In Times of Trouble Who is Jesus to You? Thursday 6th Week Ordinary Time

Breakfast with the Word Thursday 18th week Ordinary Time of the Year B.

 

 

Mark 8:27-33

 

 

 

 

Whenever we hear the name Jesus, so many conceptions will begin to come into our minds. Many people see Him as the mighty man in battle, some see Him only as a Miracle worker, a healer and a deliverer. Many of us also see Him as the one who solves our problems and provides for our daily needs.

When things go well with us, we praise and glorify Him, we will be always happy to tell others what God has done. But when problem comes, majority of us will lose faith in the same Jesus they have been praising all these while. Many of us will begin to question our faith. Some of us will ask “are you sure this your Jesus is real, I thought He promised that whoever comes to Him will be blessed, why is He not answering me?”

Many Christians do feel that to be a christian is only about the glory part of it. This is the problem of Peter today. This is also the reason many of us are jumping from one prayer house to another. We have to understand that everything in life must not be rosy. It is also full of ups and down.

 

In the gospel, After confessing that Jesus is the Christ, the same Peter remonstrated because Jesus was telling them that He is going to suffer.

 

For Peter, to be follower of Jesus is only about miracle and breakthrough. Peter could not understand this kind messiah that  is going to suffer.

 

In the same way, many Christians today think that to be  a christian is only about success, and glory part of it. In the christian life, there is the cross too. Unlike Peter, let us not forsake the cross.

 

Therefore, the question today is “Who is Jesus to you, in the times of trouble and problems? Is Jesus , just a person we run to when in need and leave when we get what we want?

 

Is Jesus truly our saviour that we surely depend on Him day in and day out and longs to relate with Him? Who is Jesus to us?Is He only God of miracle? Or Is He totally part of your life?

 

Read More

How to heal Our Imperfect Sight. Wednesday Week 6 in Ordinary Time

 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Mark 8:14-21.

 

Signs and Wonders Spirituality: Mark 8:11-13

 

When we think there is nothing We can do: Mark 8:1-10

 

Healing comes from God : Mark 7:31-37

 

 

 

Jesus At Caesarea Philippi.

 

 

The gospel says that when Jesus reaches the region of Caesarea Philippi, He puts up this question to His disciples, ‘who do people say that the Son of Man is? The disciples answered that some people are saying that He is John the Baptist, Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then, He asks the apostles “You, who do you say I am. Peter then speaks “You are the Christ the son of the Living God. Jesus praises Peter for this and tells him that it was not flesh and blood that revealed such to him but the Father in heaven. 

Then Jesus begins to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again.

 

Then, Peter took Him aside and began to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, Jesus rebukes Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

 

 

The Self Revelation of Jesus to His Disciples.

 

This self-revelation was done by Jesus to His close disciples. It is not that Jesus does not want people to know about Him but Jesus teaches us the need to be very close to Him.

Deep knowledge of God comes through our daily encounters with Him. We need to be close to someone to know more about the person. Hence, we need to be very close to Jesus to know more about Him. Lack of closeness will only keep our knowledge of God at the periphery. In times of trouble who is Jesus to You?

 

 

Who Do People Say I Am?

 

 

When Jesus asks His disciples what people say He is. The disciples respond that some people say that He is John the Baptist, others Elijah, some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 

1. When we look at the people mentioned here, we will see that they are the ones people regard as great prophets. John the Baptist was a mighty prophet that even Herod thinks that Jesus is a resurrected John ( Matthew 14:2). Elijah worked great miracles during His own time and was even expected to appear before the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5) and hence Jeremiah was also a powerful prophet who stood against the leaders of His time and even predicted the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. 

Here, we see the different views that people have about Jesus. Therefore, they may have seen Jesus as such from the point of view of what He does. 

2.Our question then is “who is Jesus to us? Is He only a miracle worker? The Mighty warrior? The One who will fight our enemies? Is He only a Problem Solver? Who is Jesus to us? Is times of trouble, who is He to you? Do you still come to Him or run away? Is HE just like your ATM or part of your life?

