This coming weekend is the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  In previous posts we have been exploring the human reaction of fear in the context of the divine mission. Jesus has given them assurances for their time in the mission, reason to not be afraid. Now He provides eternal assurances: 32 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”  

There is the old expression, “fish or cut bait.” One has to choose to move forward and take action (fish) or simply be back on shore “cutting bait.” So too, the question of priorities – who to fear – is asking a radical loyalty and fidelity to Jesus.

The previous mention of judgment before God gives added urgency to the choice. You can play for the short-term benefit and garner human approval or the long play of maintaining a prior loyalty to Jesus in the face of human opposition. The issue is not merely obedience to Jesus’ teaching, but the explicit “acknowledgement” of him as Lord before a hostile world. The demand is for faithful witness to Jesus even when it means suffering in Jesus’ name.

It is not without basis that one suggests that Jesus’ verdict will be on a reciprocal basis: acknowledgement or denial depending on whether they have acknowledged or denied him. In this it is a matter of final judgment. But it is also a “long play.” Consider the story of Peter and his denials of Jesus (26:69–75). He denied Jesus under the pressure of public opinion, but Peter’s subsequent rehabilitation suggests that the stark verdict of this saying allows for a temporary lapse under pressure.

Image credit: Image credit: The Sacrament of Ordination (Christ Presenting the Keys to Saint Peter), c. 1636-40, by Nicholas Poussin, Public Domain