22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)
Scriptures: Jer. 20:7-9; Ps. 62:2-6, 8-9; Rom. 12:1-2; Mt. 16:21-27
All the prophets in the Old Testaments went through some kind of suffering. They faced opposition for their prophetic role. But Prophet Jeremiah is one such prophet who faced the toughest opposition. He lived in the times (650 B.C. to about 580 B.C.) when Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, was getting surrounded by the mighty Babylonian empire. Guided by the spirit of the Lord, Jeremiah corrected people and asked the Jewish leaders to amend their lives from sinfulness. He counselled the Jewish leaders to surrender to the enemy as the only option. For this, he was accused of treason against the city of God. He experienced rejection and opposition to every step of his life.
There are a number of incidences where Jeremiah was seen ill-treated, humiliated, physically attacked by his people. One of the incidences, Passhur, the priest and the chief of the house of the Lord had beaten Jeremiah for his preaching and put him in the stocks in the upper Benjamin Gate (Jer. 20:1-2). At another occasion, Jeremiah was sentenced to death for his prophecy against the city of Jerusalem (Jer. 26:11). King Jehoiakim had burnt the entire scroll of Jeremiah in the fire (Jer. 36:23). Jeremiah was also thrown into the cistern of the king’s son which was full of mud. (Jer. 38:6). Jeremiah was called a liar (Jer. 43:2). We can imagine how Jeremiah was rejected from the beginning of his preaching. Jeremiah had predicted calamities but they were delayed therefore people made him a laughing stock. He felt useless to preach. He was tempted to give up his preaching. We find him complaining to God in today’s first reading. But he continued to preach till the end of his life. He was perhaps killed. He felt the fire within him burning to continue God’s mission. Jeremiah showed us that the acceptance of suffering is to do the will of God. But it became clear in the person of Jesus Christ.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns to his disciples. It is interesting to note in the Gospel of Mathew that Jesus will not speak to the people but only to his disciples. There are no parables, no public instructions; only one miracle of exorcism (ch. 17:14-20). The people are not mentioned only in chapter 19. There are no opponents too. Jesus has now focused his final destination i.e. Jerusalem. Having made them known that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, He openly spoke to his disciples about his passion, death and resurrection. It was the first time that he spoke about his suffering to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus predicted three times about his passion in the Gospel of Mathew. It was a preparation of his disciples to accept this hard truth that the son of man should suffer and die to save humanity. The scriptures had revealed that the Son of Man must suffer. It was recorded in the book of Daniel (2:28) and in the book of Isaiah (53:6). They had also known the life of Jeremiah. They also knew that the people considered Jesus as Jeremiah or one of the prophets who has come to life (Last Sunday’s gospel).
It was difficult for the disciples to accept it. Peter’s response is viewed as he continues to be in the role of representing the disciples. Peter refused to accept Jesus’ claim that he would suffer, die and rise again. He had confessed that Jesus, was the messiah just a few moments earlier. Now it was difficult to accept the possibility of the Messiah being killed. The idea of suffering and death of Messiah did not enter into the mind of Peter. Peter had wrong ideas of Messiah. He thought that Jesus would throw the Romans away and take charge of Israel. They would have absolute freedom like the days of King David. He would be in command just below his master. Therefore, he made a bold approach to correct Jesus. He was sure that Jesus was not to die. Jesus made him realize that suffering and death is the way by which God would show that He is victorious. When Jesus rebuked Peter and told him to get behind him, he meant to say that he should not lead the way. He should follow the way of the master. He should suffer like the master.
This is a call of discipleship. The true disciple is the one who ‘denies himself, takes up his cross and follows him’. St. Paul understood it very well. We have heard in the previous chapter in the letter to the Romans, St. Paul made it very clear that he turned to the pagans to preach the Gospel because the Jews had rejected Jesus, they had rejected his preaching. Now he tells his readers, God has displayed his great love and mercy through Jesus Christ who calls them to follow him. He guides them to respond to this call by totally offering themselves to God. He tells them that there was no need to offer any victim as an offering like the Jews and pagans did. Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was once and for all. He is the victim of the sacrifice. Therefore, we need to just follow our master. We need to offer ourselves totally to God. He challenges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice only pleasing to God.
Prophet Jeremiah and Jesus suffered in their lives. There are many parallelisms drawn in the trials of Prophet Jeremiah and Jesus Christ (Jer 26 and Mt. 21, 24, 26-27). Both of them suffered to do the will of God in their lives. It is an invitation to all of us: to accept suffering as the will of God. St. Peter later understood it in his life. He says, “Those who suffer according to the will of God, entrust their souls to their creator, and continue doing what is right” (1 Pet. 4:19).
