WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM
The gospel lesson this morning picks up where we left off last week. After his little run-in with the Sadducees and Pharisees in Magadan, Jesus and his disciples headed north to Caesarea Philippi. When they got there, he asked his disciples two important questions: Who do others say that the Son of Man is? And who do you say that I am?
Let me tell you some of the answers I’ve heard or read. My personal Lord and Saviour. The Son of God. God incarnate. He’s my life, the song I sing, my everything. Buddy, brother, friend, homeboy. Rock, comforter, coach. Teacher. Example. The copilot next to me. The list could go on and on.
At some point or another we’ve probably all been told who Jesus is. Maybe you heard it from priests, teachers, parents, friends, or prayer groups. Maybe you read it in books, Sunday school lessons, or on bumper stickers. Maybe you saw it on Facebook, read it on the internet, or heard it in a song. Some of the answers may have been helpful. Some were not. Some were just plain silly and some may have even been hurtful and destructive. Regardless, the question remains.
I don’t think Jesus is asking us to just parrot back the answers we’ve heard or read. Maybe that’s why he pushes the disciples to move from what they are hearing around them – John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets – to what they are hearing within themselves. “But who do you say that I am?”
First, let me set the scene. We visited Caesarea Philippi on our trip to the Holy Land years back. This spot, where Jesus and his disciples stood, is at the base of Mount Herman. It was the site of several pagan temples. You can walk among their ruins to this day and see the footprint of the floors and walls and the little niches carved into the mountainside where various statues were placed.
To the left of the ruins you’ll see the mouth of a large cave partially filled with water. In Jesus’ day, water would gush up out of this cave without warning, as if it were spewing up from the depths of the earth. When the water was calm, people tried to measure its depth. Try as they may, they couldn’t reach the bottom. It became known as the “gates of hell.”
In the middle of the pool stands a large table rock, and it was on this rock that children were sacrificed to appease the angry god, Molech. After a child was slain, the body would be thrown into the water. If it sank, Molech was pleased. If not, the sacrifice was in vain.
Knowing this helps us to appreciate the significance of Jesus’ words, when he told Peter, “I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
Jesus and his disciples went from the Sea of Galilee up to Caesarea Philippi. When they got there, Jesus asked a simple question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13) He got a variety of answers:
Our Lord knew the tendency we have to leave personal conviction for public consensus, and thus he framed two very important questions for our consideration. First, the question of public consensus. “Who do men say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13). Then, the question of personal conviction: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). This is the question of our time: who do you say that He is?
Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I am?” The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Some say you are Elijah. Some say you are Jeremiah. Some say you are one of the prophets.” Here is a classic case of public consensus. They were giving their own polling results. They were aware that popular opinion, public consensus, was divided among four different opinions. Things have not changed much. There is still a lot of divided opinion today, and the words “some say,” are present in our own modern vernacular.
“Some say you are John the Baptist.” John the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance. These people sensed Jesus was a man of righteousness and perhaps they thought of John the Baptist because of his preaching of repentance.
“Some say you are Elijah.” These people must have sensed His greatness. To the Jew, Elijah was one of the greatest of the prophets and teachers of all times. To this day at the Seder meal, Elijah’s chair is left vacant. Elijah was a man of prayer. The people of Palestine had watched our Lord Jesus calm storms with a prayer, multiply the loaves and fishes with a prayer. No wonder, “Some say” He is Elijah.
“Some say you are Jeremiah.” These were obviously those who were aware of His tears, His passion, His burden for His people. They had seen the heart of Jesus. They had watched Him as He wept over the City of Jerusalem and as He wept at the grave of Lazarus. No wonder, “Some say” He is Jeremiah.
“Some say you are one of the prophets.” Here is the very essence of public consensus. He was one of the prophets. These were those who did not know what to believe but could not discount His miracles and godly life. Some still say today that He is one of the prophets.
Ask our Islamic friends. They will tell you that He is a prophet, but not as great as Mohammed. They will tell you He did not rise from the dead. Ask our Jewish friends, and they will tell you He was a godly man and a prophet.
The question of public consensus still reveals that most think He was a great teacher or a prophet but not God come in the flesh. The question of public consensus speaks of two things – It speaks of pluralistic compromise and political correctness.
And now, we find ourselves ministering in the 21st century. These are days of unbelievable challenge and opportunity. But Christ has a question for His church today. I believe it is the issue that all true Christians must face for the next generation. It is the question of our time. It is the question of Matthew 16:15 – “Who do you say that I am?” This is the question for us! God is asking us – “Who do you say that I am?”
