Answer the Question
Jesus asked them “But who do you
say that I am?” God is “I am.” Maybe it is better to ask, “But, who do you say
God is?”
The answer that Peter gives in
Mark is “You are the Christ, You are the Messiah.” In Matthew, the answer is
“You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” Luke says “the Christ of God.”
In John the words are, “We have come to believe and have come to know that you
are the Holy One of God.”
If Jesus asked us, we might say
something similar.” We might say “Savior of the World, Lord and Savior, Redeemer,
Word of God, Shepherd, King of kings, Bread of Life,” or one of many descriptions
of Jesus in the bible.
How do we answer when Jesus asks
- “But, who do you say that I am?”
It’s a questions we answer by who we are in the world. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the
living.
Someone sent me a video titled
“I am Christian, But I am not…” You can watch it here.
It’s a collection of young
adults making statements about being Christian. They say:
I’m Christian but
I’m not homophobic; I’m Christian and I’m definitely not perfect; I’m Christian
but I’m not close-minded; but I’m not unaccepting; but I’m not uneducated; but
I am not judgmental; but I’m not conservative; I’m not ignorant; but I don’t
place myself on a pedestal; I’m Christian but I don’t have all the answers.
The truest statement is “I’m a
Christian and I’m definitely not perfect.” And with that and the rest of the statements is
the fault of the video. It’s all about the individual’s “I am” and not about Jesus’
“I am.”
But that fault is shared by many
Christians in their answer to Jesus’ question, “But, who do you
say that I am?”
Stand in front of a mirror and look
for the “I am.” Look at yourself as other people see you. Look at yourself,
your life, your prayers, your faith, the way you worship, your family life, and
the way you treat other people, the poor, those you don’t agree with. Do you
see love in your eyes, a smile on your lips, an absence of worry, anxiety or
tenseness in your face? Do you present
yourself to the world with respect and honor as God’s creation? Do you see
Christ in you?
We shouldn’t find in the mirror a
cookie cutter version of a Christian. Every Christian is different and that is
a gift from God.
Remember, “I’m a Christian and
I’m definitely not perfect.” Christians live in the world. We are a mirror that
shows others what we truly are. We live by what’s expected of us, what’s cool,
or the “in” thing. We worry about life, bills, and things we can’t control. We
try to keep up with the neighbors.
Jesus asked “But, who do you say
that I am?” And we answer like Peter, thinking as human beings do. We put the “I
am” of our uniqueness, bigotry, and prejudices before God. The answer is what
we show to the world.
Jesus tells us the true image of
a Christian. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his
cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”
People can call themselves
Christian, but without a transformation like Jesus taught; we cannot change the
“I am” of who the world makes us.
Jesus is asking. We need to look
at ourselves for the answer. Our answer is the worlds “I am” or Jesus’ “I am.”
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