A journey worth taking

Why is it that we still tell the story of a certain man who grew up in a remote village in Israel?  Two thousand years have come and gone since he was born, and still people talk about him.  The words he spoke and the things he did still cause us to question our own words and actions.  The research that has been done about him and the books that have been written about him can fill entire libraries.  Still, for those who believe in him and who strive to follow his teachings, intellectual knowledge about him is never enough.  There is always another question that tugs at our hearts, and that question is voiced in the gospel we have just heard: Who do you say that I am? (Mk 8:29).

In order to answer this question, we can do our research: we can seek answers from other people and from other sources (cf Mk 8:27), but ultimately, each one of us must answer Jesus’ question for ourselves.

We may want to answer right away, like the apostle Peter did.  His quick response is a simple profession of faith that we would all like to make our own: You are the Christ! ... but what did Peter understand when he called Jesus the Messiah?  Like his friends, Peter had heard that a saviour would appear, one who had been long awaited, one who would be powerful, one who would restore the glory of Israel and put an end to Roman occupation.  Peter’s vision of the Messiah was defined according to human expectations, but Jesus had a different image of salvation, one that was much wider than the scope of Peter’s vision.

The salvation that Jesus was preparing for would ultimately lead him to Jerusalem and the events that would take place there would impact not only the lives of his faithful disciples, but people all over the world, for centuries to come ... but as Jesus spoke to the disciples about this plan, they could not understand his meaning.  Instead of glory, he spoke about suffering; instead of acceptance, he spoke about rejection; instead of celebration, he spoke of a violent death that was to come (cf Mk 8:31).  Their human intellects could not comprehend the true scope of Jesus’ plan: that his suffering, rejection and death would ultimately lead to the resurrection and to new life.

Two thousand years later, we still have difficulty understanding the true meaning of sacrifice.  It’s not enough for us to merely speak about Jesus, or to base our relationship simply on words that we have learned, words that we have memorized and repeat without thinking about them.  Saint Paul cautions that it is not enough to say that we have faith if we do not also have works by which our words can be brought to life (cf Jas 2:14).

Only those who have encountered Jesus personally, those who take the time to walk with him can learn who he truly is, and following Jesus will always lead us to the cross, for this is the only road that leads to the resurrection and to eternal life where there will be no more suffering, no more death, only endless joy in His presence.