Matthew 16:13-20
The Rev. David Hall
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
The older I get – the harder it is to recognize people. I can see you here at Ascension on a Sunday – call you by name – and remember that your son or daughter is studying bio-medical engineering at Carnegie Mellon. But then I see you at Publix on Tuesday or the Home Depot on Wednesday and my mind goes totally blank.
Recently I thought I saw an old friend. He waved from a distance and hollered “Hi David”. I was positive he was who I thought he was. It looked like him. I started to yell back, “Hi Lester!” but then there was that moment of doubt. What if he was someone else?
Over the years – I’ve had people stop me in restaurants and airports and at football games and tell me I look just like their long-lost best friend. One woman swore I was the actor, Dana Carvey. Phyllis said she needed new glasses.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus asks the disciples “Who do people say that I am?” But, this is not a question about who or what Jesus looks like. The Israelites were waiting for the Messiah – the Savior who would come and save them from EVERYTHING wrong in their world. But most people never expected to actually see the Messiah in their lifetime. And they could SEE Jesus.
So instead, some were saying that he was John the Baptist – others the prophet Jeremiah or maybe even Elijah.
On the other hand, the disciples thought they knew who Jesus was? By this point in the Gospel story, they had watched him walk on water – feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish – and heal people with leprosy and hemorrhages and many OTHER medical PROBLEMS. Jesus even raised Lazarus from the dead and the disciples had been there. And now Jesus looks at them and says – “Who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter is the first to answer. You are the Messiah – the Son of the Living God! This was an ah-ha moment for the disciples. It is one thing to say that Jesus is the Son of God. But to actually BELIEVE IT – BELIEVE IT with all your HEART, MIND and SOUL. This was a pivotal moment of faith for these first 12 followers of Christ. From here they would stand at the foot of a cross – look into an empty tomb – and then change the world telling people about the Savior!
And now – today – who do we say Jesus is? Each Sunday we gather for worship as this part of the Body of Christ we call Ascension and it is a good time for us to ask ourselves – Who do WE say Jesus is?
In the Nicene Creed we echo Peter’s words. We believe in one Lord – the only Son of God – our Savior. In a few moments we will receive bread and wine which will become to us the Body and Blood of Christ – spiritual food for our spiritual journey. Every day of the week – the Messiah will walk with us and love us so that we can share that love with a world looking for what we have found here. Even when we don’t know it – even when we don’t realize it – Christ will be with us. And perhaps the most important question we need to ask this morning is how do we recognize God?
One day a woman went to sit in a park near her home. Life had been hard lately, and she was feeling down. She found a bench beside a pond. After a bit, a young boy came and sat on the other end of the bench. He put a small paper bag between them. He smiled and said, “Good Morning!” SHE SMILED for the first time in weeks. He pulled out his book and showed it to her. She showed him her book and together they shared their lives.
Next, they watched a kite flying above their heads, fed the ducks and tossed coins in a nearby fountain. They EACH made a wish. At NOON the little boy shared his lunch with his new friend. She bought them lemonade from a stand nearby. They each ate half the peanut butter sandwich – the apple his mother had cut into wedges – and her homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was COMMUNION.
The rest of the day flew by as they sat and talked and then walked around the park. Too soon – it was time to go home. They smiled and waved goodbye. As the woman walked up the sidewalk to her front door, her neighbor waved and said, “My don’t you look happy!” She was! “I met Jesus today in the park!” she said to her friend. “He’s much younger than I expected.”
At the same time the little boy came running into his house and his mother couldn’t help but notice how happy he looked. Her son proclaimed with great joy, “I met Jesus today. She likes peanut butter sandwiches, too!”
Who do you say that I am? I believe that we see Jesus every day. We see the Messiah in the children who ring our church bell. You will see the Son of God right here, right now every time you volunteer– feed the hungry in one of our Outreach projects – and share a few hours of your day with someone who needs to hear that God is always with us. You can see Jesus with every smile, hug, and peanut butter sandwich you share here at Ascension. And it is in every one of these moments and more that we see the Kingdom of Heaven. We see Jesus and we can’t help but know WE BELIEVE. We become Christ’s hands and feet in the world. And we recognize the Savior in the person looking back at us.
Who do you say that He is? The Messiah – the Son of the Living God. And He’s here at Ascension.
Amen