✝️ Chapter 7: The Great Confession and the Cross
Mark 8 – 9 — “The Glory Hidden in the Wound”
A Franciscan Clarean Commentary by Sister Abigail Hester, OFC
📖 Scripture
“Who do you say that I am?”
— Mark 8 : 29
🔍 1. The Turning Point
Up to now, Jesus has been healing, feeding, and dazzling the crowds.
But in Mark 8 the tone changes. The miracles fade; the mission sharpens.
Scholars call this the hinge of Mark’s Gospel. Everything before it whispers who is this man? — and now the question lands squarely in Peter’s lap.
Peter blurts out, “You are the Christ.”
Right answer… wrong expectations.
He imagines victory, not vulnerability.
Franciscan Clareans feel that sting.
How often we crown love as hero but recoil when love bleeds?
Mark’s Jesus insists: the Christ is not a conqueror but a companion in suffering.
🕊️ 2. “Get Behind Me, Satan” — The Temptation of Power
When Jesus predicts his death, Peter rebukes him, and Jesus fires back:
“Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Modern scholars like Ched Myers see this as Jesus resisting the same temptation he faced in the wilderness — the lure of success over sacrifice.
Franciscan Clareans recognize this as a daily exorcism:
The spirit of empire always whispers, “Be impressive.”
But the Spirit of Christ says, “Be present.”
To follow means getting behind Jesus again — not ahead, not in charge, but walking the dusty path of humble love.
⚖️ 3. The Cost of Discipleship
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
This is no invitation to misery. It’s a call to solidarity.
The cross is not punishment—it’s participation in the world’s healing pain.
Scholars remind us the word “deny” (aparnesasthō) means “disown” one’s ego.
Francis did that literally—disowning wealth, reputation, even family approval.
Clare did it quietly, behind monastery walls, living a radiant resistance to luxury and dominance.
Franciscan Clareans read the cross as the cosmic intersection where love absorbs violence and transforms it into mercy.
🌄 4. The Transfiguration — Glory in the Dust
“And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white.” — Mark 9 : 2–3
Peter, James, and John glimpse divinity shining through humanity.
Scholars note Mark’s Greek word metemorphōthē—metamorphosis—suggests revelation, not change.
Jesus isn’t becoming divine; he’s revealing what’s been true all along.
For Franciscan Clareans, this is theology in sunlight:
Every creature glows with hidden divinity.
The poor, the leper, the sparrow, the weed—all shimmer with transfigured grace when seen through love’s eyes.
Peter wants to build tents—to contain the moment.
But God interrupts: “Listen to him.”
In other words: don’t trap glory; trust it.
The vision fades, but the lesson stays—glory travels with us, disguised as compassion.
👼 5. The Healer of the Unbelieving
“I believe; help my unbelief!” — Mark 9 : 24
A father brings his tormented son, and even his faith trembles.
Jesus meets him there, halfway between doubt and devotion.
Scholars highlight this as one of Mark’s rawest prayers.
It’s faith without pretense—the kind that sighs more than shouts.
Franciscan Clareans pray this daily.
Faith isn’t a fortress; it’s a trembling trust that keeps showing up.
Our weakness is not our shame—it’s the soil grace prefers.
🧒 6. The Child in the Center
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
And he took a little child and put it among them. — Mark 9 : 35–36
Jesus doesn’t lecture about humility; he performs it with a gesture.
Scholars call this a “living parable.”
In Roman culture, children were property with no status.
Jesus redefines greatness around vulnerability.
Franciscan Clareans bow here.
We build communities where tenderness leads and power kneels.
Our theology is childlike—curious, gentle, unclenched.
Our spirituality: holy play that dethrones ego.
🔥 7. Salt and Fire — The Alchemy of Love
“Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” — Mark 9 : 50
Salt preserves, purifies, and heals wounds.
Jesus calls disciples to become living seasoning—people who keep the world from rotting into cynicism.
Franciscan Clareans taste this metaphor deeply.
To be salt is to make love tangible, justice flavorful, and peace impossible to forget.
To be fire is to burn away what cannot endure mercy.
Every act of compassion refines creation one spark at a time.
💫 8. Reflection — The Radiance of the Cross
Mark 8–9 turns the world inside out: glory comes wrapped in humility; kingship kneels; power serves.
This is the Franciscan Clarean paradox:
The throne is the cross.
The crown is compassion.
The transfiguration glows in every act of service.
Peter wanted a Messiah of triumph.
Jesus offered a Messiah of tenderness.
The Church still struggles with that trade.
But Mark, Francis, and Clare whisper the same truth:
Love looks like loss before it looks like victory.
Only those willing to weep with the world will ever resurrect it.
🌿 Closing Prayer
Christ of the mountain and the marketplace,
transfigure our seeing.
Let us glimpse your glory in the scarred and small.
Teach us to carry crosses as torches,
to believe even through trembling,
and to honor every child, every creature,
as your radiant reflection.
Amen.
Sister Abigail Hester 
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