13Now When Jesus Came Into the District of Caesarea Philippi, He Asked His Disciples

Tedd Pullano

Ogden 08-27-2017

Matthew 16:13-20

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Who Do You Say?

A few years ago I got involved with the Presbyterian Church’s 1001 New Worshipping Communities. It is a program designed to start new faith communities – the PCUSA wants to start 1001 new churches over 10 year span. Having been interested in this for a long time, I gathered about 6 people and we decided to move forward with the process the Presbyterian Church designed – a step by step program a community would follow to become a fully functioning new worshipping community. There is actually a guidebook to follow (hold up) – after all we are Presbyterians and we do everything decently and in good order.

There are thirteen steps/meetings you go through in order get a new church started. And do you know what the first major step in starting a new church is? As a community, you have to answer one simple question. It comes right out of this morning’s passage. As a matter of fact, this passage is part of that first step. The question is this: who do you say Jesus is? The first thing the community must discuss and understand is who Jesus is. And if you think about it, that makes sense, right? In order to have a church, which we also call the “body of Christ”, you need to have some understanding of who Jesus is in order to be his body. Because there is this foundational, intimate, all important connection between the church and Jesus. I think Jesus was well aware of this – at least that is how our passage reads to me today. You see, if you read this passage carefully, you can see Jesus connect who he is to the foundation of “the church”. Look what he does in the passage. He begins by asking who people say he is – and though their answers make sense, they are incorrect. Then he turns to Peter and asks him. Peter nails the answer. His answer is spot on – indicating that at some level he has an understanding of who Jesus is. And I think Peter’s answer is more than a “head” connection – it’s a “heart” connection. Peter knows who Jesus is because he has experienced him. That’s really important. And when Jesus hears his answer, he affirms that answer, and then establishes his church on that person and that understanding. So the logical conclusion has to be that, in order for a church to be a church, they have to be able to answer the question: who do you say Jesus is. I feel that from his actions in this passage, Jesus is saying that knowing who I am is foundational to having a church community.

And it is a powerful and difficult question: who do you say Jesus is? It is a question I believe is central to what a church community is – how they identify, or don't identify Jesus, will direct the way they think as a community and act as a community. (examples) And quite frankly, it’s a question I believe every person needs to deal with individually as well, because I believe the answer goes to the foundation of how we live our lives every day – everything we do – how we as individuals think and act. I believe, just like a church, the answer to this question directs, or doesn’t direct, the way each of go about our daily lives. And so I want to take some dedicated, intentional time right now to have you discuss your answers to the question. I sent out the question earlier in the week, and I am expecting that you have already thought about it. Also, I gave you some a heads up before worship so you could be ready. Finally, you have a sheet in your hands which I hope you have sued or will use before you leave here and write down some thoughts. So, take about 5 minutes or so and discuss this with the people around you. Answer the questions on the sheet. Write down your answers. And by the way, it’s ok to not be sure. That’s a valid answer. That’s an important, honest understanding. We can work with that.

Sisters and brothers, we tackle this question today for a couple of reasons: first, again, I believe that how we understand who Jesus is impacts the way we act. So I want you to think about that and be aware of it and I want to help you live out who Jesus is in all your activities so we can create the Kingdom for everyone we meet.

Secondly, I firmly believe that when we “confess” who Jesus is, we get closer to him – we get more connected to him. It’s just a natural outcome of the process. I read one author who wrote: “I don’t think Jesus asks us to confess who we believe he is for his sake, but rather for ours, that we might be caught up in the power of his love and life.” I think that’s brilliant and spot on. Am I am talking very much about speaking about him – about each of using our voices to say out loud what is going on in our heart and our heads regarding who we think Jesus is. It’s not simply listening to someone, its speaking it ourselves. It’s like falling in love – you ever hear someone when they fall in love – they get all starry eyed and they describe the person they are falling for. “…” Right? And it’s as if by describing the person, they are drawing close to that person or they are there with that person. By speaking about the loved one their hearts are more deeply and intimately connected. The same is true for Jesus. By talking about him we too get closer to him; by describing him we bring him here with us. By being closer to him, by being more connected to him, we are drawn deeper into his love and his power and his peace. Boy I need that in my daily walk. The world can easily be a difficult, trying place – and I know from the last few weeks, the closer my connection to Jesus has been, the more peace I have had and the more strength I have had and the more love I have felt – for me and toward others. There have been moments of deep stress for me in my life, and the only way I got through with any semblance of sanity and grace has been through my deepening connection to Jesus. And that has been life changing and transformative for me. And in the email I sent out this week, several of you answered something similar. So, if you are wondering why I have made you do all this work, that's why. I want to assist you in drawing closer to Jesus and experiencing him in beautiful ways – each day of your life. I believe and hope the work we have done today will help you with that. Knowing Jesus, understanding him and talking about him is central to our living a good and beautiful life. The more we know him, the deeper we are connected to him. The richer and more abundant life can be for each of us. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Who Do You Say He Is?

Who do you say Jesus is?

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How would your life be different if Jesus were not a part of your life, family, job?

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When was the first time God’s love for you in Christ Jesus became real?

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How is “your Jesus” lived out in your life?

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Four Words to Describe Jesus

(that a 4-year-old would understand)

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