Friday: 18^th Week in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-40: God loved your fathers and chose their descendants after them.

Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28: What has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

The Messiah Foretells His Death and Future Glory: Total Commitment

Jesus revealed that the Son of the living God was going to be killed and raised again from the dead. Jerusalem … that killed the prophets was going to commit the ultimate crime –going to kill God’s own Son (Mt 23:29-31). The disciples could not understand the reasons for their blindness. First the idea of a suffering Messiah differed radically from their own idea of the conquering Messiah (Mt 1:1, 2-1:18, 3-3:11, 11:1-6; Mk 8:27; Lk 7:21), and second, the revelation had been hidden in pictures and symbols.

1. His death required total commitment on his part (v.21-23)

a. His death was necessary: He “must go” to suffer

          1) In Jerusalem

          2) To suffer

          3) To be killed

          4) To be raised

b. His death arouses natural man

c. His death shows man to be an adversary of God

d. His death reveals man’s true nature

2. His death demands total commitment from a man (v.24)

a. Must will to follow

b. Must deny self

c. Must take up the cross

d. Must follow Jesus

3. His death offers four arguments for total commitment (v.25-28)

a. An abandonment of this of this life saves a man

b. A man’s soul is worth more than the whole world

c. A day of judgement is coming

d. A promise is given-the promise of never having to taste death

Thought: Jesus spoke of his resurrection when he spoke of his death which encourages us to bear our cross while here on earth (Lk 9:23).

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