"You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." -- Peter (Matthew 16:16)
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." -- Jesus (Matthew 16:18)
There it is. It's probably a tribute to my own blindness that I could have looked at it so many times and never have seen it before: It is that confession – the confession that Jesus is the Messiah – that brings us together as the church.
That is why Jesus pressed the question, "Who do you say that I am?" That is why Jesus chose this moment – the moment of Peter's confession – to proclaim that he was building a "church" - an assembly of people called out for a purpose.
If Jesus is only one of the prophets, there is nothing to call us together. John the Baptist and Elijah and Jeremiah were prophets. There are no Jeremian churches; Jeremiah came to proclaim someone else. John the Baptist came to proclaim someone else. They proclaimed God and his Messiah.
If God is in heaven, and we are on earth, what do we have to do with each other? If this world is falling apart for the lack of the presence of God, aching for things to be put right again, then when will God put things back in order?
That's what the prophets were explaining to us: God would set aside someone – a righteous king – who would rule with justice and who would cause peace to flourish. This king was the Messiah.
People are waiting for the "kingdom of god" – for God to rule and put things right again. The first sign of its coming is recognizing that king.
So the sign that God has not forgotten this world is that he has sent his Messiah. And it is as Messiah that we proclaim Jesus: not only as a teacher, for there have been many teachers. Not only as a prophet, for there have been many prophets. But as Messiah: God's sign to us all that our world has a future, that we have a future, because the kingdom of God will come to this world. He is God's sign to the world that death is not the end, that sin does not get the last word, but forgiveness and resurrection win in the end because of the Messiah.
It is only when we understand Jesus as the Messiah a that we have a reason to hope and a message to proclaim.
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." -- Peter (Matthew 16:16)
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." -- Jesus (Matthew 16:18)
Notice how Jesus makes his acknowledgment of Peter into a mirror of Peter's recognition of Jesus. When we recognize who Jesus is, it does not transform who Jesus is – but it does transform who we are.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff!! He is indeed more than just a great man and teacher.
ReplyDeleteNot to be controversial but I love the fact that he "built a church, an assembly of followers, called out for a purpose...People are waiting for the "kingdom of God" My question is..
What did that Kingdom look like in the time of Jesus
What will it look like in our time or some future time? As John the Baptist was a preparer for Jesus so will there be a preparing for the second coming.
Hi Martin - Thank you for the encouragement.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff - either I gave away too much, or you read between the lines really well. (I think you just read between the lines really well.) At any rate, you've picked up on my next post that's following up on this.
But for your question: I love the way the Kingdom looked in the time of Jesus. Wherever he was, there was fellowship and friendship, and purpose, and enough bread that no one had to go hungry, and healing for sickness, forgiveness of sins, and even resurrection from the dead. If he had stayed ... if he had stayed, the "old order of things" would have passed away right then. What more exactly do we want from heaven that's more than the way things were when he was here bodily? (Oh sure, end to corrupt governments and hypocrisy and a few other things.) But I think we had a very good window into the future already.
About your comments that he was more than just a great man and teacher: I actually think that's why churches who are embarrassed by the "Messiah" part and proclaim just teachings ... they fail and fade, because that's not enough to bring us together.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
Interesting point there about the "teaching" approach of many groups - a similar strain, no doubt to the "I'm of" folly refuted by Paul amongst the Corinthians. Yes, pointing to the pure revelation of Christ alone truly changes us, and makes us His.
ReplyDeleteHi Howard
ReplyDeleteAbout what you said, "I'm of Paul" or "I'm of Apollos or Cephas" (etc) -- I think that's exactly how some people see us, when they say "all religions are the same" -- some are of Jesus, some of Mohammed, some of Buddha or Confucius or Lao Tzu. Once Jesus is demoted to teacher, following him alone (or foremost) is just partisanship and sectarianism, just divisiveness. And that's how many see us. Some of them haven't grasped what we're saying about Jesus as Messiah -- and sometimes we're not saying it very clearly, having let ourselves be intimidated. And some of them think the whole "Messiah, son of the living God" thing is just a power-play to trump the other faiths and make them be quiet. Very few of our critics realize that not only do we mean it, but we have reason to believe it is true.
Which is why our evangelism really needs to step up. Jesus is not merely a teacher; he is good news about God's relationship to the world.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
I'm trying to visualize what the now Church should look like.
ReplyDelete"But I think we had a very good window into the future already."
Maybe this is a topic of its own for future treatment. As I hike the red rock here in the boonies of Southern Utah, I find a variety of approaches used to accomplish this same task. Some are granola people with rucksacks, a blankie and a bag of granola. Others have all the high teckie stuff, engineered packs, titanium pots and goo for food (space age carbs). Yet they each find peace on the trail and reach their sacred places just the same. Yet the scriptures tell us "narrow is the way" & and "no man taketh this honor unto himself"...so what does it look like?
I think the granola is ok and the carb goo is ok but neither is the true manna which came down from heaven. I think it looks like Jesus. Bread of life.
ReplyDeleteTake care & God bless
Anne / WF