"May I never boast except in the cross of the Lord through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." Gal 6:14
Long before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah described a suffering Messiah who would be met with beatings, buffets, and spitting instead of acclaim and accolades. But in the popular imagination of Jesus's time, most people had come to expect a kingly Messiah. In today's Gospel, when Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter proclaims Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus affirms Peter's proclamation, but startles the disciples when He immediately follows by speaking about the suffering, rejection, and death that is to come.
Peter's faith in Jesus as the Christ has come with some mistaken expectations. The idea that the Messiah must suffer has not entered his mind. Peter envisions Jesus as the anointed one, a King, warrior, and conqueror, but Jesus dispels all this with His dire predictions. He rebukes Peter and warns the disciples that following Him means suffering, self-denial, and even death. This is the Messiah of Isaiah's prophecy, the Suffering Servant, who will not be revealed as glorious King until He passes through the way of the cross.
This is what we must also expect when we follow Jesus. We, too, are asked to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and even be ready to lose our lives for His sake. Praise, honor, and accolades are not to be expected in this life. A life of service, love, and suffering is what we choose when we become followers of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah's prophecy. Be ready to give all for Jesus, and be willing to walk the Way of the Cross, for that is the way that leads to eternal life.
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