While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men."
But they did not understand this saying.
Where Saint Mark scolds the disciples for their stubborn incomprehension, Saint Luke makes excuses for them. What he was saying about dying in Jerusalem was simply beyond their imagination. "It was," as Casca said of Julius Caesar's remarks, "Greek to me."
We can imagine the disciples eagerly sitting up and listening in response to Jesus' command, "Pay attention to what I am telling you!" And then falling back into bewilderment at his next remark, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men."
They have seen him walk on water, calm a storm, rebuke demons, and heal the sick. How can he possibly be arrested and executed? The man is untouchable! Didn't they try to get hold of him and throw him over a cliff at Nazareth? Didn't he walk right through the angry mob and off to the next town? It doesn't make sense.
There are many things Jesus can do. One thing he cannot do is disobey his Father. He cannot and will not.
Children and parents sometimes like to play with words. The child asks, "Can I...?" and the parent -- too clever by half -- might reply, "You can but you may not." Can means, "You have the ability;" and may not means, "I don't permit it."
It should be a distinction without a difference to the child. They can't and won't.
When the moment was right Jesus turned water to wine. But he could not change stones into bread. It was not permitted.
The centurion understood perfectly, as he explained to Jesus:
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.
Why is that so hard to get?
Why do people think God can do whatever he wants? Perhaps they like to think of God as "he" and the misconception begins there. God as "she" might not be so free.
God as obedient? Always submissive and willing? Never willful? Isn't happiness doing as one pleases without restraint or accountability? Isn't that freedom?
The Gospels describe another kind of freedom and a different kind of happiness. These divine qualities, as revealed in the New Testament, are truer to our human experience. But they fly in the face of what we think we should have.
Let the final word be Dante's, "In his will is our peace."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.