2437AFC091324 – What Did Jesus Do? ← 😊 PODCAST LINK
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Mark 8:31-32 – 31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly.
James 2:18 – 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
Psalm 116:9 –
9 I walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Isaiah 50:5 –
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! You may think that the title of today’s post for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time is pretty self-evident. We have the entire set of the Gospels as an account of his lessons and deeds, and we have over 2000 years of tradition and teaching on those lessons and deeds. You would be right to comment in that way. We certainly know what Jesus did; but today I am using that question as a “revision” of the movement that went around the World a few years ago – WWJD – What Would Jesus Do. The intent was to help us discern (there it is again, the series emphasis on choosing) what is the right path of action in our lives. WWJD is a good idea, and useful still today. We know what Jesus did, and we can – and should – pattern our lives after his life. That’s why we have the title. Now, why are the readings “upside down,” the Gospel first and the Old Testament reading last in our Key Verses?
This passage in the Gospel of Mark shows us the first of the three times that Jesus warned the Disciples of his coming passion and death. You can find similar accounts in Matthew 16:21-23, Luke 9:21-22, Luke 9:43-45, Luke 18:31-34. and here in Mark 8:31-38 (you might want to review those later). Here in these passages we have one of the many answers to “What did Jesus do?” As a True Prophet, he predicted his persecution and death, and his prophecies about that were 100% correct. We are told (in Luke 18) The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Today, of course, we know, and we wonder how they could have missed the point. It was not that the Lord put the meaning behind an impenetrable wall; it was that no one could conceive of the idea that a man, a man who was the Messiah, could be killed, much less be brought back from death. That was simply impossible – but with God, all things are possible. That’s just the way it works in the Absolutely Perfect Plan.
Moving on to the passage from the Letter of James, we have the conclusion of his comments about faith and works. The Letter of James is a beautiful treatise on the tenets of living a Christian life. It is a very pleasant, well-composed essay about the ethical boundaries the Christian Community should respect and teach. It is a collection of the respected teaching of someone who had a strong commitment to Christ as Lord and Savior, James the Just. The “letter” was distributed and studied widely throughout the Diaspora. For the next 300 years or so there was ongoing debate as to whether or not this document was something that should be included in the uncontested (canonical) literature but it was finally ratified by the Third council of Carthage in 397 AD. It always traveled with the name JAMES attached to it.
We have a modern example of works committed by and through faith in St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. 
Although in her own account of her life she stated that she experienced the darkness of loneliness and even abandonment, to her, God’s Light was overwhelming and she became as a shadow in its brilliance. Because of this long period of her life she experienced the consequences of being unloved and unwanted. This “God-shaped hole” in her heart gave her greater empathy for the poor and neglected – for those who were bereft of love by everyone but God. She, who felt she had not the faith to be strong, was stronger in her faith because of her works. She did what Jesus did. She faced death in the land of the living. With God, all things are possible. That’s why she lived and died knowing YOLO-F.
“In the land of the living” is a theme in the Key Verse from Psalm 116. Some translations say, “I will walk….” To me, this is a terrific answer to the existential question, “Why am I here?” I am here to walk before the Lord in the land of the living. In this living World, I experience the magnitude of God’s blessings, the relief in his Mercy, the opportunity to not only improve my life, but also to improve the lives of others; with God all things are possible – even in the Land of the Living. My entire purpose for being 
here, for being alive, is to be in God’s presence as his servant – which is my reasonable service of worship (See Romans 12:1). It is here in this life on his Earth that I can learn and understand that I am, you are, we are HIS creation – he chose to create us! – and all Creation rightly gives him joyful thanks and praise.
Together we are to walk in the sight of God and man – not just in the sight of other earthlings – but in full view of God and neighbor. We truly must consider both in choosing what we do because we know God always sees us. Recall the words of Hagar as she gave thanks for the angel of the Lord who came to her to rescue her and her child. She was told that they both would live – although her child would live a difficult life – and she called the Angel of the Lord El-roi אֵל רֱאִי El ro-ee “The God Whom I See Who Sees Me.” We cannot deny that God sees us at all times in all places in the Land of the Living so that we may one day be seen in the Land of Eternal Life. Let our prayer be that we will do what Jesus did. In God all things are possible.
We come lastly to Isaiah 50:5. In this passage, Isaiah is talking about hearing God. We are reminded of Isaiah 30:21 – And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Oh, Belovéd of God! How often we have heard his voice guiding us and – by our works, by the words of our tongues, by our thoughts – we have replied, “Nope. Not gonna do it. I can pick my own way to walk in the land of the living.” And then we intone, “I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my Brothers and Sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do ….” Have we in our own lives in the land of the living done as Israel did and rebelled against the Lord? Have we given false worship, false contrition, false testimony of the Love of our God for us sinners? Instead of repenting, have we just turned our backs on God as a discommendation – a reproach instead of praise – in response to his Mercy? Can we paraphrase Joshua and say, “As for me and my house, we will not rebel for rebellion is idolatry.” Shall we be the ones who refuse to Rescue The Perishing? (↔ Music Link)
No, ʻŌmea, we know that there is no liberty in rebellion. Liberty is Freedom and Freedom is the ability to do what we ought to do, and that goes back to Romans 12:1 – the transforming sacrifice of repentance which is to fully submit to the Father all that we are, all that we have, everything we do. We must do as Jesus did. There is a Calvary ahead for all of us as we take up our cross (I am my cross) and follow him there. (↔ Music Link) And why did he go, what must we do to follow him there? The answer is in John 12:26 – 26 serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. With God all things are possible, so let’s just do what Jesus did, keeping our eyes and ears open, and let the Devil do his own thing without us.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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