Podcast of "How Do We Say 'Who Do You Say I Am?'" (MP3)
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” According to the disciples, “Some say [Jesus is] John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” This is some pretty heady company.
The prophets were celebrated and prominent men of renown. Of course, the lucky ones were hauled off into exile like Jeremiah. The unlucky ones were hauled off and killed, martyred for the Word of God they proclaimed like John the Baptist. The only exception is Elijah who was taken up into heaven without experiencing death. The role of prophet is not for the fickle. The prophets mentioned by the disciples were true heroes of the faith; regaled in poetry, song, and story.
As “names others used for Jesus” was worth asking, this question was only a set-up for the one that came next. He asks his disciples, “But who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In other translations Peter answers this question using the Hebrew word for Christ, Messiah.[i]
As I have said, Matthew’s gospel was written for first century Jews who believed Jesus is the Messiah. So looking at this passage, we shouldn’t look at Peter’s proclamation from our perspective but from his point of view, and that of other first century Jewish believers.
For the Jews, the name Messiah is a particular title, it wasn’t for just anybody. It was used in the Old Testament for the Kings of Israel from the line of David. The title Messiah articulated the special relationship between the Lord and the nation of Israel .[ii]
It recalls the covenant made with Noah, the promise that humanity will not be swept from the face of the earth. It recalls the promises made to Abraham, the promise to become a great nation. It recalls the promises made to Moses, the promises hinted at in our Old Testament reading, the story of his miraculous infancy. Peter called Jesus “Messiah.” To the Jews of every time and age, the Messiah is the Son of God.[iii]
This is how Peter replied to Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” Now that Peter has given the answer of a first century Jewish disciple, it’s up to us to answer that question for ourselves as twenty-first century Christians.
Today we answer that question a couple of ways. After the sermon we will answer this question hearing the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[iv] These words from Matthew’s gospel are “The Great Commission,” the Lord’s final command to his people. They are also the words we use at the beginning of the sacrament of baptism.
Baptism is the glorious sacrament where we welcome new initiates into the community of Christ which is the church. It is through the work of God in Christ that we can say with confidence, “In baptism God claims us, and seals us to show that we belong to God. God frees us from sin and death, uniting us with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection.”[v]
Through baptism we enter the covenant God has established. In our baptism we declare that within this covenant God gives us new life, guards us from evil, and nurtures us in love. In embracing that covenant, we choose whom we will serve, by turning from evil and turning to Jesus Christ. As God embraces us within the covenant, we are asked to reject sin, to profess faith in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we baptize.[vi]
In our baptismal vows we declare our belief in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. We proclaim faith in Jesus Christ, who was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead. We tell the world we believe Jesus is God’s only Son, our Lord who will come to judge the living and the dead. We pronounce our faith in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.[vii]
This is how we say who Jesus is. We go and make disciples of all nations. We teach, we learn, we remember. We are claimed by God and sealed in the water showing we belong to God. As the hymn goes, we are “baptized in water, sealed by the spirit.”[viii] We publicly announce who Jesus is; receiving new life where God guards us from evil and nurtures us in love. We embrace God’s covenant of love and new life. Embracing God’s promise, choosing to serve the Lord we turn from evil rejecting sin and professing faith in Jesus Christ and the church that he planted. In this church, the church whose cornerstone is laid in our gospel reading, we baptize those who seek his living water. We live the faith pronounced in the Apostles’ Creed, one of the creeds and confessions of the Presbyterian Church.
In the celebration of baptism the parents and the baptized take these vows and make these promises. Yet we also declare Jesus is the Messiah with more than words. In the celebration of the baptism, we, the congregation, promise to guide those being baptized by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church.[ix] There is more than word to this celebration, there is action today and action tomorrow.
The Reverend Alexandra Hendrickson (who prefers being called Alex) is the Pastor of the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church in Brod-heads-ville , Pennsylvania
Good news - gas @ $3.14/gallon with my Giant bonus points. Bad news - smashed my little toe by dropping the gas pump nozzle on it. Worse news - the man at the pump across from me watched me hop around and cry about my bleeding toe and said NOTHING. Worst news - his car had an "I ♥ Jesus" bumper sticker. BEST news - my sweet Thomas (Alex and Brett’s son) flew out of his seat and came to the aid of his ailing Mami [sic]. Jesus' love = action. Glad my 8-year-old knows this.
So here we are with examples of two people sharing their love of Jesus in glaringly different ways. One of them tells the world from the bumper of his vehicle. The other, well, he doesn’t have a vehicle to share his faith from. When the chips are down and it’s time for action though, the little boy, the eight-year-old finds his mami in distress and comes to her aid. The other keeps on with his day thinking nothing of the hopping, yelping woman.
In this moment, one says Jesus belongs on my bumper. The other says Jesus belongs in my life. How do we say “Who do you say I am?”
Today we answer the question joining Peter saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We say this in word. We say this in celebrating the sacrament of Baptism, and we will also celebrate this announcement in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
We celebrate this sacrament in thanksgiving taking the bread and the cup and proclaiming the death and resurrection of our Lord until he comes again. We hope and trust God will receive our sacrifice of praise and pour out the Holy Spirit upon us that this meal may be a communion in the body and blood of our Lord. We pray God will make us one with Christ and with all who share his feast. By this we have faith God will unite us in faith, encourage us with hope, and inspire us to love, that we may serve as faithful disciples until we feast at the Lord’s Table in glory.[xi]
This is how we answer the question “Who do you say I am.” We answer the question in faith. We answer the question in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We give thanks for the sacraments, the outward signs which convey God’s inward grace.[xii] We answer the question in actions which include supporting the newly baptized. We answer this question collecting school supplies for Robert E. Lee Elementary School
I say we answer the question about who Jesus by the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We can also say we use these two ways to answer Jesus’ question to his disciples: words and deeds. Today we will answer Jesus’ question in worship, sacrament, and fellowship. We will answer Jesus’ question in word and in deed and this is important. In the end, where the rubber meets the road, if all we have are words on our bumpers we will never reach out and touch the world where it is needed the most.
[i] The New Revised Standard Version and New Living Translations for example.
[ii] “Christ” entry, New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Volume 1. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Gen. Ed. Nashville
[iii] Ibid, page 603
[iv] Matthew 28:18-20
[v] Theology and Worship Ministry Unit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A. ) and the Cumberland Louisville , Kentucky
[vi] Ibid. 406-407
[vii] Condensed version of “The Apostles’ Creed.” Ibid, 409.
[viii] Saward, Michael A., “Baptized in Water” Carol Stream , IL
[ix] Ibid, page 406.
[x] Alex gave me permission to use this wonderful, glorious story of action that as far as I’m concerned could just as well be a replay of “The Good Samaritan.”
[xi] Ibid. page 152
[xii] McKim, Donald K. Westminster dictionary of theological terms. Louisville , Kentucky
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