Jesus had begun His ministry by announcing the kingdom of God. He called disciples to follow Him and then revealed to them, by His miracles, His exorcisms and His teaching, what God’s rule meant. In today’s Gospel, Jesus questions His disciples about His true identity; and so, having heard what the crowds say about Him, He asks them who they think He is. Peter speaks up with the correct answer: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. But Jesus needs to qualify this answer by adding a truth which the disciples will not welcome.
Jesus now tells them that He will be a Messiah who will certainly give life through being raised after three days. Like the disciples, we get used to Jesus’ company. We are used to seeing the cross as a decoration on the Church wall or as a piece of jewelry. We have heard His words about the cross many times before.
But let us today try to hear those words anew, as we were hearing them for the first time. Is what He says true? Must we risk losing our life in order to gain it? Can’t we just carry on in the same old way, where our religion does really make many demands on us but gives us comfort? Surely we can save our life but not lose it?