In today’s First Reading (1 Peter 1:18-25) Peter reminds us that we have been “ransomed”. In the Scriptures, to ‘ransom’ means to free someone from something bad by paying some sort of payment. In this case, the ransom price is not silver or gold but something far more precious, Christ’s own blood poured out for us by his death on the cross. The result is the “forgiveness of sin” and our reconciliation with God.
The readers are told that they have been ransomed from an empty way of life. Some commentators maintain that the letter is addressed to former pagans, because the New Testament stresses the emptiness of pagan life. Others think they may have been Jews, since Jews were traditionalists who stressed the influence of keeping the Law. Jesus told us that a life based simply on the observance of external laws could not bring salvation and redemption. In the light of the context of the whole letter, probably both Jews and Gentiles are addressed.
The “unblemished Lamb” to which Peter refers was foreseen long ago in God’s plan to bring us all back to him and replace all other animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, which were only a pale foreshadowing of what was to come. The Old Testament sacrifices were nothing more than a foreshadowing of Christ, the ultimate and only effective sacrifice. It is through this Lamb, Jesus, raised by the Father into glory, that we have become believers in God and that, through our faith and hope, our lives have become centered on God, the only source of meaning. Jesus was chosen to be the redemptive Lamb before time began.
Peter reminds us that “the grass withers, and the flower falls [but] the word of the Lord endures forever”. (Isaiah 40:6‑8) Our new birth comes about through the direct action of the Holy Spirit, but the “living and enduring” word of God also plays an important role, for it presents the Gospel to the sinner and calls on us to repent and believe in Christ. We have been bought back from sin by the priceless blood of the Lamb, poured out on the cross for us. We must show our gratitude for this by the unconditional love we show for our brothers and sisters everywhere.
In our Gospel reading (Mark 10:32‑45), we come to the third and final foretelling of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. It is not insignificant that it follows immediately on the story we heard yesterday (Mark 10:28-31) of the rich man. We are now going to see what discipleship of Jesus really costs.
They were on the road, not just any road, but the road that leads to Jerusalem. In a real sense, Jesus is the Road, the Way and his way brings him to Jerusalem, the carrying of his cross, the letting go of his life in love of his Father and us, leading to the final triumph of resurrection. Those who wish to be his disciples must be ready to walk that road with him. But the disciples have not reached this stage of discipleship yet. As Jesus steps out firmly on the road to Jerusalem, his disciples straggle behind. They were “amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Many followers thought that Jesus was out of his mind. To go to Jerusalem at this time was asking for trouble, serious trouble. Everyone knew the Jewish leadership was out to get Jesus. Jerusalem was the last place to go.
Jesus shows them he is under no illusion about the situation. He gives them a detailed description of what is going to happen to him. He tells his followers that he will be “handed over”, as he has done many times before, but not just to the Jewish authorities, but also to “gentiles”. Condemnation to death will come from the leaders of his people, but the carrying out of the execution will be the work of the Romans. It was not just some Jews who were responsible for Jesus’ death; we were there, too, in the person of the Roman gentiles. Jesus also, for the first time, alludes to his resurrection after three days. But they still do not understand. They do not understand the kind of King Jesus is going to be, nor do they understand the price he is going to pay to enter that kingship.
Nevertheless, Jesus patiently gives them another lesson on what real greatness in his Kingdom consists of. In the ‘world’, “among the gentiles”, to be great is to have power over others, to exercise authority, to be able to control and manipulate people to be at your disposal, to use people to attain your ends. However, in Jesus’ world, those who are really great put themselves and their unique gifts to use by promoting the well-being of brothers and sisters, especially those in most need. And the more people we can serve the greater we are.
‘Authority’ is not to control, but to empower. And it is the role of anyone in authority to generate ideas, energy, creativity in those for whom one is responsible. In other words, to serve those who have been entrusted to one’s authority. But it is a corruption of the word to become ‘authoritarian’ in such a position. After 2,000 years of Christianity, it is a lesson practically all of us have yet to learn.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!