Meditation On Matthew 16:13-17 and Mark 8:27-30

who do you say I am

There is a tremendous difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing someone. What we know or think about someone is most often derived from what we have seen, what we have heard or been told, what we have read, or what is commonly held by our family, friends, and associates. It may or may not be more than an opinion either ours or someone else’s but in either case it is prone to be based on the bias and point of reference of the one making the assessment. Truly knowing someone is only possible in a personal relationship where both parties are open to giving and receiving revelation. As this is true for us it is also true about the writers of the Bible who framed their understanding largely from their own historical cultural experience using terms and themes current to their time, place, culture, language, and what was passed down to them by previous generations. It is also true of a number of current church goers who are just that, church goers who may know a lot about Jesus second hand from what they were told either by their history, or their denomination, their local congregation, their priests, televangelists, or popular books or tracks they read but not actually know Him in a personal relationship based on divine revelation.

Harmonizing Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel account of Jesus going with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi he asked them “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” The response of the people was to look to the past to see if the past were being replayed in the present.

Jesus then asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” It was Simon Peter who answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered him that he was blessed “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” (When Jesus revealed himself to Paul it is Paul who says he did not receive the gospel from Peter or James or any other person. It is not through flesh and blood but by direct divine revelation.) What is interesting in the disciples’ case is that following Peter’s confession Jesus sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone about him.

Although to some it seems strange that Jesus did not want the disciples to go out and tell others that he was the Messiah I see this as a natural extension of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness. It was there that he wrestled with how he would draw people into a living relationship with the living God. He realized that rather than turning stones to bread and having people flock to him to have their bellies filled; rather than becoming a reality superstar by throwing himself down from a high pinnacle and being snatched from death by angles so that people would flock to him for spectacle; or by becoming the worldly absolute political, economic, and military authority that would throw out the foreigners and restore the past so that that people would clamor to him; he would take upon himself being a suffering servant, faithful to God no matter what the cost and by doing so reveal the truth of God’s love compassion, grace, mercy, and presence to all who are open to receive first hand his revelation.

The world has many opinions of who Jesus was, but Jesus asks personally to each of us “Who do you say that I am?” A great joy is available to you each Wednesday evening at 7:00 P.M. as your brothers and

sisters of First Moravian Church of Georgia log onto a virtual Zoom meeting to share how “The Great I Am” has revealed Godself to each of us as we look to Scripture, Liturgy, Hymns, insight from Theological Seminary Professors, and our own experience. Each week our Pastor sends an email reminding and inviting you to join in. Please do!