BIBLE STUDY #107


TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

September 16, 2012



READING 1

ISAIAH 50:5-9A



The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;

and I have not rebelled,

have not turned back.

I gave my back to those who beat me,

my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;

my face I did not shield

from buffets and spitting.



The Lord GOD is my help,

therefore I am not disgraced;

I have set my face like flint,

knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

He is near who upholds my right;

if anyone wishes to oppose me,

let us appear together.

Who disputes my right?

Let that man confront me.

See, the Lord GOD is my help;

who will prove me wrong?



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

JAMES 2:14-18



What good is it, my brothers and sisters,

if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear

and has no food for the day,

and one of you says to them,

"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "

but you do not give them the necessities of the body,

what good is it?

So also faith of itself,

if it does not have works, is dead.



Indeed someone might say,

"You have faith and I have works."

Demonstrate your faith to me without works,

and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.



GOSPEL

MARK 8:27-35



Jesus and his disciples set out

for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.

Along the way he asked his disciples,

"Who do people say that I am?"

They said in reply,

"John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others one of the prophets."

And he asked them,

"But who do you say that I am?"

Peter said to him in reply,

"You are the Christ."

Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.



He began to teach them

that the Son of Man must suffer greatly

and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed, and rise after three days.

He spoke this openly.

Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,

rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."



He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake

and that of the gospel will save it."



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



We are at a pivotal point in Mark’s Gospel. We have been hearing about Jesus as a teacher and a wonder worker (he has performed many healings, he has fed the five thousand, and has raised Jairus’s daughter form the dead). Mark has been describing Jesus through Jesus’ actions and words, now he wants to tell us who Jesus really is. The rest of the gospel will concentrate more on discipleship (what it means to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Messiah), although we do learn about Jesus identity in the second half of the gospel, as we heard about discipleship in the first half.



This passage begins at the villages of Caesarea Philippi, which were small settlements, like suburbs surrounding the big city. They are “along the way”, that is, on the way to Jerusalem, where Jesus will suffer and die, and they will face the mystery of the cross and the implications of the cross for discipleship.



One might expect the disciples to ask Jesus questions, but here the master asks questions of the disciples. Mark is using this passage to probe Jesus identity for his readers. Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" The response is, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." Jesus shared in John’s baptism, was connected to john at some point, and shared some of John’s ideas about the Kingdom of God, it is not surprising that Jesus should be identified as John returned to life. Elijah mysteriously departed in 2 Kings and was supposed to return as precursor of the great and terrible day of the lord which led to speculation that Jesus was Elijah returned. It is not surprising that they thought of Jesus as a prophet since he spoke about the coming kingdom of God.



Jesus then puts them on the spot, asking for their own opinion, not what others say, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter, as usual, is the spokesman for the group, and says, "You are the Christ." In Greek, ‘Christ’ means ‘anointed one’, as does the Hebrew word “messiah.’ The messianic expectations of the people were to have a king in the line of King David who would restore justice and the good fortunes of God’s people. In light of Jesus’ acts of power, his claims about sonship, his pivotal role in God’s plan and his sayings about the Temple, he would be seen as the messiah, which would be a threat to the Roman rulers and their Jewish collaborators.



Jesus warns them not to tell anyone; not that he’s afraid of the Romans, but he has to be understood in light of the cross. He is not just a prophet or a miracle worker, but has come to begin the kingdom of God, as well as to conquer sin and death (this is called the messianic secret).



Now we have the first of 3 passion predictions. It is quite likely that Jesus recognized that his teachings and actions would get him in trouble with the Roman and Jewish authorities. But it is in God’s plan that he suffer, die and rise. Remember he tells Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." It is his death and resurrection that conquers sin and death as well as inaugurates the kingdom of God.



Jesus didn’t fit the mold of a messiah in Jewish contemporary theology of the first century. Peter seemed to be shocked on hearing the passion prediction and rebukes Jesus, who responds, "Get behind me, Satan.” Peter, as well as any other, who tries to deflect Jesus from his mission is Satan, who tempted Jesus and tried to divert him from his mission (see 1:21).



This last section is, to me, one of the most important passages, and defines the whole of Mark’s Gospel. We have found out that Jesus is the suffering messiah, who will die and rise and we are called to follow in his footsteps. We are called to think like God, not like humans who put themselves first. The mystery of our cross is that we will gain life when we lose it in Christ. If we try to save our lives by living for ourselves without Christ, we will, in the long run, lose our life. But if we are absorbed into Christ and his plan for us, we will live a much more fruitful, happy, and successful life because we focus on God’s plan for us, and not our plan for ourselves. The demands of discipleship require a total commitment to Christ by renouncing our needs and sacrificing for Christ. Are we up to it?



The first reading from Isaiah is the third of four servant songs. In it, the suffering servant is one who has not rebelled, gave into the suffering, but still depends on God. No matter what happens, God is his strength and upholds him



The second reading from James is one that we would rather not hear. It calls us to good works, to action. Believing is not sufficient. James is blunt: “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” It is time to stop navel gazing and go out and do something for someone. I don’t think being in solidarity with someone is good enough. Those in need would rather have our help than our solidarity.





Fr. Phil