Exodus 1:8-2:10; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
Ordinary 21A; Proper 16
Are we not always learning, really, who Jesus is? Who we are?
As circumstances change and we change over time, our understanding of who God is and who we are as a result morphs and transforms. The church reformed, always reforming, right? God is doing a new thing, do we not perceive it? We are made new creations in Christ, we pray. Jesus’ question to the disciples resounds through the ages to us: Who do people say that I am? How am I depicted in culture? Used as a means to justify human goals? Manipulated by believers and non-believers alike? Who do you say that I am?
Who we say Jesus is has implications for how we see ourselves and others. Our belief in who Jesus is shapes the way we live. But can we ever know fully who Jesus is?
In Matthew’s version of this exchange, not only does Peter name correctly who Jesus is (the Christ, the Son of the living God), Jesus then tells Peter who he truly is (you are Peter, the rock upon which I will build my church). When Peter names who Jesus is, Jesus declares who Peter is. There is a mutual revealing of true identity when we come to confess Jesus is Lord. While we can never know God fully given our human limitations and while we change and grow, Jesus’ lordship remains constant. Jesus is ever, always, the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Naming, knowing and clinging to this proclamation allows God to reveal to us who we are throughout our lifetime and in every circumstance. When our relationship to God is clear, our other priorities are more rightly ordered.
Note in the story of Shiphrah and Puah how this is evident. The midwives fear God and that fear of God – that knowledge and acknowledgment that God must be obeyed and not Pharaoh – gives them the fortitude, courage and bravery to spare the Hebrew babies. When we know who God is, we stand a better shot at not conforming to this world and instead living a cruciform life of service, justice and love. Sober judgment accompanies a clear understanding of who God is and subsequently who we are. Such a confession becomes foundational for God’s work in and through us.
Also take note that Jesus says that Peter did not come to this knowledge and confession of belief on his own. God revealed this to Peter, Jesus declares. Peter did not study hard and then get a good grade on this test. Peter was not somehow exceptionally perceptive and therefore saw something in Jesus others overlooked. God granted Peter this truth and only then did he declare it. In a sense, Peter rose to an occasion he did not see coming. He allowed the Spirit to speak, perhaps surprising himself with the words he uttered. Our knowledge of who Jesus is comes from God when we attempt to follow, even haltingly. I find great comfort in this part of the story. It frees me to attempt to be faithful and know that God will teach me that which I need to know, the Spirit will indeed give me the words I did not know I would be called upon to speak, the epiphany that Jesus is the Christ will be revealed along the Way. We are, in the words of 1 Thessalonians 4:9, the God-taught ones.
I do not imagine that Shiphrah and Puah planned to risk their lives and stand up to Pharaoh the day they decided they would fear God no matter the cost. I do not think many of us plan to be courageous, to take a stand, to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel. We may agree in theory that we will follow Jesus to the cross — and maybe, like Peter, even voice our ultimate loyalty to God only to find we fail miserably when the time comes to make that commitment evident. But sometimes we find ourselves with a stark choice to conform to this world and remain safe or proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, fear God and act out that confession of faith in our spheres of influence regardless of what comes next. God will, in fact, give us the words and the fortitude when we most need it. It is in following that we come to know who Jesus truly is and who we really are because of him.
I recently read an article titled, “The road to Selma was paved with the blood of four unsung martyrs.” It tells the story of “a Baptist deacon, a minister, a Unitarian laywoman and an Episcopal seminarian,” each of whom felt called to advocate for civil rights and all of whom were killed as a result. I was struck by how seemingly ordinary these four people were. Jimmie Lee Jackson was just 26 when he was shot by a state trooper while trying to protect his mother and his grandfather. He had been involved in local protests, and attempted to register to vote five times before he was killed. James Reeb was a minister who answered the call to come to Selma and got clubbed to death for his response to that call. Viola Liuzzo, a committed church woman, also heeded the call and went to Selma. “Liuzzo, 39, a mother of five, drove her 1963 Oldsmobile to Selma and had planned to stay for a week.” Jonathan Daniels was in seminary when he went to Selma and then stayed to work on voter registration efforts. These were people of faith who feared God and followed, those who knew God well enough to allow God to reveal to them who they are and others truly are too.
Shiphrah and Puah, Peter, people like Jimmie Lee Jackson and so many others could not be conformed to this world because in following and fearing God they came to know not only who God was, but who they really were too. As we attempt to follow Jesus, always learning who he is, we pray that when Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” God will reveal to us the answer not only with our words, but through our very lives.
This week:
- Have you ever been asked by someone about your Christian beliefs? About Jesus? How did you, or would you, answer?
- When have you felt as if God has given you the courage to do or say something you would not have done without that divine intervention?
- When you read about Shiphrah and Puah, can you imagine being in their position? In your role, office or spheres of influence, how are you called to fear God over Pharaoh?
- Have you been surprised by how God has used you and your gifts?
- When have you made a public declaration of faith? What were the circumstances? How did you feel about doing so?
- In our current culture, who do various people/groups say that Jesus is?
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