The best one ever

Jesus and the Apostles were praying when He asked them, "Who do other people say that I am?" The Apostles said, "Some people say you're John the Baptist or a prophet." "But who do you think I am?" Jesus asked. Peter answered, "You are the one sent by God."

A lot of arguments between kids are about things you like. You shout that Hilary Duff is TOO the best singer ever, while someone in your class says she's just okay. A friend thinks the Yankees are the greatest baseball team, but you're a Mets fan.

Jesus had similar problems. We hear about it in this week's Gospel (Luke 9:18-24). In the Gospel story, Jesus asks the Apostles who people say He really is. They confess that people are saying He's just some prophet, not God.

If you've argued about who's the best, you might understand what Jesus was told: that people who didn't like Him were saying, "He's not so great. He's just another guy acting like He knows God." 

Kids say things like that all the time: "Hilary Duff isn't so great -- she wears ugly clothes and I don't like her songs." "The Yankees aren't so great; the Mets try harder." 

The problem with trashing Hilary, the Yankees or Jesus is that someone else may really like them. If you like Hilary's music and someone says she's terrible, you might feel like they're saying YOU'RE terrible!

Luckily, the Apostles didn't waste time worrying about what other people thought. They knew who they liked: Jesus. And they had faith that Jesus really was the Son of God.

When you believe in what someone does -- like being a fan of the Mets -- you stick with your team. The Apostles were determined to stick with Jesus!

(6/17/04)