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September 17, 2006 Twenty-fourth Sunday of the Year (B) Betty Jane Lillie, S.C. Is 50:4-9aa X Ps 116:1-6,8-9 X Jas 2:14-18 X Mk 8:27-35
The pivotal point of this Sunday’s readings is the Gospel passage about the identity of Jesus. The Master opened the discussion with his disciples by asking them who people took him to be. The popular consciousness varied on that point. Then he focused a question on the disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” Peter emerged with an answer. “You are the Christ.” That, of course, was a good response, but as often happened with Peter, he showed that he did not really get it. He moved backward in his thought process to the popular concept of a messiah who would not suffer but would be the triumphant ruler of an earthly kingdom. Between Peter’s reply and Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is Jesus’ open description of what his messianic mission would entail. Peter had shown himself to be an adversary to Jesus’ redemptive mission. There is an instance of Mark’s messianic secret in the Master’s warning the disciples not to tell anyone about his messianic identity. That is in contrast to Jesus’ speaking openly about the messiah’s suffering and his subsequent resurrection. On the part of the Evangelist we have here an instance of a Passion and Resurrection prediction, and again the disciples did not really catch on to the ideas. They couldn’t conceive of a messiah who would suffer; and resurrection from the dead was utterly incomprehensible. At the end of our passage Jesus called both the crowd and his disciples to enter into his cross and his suffering. All who enter into suffering with Jesus enter also into his resurrection. In some way the messianic kingdom was present in Jesus; by incorporation into Christ all humanity might enter into it eternally. In our reflection on the Gospel reading we may have a flashback to the first reading which is Second Isaiah’s third song of the Suffering Servant. The kind of suffering the Servant endured brings to mind what Jesus suffered. Then the text moves to the kind of help and vindication the Prophet found in the Lord. The final phase of the reading is in the language of a lawcourt where adversaries face one another, and where this Prophet trusts in God’s help for his vindication. Thus, the Prophet and the Evangelist pursue a similar pattern of the description of suffering followed by a resurrection theme. What the letter of James contributes to our thinking here, is his focus on the relation between faith and good works. Certainly, faith is essential to salvation, but faith needs to be effective in the practice of good works. Faith is pure gift, but it calls for a response in our lives that makes a sincere effort to contribute evidence for what we believe. Thus in some way the blessings of the kingdom become present in this world, and then move us to God’s heavenly blessings in the eternal kingdom. With the Psalmist we can praise the Lord who is gracious and merciful. He saves those who call on him. (Ps 116) Betty Jane Lillie, S.C. |
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