Sunday 08 March 2009

Background

Spiritual Health

A good gauge of spiritual health is to write down
the three things you most want.
If they in any way differ,
you are in trouble.

Rumi (A Persian philosopher of the 13thcentury)

Mark's Gospel portrays Jesus as a decisive person. Heexercised power over nature, he called for transformation inpeople's lives and transformation in their communities. Hechallenged the religious authorities of the day with unflinchingdirectness.

The disciples had been on their own journey with Jesus:watching, learning and deciding for themselves who he was, and whatto make of his acts and his claims. In the passage preceding thisone, it was Peter who answered Jesus' direct question to them aboutwho they thought he was. Peter proclaimed him "the Messiah"(meaning 'the anointed one') (Mark8:29).

And so, as the narrative continues, Jesus goes on to describethe cost of living out his identity in God - the costliness of thatfor himself.

None of us like to hear that life will involve suffering,though we know it to be true. We like it even less when our ownchoices around life and faith seem to bring the consequence of somesuffering, a harder path. When we hedge our bets we leave optionsopen to ourselves that a firm commitment in a particular directionusually does not make possible.

Peter did not want to hear what Jesus was saying. God wasmeant to fix things, ease things, bring about happy endings. TheMessiah was supposed to win out on the day, triumphantly. Jesus wassaying what sounded like just the opposite. That was hard for Peterto hear. It is just as hard for us to hear today.

To Ponder

What are the three things you most want? What dothey say about you? Can you hold them together?

What struggle have you had to live through inyour life?

What struggle have you perhaps chosen as a resultof your beliefs, desires and priorities? How do you live throughthat struggle?