Twenty-second Sunday

We know that Jesus came into the world for one thing - he came to engage his HOUR. It was not a measure of minutes, rather a point in all time, with eternal dimensions. It is an expression unique to John's gospel. It first appears in John's account of the wedding feast at Cana.   When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why does this concern us? Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” Jo. 2:4 Jesus came to engage Death, not merely as a loss of human life but Death as a Being, once an angelic Being of unimaginable glory, but now a Being emptied of all truth, existing for only one purpose, to destroy. Death is Satan, the bringer of death, by seducing people into rejecting the TRUTH given by God.  From his infancy, Jesus has been pursued by Death. Already as a young boy Jesus knew of his destiny when he stayed behind behind in the temple, learning and teaching, while his parents searched for him. Jesus engaging with DEATH is first seen during his retreat in the wilderness, when Death makes it's face known and engages Jesus in the seduction of untruth. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Mtt. 4:1  Luke's account ends with - "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." Lk. 4:13 The HOUR Throughout his ministry, we see Jesus engaging Death with it legions of evil spirits. Always the threat of Death lurked near by gathering its storm for the HOUR. From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Mtt. 16:21  In today's gospel passage, when Jesus says to Peter, "... get behind me Satan", he is seeing through Peter to the one sowing this deception in Peter's mind. He knows that Peter is no match for Satan. Even though Jesus has referred to his HOUR, his disciples do not comprehend what it means. They will begin to gasp it when in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' passion becomes evident. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the HOUR is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Peter will try to defend Jesus with a sword, but Jesus stays his hand. The sword is not the weapon of victory in this HOUR.  Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled. Mtt. 26:45 If the weapon of DEATH is "Lies", then the weapon against "Lies" is TRUTH. God alone is the author of truth - not man, in spite of all man's wit-and-wisdom. Jesus does not withdraw from  threat of Death, but enters into it and in so doing brings redemption to all who are embraced by DEATH, by revealing God's TRUTH. So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jo. 8:31 Who is teaching this generation TRUTH?

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