Jesus Asked

I have this unfortunate ability to remember homilies I hear. Let me preface the rest of my comments by saying I am glad that I am not the one with the job of unpacking the Word of God day after day from the pulpit. Preaching is a skill, an art, and preferably a passion. I respect the task and the artisans of it.

I would think a fairly big disadvantage to homily creation is that the same gospels keep reappearing, especially if you consider daily Masses. The temptation is there to basically say the same thing about the familiar gospels each time they come up. And that's where my unfortunate ability to remember comes in. It seems that every year since I have gone to Mass on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I have heard a priest explain that we are not celebrating Jesus' conception, but Mary's. I get a little discouraged when I hear this so often, and I think to myself, "Are we stupid or something? Do so many people just forget this from year to year that we have to keep repeating it? Don't details of things we love stay with us, like the issue of what the heck we are doing here today?"

This weekend's gospel strikes me as another tricky case. Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" And I hear, for the bazillionth time, that we have to answer that question with our lives, who do I say that Jesus is? It can be so easy to just read or hear the gospel with glazed eyes. Oh yeah. I know this one. Zzzzzz.

God in His mercy spared me from this this evening at Mass. Here's the gospel, by the way:

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

I was struck, not so much by how I am called to answer the question, but the fact that Jesus asked a question in the first place, and how He did it.

I have been grappling with some knots lately, and as knots tend to be, it's too complicated to explain in a few pithy statements right now. But this gospel brought greater ease into them.

I don't really think Jesus asked the first question because He didn't know what people thought of Him. Nor do I think he was so much interested in what the latest polls predicted for his coming reception in Jerusalem. I think he was asking a question that would be easy for his disciples to answer. Jesus was, is, striking, startling, unnerving, exceptional. I don't know that Jesus had really confronted his disciples before this about exactly what they made of Him. So, he could get the conversation started in a way that would be comfortable for them by getting them to think about what someone else thought of Him.

And then He asked a question that I think created an extremely vulnerable moment for all of them. I can feel the moment. Not an inquisitorial question, but more like a Lover asking the Beloved, "do you, will you, love me?" I can picture the disciples (perhaps I'm influenced by Jesus of Nazareth here) going silent and looking at each other, their hearts pounding and growing hot. They knew He was exceptional. They had seen Him do amazing things. Yet, they were human, and their minds probably couldn't wrap around both the truth and the blasphemy-like feelings that plagued them. Peter, blessed Peter, never hindered by mind tangles, blurted it out for all of them: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

How we need Peters to just say the truth like that! He knew, because he believed; he experienced, and his heart knew a Messiah was coming, and he knew, so he spoke. Doesn't say he consulted with the opinions of others, he doesn't go on to "prove" his statements with supporting arguments. He just says it. And the rest of the disciples probably went "Yeah. Yeah, um.... that's what I was gonna say!"

This was a very delicate conversation Jesus had with his disciples, and he made it as easy for them as He could. And what is more, it was a conversation! Imagine that! God, the Almighty, comes and asks what human beings have to say about Him! Could he not have just said, "Listen men, I have something to tell you. I am the Messiah. I'm God. Yep, you probably thought so, and now I'm confirming it. Now you know for sure." No. He solicits the thoughts, the faith, of these clumsy humans, allows one such clumsy, fishy smelling man to be the first to proclaim the mystery hidden from all ages, and then further ministers to him not by saying "Good job, Peter! Right answer!" but by confirming the source of Peter's knowledge: "Remember this moment Peter. This is an experience of receiving revelation from the Father. By the way, this will come in handy in your future position as prime minister in the kingdom of God!"

In everything, Jesus serves. In every tiny detail of his interactions with others, He is mindful of serving the needs of all. May we all have the grace of untied knots so that service to our brothers may flow freely.