The Gospel for MONDAY, May 2, 2005 (St. Philip & St. James [May 1])
Luke 9:18-27
Now it happened that he was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said to them, ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God,’ he said. But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone. He said, ‘The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’ Then, speaking to all, he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, will save it. What benefit is it to anyone to win the whole world and forfeit or lose his very self? For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. ‘I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
"I'd rather do it myself"
It is maddening to believe that the early church fathers had so little confidence in us that they needed to add to Jesus' message. I can visualize Jesus the man, Jesus the prophet, Jesus the revolutionary; these images resonate. I can visualize Jesus knowing that He will likely have the same fate as John Baptizer if he carries on with His message. But I cannot visualize the pre-Easter Jesus talking about coming again in His own glory and in the glory of the Father...."
And if Peter did decide that Jesus was the Christ of God, Jesus correctly shushed him up; having that tidbit in circulation was a supersonic ticket to the Gallows, and Jesus had more to do.is
It is difficult to the extreme not to know with any degree of certainty which are Jesus' words, and which are those "thoughtfully" added by the early church to aid those of us unable to think for themselves.
A Reflection
I hear an authoritative pre-Easter Jesus when the text quotes him as, "renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me." This is the Jesus who asked, "Who are my mother and my brothers?", the Jesus who said, "Let the dead bury the dead."
The Jesus who kept the Law with Pharisaic regularity -- but absent the righteous zeal -- would have been familiar with the Pharisaic understanding of the messianic coming. And Jesus did not fit that image; he came with only love and forgiveness as weapons, not fire and the sword. He came to embrace Israel and the nations, not to subjugate the nations to Israel.
People like me who are so steeped in certainty and the demand for certainty are slightly crazed, then when the writers of sacred texts "amplify" them for our benefit.
Would Jesus have talked about being ashamed of people who were ashamed of His words?
Or would He have been trying to demonstrate to people why emulating His words and His actions are those that bring us into the Kingdom even while we walk in this life?
The Collect
Almighty God, who gave to your apostles Philip and James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
8:18:21 PM 
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