Revved-Up - September 12, 2021

Our first reading is from the first chapter of the book of Proverbs (verses 20 to 33) and it introduces us to 'wisdom', personified as a woman who stands on the street corner, inviting all who are willing to listen.

As we go on in Proverbs, we find that there's another woman standing on the opposite corner - a sex worker - competing for attention. These images demonstrate, firstly, that the book was written for men, and secondly, that the author/s see wisdom as accessible to everyone who looks for it, a bit like those 'power of positive thinking' preachers, who are convinced that anybody can achieve anything if they only try!

This rather glib view of wisdom is critiqued within the Hebrew Bible itself. Whereas Proverbs has wisdom standing on the street corner, shouting out to anyone who cares to listen, Job struggles to find answers to his questions and cries, "Where is wisdom to be found!" (Job 28:12)

Our second reading is one of the rare examples of wisdom teaching in the New Testament. In the third chapter of the letter of James, the Apostle gives us sagely advice about the importance of controlling our tongues. The analogy he gives, that a great forest can be set ablaze by a small fire (verse 5), is telling for those of us who have experienced bushfires, and for those of us who have endured malicious gossip.

Our Gospel reading from Mark 8:27-38 is the central turning point in Mark's narrative. Up to this point, everything Jesus says and does raise questions about His identity. Here Jesus puts his disciples on the spot and asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"

Peter's answer - that Jesus is 'the Christ' - is correct, and is it's a breakthrough moment for the disciples. Even so, it quickly becomes clear that Peter and Jesus had every different understandings of what being 'the Christ' was all about! Jesus disciples were quite capable of being totally right about Jesus and totally wrong about Him at the same time (and we still are)!

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