Gospel: Mark 8:27-33

 

Today’s Gospel speaks about Peter’s blindness who does not understand the proposal of Jesus when he speaks about suffering and of the Cross. Peter accepts Jesus as Messiah, but not a suffering Messiah. He is influenced by the yeast of Herod and the Pharisees, that is, by the propaganda of the government of that time in which the Messiah was a glorious Messiah. 

 

He was not aware of anything, but wanted Jesus to be as he wished. The Gospel of Mark transmits to us three announcements of the Passion and death of Jesus. Is a long instruction of Jesus to the disciples to help them to overcome the crisis produced by the Cross. The instruction is introduced by the healing of a blind man and at the end it is concluded with the healing of another blind man. The two blind persons represent the blindness of the disciples. 

 

The healing of the first blind man was difficult. Jesus had to do it in two stages. The blindness of the disciples was also difficult. Jesus had to give a long explanation concerning the meaning of the Cross to help them understand why the cross was producing blindness in them. 

 

The blindness of the disciples is also cured by Jesus, in different stages, not all at once. The response of Jesus to Saint Peter was very hard: “Get behind me, Satan!” Satan is a Hebrew word which means accuser, the one who leads others away from the way to God. Jesus does not allow anyone to lead him away from his mission. Literally the text says: “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter has to follow Jesus. He must not change things and intend that Jesus follows Peter.