Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38The setting for today’s gospel is Caesarea Philippi. The little field trip the disciples took withOur Lord to this Roman city, and the dialogue that followed, is an important episodein Jesus ministry. This conversationserves as a pivotal point in Jesus’ ministry because through it, Jesus’disciples are confronted with who Jesus really is, and who Jesus is in the lifeof his followers. Caesarea Philippi wasan ancient Roman city located at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon, adjacentto a spring, grotto, and related shrines dedicated to the Greek god Pan. In Greek mythology, Pan is the god of the wild,shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds. It was in the midst of this area dedicated toa pagan deity that Jesus questions his followers, “Who do people say that I am?” Imagine being in a world in which there is aplethora of spiritual practices, a collection of various deities, and a cultureof pluralistic religious dogmas. Jesus’question “Who do people say that I am,” is appropriate in such a social setting,and it is an appropriate question for Christians who must grapple with it today.
Dan Kimball, apastor of a non-denominational church in Santa Cruz, CA recently published abook, “I like Jesus, but I Don’t like Christians.” It was based on a survey he conducted a few years ago on the campus of theUniversity of California and in it, he asked random students these twoquestions: 1) “What comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Jesus’?” and (2)“What comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Christian’?” Kimball asserts in his book, “The answers tothese questions brought me both joy and optimism, but also extreme sadness.Why? Because at the first question we saw students’ faces light up in smiles. “Jesuswas beautiful.” “I want to be like Jesus”. “Jesus was a liberator of women.”“I’m all about Jesus.” “I want to be a follower of Jesus.” “Jesus wasenlightened and had higher truth.” What encouraging answers! Here we were on a verypost-Christian campus and we were finding students eager to talk about Jesus. I realized they probably weren’t familiar withthe whole of Jesus’ teachings, but they held an incredibly high perception ofChrist as a positive figure in history.” 1
Kimball goes on tosay, “When the very same students were asked the second question their expressionschanged dramatically. Eyes looked downward, smiles turned to frowns and evenpainful expressions. “Christians have taken the teachings of Jesus and reallymessed them up.” “I would want to be a Christian, but I have never met one.”“Christians are dogmatic and close-minded.” “Christians are supposed to be loving, but I never met any that are.”1
This sounds like a harsh report on Christians doesn’tit? It is painful to hear this emerging perceptionamong people who despite their perception of his followers, find Jesus alluring. As a leader in the church, it is certainly difficultfor me to hear this report. In fact, Iam a little offended when I hear the answers to the second question, but at thesame time, it makes me wonder, in a society of multiple spiritualities andpluralistic faiths, not unlike that of first century Caesarea Philippi, whatdoes my witness as a Jesus follower really convey? Am I witnessing to the one I proclaim as Lord?“Who do people say I am” was the question Jesus asked of his followers. The other related and equally important question,with which we as Christians must grapple, is “who do people say Jesus followersare?”
Jesus, is he merely our spiritual hero, a good teacher ofmoral values, a single face among many prophets, sages, or spiritual types whomwe just so happen to choose to call our own? In this time of political battling, people are choosing sides and are choosingthe candidates they follow. Look aroundand you will see T-shirts, bumper stickers, signs in yards, and billboardsalong the roads that proclaim a clear message, “I really like this candidate.” “I like what he or she says, I like their economicpolicy, I like their social policy, and their plans seem to align with my plans.” We all choose whom we will follow for avariety of reasons. Sometimes we follow folksfor all types of reasons, such as particular writers, teachers, actors,philosophers, and even name brand products.
When Jesus asks us, “Who do YOU say that I am,” we must strugglewith the fact that following Jesus, is not the same thing as following apolitical candidate, a writer, actor, philosopher, or a product brand. When Peter was confronted with the questionsof “Who do you say I am,” he responded, “YOU ARE THE MESSIAH.” For we post resurrection Christians, this boldstatement may seem like a casual assertion, but we have to remember that Peter’sresponse was the first human statement about Jesus’ identity. Prior to this day, only the demons whom Jesus confronted, would proclaim who hetruly was. With Peter’s statement, the shoutedconfessions of demons is replaced by human witness.
