Who Do We Say He Is?

The message given in the Sunday night service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on November 7, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Matthew 16:13-20.

            One of the things that can be frustrating when we read the words of Jesus is the number of times that he seems to be almost deliberately mysterious about what he means.  Jesus would use parables.  He would use figures of speech.  He would make analogies.  Sometimes you’d like to be able to go to Jesus and say, “Would you just come out and say what you mean?”  

In fact, at one point, the disciples kind of did that.  In John Sixteen, when Jesus is making what has been called his Farewell Address to the disciples, right before he goes out to the Garden of Gethsemane to be arrested, the disciples say, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.”  You can just hear the relief in their voices, that finally, after all this time, Jesus is just coming out and saying what he has to say.

            And for all the figures of speech and parables and all the other things Jesus used, he could cut right to the heart of the matter when he wanted to.  That’s clear from our reading for tonight.  Jesus first asks his disciples who the public is saying he is.  And they tell him, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say Jeremiah, some say one of the other prophets.

            And then Jesus asks the big question.  “What about you?...Who do you say I am?”

            That’s the big question.  It was the big question for the disciples.  It’s the big question for us.  Who do we say Jesus is?

            Now, we’d like to think, in a Christian church, that we would all say what Peter said.  Jesus is the Messiah.  The Savior.  The divine Son of the living God.  The one who can give us salvation and eternal life.

            And maybe all of us here tonight would say that.  Maybe everyone watching the livestream would say that, too.  I hope so.  But maybe not.  

            A recent survey of people who claim to be born again Christians--now again, these are not just people who claim a vague, general belief in God, these are people who claim to be born again Christians--a recent survey said that nearly seventy percent of those people say that belief in Jesus is not the only way to heaven.  They said that belief in Muhammed or in Buddha is just as valid a belief, and just as able to get you to heaven, as belief in Jesus Christ.

Well, if you believe that, then you don’t agree with Peter.  You don’t actually believe that Jesus is the Savior.  You don’t believe that Jesus is the divine Son of God.  Not because I say so, but because Jesus said so.  Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”  Jesus did not say “I am one of several ways.”  Jesus said “I am the way.”  Jesus did not say, “I am one of several truths.”  Jesus said, “I am the truth.”  Jesus did not say there are lots of people who can lead you to God the Father.  Jesus said, “No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

            People say, well, that sounds awfully exclusionary.  You’re saying that people who don’t believe in Jesus as the Savior don’t go to heaven.  Well, again, I’m not saying anything.  Jesus is the one who said that.  What I say makes no difference to anything.  I have no ability to get someone into heaven or to keep them out.  And I’m very glad of that, by the way.  All I’m doing is repeating what Jesus said.  People can believe it or not believe it.  It’s their choice.  But anyone who does not believe it does so at their peril.  And anyone does not believe it does not really agree with Peter about who Jesus is.

            Another recent survey said that slightly more than half of American Christians say that we get into heaven by our good deeds.  And again, if you believe that, you don’t agree with Peter.  You don’t actually believe that Jesus is the Savior.  Because if we could get into heaven by our good deeds, we would not need a Savior, right?  We could earn our way into heaven.  All we’d need to do is be good enough, do enough good things, and we’ll get to heaven.  We don’t need Jesus for it.  We can do it ourselves.

            People say, well, are you saying bad people can go to heaven?  Yes.  Yes I am.  In fact, those are the only people who can go to heaven.  Because, compared to God, there are no “good people”.  Jesus said that, too.  In Mark, Chapter Ten, someone referred to Jesus as “Good teacher” and Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good?  No one is good except God alone.”  

Only God is good.  Jesus said that even he is not good--unless you accept the fact that He is the divine Son of God.  So unless you know someone who’s as good as God--and I certainly don’t--there are no “good people” in heaven.  There are only bad people--sinners, who are saved by their belief in the divine Son of God as the Savior.

And again, none of this is true because I say it.  I’m just repeating what Jesus said.  And again, people can believe it or not believe it.  It’s their choice.  But again, anyone who does not believe it does so at their peril.  And anyone who does not believe it does not really agree with Peter about who Jesus is.

            So, I ask the question again.  Who do we say Jesus is?  Do we agree with Peter that Jesus is the Messiah, the divine Son of the living God?  Or do we believe Jesus is something or someone else?  Do we believe Jesus is who He said He was?  Or do we make Jesus whatever we want Him to be?

            It is tempting to make Jesus whatever we want Him to be.  Because if belief in Jesus is the only way to heaven, that means there are people I know, people I care about, who will not go to heaven.  That may be true for you, too.  I don’t like to think about that.  I don’t want those people to not go to heaven.  But if we believe what Jesus said, then unless those people change that’s the way it’s going to be.  

            But the story does not end there.  Because after Peter says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus says that Peter is the rock on which He will build His church, “and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

            Jesus did not say this because Peter was so smart, or so holy, or had such a great personality, or because of any of the things humans tend to think of as important.  Jesus said this because Peter had shown his faith in Jesus.  It was Peter’s faith that made him the strong rock on which Jesus could build His church.  It was Peter’s faith that would help make that church so strong that the gates of Hades would not overcome it.

            And that’s what our faith can do.  Our faith in Jesus can make us a strong rock as well.  You and I can be a rock Jesus can build on, just like Peter was.

            We hear that, and we think, well, but Peter was one of the greatest heroes of the Bible.  I could never be Peter.  My faith could never be that strong.

            But it can be.  Who was Peter?  He was an ordinary fisherman when he met Jesus.  He made all kinds of mistakes.  

In fact, the next thing that happens after the Bible verses we read tonight is that Peter starts arguing with Jesus and Jesus calls him Satan.  When Jesus was arrested, Peter three times denied knowing that he’d ever been with Jesus.  After Jesus was killed, Peter was so confused and scared that he decided to go fishing.

Jesus knew who Peter was, of course.  He knew Peter was far from a perfect person.  And yet, because Peter knew who Jesus was, Peter became the rock on which Jesus built his church. 

Jesus could deal with Peter’s failings because He knew Peter’s faith.  Jesus can deal with our failings because Jesus knows our faith.  It’s like a saying I read on facebook:  “When God put a calling on your life, He already factored in your stupidity.”  That’s funny, but it’s also true.  The Lord knows everything about us, the good and the bad.  And yet the Lord still calls you and me to serve Him, just as the Lord called Peter.  The Lord calls us, not because we’re so smart or so holy or have such great personalities, but because of our faith.

That faith can make you and me a rock Jesus can build on, just as Peter was a rock Jesus could build on.  But it all comes back to the question.  Who do we say Jesus is?  Do we say, as Peter said, that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God?  Or do we say he’s something else, something a little more comfortable, something a little less exclusionary?  Do we say that Jesus is a Savior, but not the Savior?  Do we say that Jesus is one of many ways to heaven?  Or do we believe what Jesus said, that He is the way to eternal life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him?  Will we be the solid rock Jesus can build on?  Or will we be, as the old hymn says, sinking sand, something that nothing solid could ever be built on?

Who do we say He is?  Our eternal life, and the eternal life of others, may depend on our answer.