Today’s gospel sounds like a classroom quiz. The teacher asks the question and students’ hands eagerly fly up in the air to give the right answer. We hear the sequence of responses to Jesus’s question, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Answers come quickly, “John the Baptist,” “Elijah,” “One of the ancient prophets.”
We hear the answers, but can you imagine the faces of the responders? Delight, satisfaction, maybe even ambition, written on their faces. They certainly had hitched their wagon to a star. They were traveling with a charismatic leader who was being widely touted by the crowds. What higher opinion of Jesus could they have had as they identify him with such luminaries of their faith as John the Baptist, Elijah and one of the prophets? The disciples thought they were on the road to glory. They were on the road to glory all right, but not the kind of glory they envisioned.
When the students don’t get the right answer a teacher will re-phrase the question. Which is what Jesus does. He focuses his inquiry on them, hoping to draw out the disciples’ personal experience of him. “But who do you say that I am?” Peter is the star student of the class, though he frequently doesn’t tend to come up the right answers either. This time however Peter seems to get it right: Peter’s response, “the Christ of God.”
What expression was on his face when Peter gave his answer? Reverence and awe? Satisfaction and pride for getting it right? He got the words right, but had the wrong understanding of how Jesus is “the Christ of God.” The disciples, Peter included, still have much to learn about Jesus’ true identity, so the teacher tells the students to quiet down. There is more they must know about him. In fact, the next class begins immediately as Jesus sums up very succinctly the full gospel message for them.
“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.”
Soon Jesus will turn and begin his journey to Jerusalem. (We will hear that next week Luke 9-51ff.) The teacher will have more classes for the disciples as they travel with him to the Holy City. Along the way they will hear him teach; debate with the religious leaders and watch him cure the sick and forgive sinners. We will be traveling with them, as we hear the gospel stories on the road to Jerusalem, all through the summer into November.
The disciples will get more insight into who Jesus is. But in the end, they would be scandalized and terrorized by his suffering and abandon him. Jesus, the teacher, doesn’t give up on them. He will suffer and die all right, but as he tells them today, that won’t be the end of the story. “On the third day” he will be raised. They don’t understand what he is saying at this stage on their road of anticipated-glory. But Jesus will continue to teach them; until he returns to his Father. From there he will send them the Holy Spirit for, at the beginning of this gospel, we heard John the Baptist announce that the One who was coming would “baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (3:16).
The disciples needed to learn that all the miracles Jesus performed and the popularity he garnered would not yield the complete answer to his question, “But who do you say that I am?”
We celebrated Pentecost last month. We have received the promised Spirit. But are we any wiser than the disciples at this stage of their travels with Jesus? Today the teacher is shedding a light on what it means to be his follower and I would like to change the subject! I am like a student in a difficult course, not getting the instructor’s lesson. I can’t wait till recess when I can go out and play.
There is no end to the deep-down joy a disciple of Jesus can have through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But that doesn’t mean the disciple’s road to Jerusalem is a joy ride. It’s quite clear from what Jesus tells his student-disciples today that following him has a high price — losing our life! If following Jesus were about winning, then we could deduce that each victory was achieved by our own efforts. We worked hard, put a lot of effort into it and we won. But if instead, when we followed his way, we experienced weakness and even failure as his disciples — but discovered new joy and persevered under hardship — then where else could that have come from, but from the Spirit of the One who promised he would rise on the third day?
We can understand why the gospel today is linked to the first scripture, the message from Zechariah. The identity of the tragic figure described by the prophet has been a mystery to many. While we don’t know the prophet’s intent, early Christians saw in this passage a foreshadowing of Christ. Zechariah could have been describing any number of good and great people who in the past, even up to this very day, have been martyred in their attempt to do good for others. Sadly, the list of the world’s martyrs is long! Whoever represents God and God’s ways to the powerful doesn’t seem to have a chance.
Zechariah describes God pouring out “a spirit of grace and petition” on the antagonistic people. Then, as if a veil parted, they are able to see the evil they had performed (“they shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son….”), have a change of heart and turn to God. God’s forgiveness would be like a “fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.”
We student disciples are back in the classroom again. We are repentant for being like the disciples, not acting on the faith we profess here at church. We have said “yes” to him with our lips, “You are the Christ,” but have not chosen Christ-like ways, when we opted for: winning over service; popularity over integrity; accumulating over giving; dominance over equality; or binding over forgiving.
It’s clear from what Jesus says, that being his disciple is not a part-time job; something we do on Sunday at church and occasionally doing a few good deeds during the week. Taking up the cross isn’t a part-time practice we do on Good Friday, or when we are feeling strong and resilient. Nor is sacrifice in Jesus’ name something reserved for some specially selected martyrs whose names are inscribed on Christian monuments. Instead, Jesus says losing our lives for his sake must be daily. It’s not a part-time religion; it’s a full-time following! Nor is taking up his cross for a select few disciples, but for all who follow him.
Today’s gospel begins, “Once when Jesus was praying in solitude.” Prayer is a constant in Luke’s gospel and usually occurs before some big event. For example, before: his baptism (3:21); choosing the Twelve (6:12); Peter’s confession and the first announcement of the passion (9:18); when he teaches the “Our Father” (11:2) etc. Luke portrays Jesus often withdrawing to pray.
One thing the reader of Luke’s gospel should learn is that becoming a disciple doesn’t just happen through Jesus’ instruction or modeling correct behavior. Rather, we learn from Jesus that prayer should accompany us on the road as we follow him–even as we enter our own Jerusalem to suffer for his name. Who wants to hear the Teacher instruct us that we must suffer if we want to follow him? Who wants to be told further that being a disciple will require not occasional, but daily sacrifice? In Brooklyn we would answer with a sentence packed into a word, “Getoutahere!”
But Luke’s gospel (and the Acts of the Apostles) promises us that we are not on our own on the disciples’ road. We, the baptized, have the Spirit to strengthen and anoint us each day for our task. Perhaps that’s why Luke depicts Jesus at prayer so often: to remind us to pray. For in prayer our eyes will be opened and we will notice we are not alone as we go up to Jerusalem with Jesus–we have the companionship of the Holy Spirit each step of the way.