Who Do You Say I Am? (8:27-30)
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philipp. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. (8:27-30)
In this moment, I did with my disciples exactly what I did before with the blind man. I took my disciples aside, and probed how much did they see who I am. My identity was not wrapped in mystery, but the eyes of people are so fragile, they tend to look only for what they already know or what they want. Learning to see is a spiritual journey. Most people saw in me John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. They did not see what was unique in me.
Peter associated me with the Christ. He was right in some ways and wrong in others. He was right concerning the fact that I am indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the one promised by the prophets to deliver Israel from oppression and who would bring an eternal kingdom. He was wrong in the fact that he expected this kingdom to be of this world, and the real oppressor was not a specific nation like Rome, but sin and death in all their forms.
Since this understanding was only partial, I charged my disciples not to speak. It would take them a long time to realize the parts they missed concerning my mission on earth. Only after my death, only after Pentecost would they have a clear grasp of my mission and their mission.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection (8:31-38)
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. (8:31)
In order to help my disciples to understand my real mission, I began to speak of the cross. I would not take a worldly power in Israel, in fact I would be killed. Then, I would rise again, showing that my victory would be on sin and death, not on a foreign nation. In some ways, for you today, this seems pretty simple, but for my dear disciples then it was completely foreign to their understanding, and I knew that it would take a long time for them to understand.
And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (8:32-33)
Peter could not see the link between the fact that I am the Christ, and my death and resurrection. Not understanding, he thought that I was wrong, and tried to redirect me. This was not from God. At that precise moment, Peter was more attached to his desire of physical deliverance, of a worldly messianic kingdom, and because of that he let Satan enter into him. My words are always plain, and I needed to rebuke Satan who was beginning to get inroads in the heart of Peter. Peter was not ‘possessed’, but he was clearly influenced by Satan. I needed to be very clear because all the other disciples were watching and they needed a clear direction. Satan was working in the heart of my disciples, who still had a hardened heart, and he would even win over Judas Iscariot in the end. My words to Peter were concerning a very real danger, and I wanted my disciples to be aware of the stake.
In your world, people have often this idea that if they are Christian they will not be influenced or oppressed by demons. If their understanding of being a Christian is a continual fellowship with me and the Father, dialoguing with me during their days and walking in the spirit, then they are right. This life of the spirit is indeed what I want all my disciples to experience and this indeed protect them from demonic influences or oppression. I want them to know me intimately and to know the Father, not in an abstract way but in all the decisions and all the moments of their life.
Yet, many people calling themselves ‘Christians’ are not yet there, and have not even learned to listen to me. I don’t want to condemn, but I want to attract them to a deeper communion with me, to a continual life of prayer, so that they are continually protected. This is very practical, John Wesley would speak of the continual witness of the Spirit to describe this. When people have not yet learned to remain in me and I in them, they are subject to having demons come and influence them in their words and decisions, oppress them and crush them. If Peter could be influenced by Satan at that moment, many can be influenced today.
Learn to remain in me and I in you, learn to remain filled with the Holy Spirit, to follow us in all you do, and you will be really protected and safe. The Father is indeed a fortress and a sure protection, this protection is practical and in me you receive this protection. Paul spoke of the armor of the believer, in Ephesians 6, you can meditate on this.
You have different ways to recognize if you have reached this safety in me. One of them is to keep the witness of the Holy Spirit during your days, to continually experience our presence in you. Another way, which is very similar, is to check during the day that you can not only speak to me but listen to me. My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me. As you listen to my voice and follow me, you will be able to do the good works that the Father has prepared for you, bringing miracles, conversions and other forms of our love through you.
Learn from this story to remain humble. Keep in mind that I have gained the victory on the cross. For you to experience this victory, you have to renounce control over your life, and to live your whole life in me and through fellowship with me.
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (8:34)
I had to be very clear, so that my disciples would have a clear victory in God, and not be crushed by Satan. When you deny yourself, you refuse to let your will be separate from my will and the will of the Father, you accept to let our will and our love rule over your independent will. To accept the cross is to accept that you can suffer. Suffering is not a goal in itself, but should not be feared neither. It is only as you deny yourself that you will find in us the safety and peace to accept suffering, and then be able to follow me wherever I lead you. Our goal is to manifest fully in you and through you our love. This love has a price, and you have to learn that it will involve some form of suffering. There is no greater love than to give your life for those you love. This was my path, this is the path I invite all my disciples to tread.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? (8:35-37)
Learn to focus on me, on my love and on dwelling in me. For this to happen, you have to lose your independence. As you learn how much the Father and I love you, how much the Father is good, learn to accept that you independent will is not what you have been created for. You have been created for fellowship and not for independent lordship. Self-centeredness is the disease that harms your world, and we came to heal this disease.
I came to show the way through the Father’s love and through my sacrifice on the cross. You have to follow me in accepting to renounce an independent life, to lose your autonomy and to enter in full fellowship with me - as I did with the Father. I did not say or do anything independently from the Father. Learn to speak and act in me and with me, motivated by my love and holiness.
It is true, there is a form of loss concerning this independence, yet without this loss you will lose much more in the end - your very soul and body. You reap what you sow, if you sow independence from God who is the source of life, you will reap death in the end, death for your soul and for your body. If you sow dependence on the source of life, on us, then you will reap eternal life with us.
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (8:38)
Do not be deceived, the one who does not learn to deny himself - and who rather chooses do deny me - will reap the bitter fruit of his choice. Death, physical and spiritual death are a reality. We want to avoid it for everyone, but each person has to choose life. To choose life implies choosing the Father and I, since we bring life to this world. If people want a ‘moderate’ gospel, in which they want to go to church on Sunday and do whatever they want during their week, that is not anymore my gospel; in fact it is no more good news. The path for my disciples requires all their heart, this has always been the case and will always be. You are called to love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. This is our path, and it has never changed. It implies denying your independence, it implies taking up your cross and following me on this path of holy love. You will then learn to love your neighbor as yourself, and see the light of God shine in you and through you.
I have won the victory against sin and death, I died on the cross and rose again on the third day. This victory is for each person. Learn to welcome this victory in all your life, so that you will have life in abundance, so that you will enter fully in the path of pure love that I have opened for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment