Who Do You Say That I Am?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples came into the district of Caesarea Philippi. This city bore the name of the Roman emperor. On one side of the city stood a cave shrine dedicated to Pan, a Greek god believed to watch over fields and forests, shepherds and their flocks. There, imperial power and the worship of many gods were on full display. It was there that Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The title “Son of Man” points to Jesus as one who came among us as a human being. At the same time, it echoes the book of Daniel, where it refers to one who is given authority by God. Jesus was asking who people thought he was.
The disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked them again, “But who do you say that I am?” Knowing what others say about Jesus is not the same as believing for myself who Jesus is. Knowing what Scripture and the Church teach is not the same as knowing what those teachings mean in my own life. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded to this confession by calling Peter “the rock.” He called him that before Peter had become like a rock. In a city that bore an emperor’s name, in a place where many gods were worshiped, Peter turned away from the power before his eyes and confessed Jesus as the true Messiah.
But when Jesus said that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer, and be killed, Peter objected, saying that this must never happen. The same man who had just confessed Jesus as the Messiah now stood in the way of the path Jesus would take. Peter knew the word “Messiah.” He did not yet understand the road the Messiah would walk. The words were right. Their meaning had not yet sunk in. And so the confession had not yet become his life.
We confess our faith in God with words. We learn the teachings of Scripture, and we share what we believe with others. Yet knowing these words does not mean that we understand them. The words we receive must become part of our own understanding. We should be able to express what they mean in our own words. And as we live by them, our understanding grows deeper.
For many years, we have used many familiar words in the Church: Jesus, God, salvation, eternal life, the kingdom of God, the gospel, grace, and faith. These words are at the heart of the Christian faith. Because they are so basic, we often assume that we already understand them. Within the Church, we seem to understand one another without having to explain them. We can use these words as the foundation of our conversation without stopping to ask what they truly mean.
But what would we say if someone asked us directly? “What does it mean to be saved?” “What does it mean for the kingdom of God to come?” “Why is the gospel good news?” We may find these questions harder to answer than we expected. We say that salvation comes by grace, and that grace is received through faith. This is not wrong. If someone then asks what grace means and what faith means, our answer may return to where it began. Instead of becoming clearer, one familiar word simply points to another.
Using familiar religious words often does not prove that we understand them. Even after many years in the Church, these words may still remain unclear. Imagine someone who knows nothing about Christianity asking us, “Who is God?” “What does it mean to believe?” “What is salvation?” We need to do more than repeat the expressions we have learned in church. We should be able to answer in our own words. Today’s Gospel asks us to consider: Are the words I use truly my confession? Have I thought carefully about what they mean? How is that confession shaping my life?
There is mystery at the heart of Christian faith. We cannot fully explain God with human words. Explaining what we believe does not mean solving the mystery of God. Not knowing everything about God is different from believing vaguely, without serious thought. We cannot put God fully into words. Still, we must think seriously about the God in whom we believe. What we believe must take shape in our time and work, in our relationships and service, and in the care we offer each day. The Church is where we learn the language of faith. It is also where we seek its meaning together and put it into practice in the way we live.
When Jesus called Peter “the rock,” it was not praise for something Peter had already become. It was a calling toward the person he would become. Yet later, Peter was overcome by fear and denied Jesus three times. But his story did not end with that failure. The risen Jesus came back to him. Three times he asked, “Do you love me?” Then he entrusted his sheep to Peter’s care. In the place of Peter’s failure, Jesus raised him up again. Through failure, forgiveness, and restoration, Peter learned what his own confession meant. Over many years, that confession slowly became his life.
In today’s reading from Romans, Paul appeals to us “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” To offer our bodies is to offer each day of our lives to God as worship. Our confession of salvation should lead to a life that gives life to others. Those who seek God’s kingdom honor those in lowly places and work to restore broken relationships. A life that makes room for others to begin again—this is what the gospel looks like. This is grace at work.
Faith, in the end, means following the road that Jesus walked. Then the words of faith will no longer be empty sounds that fade into the air. Who we confess Jesus to be is revealed by the way we live. This is not an answer we finish all at once. It deepens little by little as we follow Jesus.
Today Jesus asks us the same question: “But who do you say that I am?” Who is Jesus to you? We begin by answering in our own words. Then we spend our whole lives learning what that answer means and living it out.
Amen.