Isaiah 50:4c-9a + Psalm 116 + James 2:14-18 + Mark 8:27-35
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Delivered at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Mustang, Oklahoma
Each time Jesus explains that he will be rejected by those in power, suffer,
and die on a cross, his disciples do not understand what he is saying. Three times he speaks about his Passion, and three times they cannot grasp what he is saying. Each of these misunderstandings opens the door for Jesus to explain more fully what being a disciple looks like. Each of these misunderstanding present a prime teaching moment. If you want to follow me, if you want to learn from me the way to life, then do this….and the teaching follows.
In today’s Gospel, where we hear the first Passion prediction and Peter’s misunderstanding, the teaching that follows challenges one who is to be a disciple to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus. That paradoxically, only in losing one’s life does one find life in its fullness.
After the 2nd Passion prediction, in Chapter 9, it’s as if the disciples do not even hear what Jesus says, because they argue about who is the greatness.
The teaching that follows: If you wish to be first, then you must be last and the servant of all. And you must serve those who cannot pay you back in any way, the powerless, represented by receiving a child, and in doing so receive the Son of God and the Father as well.
After the 3rd Passion prediction in Chapter 10, James and John ask for the best seats in Jesus’ kingdom, misunderstanding not only what Jesus says about his upcoming death but also what kind of kingdom Jesus is initiating.
The other disciples hear of this request, and they become furious with James and John. The teaching that follows: whoever desires to be great, will be a servant. He takes this teaching, which flows from the teaching after the 2nd passion prediction, to another level as Jesus gives himself as an example: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
As we look more closely at today’s Passion Prediction, we find Peter, who represents the rest of the disciples, misunderstanding Jesus so terribly that he tries to talk Jesus out of fulfilling his mission. We do not know exactly what Peter said to Jesus, but we do know what role Peter played because of the strong words Jesus uses to rebuke Peter: “Get behind me, Satan!”
Jesus is not calling Peter “Satan” in terms we might think, as the Evil One,
but rather in terms of the “Tempter.” Like the “Tempter” in the desert, Peter in some way is trying to persuade Jesus to turn away from the path of sacrificial love and to take care solely of himself and his own needs. Use your power only to fill your belly—turn these stones into bread. Use your special relationship with the Father to force the Father to prove his love for you: jump off this temple top. Have everything you ever wanted, all the kingdoms of the world, if you will simply bow down before me, says the Tempter. Whatever words Peter uses as he takes Jesus aside, they tempt Jesus to save his life, to turn away from losing his life for others.
Jesus’ strong words for Peter also emphasize to Peter and to all disciples
the place we need to be — behind Jesus, following Jesus. Our place is to follow, not to lead and tell Jesus what to do. As followers we learn the way to abundant life, a way that requires we “lose” our life in order to find it, that we give away what we have in order to receive the fullness of life.
The Civil War-era clergyman, Henry Ward Beecher, once proposed that it is not what we take and have that makes us rich, but rather what we give up. For Jesus the unmistakable sign & act of love is sacrificial, just as the Father “sacrificed” (gave up) his only Son to draw us back into the mystery of love shared in the Trinity.
What you are willing to give up for someone reveals your love for them more than words can ever say. Real love and sacrifice are never far apart.
The sacrifices that parents make for their children’s future, well-being, formation, education and safety reveals this kind of sacrificial love. The sacrifices that husbands and wives make for one another’s happiness is the same. Any sacrifice, no matter the size, which we make for another, reveals a Christ-like love.
St. James in his letter proclaims the same truth in a different way by stating
that faith without works is dead. Real faith acts on behalf of others, especially those in greatest need.
Today we are given an opportunity to put our faith to work, to love in a sacrificial way, by responding generously to the annual Catholic Charities Appeal. Our sisters and brothers who need our help will receive it through the many excellent service programs of Catholic Charities.
When we are truly concerned about others and act on their behalf is when we are fully alive. We discover life in its fullness, when we “lose” our life in service of others, especially those in greatest need.
Fr. Joseph A. Jacobi
