September 12, 2021 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Introduction
When you look at the cross what is it that you think of.
- Do you see the cross as the symbol of the Christian faith?
- We place the cross and all of our buildings above the altar and make the sign of the cross at the beginning and end of our prayers.
- Do you see the cross as the sign of suffering, humiliation and human cruelty?
- Do you see in the cross the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus?
- As you gaze upon the cross do you see Christ’s ultimate victory over sin,
- death and evil?
- The cross figures prominently in the gospel for this weekend.
Gospel
As we look at the gospel you will notice that it is divided into two parts.
Jesus identify
In the first part Jesus and his disciples are walking along.
- They are near a Roman city Caesarea Philippi.
- As they walk along, Jesus stops for a moment and ask his disciples, “what are people saying about me? Who do the people think that I am?”
- The disciples answer by saying, “well, some people think you might be John the Baptist come back from the dead or maybe Elijah or one of the prophets from our old.”
- Jesus pushes a little bit and asks, what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers on behalf of all of them by responding, “you are the Christ!”
The Messiah
In other words, you are the promised one for whom our people have waited for centuries.
- What follows is a clarification of what it means to be the Messiah.
- The expectation of the Jewish people was that the Messiah would come as a National leader and political figure who would set Israel free from external domination.
- He would be the one who would set things right and be a glorious leader who would lead Israel into freedom and prosperity.
True nature of Messiah
Jesus shatters their expectation when he says it will not be that way.
- The Messiah will be the humble servant who will come, be rejected and ultimately put to death and rise.
- Obviously this is way too much for Peter. He takes Jesus aside, “this will never happen to you. This is not the way that it is supposed to be.”
- Suddenly Jesus turns on Peter and chastises him.
- He tells Peter, “you have got it wrong. You do not understand because you are not thinking the way that God does but the way that you want things to turn out.”
- At the heart of Messiahship is suffering.
- It is only through the Messiah suffering that there will be salvation and ultimately in the shedding of blood will there be life.
The Cross
Then we come to the second part of the gospel reading.
- It really builds on the rebuke given to Peter.
- Jesus stuns his disciples by telling them that if they wish to follow him, they must take up the cross and follow him.
- The cross is the only way to discipleship. At the heart of discipleship is a willingness to deny oneself and suffer.
- It is only through suffering and death that there is life.
- It’s easy to see why this did not make sense to Simon Peter.
The cross may be a religious symbol for us today.
- However, when Jesus uttered these words to his disciples, the cross was a symbol of Roman domination and fear.
- The Romans used it to intimidate people into subjection.
- The cross stood as the instrument of excruciating pain, humiliation and torture.
- It is no wonder that the disciples must have gasped when Jesus told them they must take up the cross.
Application
Why suffering
Jesus invites us also to take up the cross and follow him.
- There are problems, difficulties and struggles in everybody’s life.
- God does not will human suffering. However, he permits it.
- I suppose it is a mystery why there is suffering in the first place and why God would permit it.
- However, that is the reality of the human experience.
The question remains, “what do we do with the suffering in our lives?”
- In the gospel today, Jesus invites his disciples to take up the cross.
- At the heart of following Jesus is to follow Him all the way.
- That way is through suffering and ultimately a death that leads to eternal life.
- That is the mystery of salvation: through death there is life.
Suffering creates bitterness
Suffering has a way to sharpen our values and identity.
- For some, suffering creates hardness of heart, bitterness and anger.
- The question haunts, “why me? Why not me?”
- In time they become alienated by their suffering and are marked by an anger that ultimately consumes them.
- Many times that anger is directed toward God.
Suffering is redemptive
On the other hand, there are some, who embracing their suffering, find the ultimate meaning of their own existence and life.
- They follow Jesus all the way.
- It reminds me of that scene in the Passion of the Christ where Jesus is handed the cross on his way to crucifixion.
- He embraces the cross and kisses it.
- One of the thieves who will be crucified with him remarks, “you fool, don’t you understand what is about to happen?”
- Yes, Jesus embraced the cross, his passion and death.
Good from suffering
- Because of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, God can bring good from evil.
- In other words, he can bring an unexpected good from human suffering. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why God permits suffering.
- In the cross of Jesus, and in our own crosses borne out of love, God brings the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
- In the cross, God entered into the depths of human sin and suffering.
- On the cross, Jesus conquered hatred, sin and death.
- Our own suffering can be redemptive.
- Although suffering is never pleasant, we can offer it in reparation for our sins and for the salvation of those that we love.
- It is perhaps one of the most precious gifts we could give to another person.
Conclusion
The road of discipleship is not easy.
- If it were, everybody would want to follow Jesus.
- The gospel invites us to follow him.
- However, the road is a difficult one. Jesus Invites us by saying, “come follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross.”
Although the cross may represent suffering in our lives, it is ultimately the way to eternal life.