Many years ago I learned a song with the words, “Everybody ought to know who Jesus is”. As the song continues, the writer declares who Jesus is by continuing in the song, “He’s the lily of the valley. He’s the brightest morning star. He’s the fairest of ten thousand…” The point is that the essence of human relationship with God comes through knowing who Jesus is. This echoes the words of Jesus himself as recorded by John when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” (St. John 14: 6 NKJV)
The essence of the text is about the concept of identity and specifically the identity of Jesus that we hold in relation to our relationship to God.
Everybody has an identity. What is your identity? How would someone identify you? Are the same identifying features recognised by everyone you know or who know you? Is it important that other people know you? What are the distinguishing features that set you apart from others?
Jesus apparently brings all of these questions into focus when he asked the disciples one day, “Who do people say that I am?” (St. Matthew 16:15 NIV) Like many things that Jesus did, this question must have taken them off guard and left them wondering why this is so important to Jesus.
The answer given by the disciples was revealing in itself because for one thing it showed that no one really knew who Jesus was. The range of names given suggest that he was at the very least some great religious figure who had come back to life. In this context it is easy to see why Peter’s answer seems so extraordinary and profound. When Peter says, “You are the Christ”, Jesus’ response to this suggests that Peter could not have known this of his own but it was revealed to him by God. Matthew is the only one of the three synoptic gospels that records Jesus giving a lengthy response to Peter’s confession including the well-known and often quoted words of Jesus about Peter being the rock on which the church would be built. The other two gospels which record this event, Mark and Luke both simply say he told the disciples not to say anything about it to anyone, essentially to keep it a secret.
It is the normal expectation that one’s identity needs to be known, not kept to oneself because one’s identity tells others who exactly you are.
In asking this question, “Who do people say that I am”, Jesus already knew that his identity and purpose was a cause for great debate especially among the Jewish leaders and even among the disciples themselves. You may recall the account of Jesus quieting the storm on the lake after the disciples were terrified that they would all be drowned. When Jesus had quieted the storm the disciples asked among themselves, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him?” (St. Matthew 8:23-27 NIV) On another occasion in the Synagogue after Jesus had finished teaching the people the gospel of Matthew says that, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority, not as their teachers of the law.” (St.Matthew 7:28-29 NIV)
It was clear that Jesus’ identity was to be seen in the power of his miracles and the authority of his teaching yet many still did not know who he was or doubted who he claimed to be.
In this account there are two key things that we must note and reflect on. Even though we were not present physically at that time the question Jesus posed to the disciples then is as relevant and as fundamental to our identity as Christians today as ever before.
The first thing to reflect on is who Jesus is to you. You will notice that irrespective of what other people may say, knowing who Jesus is, is ultimately an individual experience. It is important to have a collective faith as a body of believers. That is why we have the Church which is the body of Christ, but without each person’s confession or declaration of who Jesus is to him or her individually, we would have no faith and no Church. You see, Peter’s response was more than just an answer to a question being asked. It was a declaration of faith. When we also declare who Jesus is it is not just stating a fact, it is making a confession or a declaration of who he is to each of us individually. In a real way, every day we live, our faith is renewed by us continually answering that question, “Who do you say that I am?” That’s a question we must answer when we face natural disasters and our lives are uprooted and thrown into uncertainty. That’s the question you must ask when you have suddenly lost your income and the house and the car face the real threat of repossession. “Who do you say that I am” is the question to be answered when death comes to your family especially in a tragic and painful way and it is the question that one must answer when health challenges become persistent and unbearable. You can think of and name for yourselves all the things that are a great burden and a severe trial of your faith and for each of them you must answer the question that Jesus is still asking today, “Who do you say that I am?” Ultimately what the world says is not the complete answer because this is about a personal one to one relationship. Everyone needs to be certain about the person that he or she forms a close relationship or friendship or close bond with. That’s simply what Jesus was saying to the disciples then and is saying to us now. If we are to have a meaningful relationship then we must know each other intimately. If our knowledge of each other is superficial then our relationship will also be superficial.
Secondly, we will notice that according to Matthew’s account, Jesus then goes on to bless Peter because of the fact that he did not come to this answer on his own knowledge. It was through the power of God himself. The point is that it was God’s initiative, not a human one. It was because God made it possible Peter could discern who Jesus really is. The same thing is true for us today. We cannot truly know Jesus by our own human knowledge. It is through God’s power in us that we come to know him more intimately. Ultimately it is God’s doing not ours. We humans have been brilliant at so many things. We have invented great things. We have learnt so much about the world and indeed outer space but the one thing we cannot do is know God without Him leading us into a relationship with him. As Jesus said in St. John 14 which remains true to this day and will always be so, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (St. John 14:6 NIV) We cannot know God through our own power and will but by the power of God Himself working in us and transforming us to be people of light. Then we can truly know Him.
What is implicit in this account is the possibility that many of us can be involved in the work of the Lord and many of us like some of those disciples can seem to be close to Jesus but ultimately we still don’t know him. Some people even confuse having a knowledge of Jesus which is purely at a human intellectual level with the concept of knowing Jesus. In other words many people know ABOUT Him but don’t really KNOW Him. All of us must decide for ourselves here and now before it is too late, who is Jesus to me or as Jesus himself asked, “Who do you say that I am?” You can’t know him by being a faithful and committed church member. You can’t know him by being a good volunteer in the community. You can’t know him by being a good person whom everybody loves and respects. You can only know him through a committed life-long relationship with God. Then you can declare to everyone by word and by your living that He is Lord. He is my Saviour. He is my God. He is my All in All.
As we go to face the world with all its challenges and trials and turbulence may you continue to ask Jesus to help you to be faithful and sincere in always responding to the question who do you say that I am not just by words but by our lives that others may come to know who Jesus is for themselves and for this world. Amen.