Thoughts on....
March 8, 2009: Second Sunday of Lent
Gospel Lesson: Mark 8:31-38

Mark 8:31 begins "Then he began to teach them..." this is a new phase in Jesus' ministry, Jesus begins to give private instruction to the disciples and public instruction to the multitude that is gathered. In the first of three teaching moments, Jesus informs the disciples that "the Son of Man" must undergo great suffering, rejection, be killed and after three days rise again.

Peter rebukes Jesus, stop this talk about suffering, rejection and death. These are worldly experiences not something to be experienced by the Messiah. Show us the glory.

Peter did not like the way Jesus was allocating his time. The Messiah is to reign in glory not spend time suffering, being rejected and dying. Peter thought he was focusing on the divine as he tried to protect the status of the Messiah. But Jesus was showing the disciples another way.

Human thinking would have us focus on happy times, the glory-filled times when our connection with God is clear. Human thinking would have us forget about what goes into discipleship, the struggle and the denying of self. Jesus shows us that how we spend our time in the process is important. We can't jump from the baptism, to the transfiguration, and the resurrection, we can't have only the happy, glory-filled times. Jesus in the suffering, rejection and death made a more complete picture of a Messiah that comes to us in all of life, not just the good times.