Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

- Mark 8:22-33

In yesterday's reading, the disciples were worried about Jesus' remark to them. He's been visited by Pharisees who wish to test Him, and they demand a sign from heaven, as proof of who He is. He tells the disciples, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." They decide that He is upset because they've forgotten to bring bread! He reminds them of the feeding in the wilderness of five thousand, and then four thousand men. He asks, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." Today's reading focuses on three distinct episodes or stories in the Gospel. This first one is a healing of a blind man, similar to other stories elsewhere which are actually a little more elaborate. But Mark's detail is telling. As with the deaf mute of a few readings earlier, Jesus takes this man aside for a healing. The messianic secret must be kept! It is a recurring theme in Mark's gospel. This healing, like that of the deaf mute, is unusual -- but there are similarities to the healing of the deaf man. Jesus uses His own spittle, and He touches the man's eyes as well. As we know, prophecy about the Messiah teaches that " the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped." But there is another element added to this healing, and that is the gradual aspect of it. The man does not see at once, but his eyes grow accustomed to sight, until he can perceive well. St. Paul will write, in 1 Corinthians 13, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." This was a statement about faith, the enigma of God (the word translated as "darkly" is actually enigma in the Greek), our worldly perspective which is imperfect. But it is also a statement about the journey of faith and so an implication for this healing of the man's blindness. My study bible says, "This man is healed in stages, just as our ability to know God grows gradually." His blindness, then, and gradual sight, is also a parallel to Jesus' own gradual revelation of who He is, the messianic secret He has been so careful to guard. For our faith and spiritual sight, as in the healing, we continually turn and turn again to Christ.

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. And in today's reading, we continue with the theme of the messianic secret, the real revelation of the Christ. Here, finally, Peter's faith teaches them who He is. He speaks for the disciples when he answered, "You are the Christ." The title of Messiah and "Christ" in the Greek are the same, meaning "the Anointed One." Again, we have the theme of being far away from the crowds: they are "on the road," and they are also in Gentile territory, far away from the Jewish populations with the popular expectations of what the Messiah will do or be like. Jesus warns the disciples that they must not reveal this secret. A note in my study bible reads here, "Because this title was fraught with popular nationalistic misunderstandings, Jesus uses it only rarely, but accepts it when questioned at His trial before the Sanhedrin. The understanding of Christ's identity cannot be gained through human reason; nor do miracles divulge it. It comes only by revelation from the Father in heaven."

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Again, the reading reveals the understanding that faith comes in stages. Once the disciples understand that Jesus is Messiah or Christ, they must also be allowed to learn of what is to happen, defying all popular expectations of what the Messiah will do. He will not be a nationalistic conqueror, but quite the opposite. "The Son of Man," says my study bible, "is a veiled Old Testament messianic title (Dan. 7:13) which Jesus uses frequently as it is more suitable than 'the Christ' for this stage in Jesus' ministry. Jesus must suffer: This is the inscrutable divine will, and the very heart of His redemptive work. Suffering marks Jesus' redefinition of messiahship (see Isaiah 53). Peter is shocked by this unprecedented notion. But Jesus is preparing His disciples -- and Christians today -- for adversity."

In all three of these distinct "passages" for today's reading, we have the recurrent theme of a gradual revelation or understanding of Christ, and with that revelation, we receive also an understanding of ourselves, just where we are in the scheme of things. What is it to have faith? Christ is incarnate in our world in order to teach us the good, how to live a life of love, of being God-like or Christ-like. Here, at His revelation to His disciples of His identity, it is clear that He takes them to the next step in understanding by expressing what is to happen, His suffering -- and by implication, as my study bible notes, the taking up of the cross to which we are each invited in our lives. Why suffering? so many people ask. This is a part of the "enigma" (as in the quotation from 1 Corinthians above). "Enigma" is also a word that can substitute for parable or riddle. We have layers upon layers of meaning, just as faith and understanding are revealed by layers. Why suffering? In the entire passage from 1 Corinthians 13, St. Paul's focus is on love. While spiritual gifts, says my study bible, are wonderful, they are temporary and incomplete. "They are for this age, while we are 'children.' But love continues into the age to come: it is eternal, complete and fulfilling." Why suffering? Our Christ suffers with us, and bears our Cross, and teaches us to do the same, inviting us to be co-redeemers of this world and its darkness. Too often we teach ourselves "the things of men" -- that is, based on image alone, that success equates a kind of spirituality, a closeness to God. But the things of God are inscrutable, while we know that the things of God teach us love. Why suffering? God's redemptive power is here to bring us a kingdom into the midst of the one of the "strong man" and the oppressive spirits of "this world." And His is the way to overcome, to liberate, to set us free, to witness for Judgment. And to transfigure our suffering. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah. On the Cross, Christ sends us a message about ourselves: He is with us, one of us, and He is here to show us a way to Himself, in love.