The Clearest Picture

Jesus, a man who was never a slave to public opinion, but he was interested in it.  He wanted to Know what people thought about him and I am sure that his interest was more than a matter of curiosity.  Perhaps it was a way of measuring the effectiveness of his work and predicting the future of his cause.  His mission, at the time of our text for today, was rapidly winding to a close.  His days were numbered.  Very soon, he would no longer be there to proclaim – or to practice – his truth.  And he wanted to know whether anyone had heard his message, whether anyone understood what he had been trying to teach them.  So, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Their responses must have been painfully disappointing to Jesus.  They clearly indicated that people didn’t know what to make of him.  Some thought that he was John the Baptist, risen from the dead.  Others regarded him as a reincarnation of Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the other great prophets.  Apparently, the nation was ripe with rumors about this young carpenter from Galilee – who he was, and what he was trying to accomplish.

It was also very apparent that the general population had understood him, neither his message nor his mission.

And then Jesus made the question more pointed and even more personal.  Looking at his disciples full in the eye, he said to them: “And you, who do you say that I am?”

That was the real issue back then, and it still is today.  Who is Jesus to us, to you and to me?  Is he only a figure out of the ancient past, or is he a revelation of the living God as God pertains to our lives here and now, even in this pandemic?

Most of the time, our thoughts of life have little or nothing to do with Christ.  We are inclined to think of him as a figure that belongs in stained glass windows, or in the discussions of theologians, or in sermons, or in a book called the New Testament.

Most of us have no difficulty believing in that man who lived so long ago.  His life was admirable in every detail.  He was strong, kind, and self-sacrificing.  His teachings are lovely ideals.

But to think that he has anything vital to do with our living today is an idea that rarely enters our minds.

On the other hand, we tend to find it fairly easy to believe in the Christ of tomorrow.  We are told that he is the one who will take us to heaven when we die.

We have also been told that he is coming back someday to judge the world and write the final chapter of history.  The entire business is rather vague and uncertain; but nonetheless, for the most part, we believe in the Christ of tomorrow.

But, our question for today is framed in the present tense.  We are honestly trying to consider who Jesus is for us today.  That is the information he wanted from his first disciples.  And he put it to them in a very pointed and personal way when he asked: “And you, who do you say that I am?”

Now, if we take it seriously, that is not an easy question to answer.  To some, it seems almost laughable.  After all, this is a complex period of history, drastically different from the days of Jesus.

We live in a world of jet planes (when they are flying), iPhones, internet, orbiting satellites.  He lived in a world of swords and spears, donkeys and camels, carpenter shops and small fishing boats.

Is it realistic, then, to believe that he has anything to do with our lives today?

Now, we may not doubt or deny him.  We are more likely to pass him by as a beautiful, belated irrelevance.  He is a word we use in prayers, and creeds, and songs.  He is an image carved in stone.  He is a story we tell our children.  He is the reason, or at least the excuse, for some of our biggest holidays.

Yes, he is all these things to us!  Yet, surely, he is something more, something much greater than any or all of these.

I believe that Simon Peter had the answer when he said: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

That is a familiar reply.  Most of us have heard that response all our lives.  But exactly what does it mean?

If we knew the meaning, we might discover that this also is our answer, that Jesus is to us the same person that he was to Peter and to the other disciples.

For the word “Messiah” is a Hebrew word that means “anointed one” and the Greek equivalent is the word “Christ.”  So you see, they both mean the same thing.

In ancient times, the high priests and kings of Israel were anointed with oil.  It was a sign that God had chosen them for a particular office.  And that is what Peter was saying about Jesus.  He was the one whom God had chosen to do God’s work and make known God’s kingdom to the world.

That is a powerful thought.  It means that when we are looking at Jesus, we are seeing the clearest picture of God that the world has ever seen.  Everything that he did was something God would do.  When Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry, those were the kinds of things that God would do.  When he befriended outcasts and defended the oppressed, that was something that God would do.  When he chose to suffer on a cross, rather than to lie or hate, that was something that God would do.

Now, in the New Testament book of Colossians, 1:15, one of his disciples said of him, “He is the image of the invisible God.”  In modern terminology, we would say that he is the picture or the photo of our invisible God.

Now, does Jesus mean that to us?  I suspect that he does, probably more than we realize.  When we wonder about God, who God is, and what God is like, invariably our thoughts turn to that strange man from Galilee.

So Peter’s answer remains with us: “You are … the Son of the living God.”  It is a recognition of the unique relationship that Jesus had with God.

But keep in mind that Jesus called himself “the Son of Man.”  He was both Son of God and Son of man.  In him, we see, not only the divine image but also a picture of human life at its highest and best.  Now say the worst about us, and it will probably all be the truth, but not the whole truth.  Human nature has another dimension.  There is something in the Christ that appeals to every one of us, and there is something in every one of us to which Christ can appeal.

You see, we are kin to him; there is no question about it.  Our manner of life may deny that kinship, but it cannot erase it.  The same New Testament that calls him “the Son of God” also calls you and me “the children of God.”  That makes us his siblings, his brothers, and sisters.

We may not act as we belong to the same family, but we do belong to the same family.  And in our deepest hearts, we know it.  And when we are most like him it is then that we are most truly ourselves.  So, who is Jesus to us?

He is the clearest picture of God that we have ever seen, or ever will see in this life.  He is also a picture of you and of me for he is a part of our family and we are a part of his; and, it is through us, because of him, that God’s love is now reflected into our world.

Amen.