12th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C)

If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Lk 9:18-24

LITURGICAL NOTE

The Sundays at this time of the year is called ordinary not because it is unimportant but because there is no particular mystery of Christ that is being celebrated. And for this reason the Sundays are just being counted as 1st Sunday, 2nd Sunday, etc.

GOSPEL EXPLANATION

1. Parallels are found in Mt 16:13-25 and Mk 8:27-35. But there are important differences. For example,
• Luke does not report Peter objecting to Jesus’ announcement of his suffering and death and earning the rebuke “Get behind me, Satan”.
• Luke alone says that carrying one’s cross is something that is done on a daily basis.

2. Luke reports that this happened when Jesus was at prayer. Jesus at prayer is a major theme of Luke’s gospel.
• Baptism (3:21)
• Choice of the Twelve (6:12)
• Transfiguration (9:28)
• Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray (11:1)
• Last Supper (22:32)
• Jesus on the cross (23:46)

3. People think that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead (having been beheaded by Herod Antipas), or Elijah or one of the prophets. People believed that Jesus was a prophet and nothing more. Elijah was expected to herald the Messiah. Therefore, people did not consider Jesus as the Messiah.

4. Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah of God. This means that Peter sees Jesus as one who exercises the power to save the people from the power of evil by means of healing and forgiveness.
• Peter is able to come to this conclusion because he has been with Je-sus.
• In first century Palestine, Messiah means a military leader from Da-vid’s line who would restore the Kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6).
• Peter’s declaration in Matthew is “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Mark’s declaration is simply “You are the Christ”.

5. He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. In Mark this prohibition is called the Messianic secret. Jesus in effect forbids them to from proclaiming that he is the Messiah until they know what that title really means.

6. If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
• In Matthew and Mark, taking up one’s cross refers to the suffering and death that a disciple should expect and be ready to face. In fact in the early days of Christianity, martyrdom was a real possibility.
• In Luke (with the addition of “daily”) taking up one’s cross means that the disciple must be ready to accept the demands of discipleship in one’s life.