“Who do you say I am?”
This is Jesus’ question to his disciples in the gospels, and it is his question to us as well. He doesn’t ask us who scholars or skeptics or saints say he is; he asks us who we say he is, guided by Scripture.
We might say that Jesus wants to make things personal. Not private, but personal. He wants to spark conviction in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, so we can turn from our sin, call him our Lord, and follow him on the dusty road of discipleship for the renewal and restoration of the world.
I once heard the Scottish professor and writer, Andrew Purves, put it this way: “The great theological question,” he said, “is essentially a who question: not ‘how did you do that?’ or ‘what did you do?’ or ‘can I do what you did?’ The essential question is, ‘Who are you, Lord?’”
I don’t know about you, but this “who question” has become more important to me during the past two years, both in terms of Jesus and in terms of his body, the church.
Living through a pandemic has made me depend on Jesus more than ever – as all my idols have been interrogated and so many of my comforts have been stripped away. Who is the one who loves us without fail, who will never let us down, and who promises to give us hope and a future? It’s Jesus, Emmanuel, our Savior.
At the same time, living through a pandemic has made me realize the importance of community – as Zoom meetings, quarantine, and endless TV and Internet commentary have revealed the primordial truth that “it is not good for man to be alone.” Who are the people that Jesus has given me to share the journey? It’s you. The people of First Presbyterian Church, living as the body of Christ and an outpost of God’s Kingdom.
I know I sound like an owl or maybe like Dr. Seuss, but the “whos” make all the difference – the “who” of Jesus, and the “who” of you. Because when they come together, we get the cruciform (cross-shaped) witness of the church, a witness that this wounded and weary world so desperately needs.
Take a deep breath and consider how you can enter into February with Jesus and with others, too. Can you spend some time reading Matthew this month? Could you come to Sunday School and worship on Sunday mornings? Why not give me a call or send me an email so we can get together and catch up? The Christian life is always personal, but never private. Let’s keep walking the path together, trusting the Lord to lead the way.
Yours in Christ,
Blake
Image: Owls in Flight by Victoria Lakes