Who Do You Say That I Am?

Mark 8: 27 - 38 (September 13, 2009)

1) The Text

27Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

2) The Context

This questioning takes place in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, a city known in antiquity as a shrine of the Greek and Roman nature god, Pan. This natural place of worship had probably been dedicated to various Semitic deities and was possibly the location of Baal-gad or Baal-hermon of the OT. The questioning about Jesus takes place not in the synagogue (or a church), but out in the world, precisely in a place dedicated to a pagan god.

Viewed through (our) Western eyes, the assumption is that Jesus knows who he is and that he is testing the disciples to see whether or not they know as well. But, viewed from Mediterranean understanding of personality, it is Jesus who does not know who he is, and it is the disciples from whom he must get this information. Also, in antiquity the question was not the modern one of the identity of an individual, but of the position and power that derived from an ascribed or acquired honor status. The expected reply to a question about who someone is would have been to identify the family or place of origin (Saul of Tarsus, Jesus of Nazareth). Encoded in that information is all the information needed to place the person in question on the honor scale. When Peter says, "You are the Messiah," he confirms the authority / status / honor of Jesus - as seen by his closest followers.

In a very real sense, up to now, Jesus has been working the small town stages to build up his street cred's. And having made a name for himself, he is now ready to tackle the big leagues - Jerusalem and the Roman authorities. The rest of Chapter 8 and all of Chapters 9 and 10 are the road trip to the big city - and Jesus' teachings and actions are now all focused on preparing his followers for the actions that will happen there as Jesus brings his proclamation of the Kingdom of God into direct, face-to-face, confrontation with the Empire of Rome.

3) Interpretation

Today’s Gospel contains a great deal of material and also highlights the fact that the hearing can often only be partial as Peter swings from affirming Jesus as the Christ and almost immediately refusing to hear the words that Jesus spoke about what that was going to mean. Many contemporary disciples feel the same way when confronted with the death of Jesus - they can accept Jesus as the Risen Lord but struggle with Jesus as Lord of Calvary. It is tempting to close our ears to words or ideas that make us feel uncomfortable and hear only what we want to hear. To hear of Jesus’ cross - and then to hear his words that, in order to follow him, we have to be prepared to take up our own cross is definitely an incentive to selective deafness!

Jesus is, however, unequivocal: he is the Christ but the Christ is destined to suffer. Not only that, but his followers will also face losing their lives and, indeed it is only in losing them that we save them. For Mark’s community, this Gospel would have been a source of strength. Many of the early Christians were dying - or knew of people who had died for their faith. The fact that Jesus had foretold this would have been reassuring to them and would have enabled them to set this suffering into the context of that of Jesus.

For some people in the world today, the choice to become and remain a Christian leads inevitably to suffering. This may be loss of prospects and education - or it may be torture and death. To face those requires whole-hearted commitment to their faith. Many others, though, do not suffer persecution and the words of Jesus may seem less relevant. However, most people have a cross of one kind or another: illness or disability - addiction - an unhappy family-life - bereavement - and more... For them, being willing to endure and persevere requires as real a commitment as those facing persecution. In the eyes of the world they may not seem as heroic - but their fidelity and perseverance form their path to eternal life.

This sermon goes to the core question of the life we were meant to live: “Are you a Christ-follower?” If so, what does that really mean to you? Why are you a Christian? Why do you want to be a follower of Jesus? Is it to get into heaven? Is it to get rid of guilt, to find peace in your life? Is it to make life smoother, more enjoyable? What is your motive for following this Christ around? Who do you say He is?”

These kinds of questions provide an opportunity to face the heart of discipleship. In our desire to find the life for which our hearts long, are we willing to go the way of the Cross in order to find it? Another way to ask the question might be, “Are you dying to live?” This message presses the gospel point that one cannot be a follower of Jesus, cannot truly be a disciple, unless one takes seriously the implications of the Cross. This is where the life you were meant to live begins and ends.

4) Thought Exercise

How does your faith help you address the crosses in your life?

How can you help others to persevere?