Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor

 © 2020, Dr. Tamilio

The late Christian singer-songwriter Rich Mullins used to say that he loved the Bible, but not for the reasons that most people do.  He said that he liked all the “weirdos” that appear in both the Old and New Testaments.  Maybe that’s because Mullins was a bit of a weirdo himself.  We’re all a little weird, some more than others.  Why should the people in Scripture be any different!

The disciples were also a ragtag bunch.  They were uneducated fisherman who stepped-out in faith to follow Jesus.  Granted, they gave it their all.  They left everything to follow him.  But, as we’ve said before, they never quite get it.  Jesus rebukes them on several occasions, basically saying, “How long is it going to take you dunces to understand what I am telling you?”

Maybe this is a little harsh.  Sometimes they do get it.  Today is a perfect example.

We’re a little more than half-way through Matthew’s Gospel.  Jesus and his disciples come to the district of Caesarea Philippi.  Jesus first asks them, “Who do people say that I am?”  They give him all kinds of answers: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  But then Jesus calls them to the carpet.  “But who do you say that I am?” he asks.  This is one of the most important questions of all — one that all of us who call ourselves “Christian” have to answer.  We’ll get back to that in a minute.  Peter gives the correct answer, offering what I think is one of the most pertinent statements of faith in all of the New Testament: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  It is because of this that Peter is given the keys to the kingdom.  It is because of this that we have all those jokes about people meeting Peter at the Pearly Gates when they die.  Here’s one of my favorites:

A lawyer and the Pope died at the same time.[1]  Both went to heaven.  They were met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter who then brought them to their rooms.  The Pope’s room was spartan with a bare floor, an army cot for a bed, and a single bulb for light.  They came to the lawyer’s room.  It was huge with wall to wall carpeting, a king-sized waterbed, indirect lighting, a huge flatscreen TV equipped with surround sound, a Jacuzzi, and a fully stocked bar.  The Pope said, “There must be a mistake.  I’m the Pope.  How is it that I have such meager quarters and the lawyer has what looks like a luxury apartment?”  St. Peter responded, “Do you know how many Popes we have up here?”

Ah, all those great lawyer jokes.  Anywho…

Even though Peter gets it, Jesus, in the next breath, will say, “Get behind me, Satan” to Peter, because the disciple refuses to accept the necessity of the crucifixion and the resurrection, which will soon occur.  The point?  Don’t rest on your laurels too soon.  That verse is not in today’s reading, though, and it is a little off topic.  Let’s stick to Peter’s claim about Jesus: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Rich Mullins is right: the Bible is filled with all kinds of weirdos.  It is also filled with unparalleled truths that confront us in bold relief.  “But who do you say that I am?”  This may be the most important question in all of the Gospels, if not all of the Bible.  The text poses that question to us (as individuals and as a faith community) as well.  Who do we say that Jesus is?

For some, he is simply the domesticated Jesus.  You grew up in a Christian household, for example, and you just took the truth of Jesus for granted.  That is the case with many (though certainly not all) people who identify with the religion of their upbringing.  This is what you hear when someone says that he or she was “raised Catholic” (or Lutheran, or Methodist, or Baptist, or whatever) and do not expound beyond that.  It is almost as if they are a Christian in name only.

William Barclay talks about the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus.  When the disciples answer Jesus’ first question — who do people say that the Son of Man is — they are talking about secondhand perceptions.  These perceptions are not much different than what I am talking about when I refer to the domesticated Jesus.  People make all kinds of claims about Jesus, and you could spend your life studying those claims — reading every theologian under the sun.  That will provide you will a lot of information.  “But who do you say that I am?”  That is a different type of question altogether.  Barclay writes, “Christianity never consists in knowing about Jesus; it always consists in knowing Jesus.  Jesus Christ demands a personal verdict.  He did not ask only Peter, he asks every[one]: ‘You — what do you think of me?’”[2]

When I was preparing to enter seminary, I was taken In Care of the Essex Association of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.  (Say that three times fast!)  I will never forget my first meeting with the Church and Ministry Committee: the committee that follows candidates through the entire ordination process to make sure that they have a clear sense of their calling and have completed all the necessary requirements.  I was asked many questions during that first meeting — as are all fledgling candidates.  Tell us about your background, your work in the church, your faith journey, and the like.  At one point, I was asked about Jesus and what I believe about him.  I wasn’t sure what the committee members were getting at, so I gave a long, learned explanation of what I knew about his life and teachings.  Eventually, I was cut off by one of the members of the committee.  He asked, “Who is Jesus to you?”  This was not unlike the “Who do you say that I am?” question he posed to the disciples.  “He is my Lord and Savior,” I declared.  On one hand this seemed like an obvious response to a simple question, yet it was the first time I had ever been asked this.

Who do you say that Jesus is?  No one can answer that question for you.  The answer to it is of ultimate importance, and it lies within.  You do not need to study for this test.  You only need to look deep within yourself and be honest.  Jesus is the foundation and the cornerstone of our faith — the truth, the life, and the way to God.  He shouldered our sins on the cross paying the ultimate price for them to offer us forgiveness and to reconcile us to God.  He defeated the powers of sin and death by rising from the grave to open up the gates of everlasting life.  This is the creed that generations have embraced.  It is ours as well.  Hold fast to this truth.  Shout it from the rooftops.  Live in its light every day.  Jesus died for us so that we may live for him.  Amen.

[1] Adapted from unijokes.com.

[2] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, rev. ed. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), 138.