Who Do You Say That I Am?

Kudos to Paul for a thought-provoking sermon on Sunday. His text was Mark 8:27-30, the famous incident where Jesus confronts his disciples regarding his identity. ‘Who do the people say I am,’ Jesus begins, followed by the unavoidable question, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ The basic idea is that Peter’s confession of Jesus as ‘the Messiah’ probably looked a little different than we often think. We hear the word ‘Messiah’ and think that this means something like ‘God-incarnate, the divine saviour for all of humanity’. It is highly unlikely that Peter meant this at the time. The true identity of Christ was something that slowly dawned on the writers of the NT as they attempted to understand his death and subsequent resurrection.

As a Jew, Peter’s expectations would have centered around a political leader who would restore Israel’s national political fortunes. There would have been no expectation that this leader would be ‘God with us’ or any of the other ‘fundamentals’ of Jesus’ identity that we see as obvious (with the benefit of hindsight). Throughout Jesus’ ministry the disciples seem like a fairly dense bunch, only occasionally grasping the things that Jesus was teaching. Paul (the pastor not the apostle) did a good job of highlighting that this confession was the beginning for Peter. He recognized that his future was tied up with this Jesus but the rest of the gospel of Mark demonstrates how Jesus constantly overturned the expectations of both the disciples and the crowds who had begun to follow him. People, it seems, were constantly torn between the Messiah they wished Jesus was and the Messiah that Jesus ultimately proved to be.

The upshot of all of this is summarized by the question: Are we any different today? Are we faced with the same temptation? Are we tempted to construct our own image of Jesus and follow that Messiah instead of the crucified Saviour? Are we tempted to make Jesus a servant in whatever cause happens to be dearest to our heart? I’ve just read a couple of books that paint very different pictures of Jesus, each with their own twist on what Jesus was really all about. For one author, Jesus was essentially a social activist. He came to inspire a radical movement of love and justice and was tragically martyted for his trouble. Another talks about Jesus as the ‘cosmic Christ,’ the divine Logos or principle of reason that provides the foundation for all that makes sense in the world.

For the activist, Jesus becomes and activist. For the philosopher, Jesus becomes a philosopher. The temptation to squeeze Jesus into our own image seems to be a strong one. This has got me thinking about what my particular temptation is. Which Jesus am I following? Is this Jesus consistent with the Jesus who goes the way of the cross? Are there aspects of Jesus’ character and mission that I am missing. I suspect there are. If nothing else this sermon has got me thinking about what my blind spots might be.