31st August, 2008 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
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The gospel this weekend is a stunning incident. It follows immediately upon Peter’s profession of faith. Jesus has just asked “who do YOU say I am” and Jesus is overjoyed and moved to hear Peter correctly professing him to be the Christ. The straight away, Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer under the religious authorities of his day and die… and then enter into his glory… Peter… his good friend and loyal disciple… is understandably horrified….. he wants to protect Jesus so he grabs hold of him… (like someone might throw a protective arm around a cherished friend… and says… “no lord… this must NOT happen to you..”
Jesus reaction of swift and breathtaking…. “away with you satan… get behind me…..”
WOW…..
Jesus had only just finished telling Peter his faith was the rock on which he would build the church and now he is saying… satan… (which means “adversary”).. stumbling block….. obstacle…… begone….
But really this is understandable,… Jesus has been sorely tempted in the desert by the adversary…. time and time again.. he has had to shrug off the all too subtle temptations to sell-out and take the east path….. if the easy path wasn’t so attractive…. if the hard path wasn’t so hocking and awful… there would have been no problem,…. but the right way was something no one would be happy to follow unless it was necessary…. and the easy path is so reassuring….. Jesus has time and time again fended off the adversary’s temptations…. “give them bread… give them material things they desire and then they will follow you…..’…. “give them sensations… give them wonders…. and they will follow you….”……. “never challenge them…. given them what they ask without questioning… without moving them forward…… and they will follow you…..”……. “compromise with the world…. reduce your standards……. sell out…. and they will follow you….”…. and now….here is his friend… his devoted disciple…… his rock……. Peter….. saying similar things….. no wonder Jesus shot back that retort like an arrow shot from its bow…….. Jesus has been fending off there obstactles to his true mission time and time again throughout his ministry… and this would not be the last time eother…
Jesus is saying to peter.. and to each one of us…. okay… you know I am the messiah… yhe Christ… te chosen one…. fine… that is only the beginning…. NOW you must listen and learn from me WHAT the true meaning of the messiah is……
Peter and the disciples would have grown up with a very different image of the meaning of a messiah or a christ…. To them.. It was a king… a warrior… in the mould of King David… who would come with revolution and power and cast down the regimes in power and rule the chosen people in a Kingdom better than the days of Solomon……. God’s kingdom on earth…. and earthly kingdom…. too…. Jesus had to teach them to let go of all that….. he is the messiah but a messiah like nothing they expected…. his kingdom is not of this world…… his power is the cross…. his sword is his word and his weapon is love….. is persuasion… inclusion, forgiveness and justice……
Its interesting though… Jesus does not speak to peter the same way he dismissed Satan in the desert… there is a big difference here…… in the desert Jesus says… begone…. depart…….. (satan will never follow God… his pride is too destructive…..)./….. but to Peter.. he says… begone satan… get behind me ….. its two separate words…... two different things…… to the adversary he says … begone from me…. but to his trustwarothy, loyal peter… he says….. get back behind me… FOLLOW me… learn from me… don’t try to lead me…. don’t tell me how to do this…. become my follower again…. learn the ways of the messiah …. and of course Peter does…. he had gotten out of his place and tried to drag Jesus into false visions of his mission… but Jesus would have none of that….… now Peter was back following Jesus…. behind him… not in front of his as an adversary or an obstacle….
sometimes the our friends and loved ones can unwittingly be an obstacle…. they naturally want to protect us, to care for us…. but at times they might say something akin to trying to wrap us up so tight that they want us not to do the task for which we are appointed…….. like the loved one who tries to stop the soldier going out to battle… to do their job…… then it is a false protection… and must be deflected…… sometimes safety takes a back seat to duty…. to the goal….. (but we know then that the cost is not small)…. Jesus knew that.. and prepares his followers for this news…
Then Jesus puts the icing on the cake…. “anyone who wants to follow me must ‘deny themselves’ ….. Jesus knows that human pride…. human ego is an enormous obstacle to his mission…… Jesus wants to teach and guide his followers…us included… into a mindset that leaves behind ego and pride and self-interest…. if we are to be true to Jesus message… then we must accept a heavy but liberating truth…. this is not about ME…. this is not about MY needs…. this is about the good news… this is about what is best….. for others … for all……… my comfort… my needs….. my pride…. ,me… me…. me….. it must be left behind……. let’s follow where Jesus leads us….
(concepts from William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible – Matthew vo2. )
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