Who?

Here is last weeks' (8/21/11) sermon. Thought I'd already posted it.

How many of you have nicknames? Anyone care to tell us yours?

I’ve had several nicknames through my life. My granddad gave me a nickname when I was a baby, and still uses it today. He has always called me Rubber Duck. My family has had other nicknames for me through the years. My sister calls me Scooter. My dad calls me Dot (which was actually my nephew’s first word). My mom usually calls me Scott, but she used to call me Peanut. But for the last 37 years, I’ve been Rubber Duck, or sometimes just Duck, to my granddad. When I got into school I had a few other nicknames most of them had something to do with my curly hair. The only one I can repeat is Broccoli.

Most of the nicknames tell a little about me. They at least have some meaning to those who gave me the nickname, which is usually the case with nicknames. The name tells something about you and tells something about the person that gives you the name as well.

In our passage today we’re going to see that Jesus had nicknames and he liked to give nicknames, as well. Those names all tell us a little something about Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-20

So Jesus and the disciples have moved on. Last week they were in Gentile territory in the district of Tyre & Sidon. This week they move inland a little bit to the city of Caesarea Phillipi. The city was the site of a temple to the Greek god Pan. So it’s interesting that this conversation would take place here. A conversation about the Son of the Living God takes place in the shadow of a temple built to a false God.

As they sit, maybe watching worshipers going in and out of Pan’s temple, Jesus asks, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” It almost seems like an off-handed remark. I imagine it probably took the disciples by surprise a little. It reminds me of a group of teenage girls sitting around at a slumber party. “So, what do they think about me?”

But Jesus asks with purpose. It’s not just an off the cuff question. The first question is a direct lead in to the more important second.

But first he asks, “Who do people say I am?” or, the Message says, “What are people saying about who I am?”

The disciples answer with a list of prophets. John the Baptist (which is a little confusing since he just died not that long before this conversation), Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the other prophets. So Jesus is making a name for himself. People are talking about him. Not only are they talking about him, but they are trying to figure out just who he is.

Then Jesus turns to the, I think, more important question. “Who do you say that I am?” Now this question really takes them aback. I imagine a long, uncomfortable pause after Jesus asks this question. I imagine the disciples sitting and looking from one to the other, speechless; except Peter.

Peter is rarely speechless or inactive. I imagine Peter as someone who was really uncomfortable with silence. If there was silence, he strikes me as the type of person who felt he needed to fill that silence. Now, Peter blurts out, “You’re the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

I imagine a really big smile slowly growing on Jesus’ face. Starting with a grin and growing to an ear-to-ear smile. Until he finally responds, “Simon, you are blessed! Because you didn’t figure this out on your own. You only know this because of God working in you. Revealing the truth.”

So far we’ve talked about some nicknames for Jesus. Son of Man. Prophet. Son of God. Messiah. All names, and titles, that tell us about Jesus but they also tell us a little about those who use the names. And the story goes on and Jesus hands out a nickname of his own. Petros, or Peter, from the Greek word petra, meaning rock. I don’t know if any of you have ever seen The Cotton Patch Gospel; it’s a musical about Jesus’ ministry that sets the story in Northern Georgia. In that play Jesus gives Peter that nickname right after he tries to walk on water. And sinks. Like a rock. I always thought that was funny.

But I want to focus our attention on the two questions Jesus asks the disciples. “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” I want to focus on these questions because they are vital questions in our mission of making disciples of Jesus. They are as important now as they were for Jesus and his disciples.

First of all, “Who do people say that Jesus is?” In other words, “who is Jesus?” Well, that is going to depend on who you ask. Well, when I want to know something I go to my favorite source, Wikipedia. That should give us a good idea of who people say Jesus is. “Most critical historians agree that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer, that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire. Critical Biblical scholars and historians have offered competing descriptions of Jesus as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement. Most contemporary scholars of the historical Jesus consider him to have been an independent, charismatic founder of a Jewish restoration movement, anticipating a future apocalypse. Other prominent scholars, however, contend that Jesus' "Kingdom of God" meant radical personal and social transformation instead of a future apocalypse.” OK, there’s a start

Talk about nicknames. I’m not sure there is another person in the history of time with more titles and nicknames than Jesus. Master, Teacher, Savior, Madman, Prophet, Myth all of these names and titles have been used by people ancient and modern. Just in scripture, Jesus has numerous nicknames and titles. Pick up a hymnal and turn to #182. There is a list there of some names from scripture. (read) These names are from scripture, but there are many out there who don’t know Jesus by any of these names. They know Jesus as just Jesus. Because they have never read these scriptures, and more importantly they have never had any experience with Jesus.

Who others say Jesus is can be important to us. We need to know what others think of Jesus. But the second question is much more important. “Who do you say that I am?” So the question is not “Who is Jesus?” The question is, “Who is Jesus to you?” What people say about Jesus is important, but what you say and what you believe about Jesus is vital.

It is one thing to say who Jesus is according to the Bible. It is another thing to tell what you know about Jesus from what you’ve learned in church and Sunday School and from your parents or others. But who do you say Jesus is? If you talk about Jesus in terms of all of those other things, then you’re telling people who your preacher says Jesus is or your parents or your Sunday School teacher.

I don’t want to belittle those things. All of them are important sources from which we do and should learn about Jesus. But even more important is who Jesus is to you. What does your experience tell you about Jesus?

Last week I had to do some writing for my candidacy process. One of the things I had to write was “my beliefs as a Christian.” Part of that, of course, includes who Jesus is. Here’s what I wrote. “I believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was the full revelation of God in human form. I believe that Jesus was crucified and died for the salvation of humanity. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today, and that through his resurrection we achieve eternal life.” That answers the question “Who do you say that I am?” But it doesn’t tell who Jesus is to me. And that is the question we have to answer. If we are going to make disciples as we are called to do, we need to know who we are making disciples for.

So who do I say Jesus is? Jesus is my savior. Jesus is the reason that a shy, introvert like me can stand up in front of all of you and share the Gospel or sit in a hospital waiting room and feel completely comfortable talking with people I barely know.

Who is Jesus for you?

We are called to proclaim the Gospel. We are called to make disciples. To do that we have to have a relationship with Jesus. Without a relationship Jesus is just a list of nicknames. A list of nicknames isn’t going to change anyone’s life. We need a relationship we can share with others. Relationships will change lives.