Who Am I?

Who do People say that I am?

Who do You say that I am?

The Apostles’ mid-term exam

Following his Galilean ministry;

after being informed that Herod was looking for him;

Jesus turns toward Jerusalem.

But first

he wants to know what the Apostles believe about him.

Peter says: “You are the Messiah of God..” .

Then

Luke 9:22 NABRE

22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

That must have been a kick in the pants!

Luke doesn’t tell us

unlike Mark and Matthew

about Peter’s objection

or Jesus’ rebuke

or any other elements included in the other Gospel accounts.

But that puts the emphasis on the role of the Messiah:

Yes, he will enter into glory

Yes, he will lead us there

But not unless he undergoes his trial!

Why must the Messiah suffer?

Not because God is bloodthirsty,

but because Jesus had to lead the way for us.

Because we suffer and we die.

he had to undergo the same passage

In order for him to lead us through these to eternal life

or his teaching would have been nothing but words.

And so Jesus can say to us, as Haggai said to the people of Jerusalem

“This is the commitment I made to you

when you came out of Egypt.

My spirit remains in your midst;

do not fear!”

(Haggai 2:5, NABRE)

Hebrews 2:10 NABRE

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.

Notes

Luke 9:18–22 NABRE

18 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ ” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.” 21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Friday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time

Haggai

A prophecy of assurance

The people have returned to the land

but, seeing the destruction, they become discouraged

and abandon rebuilding the Temple.

The prophet spoke words from God to bolster their spirits

and get them back to work on the Temple (this house).

“This is the commitment I made to you

when you came out of Egypt.

My spirit remains in your midst;

do not fear!”

(Haggai 2:5, NABRE)

Psalm 43

Echoes the theme of Haggai

Defend me, o God

that I may come to your dwelling

to your altar

to you, God,

my joy, my delight.

Luke

We had the parallel from Mark less than 2 weeks ago.

Luke omits

reference to place

Caesarea Philippi

Pagan territory

Peter’s Profession of faith and commendation by Jesus (only in Mt)

The details of his suffering and rejection (vs Mk & Mt)

Peter’s rejection of Jesus’ suffering

Jesus’ rebuke of Peter’s rejection.

Luke includes very succinctly (focuses on)

Questioning the Apostles about his identity,

the Passion prediction

“He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected

by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed

and on the third day be raised.”” (Luke 9:22, NABRE)

Why must the Messiah suffer?

Not because God is bloodthirsty, but because he had to lead the way for us.

But because we suffer and we die.

In order for him to lead us through these to eternal life

he had to undergo the same passage

or his teaching would have been nothing but words.

“For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom

all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should

make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.”

(Hebrews 2:10, NABRE)