Who do you say I am?

            Whether we realize it or not, we are all teachers. Our teaching skills are being honed daily throughout our lives. While some of us become professional teachers improving our teaching skills through training and experience, we are all involved in a lifelong process impacting the lives of others…our children, spouses, co-workers and friends through word and example. It would be well for us to remember the wise guidance of St. Francis who often reminded his friars to: “Preach the Gospel. If necessary use words.” Certainly, what we do speaks so much louder than what we say.

            In our Gospel today, Jesus demonstrates his skill as teacher par excellence. He knew that his disciples were not quick learners, often slow to grasp the importance of his message. Jesus also knew that his time was growing short, and he wanted some reassurance that his followers understood his message. As they approached the area of Caesarea Philippi, the heart of the pagan world surrounded by temples to Syrian, Greek and Roman gods, Jesus dared to ask the apostles two critical questions. “Who do people say that I am?” They reported a list of possibilities: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

But who do you say that I am?

 

Then the carpenter from Galilee, standing amidst the splendor of the temples of the gods of the ancient world, rejected and plotted against by his own spiritual leaders, asked his twelve followers the key question, (and then perhaps held his breath.) “But who do you say that I am?” After a lengthy silence, Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What a rare moment in our Gospel narrative. Peter had the right answer!   And in good teacher fashion, Jesus called him blessed saying, “Good answer Simon, you are right, but you didn’t figure it out all by yourself!” That day besides praise, Peter got a new name, position and authority.

            Throughout our lives, we too face the same question. Who do we say Jesus is? Depending on our age, our life experiences, and our on-going relationship with him, our response may be similar to Peter’s. In faith, we would attest to our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and we too would be right! But, do we mean the Jesus whom others avoided, the Jesus whom others judged as unworthy, or the Jesus reflected in the lives of those seeking freedom and forgiveness? Do we mean the Jesus reflected in the faces of hungry children, in the cries of those killed by war and violence, or in the sick, the homeless or abandoned of our world? Do we recognize Jesus in the faces of those with whom we firmly agree, as well as those with whom we strongly disagree?

            Jesus, our master teacher, affirmed by his actions what he preached. He tells us that there is immense spiritual and psychological danger in being rich and privileged. He reminds us that our standing before God depends upon how we stand in relationship to the weakest members in our society, and he counseled us that if we wish to find God, look among the poor. Today, who do you say Jesus is? If you too get the right answer, what next?           ----Deacon Wilson Shierk