Sunday teaching
THE OTHER SIDE OF PETER
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
In the Gospel of last Sunday we heard the wonderful declaration of Peter to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. In response, Jesus declared him blessed, because such declaration was divinely revealed. In addition, Jesus named him the rock upon which his church would be built. He promised to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with the power to bind and loose. In the part read today, the same Peter, in his characteristic impulsiveness and impetuosity, tried to stand against the will of God in the life and mission of Jesus. He tried to dissuade Jesus from taking the path of the cross. This merited him a sharp rebuke from Jesus, in place of the beatitude he received last Sunday. The action of Peter today shows his other side, the human nature. It was to this other side that Jesus rebuked sternly: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of human”.
The human nature is resistant and abhorrent to suffering. That is why the language of the cross is grossly unattractive to us as human beings. If you listen to the way products and services are advertised today, you will accept with me that Jesus must be very bad in advertisement. When products are advertised, you can hardly think of any negative effect of the product. You hear of durability, reliability, profitability, etc. When pastors of today advertise their church programmes, you hear of healing, deliverance, fruit of the womb, life partner, employment, visa, death of enemies, financial breakthrough, academic success, etc. But in advertising his ministry, Jesus began with the cross. He talked about rejection, suffering and death, from the point Peter acknowledged him as the Christ. This is a bad way of advertising a product and it did not go down well with his disciples, represented by Peter. Peter had his own idea of the Messiah and tried to impose it on Jesus. Jesus gave him his position. Get behind me, Satan.
Peter’s other side is present in each of us. Sometimes we try to lead God instead of allowing him to lead us. We go for the good things of life, even when the process offends God. Jesus speaks the same words to this our other side. He gives us a position today. Our position as disciples is behind Jesus. It is by so doing that we will understand him better and learn from him. We will learn from him that good works like feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are expressions of faith. If we get behind him we will accept crosses and challenges as part of our Christian vocation. If we go behind him, we will deny ourselves and do only what he wants us to do. If we go behind him, we will see that after the cross, there is a crown. Jeremiah allowed God to lead him and that is why his ministry was like a seduction from God. He allowed himself to be seduced by God even when his human nature revolted against such seduction. He became a laughingstock because of his obedience to God’s direction. But he could not abandon the word of God, which was burning like fire in his bone. St Paul understood the power of our other side. That is why he urges us not to conform to the worldly standard and have a mental renewal. It is this renewal that will make us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
The message of the cross is not palatable to Christians of today and that is the origin of the expression: IT'S NOT MY PORTION. Leaders of the church now shy away from talking about the cross. They advertise Christianity like a pain relieving drug. They begin with prosperity and end with prosperity. When Peter told Jesus: IT'S NOT YOUR PORTION. Jesus asked him to go behind him, even after appointing the head of the church. The leaders and members of the church must go behind Jesus so that they can all learn from him. Jesus is our leader; and so we must not allow our other side to lead us away from his will. Like Peter, leaders of the church must resist the power of the other side. When Peter followed his other side, he denied Jesus, he cut the ears of a slave and made many mistakes. But when he allowed God to lead him, he proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, he denied himself, he stood before opposing authorities to witness to Jesus and he even submitted himself to death for the sake of Jesus. He now reigns with Jesus in his glory. If we get behind Jesus today, he will lead us through the cross to salvation. Happy Sunday. God bless us. Fr Ogechi.
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
In the Gospel of last Sunday we heard the wonderful declaration of Peter to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. In response, Jesus declared him blessed, because such declaration was divinely revealed. In addition, Jesus named him the rock upon which his church would be built. He promised to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with the power to bind and loose. In the part read today, the same Peter, in his characteristic impulsiveness and impetuosity, tried to stand against the will of God in the life and mission of Jesus. He tried to dissuade Jesus from taking the path of the cross. This merited him a sharp rebuke from Jesus, in place of the beatitude he received last Sunday. The action of Peter today shows his other side, the human nature. It was to this other side that Jesus rebuked sternly: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of human”.
The human nature is resistant and abhorrent to suffering. That is why the language of the cross is grossly unattractive to us as human beings. If you listen to the way products and services are advertised today, you will accept with me that Jesus must be very bad in advertisement. When products are advertised, you can hardly think of any negative effect of the product. You hear of durability, reliability, profitability, etc. When pastors of today advertise their church programmes, you hear of healing, deliverance, fruit of the womb, life partner, employment, visa, death of enemies, financial breakthrough, academic success, etc. But in advertising his ministry, Jesus began with the cross. He talked about rejection, suffering and death, from the point Peter acknowledged him as the Christ. This is a bad way of advertising a product and it did not go down well with his disciples, represented by Peter. Peter had his own idea of the Messiah and tried to impose it on Jesus. Jesus gave him his position. Get behind me, Satan.
Peter’s other side is present in each of us. Sometimes we try to lead God instead of allowing him to lead us. We go for the good things of life, even when the process offends God. Jesus speaks the same words to this our other side. He gives us a position today. Our position as disciples is behind Jesus. It is by so doing that we will understand him better and learn from him. We will learn from him that good works like feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are expressions of faith. If we get behind him we will accept crosses and challenges as part of our Christian vocation. If we go behind him, we will deny ourselves and do only what he wants us to do. If we go behind him, we will see that after the cross, there is a crown. Jeremiah allowed God to lead him and that is why his ministry was like a seduction from God. He allowed himself to be seduced by God even when his human nature revolted against such seduction. He became a laughingstock because of his obedience to God’s direction. But he could not abandon the word of God, which was burning like fire in his bone. St Paul understood the power of our other side. That is why he urges us not to conform to the worldly standard and have a mental renewal. It is this renewal that will make us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
The message of the cross is not palatable to Christians of today and that is the origin of the expression: IT'S NOT MY PORTION. Leaders of the church now shy away from talking about the cross. They advertise Christianity like a pain relieving drug. They begin with prosperity and end with prosperity. When Peter told Jesus: IT'S NOT YOUR PORTION. Jesus asked him to go behind him, even after appointing the head of the church. The leaders and members of the church must go behind Jesus so that they can all learn from him. Jesus is our leader; and so we must not allow our other side to lead us away from his will. Like Peter, leaders of the church must resist the power of the other side. When Peter followed his other side, he denied Jesus, he cut the ears of a slave and made many mistakes. But when he allowed God to lead him, he proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, he denied himself, he stood before opposing authorities to witness to Jesus and he even submitted himself to death for the sake of Jesus. He now reigns with Jesus in his glory. If we get behind Jesus today, he will lead us through the cross to salvation. Happy Sunday. God bless us. Fr Ogechi.
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