Gospel:
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.”
Gospel Trivia:
This passage is considered the "hinge" or turning point of Mark's gospel. Before this account, the gospel presents the power of Jesus to heal and perform miracles. Henceforth, Mark presents that Jesus as the suffering servant, who will be "rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed."
Note that:
- Before this passage, when Jesus was performing his wonderful works, he admonishes people "not to tell anyone" about what he has done. He did not want the role of the messiah to be associated simply with his ability to perform miracles.
- In this particular passage, Jesus rebukes Peter, when the latter objects that Jesus would suffer be killed.
Reflecting on this gospel, it is humbling to note that building God's Kingdom depended not on authority and power but on humility, service and suffering.
Other Trivia:
- "Christ" - it is not Jesus' last name. The "christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word "messiah". The messiah is the savior or liberator of the people, and is the person chosen or anointed by God to do this task. The messiah is expected to be likely a "king" because he is the leader of the people, and kings are anointed with holy oil. This king or messiah will rule the united tribes of Israel after liberating them from the rule of foreign oppressors which, during the time of Jesus, were the Romans.
- "Son of God" - can refer to the divinity of Jesus, but is also another term used by Hebrews to refer to a "messiah." Biblical scholars believe that when used by Matthew, this title refers to either or both meanings.
- "John the Baptist," "Elijah" - some believed that Jesus is the reincarnation of these powerful personalities in Jewish history. These references indicate that Jesus was at least regarded as a prophet -- one who speaks in behalf of God and communicates his message (and not necessarily one who foretells the future).
- "Son of Man" - Jesus used the title in a general sense, to refer to himself as a member of humankind. Thus, the verse above would read, "Who do people say this 'member of the human race' is?" (There are, however, varying views about this title and I discuss these in the section below.)
References:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), pp. 65-67, 213-216.
- Raymond E. Brown et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, pp. 1324-1325.
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