March 27, 2000
GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE:
"Who do you say I am?"
Luke 9:20
___By Julie Pennington-Russell
___Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Waco
___You are in the middle of a meeting at your office. It's crunch time. There are decisions to be made. Your colleagues are weighing in with their opinions. Suddenly, your boss turns to you and says, "Ms. Jones, what do you think?"
___"Hmm ... well ...," you begin, scanning your mind for the most suitable answer."Statistics indicate that Plan B would be profitable ... though of course Plan A does offer some attractive benefits ... and then again, many believe that Plan C ..." Your boss interrupts you: "Actually, Ms. Jones, I'd like to know what YOU think."
JULIE PENNINGTON-RUSSELL
___Inevitably, we find ourselves in those critical moments when it's time to step up to the plate and say with our own lips what we think or believe is true.
___ The disciples of Jesus found themselves in just such a moment one day when, out of the blue, Jesus cut to the chase and asked them, "Who do you say I am?" He had eased them into this moment of truth by first asking the more general question, "Who do people say I am?" The disciples had then launched themselves into a little brainstorming session: "Well, some say you're John the Baptist ... some say Elijah ... others say a prophet come back from the dead." They were happy to be in the safety of collective speculation.
___ But Jesus wouldn't let them stay there for long. The Christ whom we follow is relentlessly personal. Christ loves and died for the whole world, but he always comes inquiring about my heart, your heart. "Who do you say I am?"
___ What a tender and vulnerable moment this was for Jesus. And what a statement of God's tremendous regard for us that Christ, the Word Incarnate, should care what we think of him. I always imagine that, as Jesus asked his friends, "Who do you say I am?" he had his fingers crossed behind his back, whispering: "Oh please, oh please, let them get it right. Let them truly understand." Thankfully, Peter hit a home run: "You are the Messiah of God."
___ This was a very good answer. Of course there are two ways to give answer to that question: (a) we may answer with our lips, and (b) we may answer with our living.
___ Peter gave a remarkably good answer with his lips on this particular day. He demonstrated an entirely different kind of answer, however, on the night before Jesus was crucified. We Christians spend the major portion of our lives trying to make sure our lips and our living line up. Invariably, our living speaks louder than anything we say about who we believe Jesus to be.
___ Who is Jesus? A companion? Fraternity buddy? Party-pooper? Our life and breath?
___ Our answers leak out of us, whether we mean for them to or not. The good news for those of us who aren't especially happy about today's answer is that he asks it again every morning.
___ "Who do you say I am?" May each of us be finding good and healthy ways of answering with our lives, "You are the Christ--the Messiah sent from God."
Previous Columns: 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 10/27, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1,12/15, 12/1,1/5, 1/12. 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15.
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