Mark 8: 27-33 Reflection

Gospel Mk 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Reflection

In today’s gospel reading, Mark is still insisting on his general framework of the disciples’ narrow understanding of Jesus. In the gospel, Jesus asks the disciples regarding the knowledge of people towards him. The different answers they gave simply reflect their own similar misconceptions.

“Who do you say that I am?” When people are confronted with this question, what people immediately remember are the lessons they got from their elementary religion teacher, or something they heard from the pastor in the Church or something they heard or read somewhere. The sad thing is most people are already contented with such knowledge. For me, that is fine but that doesn’t give the gist.

We have to be reminded that knowledge of God can only be possible when we are in constant communication with God, when we have good relationship with God, of course through his grace. And I tell you, this is not easy. For sure, it will take your time, much of your energy, or even your goals and plans. This knowledge of God is very crucial in our lives. It will decide who we are and what we are and what we can become.

Yes, God has given us freedom. But we can only act accordingly if we follow God’s path.  Every day, every minute, every moment of our life, we cannot do something worthwhile aside from being in the mind and heart of God. So our hearts must beat his own beat, sing his own song, and whisper his own silence. But this is possible only if we know who God is in our life, his place and his role.