A Word in Time

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Turning to his disciples, Jesus asks them who they think he is, and Peter confesses that Jesus is the ‘Messiah of God’ ( v. 20), the anointed one expected by many Jews at the time. While implicitly accepting the designation, Jesus warns his disciples not to tell anyone about it ( v. 21). The reason is that the path Jesus would follow differed from what many expected of a Messiah, and Jesus describes to his disciples what to expect in the first of three passion predictions (see also Luke 9:43b-45; 18:31-34). The term ‘Son of Man’ is used elsewhere in the gospels for Jesus and may allude to the use of the title in Daniel 7:13-14, where the ‘Son of Man’ receives authority from God. Jesus explains that he will suffer, face rejection by the leaders of Israel, die, and rise again on the third day ( v. 22). Do you agree that this story is written from someone who looked at the world many years on and sought to find the beginnings of the darker place which that world has become? We may be tempted to follow a lifestyle that does not make demands of us or require the same level of discipline that Jesus expects. Remind yourself today about the Methodist Way of Life and why it is so helpful as a daily guide to living. I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour spoken through your apostles. (vs 1b-2)

Jesus gradually opens the eyes of his followers to a greater understanding of truth about his mission and purpose. Those of us who know how the story unfolds will realise that even the Crucifixion is not a final statement, but leads into a new chapter that emerges from the Resurrection and the unleashing of the Spirit of God in the world. Prison chaplains probably use the gift of encouragement more than any other gift. In our presence, in our words and in our actions, we offer to prisoners a version of God that says they are valued, loved, and not forgotten. We simply encourage them, and it makes a difference to their outlook on life. For members of the Early Church, angels were considered so important that the writer of the book of Hebrews (which was written before the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD), deemed it of the highest importance to get angels into the very first chapter. And furthermore, our author also felt compelled to state their heavenly hierarchy in relation to Jesus.Does the God the writer of Genesis envisages in the words we have read, relate to the God we know through his son Jesus, or was the writer mistaken and confused? Tradition tells us that Matthew's Gospel was authored by Matthew the tax collector, the disciple of Jesus. There is also an understanding that Matthew took Mark’s Gospel as his primary source. As is clear, Matthew's Gospel is considerably longer than Mark's, and some suggest the use of an outside source which we do not have. Although written in Greek, it is believed that the original may have been in Aramaic as the style is much in that tradition. Matthew uses many Old Testament references and the opening section, containing the birth of Jesus, is from that genre.

John’s Gospel begins with these words, which are simple and yet profound. We are told three times that the Word ‘was’ – not that the Word ‘came into being’ or ‘became’, but simply that the Word ‘was’. There is no beginning for the Word; the Word was always there, and always will be. This is the same divine presence who is called "I am who I am" ( Exodus 3:14). The words sum up God’s unending being.

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But then, the writer envisages the next change. God looks upon the people and decides they need to be divided and scattered across the face of the larger world. God confuses the languages being spoken, the people scatter, and the world which the writer sees around him, and indeed which is the same world we live in today, came into being.

Looking at climate change and increasing alienation between the nations we see around us, do we see some similarities with what was happening at this time? Today's passage from John’s Gospel features an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. In John's Gospel it takes place a chapter after Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. While Nicodemus was a respected Jewish religious male, the woman’s presence at the well alone in the heat of the sun probably indicates that, unlike Nicodemus, she was a marginalised figure. In what ways have you noticed yourself or others trying to fit Jesus into your or their own agenda or projects? The point in Mary’s song is that God has redressed the balance of the world: the hungry are fed and those who already have plenty are not given any more; those who are powerless are given a position and those who are all-powerful are challenged. Hannah and Mary each receive a vision of how the world might be when righteousness prevails, when all are treated as equal in the sight of God. This vision continues to inspire God’s faithful people in a world where there seems to be too much power in the wrong hands; where affluent countries waste food that might feed starving people; where abuse of God’s creation is causing untold devastation for those who have fewest resources; where vaccines are not available to the vulnerable. Things need to be turned round… When I listen to Jewish and Muslim prisoners discuss their faith and to my imam and rabbi prison chaplaincy colleagues, I hear angels mentioned quite often. My Hindu colleague tells me that Hinduism also has a special focus on d evas (celestial beings) with the belief that every living thing is assigned a devas to guard them, although these are not strictly angels as in the Abrahamic traditions.

Think of a time in your life when someone took an interest and showed they cared by encouraging you to be better or to go further. How did that motivate you?