Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27
Fr. Thomas Oyode
“The Christian Vocation of Suffering and Cross”
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on Christian suffering. They remind us that suffering and the Cross are constitutive of our Christian character in such way that we are to bear in mind that while Christ did indeed suffer for us, paying the price for our redemption, we are to also to pay a prize for our salvation, by way of cooperation with the grace of redemption, through wholesome suffering. Our reflection on the readings shall take us through an explanation of Christian suffering as seen in the life and teaching of Christ and how we are to suffer by making a clear distinction between what Christian suffering is and what it is not.
Let us begin with the gospel reading (Matthew 16:21-27). The passage immediately follows the event of Peter’s declaration of Jesus as the expected Messiah. Matthew says that Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly. This gives a transition in the gospel narrative itself, indicating Jesus’ own prediction of his suffering and death for the very first time in Matthew’s gospel. It also indicates a deliberate act on the part of Jesus to teach his disciples the meaning of suffering and death and how it is a constitutive element of the divine plan of salvation. Thus, the use of the word “show” points to revelation and teaching. It is way of further explaining the meaning of Peter’s declaration (Matthew 16:13) that he who is the Son of God is indeed he who would die on the Cross, and he who is the Son of God is also he who would rise on the third day. Accordingly, Jesus uses the word “must” to illustrate the necessity of suffering.
What follows is Peter’s impetuous reaction, objecting to Jesus’ claims. What is more dramatic and catchier, however, is Jesus’ rebuke of Peter as he refers to him as Satan. Jesus calls the man to whom he had just handed the keys of heaven Satan (an anti-Christ) for what offense? For simply saying that God forbids that the Messiah should suffer? For wishing him good against his adversaries? As humans, just like Peter, there is nothing wrong with what Peter said. We would not wish a boss, a friend, a family member evil. Peter would have been aptly called Satan if he secretly wished death and disgrace for Jesus as some pretentious friends would do. However, Jesus says that he is Satan not because he wished him death but because he was no longer thinking and acting from the spiritual point of view; his carnal self was speaking. Peter’s stance only served to remind Jesus of his previous encounter with the devil in the early chapters of this gospel (Matthew 4:1-11) where the Devil himself had tempted Jesus with the offer of pleasure, power, and wealth, and to jettison the mission of salvation.
From the foregoing, we immediately see what Jesus intends to teach us about our understanding of suffering. Peter’s rejection of suffering was human and natural but Jesus rebukes him because he ought to have seen suffering from a God’s-eye view, from God’s perspective. When we say, “God forbid,” we need to ask ourselves, what do we really mean? Yes, we mean that Jesus has paid all the price of our suffering, he has washed away our sins and restored us to grace. He has done it all and he even said on the Cross, “it is finished”. This only recalls the strong words of the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer who, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, refers to this kind of attitude as a cheap grace, “the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
Christian spirituality is Christ-like spirituality; it is a vocation that invites us to think and act like Christ. This is why Jesus says that we must (as a matter of obligation) take up our cross and follow him. To follow is to imitate, to imitate is to take up the task of discipleship. Jesus therefore calls us to walk in his footsteps. We too must suffer and die. The kind of death referred to here is found both in the second reading and in the first reading. In the second reading (Romans 12:1-2) St. Pauls calls us to offer our bodies as a sacrifice and to transform ourselves against the allure of our age. The first reading (Jeremiah 20:7-9) tells us how Jeremiah had to suffer shame, disgrace, derision, scorn, and pain just for serving God and standing against the current of his time. These are not experiences that many Christians of today would want to go through. We believe that if we are serving God then prosperity, breakthrough, favours MUST be ours, not suffering, sickness, pain, disappointment, and failures. God forbids!
Lastly, to understand Jesus’ deconstruction of our carnal understanding of suffering, we must learn what Christian suffering is not. It is not an attempt to subject ourselves to unjust treatments, abuses, and injustice; it is not a self-deprivation of the joys and cheerfulness of life; it is not priding in some reclusive self-righteousness that lack the milk of human kindness, it is not the kind of suffering that neglects family needs all in the name of serving God or going to church. The Cross that Jesus invites us to carry is seen in the heart that readily serves others with charity and compassion, enduring rejection and persecution for a just cause, forgiving hurts and bearing wrongs patiently. It is the kind of suffering that is ready to give power, popularity, fame and prestige for the glory of God and for the good of others. It is the kind of Cross that remains tranquil when things do not go our way, knowing that in God there is always the resurrection. To bear the Cross, in short, is to seek to do only the will of God and nothing but the will of God.
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Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP
In today’s gospel, Jesus lays down the conditions for discipleship. He makes these conditions known so that no one can claim, like Jeremiah in the first reading, that God has deceived him. Jesus is not out to deceive or induce anyone, and so he was blunt, saying, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). In Luke 9:58, to the man who said “I will follow you”, Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. If we wish to follow Jesus, then we must be prepared to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. Let us look at each of these conditions briefly.
1. “Deny ourselves”: This is an invitation to say “no” to our old nature and yes to God. This simply expressed Peter’s failure. Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah but rejected the burdens and passion of the cross. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matt. 16:23). Beloved, anyone who confesses Jesus as the Messiah must not think as men think; otherwise, you will miss your way. In Rom 12:2, we are told to adapt ourselves no longer to the patterns of this world. If we continue to judge things from a worldly perspective, denying ourselves will become more difficult.
2. “Deny ourselves (2)” This is also an invitation to renounce the world. In Luke 5:11, we are told that when the disciples brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus. In Luke 14:33, Jesus says, “Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. To renounce all is to leave everything or deny ourselves. It is a call to absolute renunciation. If we want to follow Jesus, we must renounce absolutely, not partially. You can’t reject Satan and keep lies, pride, malice, envy, and the like.
3. Take up our cross: The cross is a sign of willful humility and love. The cross has the characteristics of mockery: Jesus was told, “You save others; save yourself”. He asked for water, and they gave him venigar to drink. Have you ever asked for the original and they gave you something substandard? The cross is a great contradiction; it reminds us of death and assures life; it connotes hatred and teaches us love; it is a victim of false accusation but expresses forgiveness, defeat, and victory. “No cross, no crown. The cross may be bitter, but it makes us better later. Discipleship without the cross is the wrong ship. You cannot be on the wrong ship and arrive at the right destination.
4. Follow Jesus: Jesus said “Follow me”. To follow him means to imitate him. It is a call to discipleship. As disciples, let us stay with him and follow him, and witnessing shall be our lifestyle. If we follow, then we shall not wallow. Many Christians are wallowing because they have not decided to follow Jesus; rather, they follow pastors. If we follow Jesus, we shall get to heaven, but when we follow pastors, we shall get to their house.
LET US PRAY
God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