Messiah means “Anointed One” and represents God’s affirmation that theprophet, priest, or king is divinely chosen leader of the people. The title ‘Messiah’ in our culture can be devoidof meaning especially in a culture where kings, political leaders, andspiritual leaders are not publically anointed with oil, but are heralded byother means. The key to an understandingof our use of Messiah lies in the nature of Jesus’ ministry. God chooses the least likely types to be the meansof salvation. God took on the nature ofa suffering servant to bring salvation unto God’s creation. The crucified andrisen Jesus is the only one who can be designated Lord and it is through his suffering, the heart of Jesus’ mission, that we come to know who He is.
Sometimes like Peter, our answer to “Who do we say Jesus is” can become distortedand confused. We need to be very clear aboutwho Jesus is and more especially, who he is in our lives. Following Jesus involves more than liking histeachings, offering hero worship, cheering him on as he makes the journey tothe cross. Jesus reveals the very natureof who he is through his ministry and through it, how salvation comes to theworld.
“You are the Messiah,” proclaimed Peter. Later he would profess his misunderstanding ofMessiahship , when “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” Peter rejected God’s plan of salvationthrough the self-giving, obedient servant-hood of God. Peter had other plans for Jesus. Peter was looking for a mighty king, powerfulruler, a hero who would over-turn the oppressive Roman rule, not a self-giving,obedient, loving, come follow me kind of messiah.
Peter’s answer to “who do you say I am” included a planthat was human and not divine. God’s salvationcame through the humble, servant who suffered like we suffer, and yet theoverwhelming self-giving love, will overcame death and suffering. The one God revealed in the law and prophets,is finally and fully revealed in Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. In Christ, we can see plainly who the God oflove truly is. The God who suffers, suffersthrough the journey of life along side us, as we suffer through it and yet,remains true to who God is. Loving,giving, suffering, faithful, obedient, risk taking all with outstretched arms; this is who God is; perfect God and humanityjoined; that is God in Christ.
God made real, a love that is not coercive but leaves thebeloved free and thus, the historical knowledge of God’s work in salvationhistory culminates in Christ on the cross. The relationship is restored, the chasm is no more, and by his wounds weare healed. Christ’s ministry is one ofreconciliation and that mission is ours.
A woman and her spouse had been having a little tiff forover two weeks over a minor disagreement. Neither were willing to put aside their own sense of “rightness” in theargument. Neither wanted to take a riskto say, “I made a mistake.” Neitherwanted to deny their own sense of pride and thus, the chasm between them continuedweek, after week, after week. This is notreconciliation, this is saving your own life and in the process, losing it. Following Jesus requires something none of usreally like to do and that is to deny ourselves. Denying ourselves means, being willing tolose the life we consider so important, for a life lived in Christ; living forthe other. Jesus confronts us with that newway of life and offers us a choice, whether to enter the reconciliatory natureof suffering love or remain in the chasm of self-preservation, even at theexpense of sister or brother.
Reconciliation is the ministry of God in Christ. Reconciliation is the healing of woundedrelationships, which can happen only through suffering love, of dying tooneself for the sake of another. Humility, releasing our self-importance, our own sustenance for the sakeof another, heals the wounds of brokenness. We cannot experience Resurrection Sundaywithout Good Friday. We cannotexperience New Life without experiencing death of our old life. We cannot participate in reconciliation,unless we can let go of our self, and become willing to embrace the other. The cross teaches us that human relationships, which are broken by sin are reconciledby moving from self-preservation to self-giving. The cross not only teaches, the cross of Christ makes it a reality.
Imagine God on thecross with outstretched arms, revealing the very person of God, who not onlycreates, but breaks into the world and makes forgiveness of our brokenness areality, and proclaims, “I love you this much.” The entire basis of this new life Jesusinvites us to live is love, and it through us, the Body of Christ, that theworld is able to witness the reality of God’s love. There is a beautiful hymn that seems to capturethe very essence of our mission in the world; the mission of reconciliation:
And they'llknow we are Christians by our love,
1 http://www.next-wave.org/may03/emerging7.htm
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