"Who Do You Say I Am?"
Matthew 16:13–20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
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Introduction
"Jesus" is the Sunday school answer that most children and adults can reliably fall back on when they aren't sure what to say in response to a Bible question. Yet, the answer "Jesus" leaves much to be unpacked. Who is Jesus? What is Jesus all about, and what are his teachings? It leaves us to answer the simple but complex question Jesus poses to the disciples, "Who do you say I am?"
Culture: Augustan Rome (Who is Augustus?)
There is a cultural backdrop, so to speak, to Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" After all, Jesus is living in the Roman Empire's time, when people had an idea of who it was that led them.
Augustan Rule - During the time of Jesus, Augustan Rome experienced life under Caesar Augustus (the first Roman Emperor) and Tiberius Caesar Augustus, who brought about an unprecedented era of prosperity.
Time of “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace) - This was a roughly 200-year-long span of Roman history where peace, order, and stability were at its height.
Augustus was a god (or at least that was the Roman propaganda spread throughout the empire). Famous pieces of poetry, such as Virgil's "Aeneid," cemented the claim of Augustus' divinity by linking him to Aeneas, the half-human, half-god founder of Rome.
Culture: The Son of Man (Who is Jesus?)
When placed against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, we might find some clues as to who people thought Jesus was and what he came to do.
John the Baptist - Perhaps people thought Jesus was a resurrected John the Baptist who came to undo the bonds of Herod Antipas (the one who beheaded him) and make him look foolish.
Elijah and Jeremiah - People interpreted their religious texts to say that prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah would be resurrected as an indication that the Messiah was coming soon.
And people might have suggested that Jesus was another prophet who came not just with the word of God in his hand but a sword, a sword that would liberate them from the corruption of unjust systems and the oppressive presence of the Roman Empire.
Who Do We Say Jesus Is?
The disciples are quick to answer Jesus' questions with the responses of other people, "Well other people say." Similarly, we quickly answer who we think Jesus is by replying with answers we've gathered from other places.
We rely on what we've heard in church or other spiritual encounters.
We rely on what we read in books, online, or audio sources like podcasts.
We even make the dangerous mistake of conflating the identity of Jesus with the Augustus' of our day.
Rarely do we take the time to answer honestly for ourselves who we think Jesus is and what role Jesus plays in our lives. Who do you say Jesus is? Not what pundits or columnists or pastors/theologians say, who do you say Jesus is?
Because in our current time, we find that as much as we lament the shrinking church and loss of American religiosity, we cannot even find the words to say who Jesus is, words that are our own. It is not that outside sources are inherently wrong, but the problem for us is when we let them begin, our only source for saying who we believe Jesus is and how God is moving in our world.
Our Personal Response
Jesus asks the disciples again, "Who do you say I am?" and Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
There is a level of spiritual seeking that is required on our part as disciples that goes beyond books and learnedness, a level of spirituality that requires that we do the vulnerable yet necessary work of answering for ourselves who Jesus is and what role we will let him play in our lives.
Just as Simon Peter's answer was a moment of revelation, a personal confession of faith that resonated beyond the opinions of the crowd, we are reminded of the power of personal revelation and connection. It reminds me of a poem titled "The Raincoat" by Ada Limón, and as I share her poem, I want us to take a moment to see the importance of growing our spiritual perspective.
When the doctor suggested surgery
and a brace for all my youngest years,
my parents scrambled to take me
to massage therapy, deep tissue work,
osteopathy, and soon my crooked spine
unspooled a bit, I could breathe again,
and move more in a body unclouded
by pain. My mom would tell me to sing
songs to her the whole forty-five minute
drive to Middle Two Rock Road and forty-
five minutes back from physical therapy.
She’d say, even my voice sounded unfettered
by my spine afterward. So I sang and sang,
because I thought she liked it. I never
asked her what she gave up to drive me,
or how her day was before this chore. Today,
at her age, I was driving myself home from yet
another spine appointment, singing along
to some maudlin but solid song on the radio,
and I saw a mom take her raincoat off
and give it to her young daughter when
a storm took over the afternoon. My god,
I thought, my whole life I’ve been under her
raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel
that I never got wet.
(“The Raincoat by Ada Limon)
Admittedly, we sometimes go through the motions of faith; we say "Jesus" is the answer; we go to church and do good things, but why? And then, if we take the next step (whether through more profound prayer or exploration of our faith through meditation), we have a moment of realization, "Wow! Actually, that is who Jesus is and why I decided to follow."
Conclusion
Like Peter, let us respond to the question, "Who do you say I am?" with the authenticity of our personal convictions. Let us embrace our role as active participants in the grand tapestry of faith, contributing our unique threads of insight and understanding. There will always be Augustus' and other voices that try to dictate who Jesus is, but let us focus on what we find in Scripture: Jesus as a liberator of the oppressed, Jesus who fed the hungry when the Roman Empire didn't provide choice food, Jesus, who asks us to still our hearts so that we too can say, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."