Who Does He Say That We Are?
September 14, 2003
Mark 8:29
14th Sunday after Pentecost
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
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Mark 8:29
29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say
I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
Sometimes, a good question can change your life.
That happened to the disciples.
Jesus took them up to Caesarea Philippi
located north of the Sea of Galilee.
The three year earthly ministry of Jesus was drawing to a close.
It was decision time.
Jesus asked his disciples a couple of questions.
Those questions literally changed the course of their lives.
The first question was this:
"Who do people say I am?"
The disciples knew the answer.
That was easy.
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, one of the prophets."
The popular understanding
of who Jesus was
just plain wrong.
They had no idea who he really was.
Some said, that Jesus was John the Baptist,
come back to life after being killed in prison.
I can see why they might say this.
After all, Jesus and John had a similar message.
And Jesus taught his disciples to baptize,
something that only John had done before.
There was a connection, but Jesus was not John.
Other people said that Jesus was Elijah.
Actually, that’s not an unreasonable answer
for a couple of reasons.
Reason 1) Malachi 4:6 records a prophecy
about the return of Elijah.
Reason 2) Elijah was considered by some
to be the greatest miracle worker
in the Old Testament.
Good guess. But Jesus was not Elijah.
By saying,
"Who do people say I am?"
Jesus was getting his disciples ready
for a much more important question.
And here it is. It is found in Mark 8:29.
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter got the answer right.
He said, “You are the Christ.”
Peter was right,
but he didn’t really know the full meaning
of what he said.
Peter’s definition about who the Messiah is
was not the same as God’s definition.
Look at the very next verse.
He then began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders, chief priests
and teachers of the law,
and that he must be killed
and after three days rise again.
This was very difficult for the disciples to comprehend.
I don’t blame them.
That kind of information
would confuse anyone.
Let’s look at this passage of Scripture
from a different perspective.
Instead of Jesus asking us,
let’s ask him
a really good question.
Let’s ask the Lord a question about us as a congregation.
Let’s ask God what he wants us to focus on.
Let’s ask a question that,
when answered,
will help us work together toward a goal
that is focused and clear.
Let’s ask:
“Lord Jesus, who do you say that we are?”
He knows.
Jesus knows this church
and what we are called to be.
What he knows is guaranteed to surprise and amaze.
It isn’t what popular culture thinks.
And it isn’t really what we think.
There is much more to us
than we can think or dream.
We have done nothing to deserve our calling.
But God is generous.
Therefore, our calling is generous.
I find it very comforting
that Jesus knows
who we really are.
He knows.
He is eager to reveal
And not only does he know,
but he is eager to reveal this truth to us.
Listen to 1 John 5:14.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask –
we know that we have what we asked of him.
This is a firm promise from Scripture.
It is based on the idea
that if we make a request of God
that is according to his will,
we know that he will hear and answer our request.
Is it God’s will
that our church
know, understand, and embrace
God’s own vision
for who we should be?
The answer is YES!
Of course God wants us to embrace
his vision for our church.
According to 1 John 5:14,
if we sincerely ask
for something we know is in God’s will
we can be confident that he will answer.
Not only does God know,
but
he is eager to reveal
his truth to us.
Let’s ask:
“Lord Jesus, who do you say that we are?”
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, in Mark 8:29 you asked the disciples a question.
That moment became a turning point in their ministry.
Today, as a church, we want to ask the same question of you.
Who do you say that we are?
It does not matter what other people think.
It does not matter what we have done in the past.
We want to know what you say, because you created us,
you called us, and you have given us unique gifts for ministry.
By faith, we thank you for opening our ears to hear.
By faith, we thank you for the courage to accept,
and the grace to apply your answer. Amen.