What Do You Say? (Matthew 16:13-23)

Jesus doesn’t bother much with theology.  In seminary, in order to graduate, I had to write a 30-page essay, a “Credo,” stating what I believed and why, being very sure to justify everything with sound, systematic theology.

But the disciples, they get off easy.  Or so it seems.  Jesus never asked them to write a 30-page essay.  He never gave them a timed examination or multiple-choice test.  He never asked them to defend their theology, their eschatology, or their soteriology. 

Like most people, they probably didn’t even know what all of these words mean.

But there was this one time, when Jesus asked this one question; a question about Christology; a question about their understanding of who he was.

The question went like this:

“Who do you say that I am?”

OK, actually that was the 2^nd question.  But the first question was really just a warm-up.  I remember teachers in school that would give us a warm-up activity, a short, five-minute exercise that we were to do as soon as we took our seats. 

The purpose of the warm-up exercise was to get our minds working.

Jesus’s warm-up question was: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Now the commentaries say that when Jesus mentioned the Son of Man, he was talking about himself.  So when he said “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he meant, “Who do people say that I am?”

But I don’t know. The prophet Daniel talked about the Son of Man, an individual who would come to rule the greatest kingdom on earth, the kingdom of God.  Maybe what Jesus is saying is, “This Son of Man that Daniel talks about; who is he?”

Then again, the gospel of Matthew uses Daniel’s phrase the Son of Man, to refer to Jesus, so I guess even if Jesus meant it this way, he’s still talking about himself…

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Well, anyway, that’s an easy question.  The warm-up questions always are.

“Well, you know; some people say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets…”

Easy.

Like so many tests that we take in school, all you need to do to have the correct response is pay attention.  Memorize the answer.  Regurgitate it back at test time.

Who ignited the Civil Rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on the bus?  Easy.  Rosa Parks.  If you’ve studied, if you’ve paid attention, you know the answer. 

And, it’s an answer that’s all in the head.  There is no emotional investment in that answer.  You could be a great civil rights leader, or an intolerant racist, and yet the answer would be the same.

Now since this sermon is a part of our ongoing Baptism and Membership Class, I will point out that too often, churches ask these same types of questions of those who want to join the church; especially of young people who want to join the church.

And there is some value in questions like these.  It’s important to know the facts.  When it comes to faith, it’s good to know things like what are the books of the Bible, and how do you find a passage, and what are some of the important stories from scripture. 

It’s even important to know what Christians believe about Jesus.  In other words, it’s good to know who people say that the Son of Man is.

And yet, whether you are a saint or the devil himself, the correct answers to questions like these would be the same.  It doesn’t matter who you are or what you believe, the 66 books of the Bible are the same.  You can answer questions like these with no emotional involvement whatsoever.

Clearly, Jesus wanted more than this.  So he asked that second question:

 “But who do you say that I am?”

This is a very different type of question.

It’s not asking who did this or what day they did it… Rosa Parks.  December 1, 1955.  Those are good things to know.  But a deeper question, one that takes it to the next level, would be:  “What does the Civil Rights Movement mean to you?”  That is, to you, personally?

Answering a question like that requires more than just pulling names and dates from various places.  It requires looking into oneself.  It requires examining one’s emotional attachments.  It’s a question of the heart.

“But who do you say that I am?”

The apostle Peter was quick to respond.  Maybe too quick. 

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” 

Well, that is a good answer.  Jesus congratulated Peter on that answer. 

And then Jesus began to talk about how the path he was on would eventually lead to his death.

And Peter protested.  “No way, Lord!  God forbid it!  This must never happen to you!”

Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah.  Peter also believed that the Messiah must be triumphant over all things in order to accomplish his mission.  Peter believed that, as the Son of Man come to establish the Kingdom of God, Jesus must live a long life, exercising power and authority.  How else can a ruler rule?

