THE WORD
Eccl 11,9-12,8 / Lk 9,43-45
And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
IN OTHER WORDS
Jesus foretells his passion. For the first time, after Peter’s profession of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus said that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders and scribes, be killed, but on the third day be raised (Lk 9,22). This fate he would suffer because he exposed the false ways of his adversaries.
He put his finger on their secret egotism. In spite of their apparent piety they did not seek God’s honour. In spite of their apparent zeal for the law, they were not truly interested in the welfare of their fellowmen. They were looking for their own glory and not God’s. With such a conduct, they could not produce good fruits. Yet the elders and scribes were not humble enough to accept Jesus’ criticism. They felt off ended in their complacency and pride. And in order to remove the reason for that provocation, they decided to kill Jesus.
Jesus knew this to be his fate. So he strove to prepare his disciples for it. But they did not understand. They could not grasp that the Messiah should suffer and die at the hands of men. What they had heard in their synagogues was about the Messiah as a glorious king, a king like David, who would restore the national honour of Israel. Confused, they abandoned that happy vision. Yet to Jesus, they remained loyal, a quality highly appreciated. We can learn from their loyalty to Jesus even in difficulties and disappointments. A true disciple of Christ must be able to forget himself. He must leave behind ambitions of self-exaltation, popularity and admiration. We are invited to look at Jesus. He did not seek his own glory, but the glory of the Father in heaven. He made himself the servant of all. This is the way of fellowship he teaches his disciples.
- Fr. Karl H. Peschke, SVD | Vienna, Austria
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
