mark 9-1
(Peter’s Confession)
1st August Trinity
And Jesus went on with his disciples into the region of
Caesarea Philippi (in the north of the land at the source of the Jordan where
the Roman Caesar was worshiped as a divine being). And on the way there he
asked the disciples (and said to them), “Who do people say that I am?”
They said to him, “Some say that you are John the Baptist;
others say Elijah, still others that you are one of the prophets.”
Then he asked them, “And you, who do you say that I am?’
Then Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
And he began to teach them: “The Son of Man must suffer
much and will be rejected by the leaders of the people, by the elders and the
teachers of the law, and he will be killed and after three days he will rise
again.” Freely and openly he told them this.
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| Get Thee Behind Me, Tissot, Brooklyn Museum |
And he called the crowd together, including his disciples
and said to them, “Whoever would follow me must practice self-denial and take
up his cross and follow me. For whoever is concerned about the salvation of his
own soul will lose it; but whoever gives his life for my sake and the sake of
the gospel, his soul will find power and healing. For what use is it to a human
being to gain the whole world if through that he damages his soul, which falls
victim to the power of an empty darkness? What then can a man give as ransom
for his soul? In this present humanity, which denies the spirit and lives in
error, whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will also
be ashamed when he comes in the shining revelation of the Father among his holy
angels.“
And he said to them, “The truth I say to you, among those
who are standing here there are some who will not taste death before they
behold the kingdom of God arising in human beings, revealing itself in the
power and magnificence of the spirit.”
1st August Trinity
July 26, 2015
Mark 8, 27-Mark 9-1 (Peter’s Confession)
Once again in the course of the year, we stand before a
beginning. In this second half of the year, we are embarking on a ten week walk
toward Michaelmas. It begins with Peter’s recognizing that Christ, the expected
Messiah, the Anointed One, lives in Jesus. Peter’s acknowledgement allows
Christ to reveal something more of himself. Contrary to expectations the
Messiah will be rejected. He will suffer and die. And He will rise again after
three days.
From our perspective, after the fact, Christ’s own path
is obvious. But to the Hebrews of His time, such a revelation comes as a shock;
the Messiah would be rejected and killed?
So it is understandable that Peter objects and seeks to protect Him. But Christ
adamantly rejects Peter’s well-meaning but purely utilitarian thinking. For
Christ’s mission has a much broader and higher context. The revolution He leads
takes place both in the cosmic dimension and within the most intimate depths of
the human soul.
In our own lives we can have flashes of insight,
inspirations coming from the future. But then objections arise: that’s not what
I had hoped for….that would mean….but I can’t. We sense the difficulties and
call it impossible. We are unwilling, un-willing what wants to be.
"It may be when we no
longer know what
to do,
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey."
