GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me enjoy sharing ideas with friends — and try to share more of your ideas! Amen.

Jesus asked the Apostles, “Who do people say I am?” They said, “John the Baptist, Elijah or a prophet.” Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” Peter had the answer: “You’re the Messiah, who will save the world.” Jesus warned them that He’d be hurt for saying He was the Messiah. Peter got worried. Jesus scolded him: “Get away from me, Satan! You’re thinking like a person, not like God.”

It’s fun when you have an idea and turn to a friend to share it, only to find out he or she is thinking the same thing. “Great minds think alike!” you might say — and, if both of you are having the same thought, you’ll probably act on it.

Of course, everyone wants to be original sometimes. You don’t always want to share an idea and have someone else claim he or she was thinking the exact same thing.

Jesus wouldn’t have minded, though. In this week’s Gospel (Mark 8:27-35), He seems to be wishing everyone thought like God!

If you have a thought or idea, you usually aren’t thinking someone else might have it, too. Maybe something is missing from your desk and you say to a classmate, “You don’t think anyone would steal it, do you?” Your classmate says, “I was wondering that, too” — and suddenly, you’re both worried there’s a thief around.

Sharing an idea can be positive, too. You might say to a friend, “It’s hot. We should have a water-balloon fight this weekend,” and your friend says, “I was just thinking that!” So, you plan to do it.

Jesus wanted everyone to share His ideas — especially the fact that He was the Son of God. It must have frustrated Him that, even when He said who He was, some people thought He was John the Baptist or a prophet, not God.

Jesus even scolded Peter for not thinking more like God. After all the time Jesus spent teaching the Apostles, you’d think they would have understood more and shared more of Jesus’ ideas.

Great minds do think alike sometimes. When it comes to God, Jesus wanted that to happen more often!