But this kind of power and authority are exactly what Jesus was tempted by in the wilderness.  Satan offered Jesus power and authority, and Jesus refused.  Here, power and authority are offered again, this time by Peter, who is very willing to use his sword to help Jesus achieve that power and authority, defending him from those who would kill him.  And since this is one of Jesus’s greatest temptations, his referring to Peter as Satan is no figure of speech.  In that moment, Peter is the great tempter.  Peter is Satan.

It’s all rather complicated, isn’t it?

During these sermons between Easter and Pentecost, I’ve been presenting to you the Principles of Identity for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  I’ve been jumping around, taking them out of order.

Today’s Principle of Identity is actually the first one on the list; and it goes like this:

We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world, requiring nothing more – and nothing less – as a basis of our life together.

The word Christ is the Greek translation of the word Messiah.  Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. 

Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, has become the one criterion for membership in our congregation and other congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). 

We don’t ask you anything else.

We don’t require any other answers.

We don’t require you to have a certain answer on the virgin birth, or the proper way to interpret scripture, or whether or not Jesus’s second coming is something we can expect to happen in a real, literal way. 

We just ask you to confess – like Peter did – that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the world.

If you want to join the church, I will ask you that one question.  All you have to do … is say yes.

“Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and do you proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world?”

“Yes.” “I do.”

Welcome to the church!

It’s that easy.

Like I said, no 30-page essay.  No multiple-choice test.  Being a disciple is easy!

Or so it seems.

When I was a boy scout, I learned the scout oath and the scout law.  And when I say “I learned them,” what I mean is that I memorized them.  I could recite them, clearly, flawlessly.

I still can, and I do, as a leader in Troop 29.

It’s been well over 30 years since I first learned the scout oath and law.  However, today I think a lot more about what I’m saying when I recite them. 

Thirty years ago, I did give some thought to the meaning of the words, but most of my effort went into memorizing them so I could recite them, a requirement to move up in rank. 

I no longer need to work on memorizing the oath and law.  They are such a part of me that I can rattle them off, anytime, anyplace, with no effort at all.

But I find myself spending more time thinking about the meaning of those words. 

For example, I think about the 6^th point of the Scout Law:  a scout is kind.  What does it mean to be kind?  One could have all the right answers, I’ve discovered, and do all the right things, but still lack kindness.

I think about the scout oath:  What does it mean to be “morally straight?”  It is quite obvious that not everyone involved in scouting has the same answer to that question.  How do I fight for what I believe is morally straight?  And how do I do that while still being kind?

These are not “Who refused to give up her seat on the bus?” kinds of questions.  These are “What does the civil rights movement mean to you?” kinds of questions. 

They’re deep.  And personal.

And the same is true of the question asked of those who join the church.  “Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and do you proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world?”

All members of the church have answered “yes” to that question.  But I hope it doesn’t stop there.  Because this really is a deep question of the heart.

In matters of faith, when we ask “Do you believe,” what is really meant is “Do you be-love?”  In other words, is your heart committed to this?  Is your life devoted to this?  Do you believe in it with all your being?

Is your life devoted to Jesus?  Are you passionately committed to following him?  … Isn’t that what it means to affirm him as Lord?

The disciples answered the question.  The words were easy. 

But then they learned that believing in Jesus meant being devoted to him and his cause, putting him first in their lives.  Nothing else could be or would be as important as following Jesus, learning to love all people as Jesus did, showing kindness and compassion to all, and challenging the oppressive systems and powers that keep people from experiencing God’s love.

The disciples didn’t figure this all out right away.  Throughout the gospels, they are confused, foolish, blind, and prone to mistakes.

Obviously, it’s not because they had all the right answers or made all the right choices that they were called to be disciples.

It’s because their hearts were in the right place.  It’s because they were willing to follow Jesus, wherever he led them.  It’s because they were willing to learn from him, and keep learning. 

It’s because absolutely nothing was more important to them than serving the one they claimed was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

This is our invitation to you:  join the church.  Be a part of a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.  We’ll only ask you one question: Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, the Lord and Savior of the world?

It’s a simple question that requires a simple “yes.”  But it’s a question of the heart, and that “yes” is something you will live out for the rest of your life.