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AUGUST 24, 2008
ROMANS 12:1-8
MATTHEW 16:13-20
“WHO DO YOU THINK I AM”
Jesus opens today’s conversation with a question, “Who do people say I am?” In this secular culture, here on the outskirts of the great Roman city of Caesarea Philippi, what’s the buzz? You guys rub elbows with lots of folks. You get around! Tell me, what role do I play in the worldview of the average person? What’s the scuttlebutt on the street? In essence Jesus asks, when you go to the marketplace, in the checkout lane at Shop & Save or Glen’s, what comments do you hear? How do I come across in Letters to the Editor? What’s my approval rating in the latest Gallop Poll? “Who do people say I am?” …So as a Disciple, how would you answer a question like that? …More to the point, as a disciple, how do you answer a question like that?
Questions, especially rhetorical questions, are the stock and trade of preachers, aren’t they? Jesus is no exception. Rhetorical questions are a time-honored way of getting an audience into a story. Did you know that? A speaker can say something like “How can that be?” or “What would you do in a situation like that?” and the listener is right there! But what happens when someone decides to actually answers a rhetorical question?
Rhetorical questions are peppered throughout Scripture, and they usually fall into two basic categories. The first type is the one that everybody knows the answer to; “Can fire be carried in the bosom without burning one’s clothes?” “Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?” “Should you bind a strong man before you steal everything he has got?” or “Light a lamp, and then hide it under a bushel?” The second type is a little tougher. They’re the ones that no ones knows the answer to; “Why does a wise man die just like a fool?” “What do mortals get from all their toil and strain under the sun?” “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” or “If salt looses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”
In truth, no one can gain the whole world, can they? Although some of our culture’s greatest heroes do seem to be getting a sizable chunk. Unfortunately many are loosing their lives in the process. And all of us must eventually loose our lives for something. But is it really profitable to live your life solely for profits? And what about salt, it can’t really loose its saltiness, can it? It’s chemically impossible for Sodium Chloride to loose its saltiness, isn’t it? Just ask Gary Waterson. …No, rhetorical questions are simply not designed to be answered, are they? They are just supposed to make you think! So is it possible that Jesus’ question is not rhetorical? “Who do people say I am?”
I can see the Disciples quickly looking down at their feet and start to shuffle about, not really knowing how to respond, or even if they should. I imagine them embarrassed, thinking, well, actually, the Romans don’t really talk about you all that much.
The Scribes and Pharisees do. In fact they talk about you all the time, but believe me you really don’t want to hear what they have to say! “Who do people say I am?”
Or maybe these beloved followers just jumped at the chance to impress Jesus. OH! OH! OH! “I know! I know! I know!” “Some say that you are John the Baptist.” Yeah, “And a lot of people say that you might be one of the prophets come back from the dead, like Elijah” “Or Jeremiah.” Maybe answers came in rapid-fire succession, with hands flailing in the air. What do you think?
At least the Disciples were careful not to mention all of the cruel titles that they have heard out on the streets. They didn’t say glutton, or blasphemer, or lover of wine. They didn’t tell their rabbi that some people thought he was a nut case. They didn’t point out that the religious leaders saw him as a direct threat to orthodoxy and order. No, they just mention a few heroes—John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Jesus, however, wants to know more.
I think He wanted to know if the disciples really understood, don’t you, and what that understanding actually means! I suspect Jesus thought “Hey, we’ve been walking along for some time now in the Gospel of Matthew. You know the things that I have taught. I’ve shared my beautiful “Sermon on the Mount” with you. Each and every one of you sat intrigued with those short, memorable, engaging little stories we call parables. So now that you have witnessed some of my work, now that you’ve heard my message, tell me, who do you say I am”?
Remember all those hands that were up in the air? Well every one of them sudden goes down! The believers start to squirm in their seats, don’t they? Or stare out the window, or down at our feet, or shuffling about rather nervously. Maybe we find a reason to get and go to the bathroom? Or maybe we stare straight ahead as if this is just a rhetorical question? Only it’s not! “Who do you say I am?”
Speak up, Jesus says! Tell me how you really feel! I’m not asking what nine out of ten Israel’s believe. I’m not interested in how my life plays into the Messianic Expectations you were taught in synagogue school. I don’t want you to weigh all the theological pros and cons and come up with the perfect Christology. I just want to know what you think, and feel right now, personally. “Who do you say that I am?”
