24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Is 50:5-9a; Ps 116:1-6, 8-9; Jas 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35

Recently, an interesting survey was made in the US concerning people’s view of the personality of the God they believe in. The one who made the study are professors and researchers at Baylor University in Texas. They conducted the study last fall of 2005 and inquired 1,721 people from different religions (Catholic, Black protestant, Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, Jewish, etc.). If there is good news from this study, it is that only 10.8 percent of those polled reported no affiliation with a congregation, denomination, or other religious group. About 90 percent of Americans, at least, believe in a God or a Supreme Being (whether they have a formal religion or not, whether they go to Church or not, whether they pray or not).

Researchers came up with four categories of God, namely: “(a) an authoritarian God who metes out punishment, (b) a benevolent God who is less willing to condemn people, (c) a critical God who does not interact with the world but deals out punishment in the afterlife, and (d) a distant God who sets the laws of nature in motion but is no longer involved in the events of this world.” The study said that 31 percent of Americans believe in the authoritarian God, 23 percent in the benevolent God, 16 percent in the critical God and 25 percent in the distant God.

Personally, I find the study overly simplistic. God, as omnipotent and mysterious as He is, cannot be simply categorized. For example, I believe in a God, who loves me like a good parent, one who is both loving and tough. The God of the Bible, as far as I know, is both affectionate and firm. The God that Jesus introduced to us is both a God of mercy and of justice. Now, how should one categorizes this God?

Those who made the study suggested that the way people think about God correlates directly to their beliefs on social and moral issues. They say, for example, that if you believe in an authoritarian God, you would likely hold that abortion and pre-marital sex are wrong. Again, I find this assessment quite unreliable. People who believe in a loving God would also consider abortion and premarital sex immoral. Nevertheless, I would like to agree that people’s image of God is important because it would have a great impact in their way of life and ways of thinking and behaving.

In the gospel, Jesus also is making a survey on people’s idea about him. “Who do people say that I am?” It is quite sad that people do not even consider him a live person. They think that he is John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet resurrected. Then, the Lord confronts his closest followers, “How about you? Who do you say that I am?” And Peter, the representative of the apostles, says, “You are the Messiah.” Bravo! Peter got the correct answer.

But, wait! If Peter is right, why is he rebuked and is called Satan by Jesus after a little while? It is because he has a mistaken view of the Saviour. Like many Jews, Peter believes that the Messiah is a political and military figure who will annihilate the enemies of Israel. Thus, when Jesus predicts that he will suffer, be rejected and be killed, Peter reacts strongly. “Lord, this will not happen to you! You are the Messiah! You will conquer all!” And yet, Jesus insisted that his Father in heaven has a different mission plan. Salvation will come from the sacrifice of His Son’s life, not from the destruction of the enemy. This is the way God would like the human race to understand His love. The life of Jesus will be given as a ransom for many.

The challenge for us now is to re-examine our own idea of God. What kind of God do we believe in? Who is Jesus for you? Do you believe in a God who loves you dearly, who cares for you, who is willing to sacrifice His life for your sake, and who is ready to suffer with you?

A boy and a girl were inside a classroom when they notice a picture of Jesus on the wall. The girl asks, “Why do you think Jesus keeps looking at us?

“It’s because he wanted to keep an eye on us: to see whether we are doing good or bad?” the boy replied. “What about you? What do you think?”

Then the girl said, “I guess Jesus is watching us carefully because he doesn’t want that something bad can happen to us.”