Simon bar-Jona was a fisherman whom Jesus called to be a disciple. He left behind his net in order to become a “fisher of men”. He followed Jesus, listening to his teachings, watching him heal the sick and restore people to their families. He has become convinced that Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, is the Messiah Israel has been waiting for especially when he with just a few loaves and fish fed five thousand people. And so he declared it as his belief when asked by Jesus: “You are the Messiah!” He was expecting that Jesus would then gather them up and go to Jerusalem to lead them to freedom. But then Jesus begins to talk about rejection, arrest and being put to death. What? Can God’s Messiah be a loser?
Jesus not only scandalized the Pharisees and their lackeys; he also scandalized his avid fans, his disciples. We’ve seen him do this in the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 where at the end, even his disciples ceased to follow him because of the difficulty of understanding his words. And now he even tells his disciples that their life will be lived under the shadow of the Cross, that shameful instrument of torture that the Romans used to punish, shame and discourage the rebelliousness of those who wish to be freed from the Roman yoke.
We have been baptized into the death of Christ, Paul would say. Jesus tells us what this means: it means following him until one’s own death to self on the crucible of human suffering. Life is difficult; life is a cross. But life, as it is, can be more than just a tear drop under the falling rain. It has a depth of meaning that is only revealed when we consider it under the gaze of the Lord.
Relevant Articles
- The Way of the Suffering Messiah
- You Are The Christ
- James 2:14-18 A Faith Alive in Works
- Isaiah 50:4-9 My Vindicator is at Hand
Guide to the Reading of the Text
1. After making a sentence flow of Mark 8:27-35, use the following criteria for the division of the text into parts:
(a) change of action and subject matter
(b) change of audience
(c) change of subjects of the verb
2. Word studies
2.1. Just by going through the Gospel of Mark, identify the following characters:
(a) Peter
(b) John the Baptist
(c) Satan
2.2. Know more about the following items from a Bible Dictionary
(a) Caesarea Philippi (a place name)
(b) Elijah (a character from the Old Testament)
(c) Cross
Below are online articles on the same:
- Caesarea Philippi
- Peter
- Elijah
- The Cross
- Prophets
- Satan
3. Focus on the following phrases for a closer analysis. Try to understand these phrases within the context of the gospel selection and the whole of the Gospel of Mark
(a) You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.
(b) Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
(c) Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.
4. Read the following articles on the Cross
- In the Shadow of the Cross
- Our Way of the Cross
- The Cross in the Early Church
- The Adoration of the Cross of Christ
Comparing the Readings
The gospel selection presents Jesus as the Servant-Messiah anticipated in the figure of the Servant of Yahweh who is described in the selection from Isaiah 50:4-9. There we find the Servant describing (a) his endowments for obedience (4-5a), the resistance he is experiencing (5b-6), his confidence in the Lord and his guiltlessness (his “righteousness”) before his oppressors.
Jesus challenge to his disciples to deny oneself, take up the cross and follow him is a challenge to identify with him, becoming “servants of the Lord” themselves.
The responsorial psalm from Psalm 116 is a supplicants thanksgiving for being freed from death (v.8).
The second reading from James may at first glance have nothing to do with both the first and gospel readings. But if we consider that James is here challenging his audience not to be mere passive recipients of grace but active in expressing faith in charity, then we would realize that each time we actually deny ourselves some pleasure or convenience in order to meet the needs of a neighbor, then our faith is truly productive of good works.
Suggestions for the Lesson
If we take Peter as representative of all Christians who think they already know the Lord, then we could take the gospel selection as Jesus’ criticism of those who cling to models of Messiahship that may respond to the political needs of a particular society but is not in the intention of God. Thus …
1. One can explain the Gospel recalling the meaning of this year’s Holy Week and its answer to the question people pose about suffering;
2. One can use the occassion to explain the meaning of baptism itself — as our joining in the death and resurrection of Christ.
3. One can combine both nn. 1 and 2 and introduce the faithful to one of the consequences of our baptism: the following of Christ daily to the cross of Good Friday and being united with Him in our own sufferings, making our own pains and sorrows count for the salvation of the world. In this regard, the a comment of Pope Benedict XVI in Spe salvi becomes relevant:
There used to be a form of devotion-perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago-that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning. Of course, there were some exaggerations and perhaps unhealthy applications of this devotion, but we need to ask ourselves whether there may not after all have been something essential and helpful contained within it. What does it mean to offer something up? Those who did so were convinced that they could insert these little annoyances into Christ’s great “com-passion” so that they somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love. Maybe we should consider whether it might be judicious to revive this practice ourselves. (Spe salvi, 40)
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