Who Are You?

Before answering question about our own identity we must figure out who Christ is and what that means for us!

This sermon was preached on the 17^th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19B) at St. John’s Church. The readings which inspired the sermon were the following:

Proverbs 1:20-33

Psalm 19

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

Who are you? No, I’m not quoting a classic the Who song. I really wanna know. Who are you? Or, put into the parlance of today’s Gospel lesson, “Who do you say that you are?” What about other people? That’s an interesting thought. What if I were to poll the five people closest to you—who would they say that you are? Would those two descriptions match up? Who you say you are and who others say that you are? These questions revolve around the concept of identity—one’s personality or distinguishing characteristics. This fall during our Wednesday night series we will be pondering questions about identity.

To be more specific our fall midweek classes focus on vocation. Vocation, in turn, makes queries about calling and has its root in the word vocare, which connects to the word voice and has to do with hearing what God’s voice is calling us to do. Still, vocation has everything to do with figuring out our identity. During college, my dean of students seemed obsessed with vocation—and helping students to discern better. He said often, “There are three questions of vocation worth pursuing over and over again—‘Who am I?’ ‘What are my gifts and talents?’ and ‘What is my place in the world?’” These questions have everything to do with figuring out our identity. But, with all due respect to my dean, there is one element which is missing from these inquiries. We need something more.

If we are to figure out who we are—our identity—we must also figure out who Christ is. Said more plainly, to determine who we are we must know who He is. Our calling, our purpose, and our identity take their roots only and always in the life of Christ. So before we can answer for ourselves, “Who am I? What are my gifts and talents? and What is my place in the world?” we must answer, Who is Jesus? What claim does he make on my life? and How has my identity changed as a result? The first question—Who is Jesus?—helpfully gets answered in today’s Gospel lesson.

“Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asks his disciples as they journey into the Gentile city of Caesarea Philippi. Halfway through the Gospel according to Mark Jesus wanted to know what effect he was having on people in the crowds, as well as scribes and Pharisees. The disciples quickly listed off three figures: John the Baptist, Elijah, and one of the prophets. Let’s look at these answers a little closer.

John the Baptist had recently been beheaded. This connection to Jesus made sense as they both preached of repentance and the coming of God’s Kingdom. Elijah was a mighty prophet of the Old Testament that never died, we can see the comparison to Jesus. Elijah was to the Hebrew people like God’s bullpen reliever ready to trot out if things got out of hand. The final answer the disciples gave for Jesus’ identity was that he was one of the prophets. They meant that Jesus had come to prepare the way for God’s people to turn back. While these are all nice answers, none of them hits the nail on the head. They were not Jesus’ true identity. And, apart from the narrator in Mark giving us Jesus’ real nature in the first verse of the entire Gospel story, we have not heard who Jesus was until what happened next.

Jesus asked his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” And, for the first time we hear a character call Jesus, “The Messiah” that is the Christ. The anointed one who came to save—not just the people of Israel—but all nations. Yes, Jesus got checked in last week’s Gospel lesson by the Syrophoenician woman. But, then he healed a blind man in the Greek area of the Decapolis. And today, we see him traveling in the Roman stronghold of Caesarea Philippi. He was the Messiah of all. And, we find that one of his chief followers made the stunning observation and proclamation of Jesus’ true identity. Peter claimed for the rag-tag disciples and for all, “You are the Messiah.” Plain and simple, Peter lets the cat out of the bag. So, we know who Jesus was, but what claim does that make on us?

Why does it matter that Jesus was…is the Messiah? 2,000 years later and half a world away, why should we care that a backwater rabbi impressed his followers enough that they thought he was the Savior of the world? So what? Immediately after Jesus heard Peter’s words in today’s story he sternly ordered his followers not to share this information. Then, he began to reveal the full view of being the Messiah. It is in this description that we hear the claim on our lives—it’s here that we begin to discover our purpose and identity in light of Christ’s.

According to Jesus the Messiah had to undergo suffering, rejection, and even death. This does not seem glamorous or glorious or even good, but it was God’s way. And, it still is. We are so accustomed in our world to pride and pomp and pageantry associated with being great. We throw parades for victors. Jesus’ parade on Palm Sunday was instead the anti-parade, as he came into Jerusalem on a donkey. We shout words of honor towards those we respect. Jesus instead heard cries from his own people to crucify him on Good Friday. We heap praise on the celebrated ones of our day. Jesus instead endured jeers and mockery when he hung on the cross.

What claim does Christ make on our life? He claims that if we are to be his, if our identity, our being is to be united with his own, then we too must take up our cross. We must not seek praise. We cannot go in search of pats on the back. We are to deny ourselves and lose ourselves for the sake of Christ. We must be like Saint Paul who said to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who lives, but it is Christ who lives in me.” How does our identity change? We no longer live for ourselves, but we unite in Christ and allow that new creation to be born through us.

This is a life-long journey. We never reach the finish line of our faith. We find ourselves every day at a new starting line. Always we begin again. And, each day we have the opportunity to choose to be crucified with Christ, so that our identity is resurrected in Him. We become a new creation as Christ transforms us into being part of His Risen Body. God makes this claim on our lives. God yearns for us to be children and heirs through Christ. And, when we become alive in Christ we see the true identity of God’s Son Jesus.

Who am I? What are my gifts and talents? What is my place in the world? As we explore these questions of vocation this fall, may we keep a broader perspective. It does not matter how we answer these questions until we recognize our identity in light of Christ. Until we accept God’s desire to live in us always it matters not who we say that we are. Until we see Jesus’ true identity we cannot know our own. He is our Messiah. And, may we find our identity by picking up our cross and following him.