Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Interpersonal relations are important in the Kingdom, and the harmony people keep is one of the qualities of Christian life. We are not disembodied souls, but we are real people who do real life together. Forgiveness and communication are important in that picture.

The upside-down Kingdom of Jesus is a place where people do not jostle for power, but the race is to the bottom. Serving others is looking outside yourself, which is something children still do because they have not learned how to connive to get what they want. Jesus came to serve, not to be served, and this is very much the quality of someone who set himself aside to bring wholeness to others.

Jesus is the fulfillment of both the Law and the prophets, which is why only Jesus remains after Moses and Elijah disperse at the Transfiguration. This is one of the cornerstones of the Kingdom of which Jesus is King. The things that came before him are not erased, but his is the life that the Law could never give.

It seems that Jesus makes a pretty hasty decision about Peter, choosing to rest the establishment of the Church on Peter's shoulders for one confession. Of course, this is not the product of one moment. Peter has many ups and downs recorded throughout the Gospels, and perhaps this is the reason that Jesus finally made this declaration: not because Peter was perfect, but because his imperfection would be exactly the conduit through which the Holy Spirit could work.

It’s quite a God who not only talks of a new Kingdom but also meets the practical needs of those who come to hear him. This isn’t a God who only came to bring good ideas, but whole life. How can people pursue something greater if they don’t know where their next meal will come from?

Jesus seems harsh to everyone in this passage! The words he has for the religious leaders are indeed harsh because they have failed to help the people understand the spirit of the Law. But what about this woman who asked for healing? It’s not stated directly in the text, but my theory is that he was setting her up to defend herself because he needed those around her (including his own disciples) to hear what she had to say. He quickly commends her, so it certainly wasn’t the case that he had animosity against this woman.

Jesus is always on the opposite side of the story from fear. When the disciples are afraid of the ability to feed people, Jesus steps in and shows them abundance. When Peter starts to sink on the water, Jesus remains steadfast and pulls him back up. We never see him panic, never see him despair. Fear is not in his playbook, and this should be part of the Kingdom we inhabit.

There’s a lot of irony in today’s New Testament passage. Jesus is talking about the treasure of the Kingdom that he brings, and then those most familiar with him reject the gift he brings, because they think he is just one of them. On one hand, this is sad for them. Jesus is right there, and he is offering a great gift. On the other hand, this is a strong indicator of what Jesus was like: he didn’t come to impress anyone with himself, so much so that people really did think he was a commoner. If God becoming man meant God wanted to be average so that the average would know God was accessible to them, then that mission was certainly accomplished.

Jesus talks a lot about the Kingdom, because it’s a strange place compared to the religious landscape people have come to expect. Grandiose temples and spectacle were the order of the day both for the Jews and the Romans, so Jesus casting a picture of a Kingdom that starts so small it it barely seen would have seemed pretty ridiculous. Who wants to be part of that? And yet this was the better option, a Kingdom that continues growing today.