Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
Readings: Isa 22:19-23; Ps 138; Rom 1:33-36; Mt 16:13-20
As Jesus journeys towards Caesarea Philippi he poses the his disciples the perennial question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). They give their answers accordingly. This shows us a very important thing: Jesus expected his disciples to be in contact with what was happening around them and how people were reacting to His ministry. The same question is being asked to us today and once again Jesus expects us to known what the contemporary world thinks of Him.
Undoubtedly, many is being said in books, videos, internet, music, art etc... about the person of Jesus. Not all is in agreement with what the Gospels reveal to us and we are bound to know what others think of Jesus that we might be able to proclaim Him as He really is.
But for our evangelization to be genuine and fruitful this implies another question to be answered: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mk 16:15). Jesus asks this question to us because He wants us to know whom He is. We cannot proclaim whom we do not know for Christianity does not preach an ideology nor a philosophy, but our good news is a person: JESUS whom Peter declares to be “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mk 16:16).
We cannot come to such a deep knowledge of Jesus without the aid of the heavenly Father: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven” (Mt 16:17). At best, with our human intelligence we can come to the conclusion that Jesus was a hero, an ideal man, a man who died for his ideals, a revolutionary etc... But we need the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives us (Lk 11:13) to reveal to us and convince in the depths of our hearts that Jesus is indeed the Incarnate God, our Lord and Saviour. So let us find time to pray and meditate the Gospels and thereby letting the Holy Spirit to show us who Jesus is and lead us into experiencing Him. Such was the manner in which man and woman like Francis and Claire of Assisi, Therese of Lisieux and Charles de Foucauld. And if they experienced a success, why shall not we?
Peter teaches us that our understanding of the person of Jesus is gradual and not without opposition. In as much as he understood that Jesus was the Messiah, that was quite some step ahead but his understanding of the Messiah was imbued with its Old Testament understanding which portrayed a glorious Messiah. Indeed, Jesus is the glorious one but his glory lies on the cross! It is a crucified Messiah that Peter and the other disciples could not accept! Jesus insisted that “the Son of Man must suffer” (Mk 8:31) and thereby one could understand the person and ministry of Jesus in the light of the Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah (Isa 40-55). For this He was rebuked by Peter. This costed Peter a harsh rebuke by Jesus: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mk 16:23).
This shows us the importance the cross played in Jesus life and mission: suffering was the Father’s will for Jesus. This will was his daily food and His love for the Father was to such an extent that no one could turn Him away from that will. In this light one can understand why Peter is admonished to “get behind” Jesus. This means that the moment he refused that Jesus had to suffer, as an imperative of the Father’s will, Peter stopped being a disciple... he stopped following Jesus, he stopped being on God’s side but became like Satan, the one who opposes the Father’s will. We too are called to be humble enough to keep our place that we might come to know who Jesus is for us!
As His disciples, Jesus calls us to enter into a deep relationship with Him that is marked by the cross: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). This is what Jesus means when he says that one should loose his life for His sake and be saved (Mk 8:35). To die to self daily means to say “No” to whatever Jesus said “No” on the cross and to say “Yes” to whatever Jesus said “Yes” on the cross! this leads us to take up our daily crosses by transcending our difficult earthly situations and, seeing them in God’s light, understand them as God’s will for us.
But only a personal adhesion and a passionate love for Jesus can help us to come to this. A love that is daily nourished and strengthened by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist accompanied by moments of Eucharistic adoration. This is what is meant by Jesus’ demand “follow me”. St. Francis of Assisi is like an icon that encourages us to follow Jesus on the way to the cross by contemplating this “Poverello of Assisi”, a man whose heart burned with love for Jesus to the point that he was completely transformed in his Crucified Love: Jesus, the one whom Mary followed unto the cross and whose perfect disciple she was as she now fully contemplates Him in his resurrected heavenly glory!.
As Jesus journeys towards Caesarea Philippi he poses the his disciples the perennial question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). They give their answers accordingly. This shows us a very important thing: Jesus expected his disciples to be in contact with what was happening around them and how people were reacting to His ministry. The same question is being asked to us today and once again Jesus expects us to known what the contemporary world thinks of Him.
Undoubtedly, many is being said in books, videos, internet, music, art etc... about the person of Jesus. Not all is in agreement with what the Gospels reveal to us and we are bound to know what others think of Jesus that we might be able to proclaim Him as He really is.
But for our evangelization to be genuine and fruitful this implies another question to be answered: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mk 16:15). Jesus asks this question to us because He wants us to know whom He is. We cannot proclaim whom we do not know for Christianity does not preach an ideology nor a philosophy, but our good news is a person: JESUS whom Peter declares to be “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mk 16:16).
We cannot come to such a deep knowledge of Jesus without the aid of the heavenly Father: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven” (Mt 16:17). At best, with our human intelligence we can come to the conclusion that Jesus was a hero, an ideal man, a man who died for his ideals, a revolutionary etc... But we need the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives us (Lk 11:13) to reveal to us and convince in the depths of our hearts that Jesus is indeed the Incarnate God, our Lord and Saviour. So let us find time to pray and meditate the Gospels and thereby letting the Holy Spirit to show us who Jesus is and lead us into experiencing Him. Such was the manner in which man and woman like Francis and Claire of Assisi, Therese of Lisieux and Charles de Foucauld. And if they experienced a success, why shall not we?
Peter teaches us that our understanding of the person of Jesus is gradual and not without opposition. In as much as he understood that Jesus was the Messiah, that was quite some step ahead but his understanding of the Messiah was imbued with its Old Testament understanding which portrayed a glorious Messiah. Indeed, Jesus is the glorious one but his glory lies on the cross! It is a crucified Messiah that Peter and the other disciples could not accept! Jesus insisted that “the Son of Man must suffer” (Mk 8:31) and thereby one could understand the person and ministry of Jesus in the light of the Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah (Isa 40-55). For this He was rebuked by Peter. This costed Peter a harsh rebuke by Jesus: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mk 16:23).
This shows us the importance the cross played in Jesus life and mission: suffering was the Father’s will for Jesus. This will was his daily food and His love for the Father was to such an extent that no one could turn Him away from that will. In this light one can understand why Peter is admonished to “get behind” Jesus. This means that the moment he refused that Jesus had to suffer, as an imperative of the Father’s will, Peter stopped being a disciple... he stopped following Jesus, he stopped being on God’s side but became like Satan, the one who opposes the Father’s will. We too are called to be humble enough to keep our place that we might come to know who Jesus is for us!
As His disciples, Jesus calls us to enter into a deep relationship with Him that is marked by the cross: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). This is what Jesus means when he says that one should loose his life for His sake and be saved (Mk 8:35). To die to self daily means to say “No” to whatever Jesus said “No” on the cross and to say “Yes” to whatever Jesus said “Yes” on the cross! this leads us to take up our daily crosses by transcending our difficult earthly situations and, seeing them in God’s light, understand them as God’s will for us.
But only a personal adhesion and a passionate love for Jesus can help us to come to this. A love that is daily nourished and strengthened by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist accompanied by moments of Eucharistic adoration. This is what is meant by Jesus’ demand “follow me”. St. Francis of Assisi is like an icon that encourages us to follow Jesus on the way to the cross by contemplating this “Poverello of Assisi”, a man whose heart burned with love for Jesus to the point that he was completely transformed in his Crucified Love: Jesus, the one whom Mary followed unto the cross and whose perfect disciple she was as she now fully contemplates Him in his resurrected heavenly glory!.
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