Commentary: The Prophet Zechariah lived during the time immediately following the Exile of the Jews to Babylon during the 500s B.C. After they were allowed to return, they worked on rebuilding their society, including literally rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. This was a time of restoration for the people of God and their desire was for complete renewal of the kingdom, including the reinstitution of the Davidic line of kings. It was during this time, therefore, that there developed the hope for the coming of the Messiah (which means “anointed one”) to bring about restoration. The first reading today from Zechariah speaks of this time of future restoration when God would pour out a “spirit of grace and petition.” At that time, the Lord would open up “a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.” The description of that time revolves around mourning over the one “whom they have pierced.” In the Gospel of John, it is made clear that this was referring to Jesus (see John 19:37) on the cross. Jesus is the “only son” and “firstborn” who would be “pierced” and whose death would be mourned in Jerusalem. Specifically, this refers to Jesus’ side being pierced on the cross. It is from the pierced side of Jesus that blood and water poured forth, representing baptism and the Eucharist and the grace of salvation. Thus, from the pierced side of Jesus comes the “fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.” Jesus is the Messiah who came to purify us from our sins and he made that possible through His death on the cross.
Commentary: The Apostle Paul’s message in today’s reading is that through faith and baptism we become children of God. That, then, is our primary identity and other parts of our identity (Jew or Greek, slave or free person, male or female) are less important. In Paul’s day these were very distinct groups who were treated very differently from each other. Paul’s point was not that these designators are not important or true to one’s identity but that being “in Christ” was more important and in the Church all have equal dignity and status. Also, all have an equal opportunity for salvation. In other words, just because someone was a Jew did not give them a better chance of salvation than a Gentile. The same would go for the other categories. This was a counter-cultural teaching in a society in which Jews and Gentiles did not typically associate with one another, slaves were treated with much less status than free people, and women had significantly fewer rights and opportunities than men. But in Christ, those societal divides are washed away and all are one. All have the opportunity through faith and baptism to become children of God and “Abraham’s children” (meaning part of the people of God) and with that “heirs according to the promise,” which means inheritors of the gift of salvation.
Commentary: In today’s gospel, Jesus poses two important questions to His disciples. These questions are just as important for us today as they were when Jesus originally posed them. The first question was intended to gauge popular opinion of Himself: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The response indicates that most people thought Jesus was a prophet but nothing more. What if this question was posed today? Most people in our society have a positive response to Jesus and think He was a prophet, a good teacher, an effective religious leader, a good moral example, and other similar descriptors. All of these answers are true of Jesus. But like the crowds in Jesus’ day, popular opinion of Jesus today falls short of His true identity. Peter’s response to Jesus’ second question gets at the heart of it. In response to the question, “But who do you say that I am?”, Peter proclaimed, “The Christ of God.” Thus, Peter recognized that Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the “anointed one,” who came into the world to bring salvation. He is, in fact, God in the flesh. This identity sets Jesus apart from all other prophets, teachers, religious leaders, and moral examples. It reveals that He is not only a good person to learn from but He is to be the Lord of our lives. Jesus invites us to respond to the same question: “Who do you say that I am?” Do you believe He is Lord or just another good guy? As the author C.S. Lewis explained, Jesus only leaves us with three options about who He is because He claimed to be God. If he is not God, then He is either a liar or a lunatic. But if His claims to divinity are true, then He is Lord. Therefore, the middle ground of holding that Jesus is a good man but not God is a logical fallacy. If Jesus is not God, then He is a bad man who either lied to everyone about His identity or was crazy. But if Jesus is God (which He is!), then He should be the Lord of our lives. As Jesus invites in today’s gospel, each of us is invited to “deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow [Jesus].” This means to abandon ourselves to Jesus as Lord of our lives, entrusting ourselves completely to Him. It also means detaching ourselves from the things of this world and letting go of control of our lives, so that we seek to do God’s will rather than our own. If we can “let go and let God,” then we can find salvation.