Readings:
- Zechariah 12:10-11, 13:1
Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 Response: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” - Galatians 3:26-29
- Luke 9:18-24
Reflections on the Gospel Reading
In today’s Gospel Luke “leads us to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ identity and [our] call.” (Johnson, L. T. 1991, 154)
It seems that the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus and his disciples had raised questions in people’s minds. A few verses before this Sunday’s passage, Luke tells us that King Herod himself was perplexed about what he heard had taken place. “[I]t was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen.” (Luke 9.7-8) For Herod these answers are insufficient and he continues to ask: “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9.9)
In many respects today’s Gospel is an answer to Herod’s question. However, it is not a detached and abstract answer. The answer has crucial implications for the lives of Jesus’ followers.
On close reading we discover that Jesus’ disciples supply Jesus with the very same selection of answers about his identity as the courtesans of Herod. When Jesus asks: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” the disciples reply: “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Joseph A. Fitzmyer observes: “The popular reaction thus puts Jesus in a prophetic image, not in that of a messianic figure.” (1981, 774)
When Jesus turns to his inner circle of followers to ask them the same question about his identity, Peter declares that Jesus is “The Christ of God,” (literally “the Anointed of the God” or “God’s Messiah”). Clearly, in Luke’s account Peter, as a spokesperson for the other disciples, thinks that Jesus is more than a prophet. “Peter, having witnessed Jesus’ kingdom-preaching, healing, and miracles is depicted as acknowledging him as God’s anointed agent sent ‘to restore the kingdom of Israel’ (Acts 1:6).” (Fitzmyer 1981, 775)
Jesus’ response to the disciples’ confession of faith is the climax of today’s gospel reading. Luke tells us: “He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.” What is the meaning of this rebuke, and why should the disciples keep it a secret?
First the secret. It is obvious from the rest of Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles that the prohibition applied only to the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. After his resurrection Jesus commands his disciples to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins in the name of the Messiah. (Luke 24.46-47. See also Acts 2.36, 3.18, 4.26.) In fact, only a generation after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul uses “Christ” as Jesus’ second name. Why were the disciples bound to secrecy?
The reason relates to the rebuke. Although Jesus tacitly accepts the honorable title of a prophet, he is hesitant to accept the title of Messiah with all its political overtones. Jesus does not reject his designation as Messiah. It is a very honorable title. However, for him being the Messiah involves some very dishonorable and shaming aspects – suffering, rejection, and death. This is not only the destiny of God’s Anointed One; it is also the destiny of his followers.
Luke makes this perfectly clear by joining a harsh saying of Jesus to Jesus’ first prediction of his death and resurrection. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (NRSV)
Twenty-first century Americans have a very individualistic notion of self. It is much different from the collective consciousness of self that Jesus’ hearers had. Authors such as Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh tell us that in the first century Mediterranean world one’s sense of self was very much tied up with the roles or expectations placed upon a person by his or her immediate extended family and clan. To deny oneself meant to break with one’s birth family and transfer one’s allegiance to the followers of Jesus as one’s new family. This severing of ties would inevitably involve dishonor, interfamily strife, rejection, and maybe even persecution in the form of shunning and attempting to tarnish one’s reputation. (Malina & Rohrbaugh 2003, 403-405)
As if this was not enough, Luke’s Jesus adds the metaphor of carrying one’s cross behind him daily. In John’s Gospel Jesus carries his own cross. (John 19.17) In Luke’s Gospel Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the cross behind Jesus. (Luke 23.26) The ideal follower of this Messiah is one who willingly embraces suffering and shame for the sake of the Kingdom. This is equivalent to the enigmatic command to lose one’s life in order to save it.
From all of this the answer to Herod’s and Jesus’ question emerges. Yes, Jesus is the Messiah, but he is a Messiah who must inevitably suffer. To proclaim Jesus as Messiah or Christ prior to his death and resurrection would inevitably lead to misunderstanding. Hence, the command to secrecy.
What does all this mean for twenty-first century American Christians? Today’s Gospel should make comfortable Christians very uneasy with triumphalistic Christianity. If our recognition of Jesus as God’s Anointed One doesn’t cost us anything, or even gives us privileges, are we really following him or are we following some abstract ideal? The arresting image of Simon of Cyrene as the ideal Christian should at least force us to reflect on what connection, if any, there is between our claim to be followers of Jesus and our dedication to a life of self-sacrificing love.
In preparing these reflections, in addition to the biblical texts, I consulted the following works:
Fitzmyer 1981 – Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I-IX: Introduction, Translation, and Notes (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1981), pp. 770-790.
Fuller 1984 – Reginald H. Fuller, Preaching the Lectionary. The Word of God for the Church Today (Collegeville [MN]: Liturgical Press, 1984), pp. 479-480.
Johnson, L. T. 1991 – Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, Sacra Pagina Series Volume 3, A Michael Glazier Book (Collegeville [MN]: Liturgical Press, 1991), pp. 150-157.
LaVerdier 1990 – Eugene LaVerdier, S.S.S., Luke. New Testament Message, Volume 5. A Michael Glazier Book (Collegeville [MN]: Liturgical Press, 1990), pp. 131-133.
Malina 2001 – Bruce J. Malina, The Social Gospel of Jesus. The Kingdom of God in Mediterranean Perspective (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), Chapter 5, “The Kingdom and Jesus’ Self-Denying Followers,” pp. 113-139,
Malina & Rohrbaugh 2003 – Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Second Edition (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), pp. 263-265. See also their Reading Scenario, “Self: Public, Private, Collective,” pp. 403-405.
Michaud 2004 – Catherine Michaud, “12th Sunday in Ordinary Time,” Sunday by Sunday, June 20, 2004, Vol. 13, No. 42, pp. 1-3.
NRSV = New Revised Standard Version – Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, Editors, The New Oxford Annotated Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. New Revised Standard Version. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994)
Pilch 1997 – John J. Pilch, The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. A Liturgical Press Book (Collegeville [MN]: Liturgical Press, 1997), pp. 100-102.