In August of 1980, I
told my parents I was bringing a friend home with me from Austin to attend my
brother’s best friend—Steve’s—wedding.
He’s just a friend, I said.
Don’t make a big deal out of his coming to Angleton. He’s just a friend. My mom took my words at face
value. While hospitable towards this
friend, Kevin, she focused her attention and time on my brother and
sister-in-law, who flew in from Oklahoma for the wedding. My dad, however, responded
differently. Perhaps he gathered
from watching me with Kevin that my identification of him as “just a friend”
was not quite accurate. Forming
his own conclusion about Kevin’s identity—in relationship to me—he was more
than hospitable, and he spent a lot of time with and energy on Kevin. And then there was my Uncle Vernon—who
meeting and visiting with Kevin decided my relationship with Kevin had no
bearing on his interaction with him. Uncle Vernon liked Kevin for who he was, and he welcomed
Kevin into his home whether or not he came with me.
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks
his disciples. How they understand
his identity frames their expectations. How they understand his identity
influences their understanding of his ministry. How they understand his
identify shapes their response to Jesus.
What kind of risks are they willing to take for him? How they understand
his identity shapes their discipleship.
Very
few of the people we meet in Mark’s gospel correctly identify Jesus, and
usually when they do, he responds with “SShhh, don’t tell anyone.” Perhaps this
is because Mark wants his audience to chew for awhile on the question “Who is
Jesus?” Perhaps Mark wants his audience to ponder and reflect until at the end
of his gospel, answering with certainty, Mark’s audience will be spurred into action—sharing
the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—becoming part of the
in-breaking of God’s rule in the here and now.
“Who
do you say that I am?” Jesus asks his disciples, and Peter responds, “You are
the Messiah.” Score one for Peter; he got the right answer. Peter—remembering the basics of his
Jewish “Sunday School” classes—pictures the Messiah as one who will reunite the
Jews into a strong, glorious, independent kingdom. For Peter, the Messiah is a new King David, a political
savior. An Americanized picture of
Peter’s Messiah is the white-hatted cowboy—riding into awestern town for a
shootout with outlaws who have been terrorizing the townspeople. In Mark’s telling of this event, Jesus expands
on Peter’s answer with a different title—Son of Man. Now the Son of Man was a term used in the apocalyptic Old
Testament book of Daniel. In it we
read that in the end times, the Son of Man will come in power and glory to set
up God’s never-ending rule of justice over the whole earth. In today’s text, Mark gives Jesus 2
titles—one who is expected soon (Messiah) and one who will come at the end of
time (Son of Man). Both are
figures imbued with God’s power and glory. Both are saviors—one is expected to save the Jews and the
other to save the world.
“Who
do you say that I am?” Jesus asks his disciples, and Peter responds, “You are
the Messiah.” Score one for Peter; he got the right answer. But Peter does not understand what that
actually means. When I taught high
school algebra, I insisted my students show their work, to explain how they got
their answers to homework, pop quiz, and test questions. The answer alone is not what’s
important, I told them. The
process you follow to get that answer, the use of the algorithms and properties
to make sense of both the problem and the solution—that’s what translates into
actually understanding the math concepts.
Peter has the right answer—Messiah—but he does not know what Messiah
means to Jesus. Then Jesus begins
to share that the Messiah and the Son of Man are one in the same. And, instead of wielding power and
uniting the Jews, the Messiah will be rejected. Instead of showing strength, the Son of Man will suffer and
be killed. Rather than ushering in
God’s rule all at once at the end of time, the Son of Man will offer glimpses
into God’s rule through his teaching and his miracles of feeding and
healing. Slowly, painfully, in
small increments, God’s rule will be made known—but not through glory or power
or influence. Slowly, painfully,
in small increments, God’s rule will be made known—as the Son of God enters
humanity—suffering as all humans do; living a life obedient to God’s call to
justice, mercy, and love; dying at the hands of evil, ignorance, and disbelief;
and rising from the dead to reveal God’s ultimate sovereignty and overpowering
love.
The
focus of Mark’s Jesus is not sometime later in the future but now in the
present. The subjects of Mark’s
Jesus are not the powerful but the weak.
