Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

In yesterday's reading, we read of a very full day of ministry. We read also of the first mission of the apostles, those who were sent out to spread the news of the kingdom - preaching, healing, teaching and performing exorcisms. They took no preparations nor money, a mission undertaken with the mark of humility; only the power Christ has invested in them drives their mission. They return successfully with their news. We read also that Herod Antipas (who had John the Baptist beheaded to please his wife and guests at a birthday celebration) has grown curious about Jesus and wonders who He is. Finally, Jesus wishes to be alone with the apostles upon their return, but the crowds follow. It grows late, and the disciples suggest the crowds be sent away to find food and lodging, but Jesus says, "You give them something to eat." With that, we are given the astounding abundance of the kingdom, the miracle of the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness.

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" My study bible notes here: "What the crowds have to say about Jesus is of little importance (v. 19). The disciples learn that lesson here. In the New Testament, the opinion of the crowd is seldom, if ever, clear, and often completely wrong." I think the point of the note in my study bible is important: Jesus' real message is for those with a heart open for spiritual understanding. He has preached this repeatedly, referring as did the prophets to spiritual eyes and ears.

So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." A note reads, "A great moment in the ministry of Jesus comes when Peter, on behalf of the disciples, acknowledges Jesus as the Christ of God." Christ is "Anointed One," or Messiah. In other Gospels, we know that Jesus has referred to this confession of faith as the rock upon which He will build His church - a bond that even the gates of hell cannot break. Jesus also refers to such a confession as revealed by the Father - a further and deeper important connection to the idea that it is our spiritual eyes and ears through which His followers must perceive, and through which our deepest, strongest relationship can thrive and grow.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one ... A note reads: "Jesus desires to keep His messiahship hidden to avoid (1) popular political misunderstanding and (2) quick intervention by the Romans." This is also, to my mind, a further implication that it is not a great public proclamation Jesus is after, but the confession in the heart of individuals who belong to Him through such confession and relationship.

... saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day." My study bible says here: "Luke omits Peter's objection to Jesus' announcement of His Passion." An interesting two omissions, then--the pronouncement of Peter's confession as the rock upon which He will build His church, revealed by the Father, and also Peter's very human failing that followed, to which Christ responded "Get behind me, Satan!"

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." Peter's confession sets the stage for the great revelation of the suffering and death that Jesus will go through. In Matthew's version (in which Peter objects to Jesus' crucifixion and death), these words seem directed straight to Peter, who is a "stand-in" for all of us. But in Luke's Gospel, these words more clearly refer to all of us, to each of us, those who would follow and be Jesus' disciples. We are to be like Him. He sets the great example for all of us who would follow His footsteps.

Truly, these last words of Jesus - about our lives in the world, our willingness to follow and give up what we think we need from a worldly perspective, about our shame at this crucifixion and taking up our own crosses - reflect again, and more deeply, the words of the note in my study bible about the opinion of the crowds. It's not the perspective of the world that Jesus is emphasizing. It's not the point of view of the crowds that He cares about. It is that place in the heart, that connection, that confession as revealed by the Father and the deep love that bonds so strongly that the gates of hell cannot break it -- this is what Jesus cares about. He cares about love and discipleship, those who are willing to follow because of these bonds of love that run more deeply than all other ties, even before family. Indeed, He has said these ties create family: "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." In these words, then, is the great liberation for all of us. Many religious traditions speak of liberation and detachment from the world. But Christ gives us one great alternative -- we are born into a family of love that gives us identity and selfhood. In this confession of faith, we become who we are meant to be, in the bonds of love of Creator: Father, Son and Spirit, and all those who form the great communion and family in which we live. Jesus alludes to this great family when He says, "when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." "His own glory, His Father's, and of the holy angels" give us a picture of a heavenly kingdom, bonded within myriad beings and Persons -- and there is more, those "who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." We are bound to one another in this great communion of discipleship and all of the Creation, human and divine, cosmic and worldly. In our little individual struggles and choices we make, we are bonded to this great kingdom, all of it, and one to another. There we find who we are and we are liberated from a limited sense of worldly expectation and understanding. In these words, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed..." are found the keys to our very selves, and to this kingdom. What's your choice?