“‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-33).
There is a very interesting and sad book written by Ernest Gordon called, “Through the Valley of the Kwai”. The book describes Gordon’s experience as a prisoner of war in Thailand during the Second World War. During this time, Gordon worked on a railroad with thousands of other prisons of the Japanese army. And while working on that project as prisoners, over twelve thousand people died of starvation…
Gordon details many different things in his book, but there is one part that I found very fascinating… during their incarceration by the Japanese, the prisoners mostly became concerned with their own survival. Food was very scarce, and the prisoners were forced to work in unimaginable conditions and so moral was low. Prisons stole from each other, betrayed each other and basically did anything that they could to survive… Eventually a couple of the prisoners decided to start a Bible Reading session during the night in secret. At first there were just a couple of them. But soon the numbers grew, until eventually hundreds of the men would read Scripture and talk about the Bible each night. As they reflected on the stories in the Gospels, it began to occur to them that they were not as unlike Christ as they might have imagined. He too had been poor, homeless, hungry, lonely, neglected, tormented, falsely imprisoned and betrayed. And yet He is God…
“Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ And they told him, ‘John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets.’ And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-33).
The Apostles knew God. They knew Him so well that they had seen Him eat and sleep and wake up in the morning. They knew Him so well that they had watched Him pray and preach and walk. They knew what it was like to see Him weary unto the point of death and still push on with the work that He was required to do. They knew he was a gentle man – an infinitely gentle man. And they knew – in their hearts – that He was God…
Saint Simon Peter was even brave enough to say it right out in black and white so that there would be no confusion or innuendo anywhere… “‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-33).
And how God must have loved him for that! How much God must have loved the soul who could say such a thing without embarrassment, plainly in the light of day…
And it occurs to me today that I never do that for my God. I never look at Him and say – for the whole world to hear – “‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-33).
And when I think about that I am sad. For I spend my life like those prisoners of war, stealing from others and lowering myself to survive. When instead, I could follow the path of the martyrs and the Saints and I could look to my God and say… “‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-33).
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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