The emphasis of Mark’s Jesus is not glory over but suffering with
others. Peter got the right answer—at
least the right title. What he
lacked was the supporting definition and explanation. What he lacked was understanding.
“Who
do you say that I am?” Jesus asks
the disciples and Peter responds, “You are the Messiah.” Then Jesus explains
what it means to be the Messiah, what it means to be the Son of Man. Along with that explanation comes a
picture of what it means to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus. For the disciple is expected to enter
into the same ministry as Jesus.
The disciple is expected to enter into the suffering of those who are
weak. The disciple is expected to
enter into a life of faithful obedience to the sovereign God—giving up self-serving
ambition. The disciple is expected
to work towards the in-breaking of God’s rule in the here and now.
Who
do you say that Jesus is?
How you identify Jesus frames your expectations. We teach our children “Jesus loves me
this I know for the Bible tells me so . . . Yes, Jesus love me. The Bible tells
me so.” That sets up the
expectation of Jesus’ loving presence in our lives. It sets up an expectation of learning our faith through the
stories of our faith ancestors—Biblical witnesses of God’s love in action. Who
do you say Jesus is? Allow me to offer my visual response—arms open, face
beaming, posture inviting. This
visual sets up an expectation of welcoming all.
Who
do you say Jesus is? How you
identify Jesus influences your understanding of the good news. How you identify Jesus influences how,
with whom, and even whether you choose to share the good news. I grew up in a
denomination that identifies Jesus as “personal Lord and savior.” The emphasis
was individual relationship with Jesus—personal. The goal was seeking obedience to God’s will instead of
acting in self-interest—Lord. The focus was what happens when I die—eternal life—savior. The good news was being “saved from
eternal damnation.” The time frame was in the future rather than in the present.
I have a different understanding now.
Rather than being “saved from,” I believe I am “saved for” a full,
abundant life—a life in God’s presence—now, a life in God’s service—now.
Who
do you say Jesus is? How you identify Jesus shapes your response to him. It shapes your discipleship. Mark’s Son of Man had a “whole world”
view. “He’s got the whole world in
his hands.” So, savior—for Mark’s
Jesus—is about saving this world and the people in it now. Savior for Mark’s Jesus is deeply
rooted in the Old Testament prophets—Amos, Hosea, and Micah. They condemned the rich and powerful
who “oppress the poor and crush the needy.”[1]
They warned the movers and the shakers of the Lord’s requirement “to do
justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.”[2] Deeply rooted in these Old Testament
prophets, Mark’s Jesus works on behalf of the powerless. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
healing the sick, and restoring outcasts to community were Jesus’ acts of
bringing God’s justice to the present moment.
Identity—it
frames our expectations, influences our understanding, and shapes our
response. Let me take you back to
August of 1980. He’s just a
friend; don’t make anything out of his visit, so my Mom responded to Kevin as
just a friend—no big deal.
Perceiving beyond the label I gave Kevin, my Dad identified him as
someone special to me, so he responded at a deeper level. My Uncle Vernon identified Kevin
through his own experience with him—not anyone else’s.
Identity—it
frames our expectations, influences our understanding, and shapes our
response. Who do you say Jesus
is? Regardless of your answer to
this question, you are welcome here.
Who do you say Jesus is?
Regardless of your level of comfort with sharing his identity with
others, you are welcome to worship in this community of faith. Who do you say Jesus is? Regardless of your level of commitment
to him, you are welcome to grow in your understanding of, faith in, and walk
with God, the One the apostle Paul called “the One in whom we live and move and
have our being.”[3]
Who
do you say Jesus is? Regardless of your answer, you are welcome here. But don’t be surprised if, as a
participant in this faith community, you are nudged to step outside of your
comfort zone—turning outward—to serve someone in need of God’s justice here and
now. Don’t be surprised if you are
encouraged to let go of a your own desires to achieve God’s good purpose for
others. Don’t be surprised if you
find yourself responding to God’s love in Jesus the Christ. Don’t be surprised if—a few years from
now, you look back and realize you have been transformed through the power of
the Holy Spirit—the one sent by this Jesus.
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