Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’ He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’

There is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands the disciples not to tell anyone he is the Messiah. This silence is not denial, but a time of waiting. The disciples do not yet understand what kind of Messiah Jesus is. They may still imagine triumph and earthly power, while Jesus speaks of rejection, suffering, death and resurrection. Only after Easter will the meaning of Peter’s profession of faith become clear.

For us, however, the time for silence has passed. We live after the Resurrection and Pentecost, entrusted with proclaiming the Good News. In the Roman world, “good news” was sometimes used for announcements celebrating rulers, including Augustus. The early Christians gave the term its true and transforming centre: the world’s Saviour is not Caesar, but Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord.
This is our time to speak, but evangelising is more than shouting from the rooftops. It means allowing our words and lives to answer Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). Such witness may cost us something. In the verse following today’s reading, Jesus calls his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. Sharing his Gospel asks for courage, self-giving and a willingness to be misunderstood.

Before we speak, we must listen; before we proclaim Christ, we must follow him. Then our lives themselves can become good news. And so we pray in the words found later in today’s psalm: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God” (Psalm 143:10).

Is today a time to keep silent or to speak or a time for both?