Who Do You Say I Am?

Preached at All Saints Chapel
Proper 7C
20 June 2010

Luke 9:18-24 – Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

How many know who George Washington was? How about Woodrow Wilson? Do you know who Booker T. Washington was? How about Fredrick Douglas? Do you know who Babe Ruth was, or Joe DiMaggio or Michael Jordan? How about Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, George S. Patton, or Dwight D. Eisenhower? How about Emilia Earhart, Florence Nightingale, or Susan B. Anthony?

No, this is not a history lesson this morning – for which the kids who just finished another school year are most happy. The names I have mentioned are those of famous men and women; names that we are somewhat familiar with. Most of us know these names, and we may know what they did that made them famous; but whilst we may know their names, know what they did, do we know THEM? Do we really know WHO they were – not just WHAT they were?

Were these famous men and women good people or were they just good at what they did? Besides knowing facts of what they DID, do we know who they WERE – as people, as individuals? Were they arrogant or humble; short-tempered or patient; kind and compassionate or pushy and intolerant? Were they warm and friendly or cold, indifferent and distant? Were the understanding and forgiving or hard and uncaring?

Were they the kind of folks that we would want to have over for dinner as friends, or have over for a dinner party in their honor? Would we want to go fishing or shopping with these famous men and women, or keep your distance, like we do with so many folks with similar characteristics? Are they the kind of folks we could call up and share our concerns, joys, and sorrows, and they in turn give us a cheerful smile or warm embrace, or would we talk about them the way we do so many others?

That’s the problem with historical figures – they are famous for what they did, but often we know so very little of who they were apart from their deeds. For example, we know that Ulysses S. Grant was a great general, a great leader of men, and who rallied the Armies of the Republic to end the War between the States, but he was also a man who drank to excess, chased after women, used the foulest language imaginable, and had little patience for anyone – except himself – even when he was President. Is THAT the kind of person you’d what your daughter to bring home to meet the family as her fiancé? Probably not.

Or how about Babe Ruth – one of the greatest baseball players ever! But did you know he was an orphan, grew up in a catholic orphanage in Maryland, and was famous both as a kid – and an adult – for fighting with anyone and everyone? He also ate like a pig, swore like a sailor, drank like a fish, and smoked like a chimney? Is that the kind of person we would like our son to grow up like? Probably not.

So many famous folks in history sound like the kind of folks we’d like to know, because we know what they DID, and we admire their accomplishments and achievements; but when you look closer, look past what they DID and see who they really WERE – we discover that they were folks just like us – with issues, problems, and bad habits which would make us less than eager to be best friends. Apart from their deeds, they were the kind of folks we usually try to avoid, try to disassociate ourselves from, and tell our kids not to be with or be like. So long as we stay focused on the historical aspects of their life, focus on what they did and not on whom they really were, then we can continue to admire them. We love the history of great men and women… but can do without the humanity of these same great men and women.

Unfortunately, that is how so many folks approach Jesus Christ. They view him from an historical perspective rather than a personal one. They know the historical Jesus – that he was born in a barn, walked on the water, healed the sick, fed thousands from almost nothing, and even raised the dead – but whilst knowing know what he DID – the still don’t know WHO IS. For them, Jesus is the Savior of the World – from an historical perspective, and not from a personal encounter as Savior of their souls.

This lack of the personal encounter with Jesus – the lack of really getting to know Jesus and experience him on a personal, daily basis, is what makes Christianity so difficult for so many. Because they understand the historical, it can all be very dry. They don’t read the Bible because it’s difficult to understand. They don’t go to church because it’s boring. They approach this whole question of Christianity and Jesus Christ as if they were obligated to do so, like a kid going to school and having to sit through History Class. They fail to move beyond the historical and even religious aspects of Jesus, in order to make that personal connection with Christ and experience what he came to share with us.

In today’s Gospel lesson, the Disciples are having the same kind of problem. Jesus wants to know what people are saying about him; who they think he is. Right away, the Disciples start sharing what they’ve heard the people around them saying, referring to the great historical figures that have been mentioned. The people could easily associate Jesus with Elijah, Moses, or some other great prophet of the past, but were having a little difficulty in associating Jesus as anything more than that… more than just another great historical teacher and leader come to share some message of deliverance.

When Jesus asked the Disciples directly who they thought he was, again, they struggled with this question – was he in reality just another great historical and epic figure, or was he more? It is then, during this struggle for an answer, that Peter stands up and declares emphatically - “You are the Messiah of God!”

Peter had begun to make the personal connection with Jesus – not for what he could do, but for who he really was. He had begun to move past the historical to the personal; and THAT my friends, is where we all need to be as well.

It may be well and good that we can recount the details of Jesus’ life, can recall his miracles, and it may be wonderful that we can even recite many of his parables and teachings; but not until we embrace Jesus for WHO his is, and begin to live out the teachings he gave us, that we can fully understand and appreciate and even love this same Jesus Christ on a personal level.

Being a Christian is more than knowing ALL ABOUT Jesus; Christianity is all about KNOWING Jesus – personally.

And when we move from the historical Jesus to the personal Jesus, we then discover the path that God intended for us to follow in order to know real love, real peace, and real joy in our lives – because that is what the personal Jesus brings us when he brings us personal salvation.

And once we establish that personal encounter with the personal Jesus, once we really get to know him, know what who he is, what he expects from those who do know him, then we can more easily hear and apply the lessons he teaches, like the difficult one that we’ve heard today -
"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”

For those whose faith is limited to the historical Jesus, these words often seem hard and even harsh; but for those of us who have placed our faith in the personal Jesus, who have made that personal encounter with WHO Jesus IS - these words inspire us to greater devotion, greater service, greater love, and a greater desire to really follow him in the way he has shown us. We WANT to follow him and be with him, so we joyfully do what he expects us to do.

So many folks struggle in their faith journey, especially when they hear words like – commitment, sacrifice, self-denial, taking up the cross, living completely and totally for Jesus each and every day, because they look at Jesus much the same way they look at George Washington or Frederick Douglas or Babe Ruth or Florence Nightingale. They like the historical Jesus and they love the stories, but chafe and struggle at the thought of walking WITH Jesus every day and doing things Jesus’ way.

When we can stand up like Peter, and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah of God – and make it all very personal, then we unlock the door to the salvation that God intended for us to have, which also brings so many other blessings. But these blessings only come when we embrace the expectations; the peace and joy we so desperately seek can only be ours when we allow the historical Jesus to become our personal Jesus – and then pledge ourselves to live for and with this personal Jesus every day.

That was the difference in Jesus’ day as well. There were lots of great prophets and teachers, even those who declared themselves to be the Messiah; but when those disciples embraced WHO Jesus was and not just what Jesus did or could do, they then turned he world upside down and Christianity spread like a wildfire! People could experience God on a real and personal level… not just an historical one or even religious one. That connection – that personal encounter with Christ is what changes lives and can still change the world – in and through us – if we, like the disciples can make that same personal connection with Jesus.

So let me ask you the same question Jesus asked the disciples: “Who do you say that I Am?” Who is Jesus to YOU? Is he the focus of your religion or the focus of your faith? Is he the object of discussion, or the object of devotion? Is he the center of Christianity or the center of your life? Is he just the historical Savior of the world, or is he your personal Lord and Savior? Is he the Head of the Church, or the head of your home and family?

Let me encourage you to allow the Jesus you know with your head, to become the Jesus you know and love with your heart. Make the personal connection to WHO Jesus Christ is, and that will in turn motivate you to make the personal commitment to Jesus; and then – you will begin to experience all that he can DO in your life. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.