Jesus asks the disciples who people are saying he is. The disciples report that people think he is a prophet or maybe even one of the major prophets of the Jewish people returned to life. When Jesus asks who they – his closest followers – say he is, Peter jumps right in and says, “You are the Messiah,” making a bold statement of faith. When Jesus begins to explain that he will be rejected, be arrested, suffer, be killed, and then rise from the dead, Peter rebukes him, telling him to stop with all this death talk. For generations, Peter’s people have expected the messiah to be a mighty leader bringing religious and political reform, removing oppressors like the Romans, and ushering in God’s reign of peace and justice. Suffering and death is simply not consistent with anything Peter understands about the messiah.
Peter is beginning to learn that following Jesus is not quite what he expected. Jesus calls the disciples to take up discomfort and humiliation for others just moments after Peter’s bold proclamation. Peter and the others haven’t yet realized that Jesus has come for an even broader, wider, and deeper purpose than they’ve been expecting: the redemption of the whole world.
We struggle with the notion of “taking up our cross” to follow Jesus, too. We wonder what it looks like in our own lives. Jesus invites his followers to live out generosity, self-denial, generosity, and compassion for the sake of others. Setting aside our own selfish or power-seeking impulses to care for others; using the resources in our control to aid others. Mind you, we don’t serve others to become human doormats or to gain attention and praise for our actions. We serve because Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus calls us to see others as God’s beloved children. We serve their sake and in service of Jesus.
This is a difficult and complicated invitation to live out. No wonder Peter argued with Jesus. Finding the way to use our own agency to care for others can be confusing and tricky. People are not always easy to love or serve. Our neighbors’ needs may not be very evident at first. Other people don’t always seem to deserve forgiveness or compassion. We might prefer to focus on ourselves. And yet, we are called to follow Jesus, the one who loves you and me when we are unlovable, who fully knows us and our needs, who forgives us when we are not repentant, and who pours compassion upon us all, no matter what.
Peace,
weekly prayer | Jesus talks about the challenges of following in Mark 8