12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Bishop Glen John Provost
Bishop of Lake Charles
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
June 20, 2010
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“But who do you say that I am?” Luke 9:20
We hear a great deal of talk these days about identity theft. Usually this has to do with someone stealing our social security number or some other vital information that identifies us. The thief then uses that information for illegal purchases. The question of identity goes much deeper than a bunch of numbers that are filled out on an application for a loan. What makes us who we are is a question of heart and soul. Who we are, who I am, can hardly be answered by us. The answer is too deep, too complex. So, then, how can we speak of Jesus?
The question of identity is introduced in the Gospel of St. Luke just a few verses before the Gospel we just heard read to us. Herod the tetrarch was the prince, subordinate to the Romans, who ruled Galilee at the time of Jesus’ birth and public ministry. It was he who was responsible for executing John the Baptist, and when he heard of Jesus’ marvelous works and miracles, some explained that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Herod did not believe them and asked, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9:9). Herod’s question introduces us to a consideration of Jesus’ identity. Herod could not answer it and could not get a straight answer. Even if he had been told the truth, would he have even understood? Such is the nature of truth in the face of faithlessness.
The question of identity must be asked by Jesus himself. He waits until He is alone with His disciples and begins His question by inquiring about what others are saying. “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Luke 9:18). Jesus wants to show that there is a distinction between what we would call these days “public opinion” and the truth. The disciples reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen” (Luke 9:19). None of these answers are correct, of course. So Jesus moves from a poll of “public opinion” to the truth. He asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). The answer will definitely be the minority opinion but it will be telling.
It is of no little significance that the answer comes from St. Peter. He is the first chosen. He is the “prince” of the apostles. In keeping with his designation as “the rock” in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he is a type of patriarch. St. Peter answers, “The Messiah of God” (Luke 9:20).
“Messiah” in Hebrew means the anointed one. So St. Peter has correctly answered that Jesus is the anointed one of God. What is puzzling is that Jesus asks the disciples to keep this secret (Luke 9:21). You would think Jesus would want this proclaimed, but He doesn’t. Why not? The answer, I think, is simple.
No one, not even the apostles and St. Peter himself, would have thought that the “Messiah of God” would suffer and die, especially not in a humiliating way such as crucifixion. In the very next verses, Jesus reveals that the “Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). This is scandalous. To even the apostles, this would be a scandal. So time must past, God’s wisdom must reveal itself, so that identity of Jesus can be fully understood not just as a matter of words, however noble they might be, but in the fullness of that identity brought to full revelation on the cross and at the empty tomb.
This is one reason the crucifix for Catholics is an important component for prayer. This is why we bow to it and why we place it in our homes in a prominent position. This is why we incense it at solemn Masses and bless ourselves and our families with it. The crucifix reminds us of Jesus’ identity. He is the glorious “Messiah of God,” but a “Messiah of God” who must suffer and die in order to rise. And for us as His followers, to share in His identity as Christians — in other words, to call ourselves Christian — we must lose our lives for His sake in order to save them (Luke 9:24). To know who Jesus truly is tells us who we should truly be.