That puts a whole new spin on things, doesn’t it? Suddenly, the big, existential questions of life have become our existential questions of life, and well, that’s different. When you have to make a decision for yourself, instead of just watching safely from the anonymity of the crowds—when it becomes put up or shut up time personally—well, let’s just say we tend to get pretty quiet, don’t we?
I am not demanding a dissertation on absolute truth, Jesus says. You do not need to come up with profound revelations. Subtle theological nuances, or lively debate, just won’t do here. What I want to know is very simple. What’s the truth for you? “Who do you say that I am?”
When you are at school in a couple of weeks, or the lunchroom at work, and someone says, “Hey, you go to church, don’t you? Do you really believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?” How do you respond? When someone says, “What do you think about this Armageddon stuff, about that Jesus guy coming again?” What do you say? “Do you buy all that junk about him dying on a cross in order to save the world?” “Do you think there is a real heaven and a real hell?” “How do you decide who goes where?”
Philosophers and psychologists have noted that in the modern world we’ve developed a stance of perpetual detachment. They call it an “onlooker consciousness.” We tend to stand back and watch the world go by. We detach, objectify, abstract. We assume the role of a perpetual tourist, just passing through, never really landing anywhere. In an effort to be accepting of other views, we never take the time or the energy to define what it is that we believe!
Oh sure, we banter ideas back and forth. We might even get into some deep existential discussions. We could list the basic tenants of Christianity. We might compare and contrast the four major teachings of Buddhism, the six basic precepts of Islam, and the eight distinctive emphases in the teachings of Jesus. We might even be able to proclaim the party line. But that is not really the point, is it! The point, at least for Christians is much simpler, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” On what, or whom, are you willing to bet your life, your eternal life? What commitments, which attachments, will determine how you live and move and have your being?
You know, even to say, “I don’t know what to say,” or “There are so many different points of view,” or “Who’s to say what’s right,” is to demonstrate that modern, socially acceptable point of view. You know, the one that regards not having a point of view—never having to settle down or admit to having a position—as intellectual humility. However, even this is a point of view.
Speak up Peter. …I can’t hear you John. …What was that Andrew? …A deafening silence replaces the eager voice of would be disciples.
Or maybe we do the opposite? Maybe we have an arsenal of pat answers ready and waiting. We don’t want people to know that we are not real sure what we mean when we say, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” so we surround ourselves with all the right words. We don’t want to seem biblically illiterate so we memorize a verse or two. We don’t want people to think that we are not strong in our faith, so as the people of God we boldly proclaim, “Jesus is the answer.” “It must be God’s will.” “That’s just one of those things that we will not understand this side of heaven.” But that one question still remains, doesn’t it?
What would it be like if we just stopped the sermon right here and handed out 3 x 5 cards with just that one question, “Who is Jesus to you?” What would you write? Are you even ready for a question like that? What is the significance of Jesus’ life and death for your life and death? What does it mean to you, if anything at all, that he walked on this earth, healed and taught, and was then humiliated and nailed to that cross for you? I find some momentary comfort in verse fourteen because it demonstrates that not everyone recognizes Jesus as the Messiah right away. It helps for a bit to understand that discipleship is a journey, a journey into fuller understanding, a journey into greater challenge and commitment, a journey we all have to take. But then I remember that everyone will eventually have to answer this very question, so why not start right now? Who do you say Jesus is?
Maybe it was immediate, and with great gusto, that Peter made his confession of faith. Or maybe he had to search his heart for quite a while and sort through all of his thoughts and feelings for what seemed like an eternity before answering. In either case he finally arrived at a very special place, at the very foundation of the Christian faith; “You are the Christ, Messiah, The Son of the Living God.” …Where are you right now?
My dad gave me a meditation this week. It’s called “A Real Friend”.
To others, Jesus was a miracle worker. To others, Jesus was a master teacher. To others, Jesus was the hope of Israel. But to John, he was all of these and more. To John, Jesus was a friend.
You don’t abandon a friend—not even when that friend is dead. John stayed close to Jesus.
He had a habit of doing this. He was close to Jesus in the Upper Room. He was close to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion, and he was a quick walk from the tomb at the burial.
Did he understand Jesus? No. Was he glad Jesus did what he did? No. But did he leave Jesus? No. What about you?
I guess this brings us right back to where we began only now our question doesn’t seem rhetorical, does it? “Who do you say Jesus is?” Caution! This question begs another; “What difference does that make in your life?” And all of God’s people said, Amen. |
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