In today’s (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B) Gospel Reading (Mark 9:30-37), we read Jesus’ second foretelling of his death and resurrection. We read his first foretelling of this in the Gospel Reading of last Sunday (24th Sunday)(Mark 8:27-35).
In the Gospel Reading last Sunday (Mark 8:27-35), Jesus
spoke of his death and resurrection for the very first time to his disciples in
private (Mark 8:31), upon Peter’s correct identification of Jesus as the Christ
(Mark 8:29b). But it was Peter who protested to the prospect of Jesus’ death
(Mark 8:32), being unable to accept that Jesus is the kind of Christ, who had
to die. So, Jesus rebuked Peter not to be a stumbling block to his mission as
the Christ, which was to culminate in his death and resurrection, for thinking
as humans, not as God does (Mark 8:33). Then, Jesus summoned the crowd with his
disciples and taught them what it takes to follow him as his disciples: denying
self and taking up a cross (Mark 8:34). By self-denial and taking up a cross,
which may take one’s life for the sake of the Christ and his Gospel, one can
find life, rather than losing it (Mark 8:35).
Jesus foretold his great suffering and death and
resurrection. Then, he spoke of a twofold condition for the discipleship:
self-denial and holding up a cross, indicating the martyrdom for salvation. And
this is a double theme of the Gospel Reading from last Sunday (Mark 8:27-35).
After this, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, to
the high mountain, apart by themselves, and let them witness his
Transfiguration and conversation with Elijah and Moses (Mark 9:2-8). Perhaps,
it was to let these three know more about who he really is as the Christ, who
was not only to die but to rise, as his Transfiguration points to his glory in
Resurrection. But these three did not seem to understand, as they were just terrified
(Mark 9:6). And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about what they saw on the
mountain until his Resurrection (Mark 9:9). Though these three disciples kept
the matter to themselves, they were questioning what Jesus meant by “rising from the dead” among themselves
(Mark 9:10). But, they asked Jesus why the scribes tell that Elijah must come
first (Mark 9:11), perhaps, referring to Malachi 3:23. And Jesus replied:
Elijah
will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding
the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? But I
tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it
is written of him (Mark 9:12-13).
The above words of Jesus to Peter, James, and John,
are very important to understand Jesus’ foretelling of his suffering, death,
and resurrection, which is a common theme for both the 24th Sunday’s
Gospel Reading (Mark 8:30-37) and the 25th Sunday’s Gospel Reading
(Mark 9:27-35).
In Malachi 3:23-24, it was prophesized that God will
send Elijah before the day of the Lord, the great and terrible day,
characterized with destructions. In regard to this, Jesus referred himself as
the object of the judgement and destruction, as the suffering Christ (Isaiah
53:3-10). As Jesus reminded Peter, James, and John, Elijah had already sent.
So, Jesus, as the Christ, was subject to the terrible judgement, in our place,
so that we may be saved but he had to go through destruction, as prophesized by
Malachi. And, this is important to relate to Jesus’ suffering, death, and
resurrection, as the Christ (Mark 8:31; 9:31).
In the setting of the Gospel Reading for this Sunday
(25th Sunday) (Mark 9:30-37), Jesus took his disciples away from the
public and taught in private, after healing a boy with an evil spirit (Mark
9:14-29). During this private teaching to the disciples, Jesus, once again,
foretold of his death and resurrection in these words:
The
Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days
after his death he will rise (Mark 9:31).
But, they did not understand what Jesus meant by
these words about him and were afraid to ask him what he meant (Mark 9:32). And
they moved to Capernaum. While on the way, the disciples were arguing who was
the greatest among them (Mark 9:34b). So, Jesus asked them what they were arguing,
but they remained silent (Mark 9:33-34a). Of course, Jesus knew what the
disciples were talking about, and he preached them on the importance of humility
against their selfish ambition (Mark 9:35-37) with these words:
If
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all (Mark
9:35).
And holding a child (Mark 9:36), Jesus said:
Whoever
receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives
me, receives not me but the One who sent me (Mark 9:37).
Now we have some insight in regard to why the disciples failed to understand what Jesus meant by foretelling his suffering, death, and resurrection (Mark 8:31; 9:31). For Peter, James, and John, Jesus even explained more in regard to Malachi 3:23-24 (Mark 9:12-13). They were unable to understand Jesus as the suffering Christ to die but to resurrect, because they were plagued with selfish ambitions. And this psychospiritual pathology manifested when they were arguing who among them was greatest. So, Jesus had to confront this problem as it is a stumbling block to the discipleship.
So, Jesus reminded that their pathology of selfish
ambition to be the greatest must be replaced with humility, which manifests
servantship (Mark 9:35) and care for a person, who can be regarded as
insignificant, like a little child (Mark 37). The servantship aspect of
humility (Mark 9:35) is later demonstrated by Jesus at the Last Supper, as he
washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20), and the care for those who are often
regarded as minor or insignificant is also taught by James for his teaching
against partiality or favoritism for the rich (James 2:1-9).
The Gospel text for the 25th Sunday (Mark
9:30-37) is twofold: Jesus foretelling his death and resurrection again (vv.
30-32) and Jesus teaching the virtue of humility to the disciples who argued
who among them was the greatest (vv.33-37). The first part on Jesus’ suffering,
death and resurrection (Mark 9:30-32) corresponds to the First Reading (Wisdom 2:12,
17-20), and the second part (Mark 9:33-37) on the virtue of humility is echoed
by the Second Reading (James 3:16-4:3).
Now we have a better Christological insight on
Jesus.
He is the kind of Christ to go through great
suffering, death. But, he rises from the dead and ascends back to heaven. As he
goes through his suffering and death, he really took the place of the least of
all humans, subjecting himself to take up the judgement against them – though he
has no sin at all. Therefore, we see how his humility is involved in his
soteriological suffering and death for us. And this important theme from the 25th
Sunday’s Gospel Reading, augmented with the First Reading and the Second
Reading, is also reflected in Paul’s Christological description in Philippians
2:6-11.
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