Friday September 25th: The Nature of Discipleship

We cannot follow a Jesus of glory while rejecting the Jesus of the Passion.

Luke 9: 18 – 22

In today’s gospel, Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” Many people had different opinions about Him, but Peter gives the decisive answer: “The Christ of God.” To show Jesus properly is not simply to recognize Him as a great teacher, prophet, or miracle worker. Jesus is the Messiah, the One sent by the Father to save humanity. Yet immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus reveals that His mission is not one of triumph and victory in the conventional sense, but of suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection.

The gospel teaches us that true faith in Jesus must include acceptance of His Cross. If we misunderstand Jesus, we will also misunderstand the nature of discipleship, which is the willingness to deny oneself and embrace the path of sacrificial love. We cannot follow a Jesus of glory while rejecting the Jesus of the Passion. To be His disciple means allowing our lives to be shaped by His self-giving love. Knowing who Jesus truly is determines how we live and how we love.