24th Sunday of Ordinary Time [B]

 


24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B]


Some questions require an either/or response? Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Do you root for the Wolverines or the Spartans? It has to be one or the other—either/or. Then we have to consider the question being raised in James chapter two: are we justified by faith or by works? It sounds like we are dealing with yet another either/or question. In fact, that is exactly how the question has been handled down through the centuries. 


However, in more recent times, the question has taken on a new shape, a new structure. Now it’s being answered as “both/and” rather than “either/or.”  It’s generally agreed that we are in fact justified by faith. But are we talking real faith? Or something artificial? How can you distinguish a real faith from an artificial faith? According to James, in order to be real, your faith has to be a manifested faith (2:14-26). If it’s being manifested through the carrying out of good works, then it will qualify as an authentic faith. Both/and…faith and works. 


Meanwhile, in Mark chapter eight, the real and the artificial are once again being contrasted. In this case, the question has to do with the subject of discipleship. Jesus makes it very clear: the authentic disciple is someone who makes room for the cross (8:34). Peter doesn’t want to make room for the cross. Jesus therefore administers what could be described as “an attitude adjustment.”  And yet, this goes beyond Peter. If we’re being honest, we’ll have to admit that Peter is speaking for each and every one of us. 


Do you want to become acquainted with the cross? Most likely, the cross is what you’re seeking to  avoid. Generally speaking, we want “all glory, all the time.”  We don’t want anything to do with the experience of pain or sorrow. But one wonders: are we once again drifting into the neighborhood of “either/or?”  What can we say about the Christian way of life? Is it about glory? Or is it about suffering? Scripture portrays it as “both/and.” 


After all, Jesus had his cross. If the cross was good enough for Jesus, then it should be good enough for a man like Peter—or any of us. Furthermore, since Jesus is the authority when it comes to the matter of crosses, we need to appreciate that he is in solidarity with us when we do find ourselves struggling under the weight of a heavy burden. Note the appeal that’s being made in Isaiah chapter fifty: always remember that the Lord is near; he is your help and your salvation (50:7-8). 

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