Richard Kuns

“…From the moment we claim the truth of being the beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are… Becoming the beloved means letting the truth of our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say or do… Becoming the Beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour…”. (Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World)

All three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) share the memory of Jesus baptism by John the Baptist.  As Jesus rose out of the water, all three record the sound of a voice:

And a voice out of the heavens: “You are my Son, the beloved, in you I have delighted.”

But the story doesn’t end there

And immediately the Spirit cast him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by the Accuser… (Mark 1:11-13a, David Bentley Hart)

Luke adds an interesting epilogue

And, having exhausted every temptation, the Slanderer departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13, David Bentley Hart)

Today’s appointed gospel reading – Mark 8:34-9:1 – should remind us how easy it is to listen to the voices of our ambition and allow what we do to identify us; listen to what people say about us and let their voices define us; grasp hold of our possessions and let them become our image to the world.   

Just before the passage we are reading this morning, Jesus asked his disciples who they believe he is and begins to share the uncomfortable, unwanted teaching that he must suffer many things, die rejected and rise from death in three days.

Mark remembers Peter’s reaction:  And, taking hold of him, Peter began to admonish him.  Mark then tells us that Jesus turned, looked at Peter and exclaimed:  Get behind me, Accuser, because you think not the things of God but those of men.  (David Bentley Hart).

This interchange between Peter and Jesus sparked a conversation about following Jesus, saving one’s own life and the frightening cost of discipleship.  Then Jesus asks us a difficult question:

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole cosmos and to forfeit his soul?  For what might a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37 – David Bentley Hart)

There is one more encounter between Peter and Jesus that is shared with us by the mystic gospel writer, John. (John 21:15-20 - Read the passage in its entirety to catch the intimate and moving experience the disciples had.).  Jesus finds Peter and other disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee after his resurrection.  When they all come to the shore and eat breakfast together, Jesus asks Peters:  Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?  Peter, once again, was a bit perturbed that Jesus relentlessly kept asking him the same question three times until he finally blurted out:  Lord, you know all things, you know that I cherish you.

 Henri Nouwen reflects on this exchange between Jesus and Peter with these words.  “…The unfathomable mystery of God is that God is a Lover who wants to be loved.  The one who created us is waiting for our response to the love that gave us our being.  God not only says: ‘You are my beloved.’  God also asks: ‘Do you love me?’ and offers us countless chances to say ‘Yes.’  That is the spiritual life:  the chance to say ‘Yes’ to our inner truth…” (Life of the Beloved)

Mary Oliver ends her poem “The Summer Day” with this penetrating question.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Richard R. Kuns for Dr. Justin Appel