Sermon

But who do you say that I am?

Scripture Text:

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon:

Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?” is so compelling to me.  After all this time on the road together with his disciples he asks them this question, as if to say, “Are you guys getting all this? Do you understand what we’re doing here? Other people say I’m Elijah or John the Baptizer.  But who do you say that I am?”

I think his question is so powerful because each one of us can imagine Jesus asking us the same question: “But who do you say that I am?” Now, as a friend said to me once, there’s a right answer to that question.  Jesus isn’t asking: “Who do you think I am?” so much as he’s asking: “Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am?” Peter does recognize Jesus, and he has the right answer to the question:  “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

To be very honest with you, I’m not a big fan of questions about God that only have one right answer.  I like St. Augustine’s observation, “God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand you have failed.” and “If it’s God, you don’t understand it, and if you understand it, it’s not God.”

When I hear Jesus asking me, “But who do you say that I am?” I find it hard to answer. Yes, the answer is, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” but where does that lead?  Is the answer the end of that question? The end of the story?

Adam introduced me to a song by the country singer Carrie Underwood called “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”  In some ways, it’s a very lovely song: about a mother and child on an icy road who loses control of her car and prays, “Jesus, take the wheel.”  She and her baby aren’t hurt and so she makes the decision that she’ll use that same prayer to turn her whole life over: “Jesus, take the wheel.”  But does recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, and the Son of God, mean that we should give all control of our lives over to him, and take ourselves entirely out of the equation?  Now, in some moments, it’s good to let go and let God. It’s good not to try to control everything in our lives.  But when I think of the God of the bible, who created us in His image, and when I think of Jesus in the gospels, I don’t really see a savior who wants to take over, but who wants to be our teacher, who wants to partner with us, who wants to walk with us. Jesus asked his disciples to follow him, but he also sent them off on their own.  He said to Peter: Here are the keys to the kingdom.  You take them.

On the other hand, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God isn’t just an intellectual exercise.  It’s something that shapes your life.  It’s something that changes you, and begins to change things about your life and how you treat other people.

When I was in seminary, there was a professor who I had tremendous respect for because she was extremely smart.  But I don’t think she was part of any church – or at least, she never talked about it.  And while she was able to talk about Christianity in ways that were interesting and thought-provoking, I couldn’t tell whether being a Christian had changed her life as a person or if it was only an idea that she wrote about. I’m not sure I can stand here and tell you for sure because I just don’t know.  But it’s possible to acknowledge God or Jesus as an idea without anything else happening in your life as a result.

Being able to answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” is about more than just saying words.

Recognizing Jesus can become a badge of honor or something to boast about.  It can mean, “I know Christ, and others don’t.”  It can mean, “I’m on the right side of salvation, and others aren’t.”  It can mean, “I have become a Christian, I’ve changed, and my life is now complete. There is nothing else to learn.  All my work is done.”  This past week, another pastor in town asked if I would lead a bible study because she had to be away for a meeting at the last minute.  The group was both church members and some visitors, and two of the visitors surprised me with the force of their comments on the scripture.  They spoke, almost as if they had prepared statements, as though they had memorized a certain narrative of who Jesus was and what he was about.  They spoke as if there was nothing else to say about the passage and they sort of ended the conversation the rest of us were trying to have.

Knowing who Jesus is doesn’t mean that we can’t ask questions anymore. It doesn’t mean that we have an Answer to end all answers.

When I imagine Jesus asking me, “Who do you say that I am?”  I think, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  But I also think, “God is love.”

I think, “Love is stronger than death.”

I think of St. Francis who said, “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.”

I think of Christians who not only speak what they believe, but who act: I think of the Catholic Worker movement, whose members give their lives to performing works of mercy among the poor and who live almost in poverty themselves.

I think of Carthusian monks, who take vows that hide them away from the world individuals cells where they pray and study all day alone, only seeing other monks once a day or so, and hardly ever seeing or being seen by anyone from outside their monastery.

I think of Jesus in the gospels of Mark and Matthew, trying to keep his identity a secret.

I think of baptism, where we gather with a child or an adult to welcome them into the body of Christ by name.  They are themselves, a child of God, and they are part of Christ’s body.

I think of the Eucharist, where we gather to receive such a tiny, but such a powerful, serving of bread and wine.  We receive the Eucharist to remember Jesus, to be called to healing and new life, and to be strengthened to leave this place to serve others.

I think of Jesus, continuing to walk that road with his disciples.

The Christian life is a process, not an ending.  It’s true: there is one answer to the question, “Who do you say that I am?”: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  But recognizing Jesus is only a single chapter in the story of the relationship Peter and the disciples had with him.  Knowing Jesus’ identity is a powerful and important chapter in the story of our own relationship with him, but it’s not an ending, it’s not a panacea, it’s not an answer key.  It must lead us to see his whole life and our whole lives, entwined together in God’s story of the universe.

Jesus, you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Amen.

Uploaded on August 21, 2011 in by RevHeidi

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