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 24^th Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: And you, who do you think Jesus is?

Readings: Is 50, 5-9a; Jam 2, 14-18; Mk 8, 27-35 

Dear friends in Christ, on this 24^th Sunday, the Church poses a very important and crucial question to us, a question we must answer individually. She is asking us who Jesus is to us. Having a good knowledge of who Jesus is based on what He taught us and His salvific mission, will help us to know what to expect from Him and how to build a good relationship with Him.

Failure to have a true perception of who Jesus really is has led many people to false spirituality and wrong expectations from Him. Additionally, it has left many people at the mercy of marauders who parade themselves as men and women of God, feed on the ignorance of the people, teach what Jesus never commanded and promise their followers what Jesus will never do.

In today’s gospel reading, when Jesus asked His disciples who they think He is. Peter answered correctly that He is the Christ. But then, when Jesus began teaching them who this Christ really is and what His mission is, that He will suffer and die, it became obvious that Peter never truly knew this Christ, that he had a wrong notion of who the Messiah is.

Like Peter, many Christians know that Jesus is the Messiah, and they profess their faith in Him every day. However, the image they have built of this Christ is not really who Christ is; such image contradicts the mission of Christ. For example, many Christians think of Him as a Superman or a Hangman who will eliminate all their imagined enemies, including their husbands, wives, landlords, relatives, and friends, as well as all who don’t agree with them and all who don’t treat them kindly. Some think of Him as a Saviour who will prove Himself as God only when He has made them materially rich and fulfilled all their dreams. Some think that believing in Him will render them immune to all attacks and diseases in this world, that they will never be sick, and if it doesn’t happen that way, He has failed them.

Many people who have adopted the above images of who the Saviour is have ended up running from one ministry, prayer centre, or church to another, searching for where to find the type of Jesus that suites the image they have of Him, or searching for a place where the image of Jesus they have is preached. Unfortunately, many of them end up bowing down before the devil, the master of lies and deceit, who will never stop claiming to be the true God.

In the case of Peter, the Christ should be a king who will sit on the exalted throne of David, commanding many troops and slaves, and conquering many nations on earth to restore the kingdom of Israel. Thus, it will be unheard of for such a Christ to suffer and die in the hands of mere Pharisees, Scribes and Chief priests.

Peter was not alone in his notion of the Messiah. His fellow Jews had the same vision about the Messiah who was to come. Through the prophets, God promised Israel that He will send them a Messiah from the line of David who will deliver them from their enemies. So, in their theologies, the Jews developed various kinds of thoughts about the Messiah, ideas borne from their existential realities. As a people that suffered many years of oppression and slavery under big nations, Israel believed that since the Messiah will come from the line of David, He would lead them to military success like David.  

Therefore, in their quest to welcome a military-minded Messiah, Israel ignored the prophecies of the suffering servant of God who will conquer the world after suffering humiliations in the hands of His enemies, as revealed by the prophet Isaiah, a portion of which we read in today’s first reading. In the same manner, in their quests to have a Messiah who will bless them with abundant material riches, make them immune to all sickness and attacks, and wipe away all their enemies, many Christians have closed their ears to the teachings of Christ about love for enemies, about carrying their crosses and following Him, about the fact that Jesus also suffered the harsh realities of this wicked world and her rulers, about the fact that Jesus died and resurrected, and about the fact that Jesus never promised to bless His followers with cars, private jets, mansions, flamboyant lifestyle, etc.

Dear friends, whoever is selling a false image of Jesus to you is no different from the Jews in their wrong notions of who the Messiah would be and in their wrong expectations of what the Messiah would do for them. Such a person lacks the authority to speak about Jesus the Saviour.

Finally, anyone who has grasped the true image of who Jesus is must show it through his actions in his relationship with others; his actions must speak of Jesus. This is the message St James wants to convey to us in today’s second reading. He is telling us that we cannot believe in who Jesus truly is and yet close our eyes to good works of charity towards our fellow human beings. It is through our works in the society and our attitudes towards others that we demonstrate that we truly know who Jesus is.  

Peace be with you.

Fr Isaac C. Chima