Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Immediately following Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, a moment which was of central significance in the evolution of the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, Jesus opens their eyes into another secret concerning his identity: his messiahship was not only about the working of miracles and glory. Jesus was a messiah who was going to be subjected to rejection, persecution, and death. It was a revelation that didn’t go down well with the apostles, especially with Peter who was not afraid to make his disapproval known. Peter did not understand how the anointed one of God could end up being killed by mere mortals. Moreover, suffering and rejection was not part of the Messiah’s identity and mission. The messiah was the ultimate savior of the righteous, the hero who was to conquer and triumph over the forces of evil. Wasn’t the Messiah supposed to be the epitome of the triumph of goodness over evil? Peter was not alone in his objection to Jesus’ being subjected to persecution and suffering. Like most of his contemporaries, he expected a Messiah to be a powerful figure, someone who was in a position to lead the nation in overcoming the challenges it was currently facing. However, Peter’s objection showed that he did not see the mission of Jesus as a continuation of the mission of the Old Testament prophets. It was a mission that would take Jesus down the path trodden by the prophets before him: a path of denial and self-sacrifice. The messiahship of Jesus constituted self-denial and sacrifice. As a messiah, Jesus’ mission was primarily that of leading humanity back to God by showing them the right path to follow. Humanity had strayed away from God by acts of selfishness and disregard for the welfare of the other (‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’). The path that leads back to God is that of kindness, generosity, humility, concern for others, fighting for justice and fairness, and loving unconditionally. It is a path of self-sacrifice, of not counting the cost. It is a path that is not popular and seldom trodden by men and women. It is a path that will champion equality while demanding treating men and women as persons created with inalienable dignity. It is a path that challenges the status quo even as it exposes to persecution and rejection those who have chosen to take it. As a good shepherd, Jesus himself took this path in order to set an example for his followers. “If you wish to come after me, you too must be ready to walk this path,” Jesus added as he invited the disciples to join him. So far, they had experienced only one aspect of Jesus’ messiahship. Jesus was now inviting them to make it all the way. As followers of the messiah, they had to identify with him and take the very path he had taken. This was the path to salvation and their ministry depended on it. This was also the path to finding out who they were as co-partners with Jesus in ministry.