The scripture lesson for this morning comes from the Gospel of Mark, right in the mid-point of the story. It is the hinge on which the plot turns. Mark has a wonderful symmetry to his gospel. The turning point comes in the exact middle of the narrative. There are sixteen chapters in the Gospel of Mark, and this scene comes in the eighth chapter. Behind us in the first seven chapters are the halcyon days in Galilee, those three years in which he gathered his disciples and taught them. Ahead of us now are those horrible days in Jerusalem, where he is crucified.

So this is a turning point in the story, and it is marked by Peter's confession, "You are the Christ." Peter is answering Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" It is like the final exam has come now after three years of instru…