Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Dec 6, 1999 issue of Time magazine carried as its cover story an article entitled, “Jesus of Nazareth: Then and Now.” The article written by the prolific novelist Reynolds Price, was an attempt to take another look at Jesus' life and compose a new Gospel based on the historical evidence and his own personal reading of the Bible. One of the observations that Price makes in the beginning is that a useful way of recalling the past two millennia is to list the people who acquired great power: Prophet Muhammad, Martin Luther, Karl Marx, Gandhi, Hitler, Roosevelt, Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and many others. There's no question that each of these figures changed the lives of millions and evoked responses ranging from worship to hatred. “It would require much exotic calculation,” Mr. Price continues, “to deny that the single most powerful figure – not merely in these two millennia but in all human history – has been Jesus of Nazareth. Not only is the prevalent system of denoting the years based the date of his birth, but a serious argument can be made that no one else's life has proved remotely as powerful and enduring as that of Jesus.” Especially considering the fact that Jesus lived a short life, that he lived in a rural district of the Roman Empire, and that he died as a convicted criminal, this is an astonishing accomplishment.
Price’s next question is: What makes Jesus the kind of figure he is? What made a small group of terrified cowards (his disciples), and a few women (who had minimal role in Jewish society), be so emboldened to spread the news of his resurrection (there is no historical evidence of the resurrection) to the whole world? “Who then was Jesus?” That is the question Jesus himself asks his disciples in today’s gospel reading, “Who do people that say I am?” Jesus did not fare will at that first ever opinion poll. Some thought he was Jeremiah and others thought he was Elijah. But then he asks the most crucial question to his close followers, “But who do you say that I am?”
My dear friends, this parish spent most of the day yesterday trying to answer this and similar questions. I suspect, though, that our struggle is not so much defining who Christ is. Unlike the people of Jesus’ time we already know that Christ is God. We already know that Christ is the one who saves us. We already know that Christ is the one who reconciles us to God. Our struggle is to determine what it means to take this Christ seriously? Our struggle is to determine what is means to follow Jesus radically? The real question today then is not who Christ is. As Price suggests, that is already established. The question is WHO AM I? Who am I in relation to Christ?
The answer we proposed is that each one of is a DISCIPLE of Christ. And we defined a disciples as “One who THINKS like Christ, TALKS like Christ, ACTS like Christ.” To be a disciple in these three ways here are three things that we proposed to every parishioner:
Reflect on the Sermon on the Mount – The Disciples Creed (Mt Ch 5-7). Each of us decided that we would read the Sermon on the Mount, reflect upon it and pray about it. The Sermon on the Mount is really A DISCIPLE’S CREED. Jesus gave this creed on the top of the Mountain just as Moses gave the commandment on the top Mt Sinai. The Sermon on the Mount is the way of life for anyone who follows Christ seriously. In other words because of my faith in Christ I treat enemies a certain way and I deal with those ill-treat me a certain way. Discipleship means that because I follow Christ I do not violate the dignity of men and women in thought, words or actions. It means that I treat the poor with gentleness. It means that I use my wealth as a means to salvation rather than let it become an obstacle to salvation. It means that I am trustworthy- that my yes is a yes and my no is a no. It means that I treat the weak with compassion. It means that I seek to accomplish God’s will more urgently than I seek security and sustenance. It means that I treat others the way I expect them to treat me. It means that I build my life in accordance with the will of God. If I do these things because of my faith in Christ, then I know who I am. I am a disciple and discipleship is my way of life.
Identify my innermost conviction about Christ. The disciples of Jesus including Paul, who preached Christ’s message to the then known world, must have had some unexplainable conviction about Jesus that drove them all the way to martyrdom. Their answer to the question, “Who do you say I am?” must have been really important to them because, really, there was nothing to gain from their faith in Christ. Their master himself was put to a shameful death as both Isaiah in today’s first reading and Jesus in the gospel reading predicted. There was no real money in it for them, no power, and certainly no glamour. In fact, most of the early followers of Jesus were the poorest and most powerless people. If they were rich and influential, they traded it for poverty and persecution, took up the cross and followed Jesus (Lk 8:35). So here is the question – if I had to write down my deepest conviction about Christ on a piece of paper, what would it read? This week write your conviction down.
Be Prepared for the Consequences of Discipleship. Jesus does not promise great things to disciples – only the Kingdom of God. But to gain the Kingdom, a disciple must enter through the narrow gate. For Jesus the Narrow gate meant the cross. For us it means radical living of the call of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Following Jesus radically is tough. If we live as disciples the Kingdom is ours. If not, Jesus says, we stand the risk of losing the Kingdom. Either way there is a promise. A disciples must make his or her choice.
As we come to celebrate this Eucharist, let us find ourselves privileged to be believers of the one who is most influential figure in the history of humankind. Let us put our unconditional faith in Christ. Let us hear Christ’s call to follow him. Let us identify ourselves as radical disciples of Jesus. May the body of and blood of Christ bring us the Kingdom of God – Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph