In today’s gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” While we wouldn’t be surprised to hear a political pollster ask, “What are people saying?”, when Jesus sits down with his disciples, he isn’t polling popular opinion. Sociologists describe ancient Mediterranean peoples as “ ‘other-oriented people’ who depend on others to provide them with a sense of who they are.”[i] Identity was understood as what significant others said, not your own perception.
So, who do people say that Jesus is?
A prophet, a healer and physician, a teacher?
So, who do people say that Jesus is?
A prophet, a healer and physician, a teacher?
It is a question that people have wrestled with for centuries as they try to understand him. Since the fourth century, the Church has had a common confession in the words of the Nicene Creed because early leaders talked about this very question and determined where they could agree. And today, there is even a church word — Christology — that encompasses the whole study of who Jesus is and what his life, ministry and death teach us.
After hearing the answers given by his disciples, Jesus asks his band of followers who have witnessed his teaching, healing and feeding first-hand, “But who do you say that I am?”
If someone asked you that this morning here in the sanctuary, you might rely on the Church’s confession, naming Jesus the “God’s only son, our Lord.” And, like us, Peter answers with doctrine.
After hearing the answers given by his disciples, Jesus asks his band of followers who have witnessed his teaching, healing and feeding first-hand, “But who do you say that I am?”
If someone asked you that this morning here in the sanctuary, you might rely on the Church’s confession, naming Jesus the “God’s only son, our Lord.” And, like us, Peter answers with doctrine.
But as we’ll see when his story continues, our confession of who Jesus demands more than religious doctrine. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…in order that the world would be saved by him.” The Living God loves us and gives us Jesus that we will know God, that we will have not just a religion, but a relationship.
Father Richard Rohr teaches, “God refuses to be known except through loving, trustful relationship. You cannot know God with your mind alone.”[ii]
So when Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”, let’s ask ourselves, “Why is Jesus important?” and “How does it feel to belong to Jesus’ family?”
And let’s remember that just as God invites us to answer these questions, God is the actor and the subject of any sentence we say about faith. Faith by grace is not “if/then” but “because/therefore”:
Because God loves us, therefore we are made children of God.
Because God loves us, therefore we are forgiven of our sin.
Because God loves us, therefore we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and sent into the world.
Because God loves us, therefore we are different.
Our confession of Jesus is lived out in our words and actions throughout our lives.
It’s one thing to confess “the Son of the living God” in a pew on Sunday morning but what will your answer be the next time someone asks you about Jesus, whether you are in the grocery store, at a ballgame, or on the sidewalk uptown?
The first disciples lived in a world where Caesar declared himself the Messiah, and the judgment of the Pharisees dictated who was acceptable, who was lovable, and who was worthy of God’s involvement in their lives. They had already left their families behind to follow Jesus, and now, they were taking the risk of confessing that there wasn’t any man-made idol or identity that was greater importance than who they were as Jesus’ disciples and children of God. This is the cost of discipleship that defines following Jesus, and its demand on us today isn’t any less.
So, who do you say Jesus is? How do you speak about the transforming power of the living God, whose abundant love and forgiveness renews us each day?
Your words about who Jesus is matter in a world where language about God is misused to condone violence, to debase women and to shred human dignity; where shame is used as a weapon; and where people are afraid to trust.
Remember that because God loves you, therefore you may speak with confidence.
Let us pray…[iii]
Holy God,
We give you thanks for your child, Jesus.
In him people saw the courage of John the Baptizer,
the fiery passion of Elijah, the faithfulness of Jeremiah.
Though he was killed, you raised him to life
and revealed him to us as your chosen Messiah.
By the faith given us by grace,
teach us to follow him
that our words and actions would be witnesses to your love for the world.
Amen.
[i] Malina & Rohrbaugh, Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, quoted by Rev. Brian Stoffregen in his exegetical notes
[ii] Richard Rohr. The Divine Dance.
[iii] Adapted from Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources
Father Richard Rohr teaches, “God refuses to be known except through loving, trustful relationship. You cannot know God with your mind alone.”[ii]
So when Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”, let’s ask ourselves, “Why is Jesus important?” and “How does it feel to belong to Jesus’ family?”
And let’s remember that just as God invites us to answer these questions, God is the actor and the subject of any sentence we say about faith. Faith by grace is not “if/then” but “because/therefore”:
Because God loves us, therefore we are made children of God.
Because God loves us, therefore we are forgiven of our sin.
Because God loves us, therefore we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and sent into the world.
Because God loves us, therefore we are different.
Our confession of Jesus is lived out in our words and actions throughout our lives.
It’s one thing to confess “the Son of the living God” in a pew on Sunday morning but what will your answer be the next time someone asks you about Jesus, whether you are in the grocery store, at a ballgame, or on the sidewalk uptown?
The first disciples lived in a world where Caesar declared himself the Messiah, and the judgment of the Pharisees dictated who was acceptable, who was lovable, and who was worthy of God’s involvement in their lives. They had already left their families behind to follow Jesus, and now, they were taking the risk of confessing that there wasn’t any man-made idol or identity that was greater importance than who they were as Jesus’ disciples and children of God. This is the cost of discipleship that defines following Jesus, and its demand on us today isn’t any less.
So, who do you say Jesus is? How do you speak about the transforming power of the living God, whose abundant love and forgiveness renews us each day?
Your words about who Jesus is matter in a world where language about God is misused to condone violence, to debase women and to shred human dignity; where shame is used as a weapon; and where people are afraid to trust.
Remember that because God loves you, therefore you may speak with confidence.
Let us pray…[iii]
Holy God,
We give you thanks for your child, Jesus.
In him people saw the courage of John the Baptizer,
the fiery passion of Elijah, the faithfulness of Jeremiah.
Though he was killed, you raised him to life
and revealed him to us as your chosen Messiah.
By the faith given us by grace,
teach us to follow him
that our words and actions would be witnesses to your love for the world.
Amen.
[i] Malina & Rohrbaugh, Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, quoted by Rev. Brian Stoffregen in his exegetical notes
[ii] Richard Rohr. The Divine Dance.
[iii] Adapted from Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment