“The Gospel passage we hear today comes from a set of passages that are often referred to as “the hard sayings of Jesus”. These are the passages that don’t offer wonderful metaphors about the abiding and overwhelming love of the Creator of the Universe for frequently errant humanity, or stories of Good Shepherds and lost lambs being brought back to the flock, or children being welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven as particularly beloved of the Almighty. No healing miracles, no blessings, no comfortable words.

These are the stories that demanded much of the audience contained within the narrative itself, the people Rabbi Jesus is directly addressing, They demand even more of those who listen to the narrative– to those who heard the first recounting of the story, when the gospel we know as Mark was a piece of performance art declaimed in front of groups of people. It demands much from a congregation like us, hearing it two millennia later. “

Lectionary Readings:
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
Psalm 22:22-30