And Jesus asked them, "But who do you say I am?" (Mark 8:29)

You have to like Peter, the burly fisherman who became Christ's leading disciple and the rock upon which Jesus built His church (Matthew 16:18).

Peter failed greatly many times. Many times, he showed his confusion and lack of understanding about the message and ministry of Jesus. He especially failed on the night Jesus was arrested, when he denied three times that he knew his Lord and ran away to save his own skin. Even so, you have to like Peter because he is very much like any of us - an ordinary person trying to be a disciple, who happens to fall short many times. But Peter falls short so often because he is willing to stretch his reach beyond his grasp. He is willing to learn, to grow, to be challenged; he is willing to take risks in faith. That's what we see happening in our text as Jesus and His disciples are walking along the road to Caesarea Philippi. Peter is the only one who is willing to speak with Jesus about who He is. Jesus and His disciples have just left Bethsaida. As they make their way through the valleys and hills of northern Israel, Jesus turns to His friends and says, "Who do people say I am?" There were many different answers at the time and the disciples begin reciting them, repeating what they have heard. For example, they know that Jesus already has a powerful enemy in King Herod, the man who cruelly butchered John the Baptist. Herod has heard of Jesus' miracles and His effect on the crowds, so he thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead (Mark 6:16). "Who do the people say I am?" The disciples answer Him, "Some say You are Elijah."

Now, Elijah was a legend in Israel, a great and powerful Old Testament people who lived nearly a thousand years before Jesus. It was said that Elijah did not die, but was carried up to heaven by fiery chariots in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), and some people believed he would come again. "Master, some say You are Elijah." "Some say You are another of the prophets, like the ones we had in days of old. Some say God has sent You to us as He sent Isaiah and Jeremiah, to prophesy in the name of the Lord." "Some say You are a magician. They may not know or care whether You are the Son of God, but they believe You can heal the sick and the lame, and that's what they want You to do for them." "Some say You are our Liberator, the new Moses, the Man who will take up our sacred cause and drive the Romans out of our land. They say You are the Messiah who will incite our revolution and end our oppression. Jesus, some say You are here to lead us in battle, to lead us in bloody victory." Who is this Jesus? The whole world wants to know! People are talking about Him; His reputation is spreading, "Who do the people say I am?" Now Jesus stops by the side of the road and looks His disciples right in the eye: "But who do you say I am? Never mind what others say. You who have been with Me all these months, do you know what you are seeing? Do you know who you are walking with? Who do you say I am?"

Only Peter - headstrong, passionate Peter, who is always willing to jump in with both feet even before he knows how deep the water is - only Peter responds: "You are the Christ." Make no mistake about it: by saying to Jesus, "You are the Christ," Peter has jumped into waters that run very deep, because what he has really said is, "Jesus, you are the Son of God. You are the Word made flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). You have power to judge the world and all of our lives; You hold in Your hands the keys to the kingdom of heaven. You are the Christ." Then the waters get deeper still, because Peter is also saying that Jesus claims his life. If Jesus is the Christ, if Jesus is God Himself come to earth, then what's at stake is nothing less than salvation itself and everlasting life. In the face of this, what else can claim our loyalty before Him? What can possibly matter more than living for Him above all else? He is the Lord our God, and we shall have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:2-3). Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or peril or sword be more real to us than the love of God in Jesus Christ? Can government or business, or money or possessions or popularity or pleasure, or anything else in all creation offer us eternity? Shall anything else in this world be as important to us as walking in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake? All of this lies behind those four simple words Peter uttered so long ago: "You are the Christ." Peter has jumped into waters so deep that now he is in over his head!

Jesus begins to tell him what it means to be the Christ in this world: He will be despised and rejected, wounded for our transgressions and acquainted with all our griefs (Isaiah 53:3f). He will be nailed to a cross and crucified. But Peter, who has boldly confessed that Jesus is Christ, begins to object. "No Jesus, you are wrong. Look at the crowds we got in Bethsaida. Look at how everyone is talking about You. Jesus, the people love You! You heal the sick. You are always preaching love. Who could possibly despise You for that?" And Jesus turns to Peter and rebukes him: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are not on the side of God, but of men [and women]."

It's funny, isn't it, how one minute Peter says, "You are the Christ," and the next minute, Jesus is calling him "Satan." Again, it's because Peter is like any one of us: he has his own ideas on what this Christ is all about. He sees God through the eyes of the world; he hasn't learned yet to see the world through the eyes of God. Perhaps we all could imagine ourselves in Peter's place today. We are walking with Jesus alongside the roadway of life and suddenly He is asking us: "Who do the people say I am?"

