Truth Or Dare | February 16, 2017

February 16, 2017

Jesus and the boys were on their way to a little mini vacay in Caesarea Philippi, which was a 4-day journey from their home. Road trips are the best time to play games like Slug Bug, or to name the state capitols of each out-of-state license plate, or to sing 99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall, or 20 Questions, or anything to pass the time in some sort of entertaining way. Today’s gospel might be an historical rendition of Truth Or Dare for Jesus and the Apostles.

Jesus was making conversation and asked this question, “Who do people say that I am?” They reported back with all the important dudes in Hebrew culture, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” Next truth question, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter, from the depths of his soul, exclaims, “You are The Christ!” Here comes the dare part: “he warned them not to tell anyone about him.” Giving a Middle Eastern man a secret to hold onto is like dangling bacon in front of a hungry puppy, or whispering a juicy scandal directly into the rumor mill.

Jesus was pleased that the boys had finally figured out that he was the Messiah, but he knew they still needed more teaching about what that truthfully meant. The same is true with us. With every spiritual lesson we learn, there is still more to ponder and understand, so we need to be very careful when we throw little bits of knowledge out there. It can be more damaging sometimes than simply keeping our mouths shut until the time is right.

So Jesus tests them a little by giving them a glimpse of what it means to be Messiah, “the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” This was baffling because they were just interested in that point that they finally got the right answer, and of course all of the celebrity status that comes with being BFF’s with the Savior of the world, but not so much in the nitty gritty reality that the Savior must die in the place of the saved. A lot of times I get caught up in the feel-good things of being a Christian like retreat highs, and Kumbaya moments around the campfire, but I forget about the tough decisions that are required to follow Jesus and the sacrifices that are essential to remain on the vine.

So Peter takes The Christ aside and is like, “Dude, Bro, you’re freaking the boys out with all this mopey dopey talk. Let’s just focus on smiling for the cameras and keep all the doom and gloom to yourself.” Yeah, it says that Peter rebukes Jesus, which gives us a sweeter understanding of their best friendship on one hand, (raise your hand if you have a best friend that can be real with you) and on the other hand, it demonstrates that while they know that Jesus is Messiah (finally), they still don’t know how to live that reality with their lives.

Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s rebuke is not of God and tells the adversary (Satan) to get behind him; you don’t lead this trip, I do. Or it might be the best “kiss my ass” moment of all time. Either way, Peter and company needs to know that the truth is not always pretty. In order to be best friends with the Messiah, he would have to make some tough choices and suffering would be involved, but the prize is worth the sacrifice. Jesus dared him to stop thinking like a human, get behind him, and follow his lead.

Let today’s gospel teach us that we can’t pick and choose our way through Christianity. It requires some tough choices and sacrifice (as does true love), but Jesus is always taking our place if we would just get behind him and follow. The truth of the gospel dares us to think as God thinks, see as God sees, and to speak the whole truth, not just the shiny truth. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 GN 9:1-13

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them:
"Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth.
Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth
and all the birds of the air,
upon all the creatures that move about on the ground
and all the fishes of the sea;
into your power they are delivered. 
Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat;
I give them all to you as I did the green plants. 
Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.
For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting:
from every animal I will demand it,
and from one man in regard to his fellow man 
I will demand an accounting for human life.

If anyone sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
For in the image of God
has man been made.

Be fertile, then, and multiply;
abound on earth and subdue it."

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, 
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth."

Responsorial Psalm PS 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 AND 22-23

R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer. 
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die." 
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

Alleluia JN 6:63C, 68C

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."