12^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

Readings: Zechariah 12:10-11

                 Galatians 3:26-29

                  Luke 9:18-24

 

 

“Who do you say that I am?

…The Messiah of God.”

 

 

            Today, we are invited to meditate on the messiaship of Jesus. But in the light of today’s gospel his messiaship takes the very important aspects: one, it is a revelation of the true person of Jesus; two, it finds and founds its genuine meaning on suffering; three, it sustains itself on prayer.

 

            1.         “Who do people say that I am?” This must have been a very important question. Lest, Jesus would have not thought and dared to ask about it. As narrated, he posed this question twice: fist, to the people; second, to he people. Surely, even from the people, Jesus already got some fair answers. In fact, theirs were not only answers fair enough, but answers implying quite a big deal. To be recognized as a Prophet already meant something both in the political and religious life of Israel. And besides, on the part of Jesus, he knew this to be true. Certainly, he was a prophet and the Prophet. But such answer did not satisfy him. He wanted and needed something more. And finally, he got it from the apostles, particularly from Peter: “The Messiah of God.” Here, Jesus’ messiaship becomes one big revelation about his person.

 

            It is no surprise why Jesus wants his messiaship for an answer. “The Messiah of God” embodies his being the Christ or The Anointed One. Jesus seems to insist that the perfect fulfillment of the prophecy is for him to be known as the messiah who springs from the root of Jesse. Such is his Davidic lineage which answers too to the aspirations and longings of his people. Besides, this is the Father’s will. Israel’s salvation can only be possible with Yahweh’s intervention right in the very history of his people. His intervention marks the establishment of God’s kingdom. Thus, Jesus as the one anointed by God to bring good news to the poor, freedom to prisoners, cure to the ill, food to the hungry. Now, all these are a messianic function. Thus, Jesus’ presence is messianic presence; his person is the person of the messiah.

 

            2.         But while Jesus takes upon himself the person of the messiah, he at the same time breaks the Jewish traditional concept of messiaship including its grandiose over and undertones. While the Jews would figure out their messiah robe with the grandeur of David and the splendor of Solomon, Jesus gives himself as a son of a poor carpenter and a close friend to fishermen. While the Jews envision their messiah as a mighty warrior and conqueror, Jesus offers them his person as a meek and obedient suffering servant. In other words, while their messiah is he who exercises strong political leadership, Jesus’ messiaship is that of a moral and religious reformer who restores the reign of God to all humanity through pain and suffering. This humble yet genuine meaning of messiaship would be the cause of people’s repugnance that would ultimately bring him to the cross. “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the Scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

 

            But what I quite striking here is that this understanding on Christ’s messiaship has become the model of Christian discipleship. “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” This truth is difficult to take. All of us, including the apostles themselves, acknowledge such difficulty. Perhaps, the reason of this is the fact that pain and suffering stand diametrically opposed to man’s basic aspiration to be happy. That is why it is no surprise why people – and no one seems to be an exempt of this, even the spiritual champions – at one time or more in their lives entertain the of a “sadist God.” While Christianity has been consistent in teaching about a loving God, miseries flood everywhere – sometimes even worse in places where Christians dominate! This has caused many to falter. And they just falter forever. They are simply tired of believing in a loving God in the midst of a cruel world.

 

            This apparent contradiction is truly hard to reconcile. And of course, this will remain irreconcilable if we take it as a plain contradiction. A closer look at the gospel, however, reveals the Jesus preaches no contradiction. The most we can see in Christ’s words is a paradox. For indeed, Christian message is a big paradox. Thus greatness consists in being humble. Lordship means service. Death promises life. This is precisely the meaning of Jesus’ statement as he continues: “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” With this, we understand that what we have is not really a sadist God. He is simply a God who reaches the nobility of the hard way. And he does so not because it is repugnant to human nature, but because it is a noble affirmation even to man’s most simple experience. Is not victory sweetest when fought in the hardest way? Certainly. In the same way, virtue is born by hard practice, as gold is tested by fire. That is why the same process is demanded of him who wants to be his follower. The path of Christian spirituality takes him to he long and winding road where “deaths” seem to be an endless encounter.

 

            3.         The hard way, therefore characterizes Jesus’ messiaship. This means to follow him is no joke at all. That is why Jesus sets a way he finds most helpful to anyone who follows him. This way is the way of prayer. Today’s gospel opens with this scenario: “One day when Jesus was praying in solitude and the disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’”

 

            This seems to suggest that the revelation about his messiaship is the fruit of his prayer, of his deep meditation. From his intimate communion with the Father in prayer, he discovers more profoundly his person as the messiah and he life that it entails. Thus, as he begins his messianic vocation with prayer, so must his life in pain and suffering be sustained by prayer. And this is precisely what happens. Especially in the most crucial and trying times, we see Christ in prayer even at the point of sweating blood (cf Lk 22:44). And not only that. It is the power of prayer that enables him to utter words of forgiveness even at hi own anguish (cf Lk 23:34). And finally, his very life as the messiah “ends” in prayer when he cries in total submission: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46).

 

            This is a typical trademark of the Lukan gospel. Among the synoptic writers, only St. Luke treats prayer with an unparalleled importance. As if Luke wants to say that the hard way of Jesus’ messiaship becomes possible only because of prayer. And he is right.