This week we share a revealing Gospel from Mark in which the disciples learn that Jesus is “the Christ.” The disciples also learn that this has a different meaning with the human mindset than it does with God.
The human mind immediately sees Jesus as the chosen one. He is a king in his own right that will be renowned and glorified with his disciples reigning by his side. But we soon learn that this is not God’s thinking. Jesus shares that he will be rejected, suffer, and die to save mankind. By Jesus losing his life he will build the kingdom of God. How can this be? That divine power, the kingdom, will be built out of human weakness of anger and jealousy and not its strengths of love and forgiveness.
God’s thinking shows us continuously that the kingdom is built on what we are willing to give not what we are willing to take. God calls us to give of ourselves all week, not just on Sunday. Too many times we separate faith from real life. We satisfy ourselves with worshipping God at church but not helping those less fortunate on a daily basis. God wants us to bring faith to others by our actions all week long. Our daily life should be an ongoing journey of faith.
How can our actions be inspired by faith when God calls us to use our spiritual strengths to overcome human weakness? Instead of using harsh emotions like anger, grudges, and hate, God calls us to go beyond this human mindset. Throughout the week we should show kindness when someone lashes out at us, forgiveness when someone hurts us, and patience when someone tries to demean us. Can you think like God, during your journey of faith, and use your spiritual strength to help build his kingdom?
