Response – 14 September 2018

…on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:27-29)

On the way… is a popular motif in the gospels.  They typically talked as they walked, on the road.  It’s a picture to trigger our imaginations – they learned as they went along, as we do, day by day, if learning and growing are what we want.  Not everyone welcomes learning new things or changing.  If what we hope for is things to stay the same, with certainty, safety and security, then learning and growing are scarcely going to happen.  But in Jesus’s company, evidently, the changing scenery facilitated developing hearts and minds. 

He asked them first, what are people saying about me… who do they say I am?  The answers show how we feel better if we can categorise, simply pin a label, good or bad, on someone[1] – that way, we have pigeon-holed things in an orderly manner, we know what we think, and best of all, we may have established that we are not threatened, life can continue…  So, reply the disciples, some say you are John the Baptist back to life again, some say Elijah, others say some other of the prophets.   It is a warning about labelling Jesus – if I want to know who Jesus is, really, it’s pretty pointless to ask around, conduct a poll, do a street survey, even around the church. 

So Jesus asks: But you… who do you say I am?  Peter knows the answer.  You are the Christ, ὁ Χριστος, the Anointed One – Messiah, in Hebrew.  It is a catechism answer, and the implication is that, since it is the “right” answer, it is the answer for everyone.  In some Christian circles defining Jesus correctly (or Mary, or the Trinity…) is used as a test of orthodoxy… as every parish minister discovers before long. 

But Jesus asks a crucial question.  Who do you say I am…?  It is an invitation to discover, in our own personal experience, over the years and through the mysteries and setbacks and sadnesses, as well as the triumphs of life, who he is.  What matters is not the catechism answer, but my answer.  Moreover, my answer today might differ significantly from my answer 30 years ago, or even last year – because I am further along the road, learning as I go.  The issue is not whether I am “correct” in my answer, but whether my answer is what I am living by, enlightened by, whether my answer is coming from doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly.  What matters is not the labels I put on Jesus, even labels prescribed by church or bible, although they may be helpful… so much as what he is making of me as I take step after step, as I remember the great gospel themes and teachings, as I review what has happened in my life and among the people I know and love, and as I value the times I am able to spend in silence and stillness, simply present to God as God in Christ is, and always was, present to me.

(In our group's discussion later, one member said Jesus might have been clearer if he had asked, "But who am I to you...?"  I agree.)

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[1] Eg. I was labelled, on Facebook this week, “a racist low-life”.  The person feels better now, having categorised me.