A Turning Point (August 2011 Newsletter)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ –

“[Jesus] said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15

Jesus’ question to Peter marks a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. Until this point, most of Matthew’s Gospel has told of Jesus teaching the crowds, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, calming the wind and waves. Asked by John’s disciples if he was the one for whom they had waited, Jesus’ response seems ambiguous. Jesus reminded John’s disciples of his miracles and allowed them to draw their own conclusions. He spoke as if, for John, Jesus’ deeds should speak for themselves. And then Jesus sent the disciples out on their first mission. Up to this point, they had experienced Jesus as teacher, healer, worker of miracles. Accordingly, when Jesus asked who the crowds thought he was, the disciples said that he was seen by the crowds as a prophet.

But then Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter, always eager to run off at the mouth, blurted out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus was well-pleased with Peter’s answer. But then Jesus began to speak of the suffering he would undergo, and Peter was thrown off balance, to the extent that Jesus rebuked Peter’s lack of understanding. Jesus went on to tell the disciples that, just as Jesus would suffer, his disciples would have to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.

Jesus’ question to Peter is also Jesus’ question to us. So how do we answer Jesus’ question? Who is Jesus for us? Do we see Jesus primarily as one who will meet our needs, answer our prayers, give us emotional “warm fuzzies”? Not that any of these responses are necessarily wrong - Jesus does all these things - but is this all Jesus is? Like the crowds who followed Jesus, is our faith primarily about getting our own needs met? Do we have a quality of faith that will go the distance when Jesus bids us take up our cross and follow him? Where Jesus leads, are we prepared to follow?

Jesus challenged his disciples to go beyond the easy, noncommittal, partial understanding of the crowd, to go deeper, to reach a place in our faith where we are ready to embrace, not only the joys, but the costs of discipleship. Difficult times, times of tragedy, times of distress, challenge our faith. Like Job, we ask, “where is God in all of this?” But if we are willing to hang on tight to our faith, to wrestle with life’s challenges and questions in light of our faith, we may find a blessing. What we find may not exactly be answers to our questions, but an experience of God’s presence. We may be able to look back on our time of struggle and challenge, and say, “Surely the Lord was with us in that place!”

See you in church!

Pastor Dave