Who do you say that I am?

Who do you say that I am?

It’s a question we all must ponder.  Who do we think Jesus Christ is?  How do we define and understand Him?  Is he just a nice guy, a buddy to help us out in times of distress?  Does he impact our daily decisions?  Is he the opposite of hatred, division and sin?  Does he forgive me, heal me, and satisfy me?  You will find that people have a myriad of answers to this question.  In short, the ‘correct’ answer is what Peter says in the Gospel: You are the Christ.  Yet Jesus fleshes out for the disciples, and for us, what this actually means, and it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Suffering is a central component of the Christian faith, specifically the suffering of Christ on the cross.  When Jesus starts to explain this to the disciples, they do not understand.  Peter rejects what Christ is saying – he even takes Jesus aside and “rebukes him.”  Can you imagine rebuking Christ?  Saying something like, “Now Jesus that’s just ridiculous you are the savior – triumphant and glorious – what is this talk of suffering?”  Humanity does not enjoy suffering.  Our hearts are broken when the ones we love suffer.  We struggle when suffering occurs in our own lives.  So it seems natural that Peter rejects Christ’s teaching.  Yet Christ knows the will of the Father.  He calls Peter out, quite harshly, “Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  Wow, Jesus refers to Peter as Satan!  Why?  Because Peter is not in union with the Father’s will.  With human eyes, suffering and death are horrible things.  In God’s eyes, Christ’s suffering and death bring about our salvation.   Human suffering, our personal “crosses” that we carry in life, also becomes meaningful if we unite it with Christ.

Everyone has a cross in life.  Actually most of us have more than one.   The paradox of the Christian life is that if we embrace our cross, instead of trying to escape from it, we can have eternal life.  Our understanding of Christ will affect how we approach suffering, sin, and temptation as well as the good moments and joys in life.  Today spend some time pondering your answer to the question from Christ, “Who do you say that I am?”