Who Am I?

This is the reflection I shared with the people of St.Timothy. What are your thoughts? Just put them in the comments section.

Gospel: 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.

Jesus and his disciples were on a field trip, outside of their home turf. They were in the district of Caesarea Philippi north of Galilee, at the foot of Mt. Hermon. The name reflected Caesar and his son Philip. Earlier, it was named after the Greek god, Pan. It is called Banias in Arabic since there is no “p” sound in the language. It’s a beautiful area with a spring that is one of the sources of the Jordan River.

It is in the midst of this place with its temple to numerous gods that Jesus poses the question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (v. 13). Didn’t Jesus know? Of course, he knew the answer, but he wanted to get the disciples thinking.

The disciples’ answers reflected common Jewish thought of the time. John the Baptist reflects Herod’s thoughts after having had John killed. It was thought that Elijah would return since he was taken up into heaven without dying. Jeremiah represents the prophets of old from the Hebrew scriptures.

Jesus then gets personal. “Who do you say that I am?” He was asking this of all the disciples. The “you” is plural. Jesus is no longer referring to himself in the third person as the “Son of Man,” but as “I.” “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers on behalf of all the disciples, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This was a divine revelation, according to Jesus.

With the revelation came new responsibilities for Peter. Jesus makes a play on words on the name “Peter,” which means “rock.” We could call him Simon Rock. Jesus says the church will be built upon this declaration of Peter’s, on who Jesus is.

So, the question we must ask ourselves today is “Who do we say Jesus is to us?”—not Jesus in the abstract, but to us personally today. Is this Jesus only someone who lived long ago? Is he just a doctrine about whom we recite a Creed? Or is he someone who makes a difference in our lives each and every day? Is he not only our Lord and Savior but our friend and closest companion?

Let us pray.

Gracious and holy God, give us diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you. Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you; eyes to behold you; ears to listen for your word; a heart to love you; and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Excerpt From: “Evangelical Lutheran Worship.” Apple Books.

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