Breaking the Word

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."  (Mt 16:24-28)

Jesus asked his disciples to come after him. Following Jesus is not following a set of principles and rules. It is following a person. It is to walk the way that Jesus walked. It is to live the life of Jesus. Jesus lived a life of self-denial. (He emptied himself taking the form of a servant…). He carried the cross to Calvary. Every disciple has his journey to Calvary. And this journey is complete only by carrying the cross.

Life is a free gift of God. It is a gratuitous gift of God. Man can only be grateful to God for it. This is with regard to the earthly life. Jesus has come to provide life (a life in God). This life in God is gained only if one lived his earthly life for Jesus’ sake. So, like Jesus one has to deny his life and carry the cross and live out (lose) his life. In doing this one gains the life in God.

Everyone is repaid according to his conduct. Again the life live out here on earth becomes the criteria for the reward. One may gain everything on this earth and possess wealth etc but all of these are of no use when it comes to the reward of life. The conduct on which one will be judged is again on self-denial and the following of Jesus.  

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 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 Messiah, 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 Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."  (Mt 16:13-23)

Man in his search for God, does not arrive at God completely. His search is limited. His search also is limited by his own knowledge of the past and the other religious person. This is the reason why people consider Jesus to be Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Their search could lead them till there only. Search is always limited and a search will never arrive at the complete truth.

Peter replied Jesus saying that he was the Messiah. This knowledge is the result of the revelation. It is not the fruit of his search rather it is given from above, fro the Father. Jesus also affirms Peter and tells him that this knowledge is from God. When one possesses God’s revelation then he becomes the rock on which God’s activities are established.

But at the very same time, the man who possesses God’s revelation can at times fail. Peter finds himself in this situation. Because, he begins to think like man. He has forgotten that God’s revelation has other ways of executing the plan of God. Man cannot know the mind and plan of God. God’s ways also have to be revealed. It does not enter into man’s way of reasoning.