Who do YOU say Jesus is?

 

Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Caesarea Philippi was renamed for Augustus.  He was in a region stolen even by name by the empire that occupied and oppressed God’s children there.

Here, Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was.  Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man – a hint for their answer – a name given for the one sent as a servant of God’s children by God.  The disciples reported that Jesus, this phenomenon well known by now was considered John the Baptist come back to life, or Elijah, come to usher in Messiah, or Jeremiah – a prophet who constantly had to deal with false prophets like Hananiah.

Peter, always very quick to jump in with both feet, claimed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.  Jesus, this ordinary guy who aspired to be the most faithful, often got things wrong, but this he got very right – Jesus called Peter blessed, and declared that this was revealed to Peter by God directly.  Jesus then claimed that Peter would be the one on whom the church would be built… and it was for a time… until Paul gained in influence because Peter failed to practice what he preached regarding considerations over clean and unclean foods and eating them (acts 10:9-16; Galatians 2:11-14).

In the end, Peter was faithful to Jesus to giving his life. 

Who is Jesus to us?

   For some in the church, Jesus is personal Lord and Savior but they ignore His teachings on life.

   For Some in the church Jesus is Lord of their lives and what He taught, commanded, modeled is faithfulness to God.

   For Some, Jesus is a prophet, a teacher.

What did it mean that Jesus was messiah/sent one by God to deliver God’s children from Sin and its death, to bring salvation by Grace through His redemption, and yes,

the Messenger of God regarding the New Covenant in that Grace - the fulfiller of Law and Prophets, the Lord of life in this part of God’s Kingdom here and now in Agape Love.

    Some would still hold onto the tradition of Pharisees, get all caught up in their own Purity and holiness, rather than faithfulness to the one of Grace and Agape Love, believing that their own purity and holiness brings them to self-righteousness

         and salvation.

This is a Dangerous consideration.  Who is Jesus?

For some, Jesus is wrapped in an American flag, spouts Capitalist Prosperity Theology and carries an AR-15.

   For some, Jesus is always straight, white, male and religiously biased…

   But that is NOT what I read of Jesus in the Gospels who opposed the tradition of the Pharisees…

       Reached out to Samaritan and Canaanite women

       Called people faithful who were not even of His faith

       Spoke of Eunuchs, excluded by the Law of Moses, as faithful servants of God

       Criticized the religious leaders who WERE of His own faith

           For being more dogmatic, more legalistic, more tradition-oriented than loving

           For judging, manipulating, misleading, hurting, exploiting others and not

                loving them.

 

If we ignore the Savior Jesus, we spit in the face of Grace

If we ignore Jesus as Lord, we fail to be faithful in following what Jesus commanded…

    And we run the risk of hearing the Jesus of Luke’s Gospel say,

    "I do not know where you come from," though we have eaten and drunk with HIm and were in the streets where Jesus taught..." Luke 13:22-30  

    or “I do not know you…” even though we prophesy in His name, cast out demons, heal, do other powerful deeds in His name… Matthew 7:21-23

    and “why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

 

So, there are counterfeit Jesus’ in our culture-

Images of Jesus that do not resemble the Jesus of the Gospels.

People who re-create Jesus in their own, judgmental, dogmatic, tradition of the Pharisees images.   You can tell them, because Jesus happens to hate the same people they hate.  Jesus represents precisely all that they value.

So, the question remains -

 

Who is Jesus to us?

Who is Jesus to you?

 

Another Prophet or Teacher?

A right-wing ideologue representative of American Civil Religion?

 Just one to give worship, praise, tithes, claim as personal Lord and Savior in order to gain our own salvation, and perhaps some wealth to boot?

Or Lord of our lives, who we strive to follow in transforming the world in Agape Love?