Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time

LUKE 9:18-24

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is seen praying more often than in the other gospels. This can indicate that Luke himself was a man of prayer. Thus he begins today's gospel, "Now it happened that as Jesus was praying alone...." Then Luke adds,".. .the disciples were with him." This may strike us as not exactly logical, but there is a reason for this. Luke is in process of revising a story he already found in the Gospel of Mark. In revising the work of another author, cracks often appear in the storyline. In Mark, Jesus was not pray­ing. He was traveling northward out of the Holy Land with his disciples. When a writer inserts a new line in an old story, it disrupts the original.

In Mark, Jesus asks of the disciples what people are saying about him. That works fine when walking along the road, but not so well when "praying alone," as he does in Luke's version. What had the disciples picked up about Jesus from “the word on the street?” Some people thought Jesus was John the Baptizer returned from the grave. John had been executed by command of the ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas. Others thought Jesus might be the ninth century B.C. prophet Elijah returned from heaven. According to a legend in 2 Kings 2:1-12, Elijah had been whisked off to heaven in a chariot of fire. Since all human beings were subject to death, Elijah would have to return to earth to die. Still others thought Jesus might be some other ancient prophet risen from the dead.

Now comes the heart of the story. Jesus asks the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter was clearly recognized as spokesperson for the apostolic group, and answers with a profession of faith, "You are the Christ (Messiah) of God." Jesus does not reject Peter identifying him as the long-awaited Messiah (Christ) of his people, the rescu­er who would free them from oppression and occupation by troops of imperial Rome. Instead he commands them, "Tell this to no one until the Son of man has risen from the dead." This does not seem logical either, but now we are no longer dealing with awkward changes an author made in an earlier story.

We are dealing with a profound theological principle invented by the pioneer theologian Mark, and adopted to some extent from Mark by Matthew and Luke. It is called "the Messianic Secret." When something awesome and glorious is attributed to Jesus by the disciples, or after Jesus accomplishes an amazing miracle, he warns his disciples not to tell anyone. The reason is given in the next sentence of today's gospel, "The Son of man, (a title used widely of Jesus and by Jesus in all four gospels), must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." "Son of man" is a title of power, glory, dominion, and kingdom given to "someone like a human being (son of man)" in Daniel 7:13-14. In God's plan this glory is won only through suffering and death. Only after his resurrection can Jesus' identity as that Son of man, the Christ/Messiah, be revealed and properly understood.

Entirely apart from the theological principle called "the Messianic Secret/⁹ the title Simon Peter recognized and spoke about Jesus, "Christ" or "Messiah," had dangerous political implications. This awaited deliverer of his people was believed to be a descend-ant of King David (1,000 B.C.). The Roman government under Caesar at the time when the gospels were written, was occupying and ruling Palestine. A claim to Jewish royalty would have put Jesus under suspicion. The Romans made short work of would-be Jewish kings, unless such kings were appointed by Caesar. Even though Pilate acted in mockery, Jesus was executed as "King of the Jews." The final two verses of today's gospel imply that not only Jesus will attain glory through suffering and death, but so will those who follow him. On this matter the gospels speak from experience. By the time they were written in the last third of the first century, Christians, especially at Rome, had suffered horrendous persecution launched against them by the emperor Nero.

ZECHARIAH 12:10-11:13:1

The background of this reading is the murder of a member of the royal family, that is, the House of David, in Jerusalem after the exile, about 525 B.C. A struggle between support­ers of a royal prince and another group seeking power resulted in the death of the prince. The oracle of the prophet Zechariah responds that there will be peace. They will repent and mourn the death of the prince "whom they have pierced." Five hundred years later the author of John's gospel will adapt Zechariah's words to the opening of Jesus side by a lance. From the wound issued blood and water. The final words of this reading also apply to that wound of Jesus, "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the House of David in Jerusalem to cleanse them...."

GALATIANS 3:26-29

Racial, social, and gender prejudice arose early in the Christian movement. Paul deals with it in this reading. After baptism all distinctions are erased. There is "neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, not male and female, but all are one in Christ." Despite div­erse origins, all are heirs of the promises God made to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-6 & 15:5-6.