Who Do You Say I Am?

 

Matthew 16:13-20

Proper 16 / Year A

You may remember a few weeks ago I preached about how the bible is a book of questions.  This morning we hear what may be the single most important one it poses.  Jesus turns to his disciples and asks, “Who do you say I am?”  When I was a teenager our youth minister challenged us to find our own personal answer. 

I first read C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity at that time, and like millions of other people, was deeply affected by his thinking.  He famously wrote this:

 [People] often say about [Jesus]: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.”  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.

To the question “Who do you say Jesus is?” Lewis said there are only three options: Lord, Liar, or Lunatic.  Either he claimed to be God even though he knew he was not (he lied) or he thought he was God but he was not (he was a lunatic) or he was who he claimed to be (the Lord).  Lewis went on to analyze each possibility to discern which is most plausible and (spoiler alert) he concluded Jesus is exactly who he claims to be – the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord.

Now, people in our day often debate who is the GOAT (greatest of all time at any particular thing – quarterback, rock band, author) and who should be on the Mt. Rushmore of things such as leading actors, top physicists, or parish rectors (ahem) and while these can make for lively discussion, they really are of little consequence.  I contend coming to a personal understanding of who Jesus is is the most consequential thing you can do in life.  If he was a liar or a lunatic, we ought to steer clear of anything having to do with him, starting with the Christian church.  But if he is God in human flesh… well then, like the hymn says, this demands your soul, your life, your all.  Nothing less, nothing tepid, nothing perfunctory would be appropriate. 

This is what I came to see as a teenager and I used it to chart the course of my life.  For me, of course, it led in part to ordination, but that doesn’t mean it has to for everyone.  It is just one aspect of how I embraced the vows we all make at baptism to confess Jesus as our Lord, our Savior, and our Guide. 

If you have never taken the time to consider who Jesus is and sorted through the possible implications for your life, I encourage you to do so.  If you determine Jesus is who he claims to be, your faith cannot be just a description of your life, like your hair color, school allegiance, or citizenship.  It has to be THE defining characteristic of who you are.  If Jesus is who he claims to be, you cannot approach it like an archer who aims for a target, but never draws back the bow string far enough to get the arrow there.  Half-hearted will not do in the service of the Lord.

By coincidence, today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome also played a formative role in my life beginning in my teenage years:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God… what is good and acceptable and perfect.  ^12:1-2

Once I accepted Jesus as my Lord I came to see I had two options: (to use Paul’s language) either I could be conformed to this world or I could be transformed by the indwelling of God’s Spirit.  Either I could do what the world told me to do or I could do what I wanted to do or I could do what God wanted me to do.  Even though the first two are easier, I chose the third.  The world offers much and following selfish desires is the way we are wired, but doing what God wants you to do promises abundant life beyond fleeting happiness.

I guess I am looking back to those early years because I am feeling a little nostalgic and reflective.  Thank you for letting me share with you memories of how I got started on the journey that has brought me here for 19 wonderful years.  My prayer is you will spend time reflecting on your journey and all that has led you to your devotion to Christ.