There are two distinct styles of Christianity prevalent today. There are those who follow Christ by public consensus, and there are those who follow Christ by personal conviction. These individuals strive to make their decisions on the conviction of what is right and wrong and then stand upon that personal conviction. “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14)
But the more pressing question is not what the world says, but what each of us has to say. That leads to the second question Jesus asked: Who do you say that I am? Peter was first to speak up. He said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
Now, before you put Peter on a pedestal, listen carefully to how Jesus responded. He said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17)
Faith is, first and foremost, a gift of the Holy Spirit – not something you can conjure up on your own. If you have faith, praise the Lord. And if you don’t, pray that the Lord will give you faith, according to his will. Just don’t think too highly of yourself if you have a lot of faith, or put yourself down if you only have a little. Faith is a gift of the Spirit. Be thankful for what you have and trust God to give you what you need to accomplish his will for your life.
So, Peter made his confession, and Jesus commended him, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah,
for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my assembly,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)
It’s easy to say that Jesus is the Lord, but that doesn’t mean much until others can see him at work in your life. One of my elders used to put it this way: “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Is the way you think and act decidedly different from the world around you?
To know Jesus as the Lord is more than to know who Jesus is; it’s to know him in your heart; to live in relationship with him, day by day; to be led by his Spirit. It’s to be instructed by his teachings, to feel his presence, walk in his footsteps and follow his example.
I never owned one, but I liked the little W.W.J.D. bracelets I used to see people wearing: W. W. J. D. – What Would Jesus Do? There are no clear-cut answers, but to ask the question is a great way to live by faith.
Ask yourself, in whatever situation or circumstance you face, “What would Jesus do here? What would Jesus say? How would Jesus react?” It can help you get beyond your own gut-level feelings and respond in a more Christ-like manner.
Do this routinely, and, over time, it’ll transform your life. You’ll be less critical and more forgiving. You’ll find it easier to love those who are rough around the edges and to be patient with those who grate on your nerves. Best of all, you’ll find your greatest pleasure, not in the trappings of this world, but in the simple gift of serving others.
Here’s but one example: I have a friend who’s principal of an elementary school in Zimbabwe. One day there was a minor altercation on the playground – a second-grader pushed one of his classmates off the slide, and, while she wasn’t hurt, it could’ve been dangerous. The teacher sent for the principal.
She talked with the children in the hallway outside their classroom. She got their story and then explained the seriousness of playground safety and how important it was to be nice to each other. When she finished, the little girl apologized, and that was that.
A couple of days later, she happened to see the little girl with her mother in the checkout line at the grocery store. She smiled, and they waved discreetly to each other. She got into the adjacent checkout line, but was in earshot of the little girl. She overheard the mother ask her daughter, “Who was that lady who just waved to you?” The little girl said, “She works at our school.” “What does she do?” the mother asked. The little girl said, “She helps people apologize.”
What I hope you’ll take home with you this morning is this: The closer your relationship with Jesus, the more others will come to know you as one of his disciples; and the more you live as one of his disciples, the more complete and content your life will be.
- Who do we say Jesus is following fires in BC?
- Who do we say Jesus is amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and in the continuing persecutions by the (un)Islamic State?
- Who do we say Jesus is as Ebola spreads, as Ukrainian refugees cry out in need, as people in other countries go to bed hungry, live amidst domestic violence, or work for a wage that cannot support a family?
- Who do we say Jesus is when a loved one dies, the doctor gives news we did not want to hear, or our life seems to be falling apart?
- Who do we say Jesus is when we are faced with decisions that have no easy answers, when the night is dark and the storms of life overwhelm us, when faithfulness means risking it all and taking a stand against a louder and seemingly more powerful majority?
- Using the context of these few examples what does it mean to say Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior, my example, or my brother and friend? What does it mean to say Jesus is my life, the song I sing, or my teacher?
Here’s my point. Who we say Jesus is has everything to do with who and how we are and will be. In some ways our answer says as much or more about us than Jesus. It reveals how we live and what we stand up for. It guides our decisions, and determines the actions we take and the words we speak. It describes the expectations and demands we place on Jesus. It discloses the depth of our motivation for and commitment to following him, a motivation and commitment
Let others talk about what “some say”. The question for us from the lips of our Lord Himself is this one – “Who do you say that I am?”