Luke 9:18-22

Posted by DJL on Sep 20, 2013 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

You may have noticed when reading the Bible that there are often section breaks between various passages. They divide longer stretches of verses into smaller, more manageable chunks, usually indicating a change of scenery or action. These divisions help us as we read by orienting us to the movement of the story, and I usually follow them as I prepare these devotions, only occasionally breaking them down further to focus on one particular element of a story or scene.

But today I am combing two sections. You see, the Bible I read splits this part of the story into two scenes, the first focusing on Peter’s confession that Jesus is God’s messiah and the second on Jesus’ prediction of the cross.

Why do I put these two together? Because I don’t think you can really understand what it means to be the messiah apart from understanding Jesus’ determination to demonstrate the love of God even if it kills him. And it will.

Which is a curious thing, when you think about it. I mean, why would demonstrating God’s love in word and deed get someone killed?

Because we find that kind of unbounded love, that kind of unconditional commitment, that kind of overwhelming mercy frightening. We cannot, in the end, control such wild love. We cannot influence it, determine it, or channel it to our purposes. All we can do is surrender to it. And in a world where we may often feel threatened, in a world where we’ve learned to accept scarcity – of goods, resources, time, and love – we find that kind of uncontrollable abundance and promise of acceptance scary. We’ve been disappointed before; better refuse the offer than be disappointed again.

And so Jesus comes to bless, to heal, to feed, to teach, to preach, and in all these ways to demonstrate that no matter how far we run, no matter what we do, no matter what is done to us, we cannot hide from the love of God. And Jesus is so determined to share this message that he will deliver it even if it kills him. That’s what being the messiah means.

Prayer: Dear God, remind us again and always of your great love for us and of your promise to chase after us when we run, following us even to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.