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(Audio)
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
Jesus transitioned abruptly from performing miraculous deeds that amazed everyone to a prediction of his passion that alluded to Isaiah's passage about how the suffering servant "poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors" (see Isaiah 53:12). This gave the disciples a great deal of cognitive dissonance, even mental whiplash. They couldn't make the leap from the Jesus, who seemed able to surmount every obstacle and overcome every problem that came his way, and this plan for him to be handed over or poured out for others. Implicit in such thinking was an idea with which guards would later taunt him, "He saved others; he cannot save himself" (see Matthew 27:42). From either end of that statement it was nearly impossible to see the other. If, as the disciples believed, he had saving power, he must also be able to save himself. If he was unable to save himself, as the religious leaders believed, than the previously reported miracles must have been deception.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
Jesus transitioned abruptly from performing miraculous deeds that amazed everyone to a prediction of his passion that alluded to Isaiah's passage about how the suffering servant "poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors" (see Isaiah 53:12). This gave the disciples a great deal of cognitive dissonance, even mental whiplash. They couldn't make the leap from the Jesus, who seemed able to surmount every obstacle and overcome every problem that came his way, and this plan for him to be handed over or poured out for others. Implicit in such thinking was an idea with which guards would later taunt him, "He saved others; he cannot save himself" (see Matthew 27:42). From either end of that statement it was nearly impossible to see the other. If, as the disciples believed, he had saving power, he must also be able to save himself. If he was unable to save himself, as the religious leaders believed, than the previously reported miracles must have been deception.
We are not so different. The goodness of the world that we sometimes experience in the beauty of nature, or the wonderful tenderness of human relationships, or the ingenuity of the arts and sciences, seems utterly incongruous with realities of suffering and death. Growing as disciples means coming to see how salvific suffering is a part of the divine plan. It means accepting on faith the fact that God allowed this universe to be the way it is because from it he could draw a greater good than had he not allowed disobedience and suffering in the first place. While it is possible for us to acknowledge these things abstractly here it is more difficult to allow them to shape our lives. There is a way in which the true depths of the meaning is still hidden from us, and perhaps in a way that is not entirely our fault. Maybe we are somewhat to blame if we are "afraid to ask" and pursue the issue, fearing that it might unsettle our faith. But it may also be the case that we are meant to learn over time by living as disciples and following Jesus. Too much too soon is not always helpful or even possible. If his disciples had immediately experienced the full horror of the cross it is unlikely that any academic explanation of its importance would have helped. They all may well have fled without looking back. They may not have been able to make themselves return so that Peter could strengthen his brothers. Peter might not have been able to muster the courage to dare to hope that repentence was possible. So instead God led them gradually, with repeated predictions of the passion and hints about the dark hour that was coming. They may not have understood, but by choosing to remain with Jesus even in spite of that they were strengthened for what was to come.
The situation of the disciples was similar to that of the youths to whom Solomon addressed himself in our first reading:
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the evil days come
And the years approach of which you will say,
I have no pleasure in them;
They were being prepared to remain faithful even in a time when all was not roses in and sunshine, hugs and puppies. The risk for them and for us is that if we don't plan on trials and suffering our faith might be shaken when they inevitably come. It doesn't matter that we can't understand precisely how the pain of this life could be beneficial. What matters is that we trust in the goodness of our God who assures us that, for those who love him, "all things work together" (see Romans 8:28). When we are in the midst of suffering we think what we want most are answers. But what we really need is a hope in God so robust that we can live with our questions and remain faithful. This is how we endure the growth, the breaking of the hard outer shell of our egos, the metamorphosis to the Spirit-led disciples we are meant to become.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
The situation of the disciples was similar to that of the youths to whom Solomon addressed himself in our first reading:
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the evil days come
And the years approach of which you will say,
I have no pleasure in them;
They were being prepared to remain faithful even in a time when all was not roses in and sunshine, hugs and puppies. The risk for them and for us is that if we don't plan on trials and suffering our faith might be shaken when they inevitably come. It doesn't matter that we can't understand precisely how the pain of this life could be beneficial. What matters is that we trust in the goodness of our God who assures us that, for those who love him, "all things work together" (see Romans 8:28). When we are in the midst of suffering we think what we want most are answers. But what we really need is a hope in God so robust that we can live with our questions and remain faithful. This is how we endure the growth, the breaking of the hard outer shell of our egos, the metamorphosis to the Spirit-led disciples we are meant to become.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
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