9-12-21 “Who Do You Say That Jesus is?”

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Mark 8:27-38

 

“Who Do You Say That Jesus is?”

Today, I want to talk about “who Jesus is for you.” I guess you may say, “Jesus is the Savior.” But, I’m curious.  Do you live like Jesus is your savior and Lord in everyday life? I met an amazing lady while on my vacation. I had an appointment with a Korean friend of mine. Before I met my friend, she sent me a text, “May I bring a young lady to join us? I know it is your vacation. But, I want you to see her.” The young lady is an American woman who cannot speak Korean and attends my friend’s church, a Korean church in Minnesota. According to my friend, she is attending Sunday services and joins fellowship and weekday church events. My friend and her husband thought she might come one or two weeks and stop coming because she doesn’t understand the Korean language. But, she continues attending the church. In addition, she sometimes brought her siblings to the church. I was curious why they were attending the Korean church. I had a chance to talk with her. She and her siblings are missionaries. Her elder sister is a missionary in Bolivia; her brother is a missionary in Thailand, and she was a missionary in Mexico. When they are back home, they attend the Korean church like a home church.

I asked her why they chose this Korean church even though they don’t know Korean. She said, “We chose this church because it is the church we looked for. Jesus works beyond language. We like the humble pastor; we like his sermon; we like the fellowship and Korean food; we like the church’s passion for mission.” I asked her, “How do you understand the pastor’s sermon?”  She said, “They give us the translated written sermons. We love to learn about new cultures, meet new people, and see how God works through all nations beyond all barriers. For me, normal life is nothing. I love to adventure to the kingdom of God because I can find joy and happiness in Jesus only. Jesus is everything to me.”

Her confession amazed me. “Normal life is nothing. I became a missionary because I love to adventure to the Kingdom of God. Jesus is everything to me.” Her confession challenged me. I asked myself, “What about you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Is Jesus everything to you also?”

In today’s scripture, Jesus asked his disciples the same question with me, “Who do people say that I am?”  His disciples didn’t hesitate at all and said, “John the Baptist, and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” Jesus was famous among people because he healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed the hungry. People still couldn’t identify who Jesus was even though there were many rumors like he must be John the Baptist, or perhaps, Elijah or one of the prophets. Because the disciples knew the rumors about Jesus, they could answer Jesus directly. Jesus also surely knew those kinds of rumors. Jesus said, “But, who do you say that I am?” Jesus’ actual curiosity was what his disciples thought, not other people’s minds. “Okay, I see who they say that I am. But, what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”  That was the right answer that Jesus expected.

 

The word “Messiah” means “God’s anointed Son,” “Savior,” and “the Lord.” In other words, “You are my savior, my Lord.”  Most people thought of Jesus, John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets.  But, how did Peter knew about Jesus’ identity. In the Gospel of Matthew 16:16, when Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Yes, we may know the truth of God by God’s grace. However, we wonder if Peter really knew that Jesus was the Messiah, furthermore if Peter accepted that Jesus was his personal Savior.

The disciple Peter perhaps knew that Jesus was the Messiah in knowledge as we know Jesus is Son of God and our Savior and our Lord. But, the issue is whether he accepted him as his Savior in an intimate relationship at that moment. When Peter answered that you are the Messiah, Jesus began to teach his mission project that “the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by elders, the chief priest, the scribes, and be killed, and after three days, rise again” (8:31).  As soon as Jesus talked to them clearly about his mission project, saying that he will die and resurrect after three days, Peter became upset and scolded him, “no way, you cannot die, leaving us alone.” The disciples were the powerless people, socially and politically. But, as they met Jesus, they seemed to like being powerful people because of Jesus. They expected that Jesus would be the king in the world, and they would be the influential people. However, if Jesus would die, their dream will disappeared. The disciples couldn’t imagine Jesus would be suffer and die. Jesus must have known what they were thinking.

The place where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” was in the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was going toward Jerusalem and his death. Pointing towards that goal, he begins with the challenge “Who am I?” in the land of pagan gods. Caesarea Philippi is the place where gods are born and made. In ancient history, the city gained its fame as the center for Baal worship. In addition, in the time of Jesus, the town was a province of the Roman Empire named Caesarea Philippi in honor of Caesar Augustus, the Emperor of Rome. The place is the religious center of the pagan gods and the center of power politically. At that place, Jesus challenged his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  Jesus meant, ‘Can you accept that I am the Messiah for you here and now?’ Jesus meant ‘Can you give up your desire for the power of world and follow me? My way is the way of the cross, not the way of wealth and honor.’

Today, Jesus may challenge us with the same question, “Who do you say that I am?” We know Jesus is the Messiah; Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus is the Savior. But, who is Jesus for you? When I heard the young American lady’s confession, “Jesus is everything for me,” I asked myself, “What about you? Is Jesus your Savior, Lord?” I said, “Yes, he is my Savior and Lord.” At that moment, another question came to my mind, “How do I live, keeping that Jesus is my Lord?” Suddenly, one book I read a long time ago came to my mind, entitled “In His Step: What Would Jesus Do?” by Charles Sheldon. This book began with criticizing Christians’ behavior, which is ‘saying love without actions.’ If we believe that Jesus is our Lord, we should love everyone with actions without any bias. I want to say again if you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you should love people in action without any bias. Let us love one another in acts so that they may know we are Christians. The First Letter of John says, “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). I ask you, “Who do you say that Jesus is for you?” Please think about it seriously and act boldly as a Christian with action. Thanks be to God. Amen!