Right now, in the United States of America and in the church which bears My name ... who do the people say I am?" Again, just as in Peter's day, people have their own ideas about Christ and many different answers to His question. Millions of people have answered it on their bumper stickers: "Jesus (or God) is my co-pilot." I saw one of those on a car the other day, and the "co-pilot" in the driver's seat of that car ran a red light and nearly hit me! I thought, "Why would Jesus do that to me?" Jesus was her co-pilot? You see how arrogant and silly this claim is when you turn it around: "I am Jesus' co-pilot." Since when are we anywhere near His level? Since when are we co-equal with Jesus in anything, we who are sinful creatures born of the flesh and in need of His salvation. "Who do people say I am?" Some say, "You are my copilot." "Get behind Me, Satan! You think too much of yourself and too little of your God, to put yourself on His plane like that." "Who do the people say I am?"

It is also popular religion to say, "You are my Sugar Daddy. I need a new car. I need more money. I need this or that, Jesus, and I know you'll give me whatever I need, so long as I ask for it in Your name." But you see how childish and selfish this is. Since when is Jesus just a genie in a magic lamp, a cosmic Santa Claus, ready to serve at our beck and call? Since when is Jesus just a puppet to dance whenever we pull His string? And what about the Jesus who tells us not to treasure the riches of the world, but seek the riches of the spirit instead, who warns us not to gain the world and lose our souls, the Jesus who talks about picking up a cross and losing our life in order to gain it? "Who do the people say I am?" Some say, "You are my Sugar Daddy." "Get behind Me, Satan. You see God through the eyes of the world; you don't yet see the world through the eyes of God." "Who do the people say I am?"

Perhaps the most popular religion of all says, "Jesus, you are a part of my Lifestyle. You help me achieve my goals in life and You give me the inner peace and self-esteem I need to enjoy the fruits of my success." "And yes, I know I'm supposed to follow Your example in return, Jesus, but You have to understand that life is more than just religion. I've got a lifestyle to keep. I've got other obligations and other things I like to do. You don't really expect me to change too much, or follow You all the time, do You?" But you see how casual and undisciplined this is. Since when are we supposed to fit Jesus into our lives, instead of fitting our lives into His? Whose agenda is more important, ours or His? And since when is Jesus a part-time Lord, a half-time Savior? Can we faithfully serve Him some of the time and then put Him aside when something else comes up, He who is Ruler of all hearts and Judge of the world? "Who do the people say I am?" Some say, "You are a part of my overall lifestyle and a Good Example to follow when it is convenient to do so." "Get behind Me, Satan! You are not on the side of God, but on the side of men [and women]." There can be but one answer. There can be but one Way and that is, to jump into the deep waters of unconditional love and discipleship. Say with Peter, "You are the Christ. You are God Himself in the flesh. You give life and conquer death." "You are the Christ, and since You are, I will not define my life by success and status and all the other human standards of this world; I will find my life by losing it in service to You." It is a question for all ages, a question our Lord asks again and again, waiting for our repy: "Who do you say I am?"

In this troubled world - with all its trials and tribulations, filled as it is with the sorrow and the pity - the life of this world hangs in the balance and the One who saves the world is waiting for the world to say, "You are the Christ." In His church - where passivity can give way to power, where groping can give way to growth, where we can be more than friends, but soul mates in the fellowship of God's people - the faithfulness of Jesus' church hangs in the balance and the One in whose name we worship is waiting for His church to say, "You are the Christ." And in our hearts, in your hearts and mine - where apathy can give way to purpose and casualness can turn to convictfon, where worldliness can give way to holiness - the purity of our lives and the fate of our souls hangs in the balance and the One who died for us on the cross is waiting for us to say, "You are the Christ." The question meets us at the point of challenge, where everything that matters in life hangs in the balance. In fact, the way we answer this one single question says everything about the kind of Christians we are. The answer is deep, but like Peter, don't be afraid of jumping in over your head. Once you are in, the water is fine! It is the water of life, fed eternally by the springs of love, so go on in! Who do you say He is, and how will your life be different once you say to Him, "You are the Christ?" Amen

Pastoral Prayer

Gracious God, who is the Beginning and the End of all we are and ever hope to be, we give You thanks for the words of Holy Scripture, that here we might know You and learn to do Your will. We thank You for the witness of prophets of old, that we might learn Your thoughts through them. We ask that You inspire us to use this Good Book in our daily lives. Let it occupy a special place in our homes. Lead us to open it and to open our hearts as well, that the power found in its pages might become our power, and its flame our flame, for the glory of Your holy name.

Lead us through prayer and our reading of Scriptures to call Jesus the Christ and to change our lives because He is the Christ. Take away the worldly distractions which make us part-time disciples. Convince us that giving up all to follow Him will gain us more than we could ever dream. Leave us unsatisfied until we are walking perfectly in His way, even as He walked in Your way for our sake. With thanks for His sacrifice and in gratitude for His love, we pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen