“Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:13-20)

I imagine that most people in the world know who Donald Trump is. Even before he became the President of the USA, Trump was very well-known through his appearances on reality TV shows and his high-profile lifestyle. I also suppose that most people have an opinion about who Donald Trump is. He is a very polarizing person – some people love him while others really don’t think he is a good person.

Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump might be, have you ever wondered what he might be like when he is at home by himself. Do you think he’s the same person we see on our TV screens? Or, like a lot of people can be, might he be different when he doesn’t have an audience and he is alone with his thoughts, his doubts, his insecurities and his worries?

We are not going to learn who Donald Trump is by watching more news reports, researching magazine articles, or reading books written by various people. We can only get to know who Donald Trump really is by spending time with him, getting to know him personally, and by being in relationship with him.

I love the questions Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16:13-20. The first was who people were saying he was (v13). This is like asking people who they think someone like Donald Trump is. Their answers would be based on what they had been hearing about Jesus. The disciples’ answer show that different people had varying opinions about Jesus from what they had seen him do, had heard him say, or what others had said about him. The question assumes that, like our opinions of Donald Trump, these people didn’t really know Jesus but had instead formed an opinion about him based on information about him.

Jesus’ second question changed the conversation from what other people were saying about him to what those who were closest to him thought of him. This question was more about a relationship with Jesus than information about him. It was a much more personal question because it wasn’t about what others thought – it was about the disciples’ personal experience as they walked with Jesus, listened to his words, saw the difference he could make in people’s lives, and experienced his love and grace for themselves. By asking, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Jesus wanted his followers to think about their relationship with him and how their experiences with him shaped their trust in him.

These two questions of Jesus are still important for us today. A lot of people have opinions about Jesus, just like we can have opinions about Donald Trump. It can be good for us at times to respectfully ask others who they think Jesus is, whether they identify as Christian or not, and listen to their responses. The goal is not to get into a debate or argument about Jesus – that doesn’t help anyone. Instead, if we are going to bring the good news of Jesus to people who don’t know him yet, it is helpful for us to understand the context into which we are bringing the gospel by listening to what others think of him. There might be some common ground where we can have an ongoing conversation about Jesus, who he is, and the good he can bring to our lives. If the opinions are so different that there is no common ground, we can still listen to other people’s perspectives. By doing that, we can better understand who people think Jesus is as we love and serve them in faith.

It is also important for us to hear Jesus ask us who we say he is. Our answers will give a good indication of what we believe and what our relationship with Jesus is like. I honestly wonder whether Peter was trying to give the ‘right’ or theologically correct answer. Or did Peter answer the way he did because he believed in who Jesus was because of his experience of Jesus and his relationship with him? Do you think Peter’s answer was based on information he knew about Jesus, or on the way he knew Jesus personally?

I ask these questions because our faith tradition has historically relied very much on what we have known about Jesus and the Bible. In many ways over my life in the church, I have seen people talk more about Jesus to try to have the right information or theology about him. I agree that there is a place for learning about Jesus through doctrine and theological education in the church. However, if that’s all we do, it is kind of like Jesus asking his disciples, ‘What do people say about me?’

Jesus didn’t just ask his disciples for information or a theological statement about who others thought he was. He asked them who they said he was, based on their experience of him and their relationship with him. Jesus asked a personal question because he wants us to know him as a living, breathing person who is actively involved in our lives like he was in the lives of his first disciples. The Christian faith isn’t just knowing about God and the doctrines of the church. A living faith means knowing Jesus personally, trusting him, being in relationship with him, and experiencing the difference he makes in our lives. On Sunday, six young people will be confirming their faith in our congregation and I have asked them to prepare a short statement about who they say Jesus is. I’m looking forward to hearing their answers. It is important for all of us to be asking ourselves this same question, and to have an answer to offer others when they ask us who Jesus is to us (1 Peter 3:15).

Who do you say Jesus is? This isn’t just about what other people, such as you pastor, say about him. Jesus asks us who we say he is. Our answers will be based on our relationship with him and our experience of him in our lives, just like Peter’s answer. If you find it hard to answer, I encourage you to explore more who Jesus is by giving time to your relationship with him, and getting to know him as a real, living, flesh and blood person. As we get to know Jesus more, not only do we find his grace and love more in our lives, but we also find God’s goodness in him which we can share with other people.

I will never know Donald Trump. I will only ever know about him and what I say about him will always be based on what others say about him. It’s different with Jesus. He invites us into a relationship with himself so we can live in the reality of the grace and love, hope and joy he pours into our lives. When we experience the difference Jesus makes in our lives, then with Peter and with all of God’s people of every time and place, we are able to tell others who we say Jesus is.

More to think about or discuss:

• Who is one person, living or dead, that you would like to know personally? Why would you like to know that person?
• What is the difference between knowing about someone and knowing them personally?
• What do people you know say about who Jesus is? If you’re not sure, maybe ask someone this week…
• If Jesus asked you who you say he is, how would you answer him?
• Why is this question important for us?
• What might your answer say about your relationship with and/or your trust in Jesus?
• If you think about the ways you get to know someone personally, how can we get to know Jesus better as a real, living, flesh and blood person? What difference might that make in our lives?
• What do you hear God asking us to do in this story?
• What do you hear God saying he has done or will do for us in this story?

You can find a video of this message at https://youtu.be/NOIx8sTzMZE

God bless you as he makes himself known to you through Jesus!