 

Like the people, how we see Jesus will also affect how we take Him. Many of us take Jesus as an ATM that we run to only in times of need. They will always tell you that Oluwa ga eme ya (God will do it). For us then, God is only for prosperity and remembered only when we need help. God is more than that. Who is Jesus to us in times of trouble? 

 

Seek to Know

 

 Secondly, it is also good to always seek to know what people think about us. From this, we can know what we do well and what we do not do well. How people see you is also how they will take you. The impression that we give to people around us matters a lot. 

 

Therefore, when you see the list of people mentioned above, you will observe that these people are highly recognised, respected and seen as great men of God by the Jews. So, they equate Jesus as one of them. 

 

This is due to the things that Jesus does. Therefore, they put Him along the lines of the good, powerful, respected and highly recognized men of God. Therefore what this teaches us is that it is good to be good. 

 

When people talk about us, what do they equate us with? Do they talk about us as criminals, wicked, immoral, deceitful, always jealous, evil, corrupt? Do people take us as good, dependable, respectful, humble etc? Who are we? From this gospel, it is very certain that the people think good of Jesus and see Him as a mighty prophet. 

 

 

But Who do You say I am?

 

 

Jesus then addresses His disciples on who they think He is. Therefore, Jesus comes to the point of what He wants. Before it was the people, now it is the disciples. 

 

The disciple follows Him and follows His words. A disciple of someone is bound to obey and follow the master. Here, we see a close interaction and relationship between Jesus His disciples. 

 

Therefore, to fully understand who Jesus is to us, we need to remain close to Him. In John 15:4, He asks the disciples to continually remain in Him if they want to be fruitful. These are the people Jesus sees as His brother and sisters (Matthew 12:50). 

 

He puts up this question to his disciples because he is carefully preparing them to carry on His work. So, a good understanding of Him is very critical. 

 

Therefore, to minister the word, we need to truly understand and encounter the person we preach about. We need to come to the knowledge of who Jesus is to us. 

 

To know Him will give us the courage to talk about Him with confidence and courage. The disciples have heard His teachings and witnessed His miracles. So, what they think of him is critical. Jesus may not want them to see Him only as a mighty prophet or miracle worker as others think but to truly understand His person. 

 

 

 

Jesus is the Christ.

 

 

 

Peter answered Jesus “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. This is exactly what Jesus wants. In Hebrew word the word anointed means Mâshîyach (Messiah) and in Greek word Christos (Christ). 

In the land of Israel, anyone who is anointed is seen as someone set apart. It means that God has chosen the person to do a wondrous task. 

For many years the people of Israel have been waiting for God to send a saviour. Someone that will lead the people of Israel to greatness. The Messiah they are waiting for has this special task to make Israel great again and save them from their oppressors. So, When Peter said, “You are the Christ,” he was saying, “You are the saviour for whom we have been waiting for all these while. You are the one God sends to us. 

 

The angel says about Him in Matthew 1:21 that Jesus is the one who is going to save His people from sins. Essentially, what He brings to us is to save us from sin and save our souls from damnation. 

He is beyond what many Christians today think of Him. Therefore, for the sake of our salvation, we do not need to be far from Him. Let us not take Him only as a miracle worker but someone we cannot do without.

 

He needs more of our closeness than any other thing. Therefore, Jesus is not only a miracle worker or Someone we see just as a problem solver. Jesus is much more than these.

 

Peter thought that the Christ would not suffer, in the same way, many Christians today, think that the cross is not part of christian life.

 

Therefore, we have to understand that Christianity also cannot do without the cross. But behind the cross, there is victory. Therefore, do not lose faith, as you carry your cross.

 

The truth is that there is no one without a cross. Carry yours with joy. Like Jesus says to Peter today “The way you think is not the way God thinks”. For God, everything works together for good for those who love Him ( Romans 8:28).

 

 

May God give us the grace to remain close to Him and know Him more. May He also never forsake us but protect us always. Amen.